July 2009 Archives

Cybersecurity researchers Charlie Miller and Colin Mulliner plan to publicize a vulnerability in the iPhone's handling of SMS messages that could leave the phone open to attack. Forbes reports that the pair will demonstrate today at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas how to send a series of mostly invisible SMS bursts that can give a hacker complete control over the iPhone's functions.

These include dialing the iPhone, accessing the Internet, turning on the camera and/or microphone, and sending more text messages to further propagate the hijacking. "This is serious. The only thing you can do to prevent it is turn off your iPhone," Miller said in an interview with Forbes. "Someone could pretty quickly take over every iPhone in the world with this."

Miller and Mulliner say they notified Apple of the vulnerability nearly a month ago, but the company has yet to issue a patch.

Apple has begun asking developers to list keywords for their applications when submitting, in order to help make it easier to search for apps on your iPhone or iPod touch. AppleInsider reports that developers are now asked to enter up to 255 characters worth of keywords, and that the new data will be used to help improve the search function of the App Store on the iPhone and iPod touch.

"It is important to enter keywords for all applications as soon as possible so your application can continue to be successfully located on the App Store," the update from Apple reads. "Keywords can be updated with the submission of a new binary."

A number of under-the-hood improvements added to the third beta version of iPhone OS 3.1 have been revealed. Notably, the new beta supports failover support for HTTP live streaming, allowing content providers to queue up multiple media playlists, automatically switching over to a secondary stream in the event that the first one fails to load.

Other improvements include enhanced support for Bluetooth audio recording in third-party applications, and the ability to perform offline audio conversion to AAC on the iPhone. As noted previously, additional functions have also been added to the iPhone OS's APIs to allow for customized interactions with the camera, including those seen in augmented reality applications.

The new iPhone OS beta also runs somewhat faster than its predecessor.

A new screen protector for the yet-unreleased fifth-generation iPod nano appears to confirm information published in May claiming that the new device would sport a wider screen ratio than its predecessor.

The protector, offered by JVB Technology Co, measures 50.7mm by 33.7mm, for a diagonal screen size of roughly 61mm, or 2.4 inches. Notably, the current-gen iPod nano's screen also measures roughly 33.7mm wide, but is only around 42mm tall, or noticeably shorter than the current screen.

The company is also listing a screen protector for the third-generation iPod touch, sporting the same dimensions as current models.

The Swedish music streaming service Spotify is planning to launch its first iPhone application within days. The company has submitted the application to Apple's iTunes App Store for its approval. If given clearance, Spotify's service will then be available for users to download onto the iPhone. Spotify has been called an "iTunes killer" because of its ease of use and its comprehensive, free library of millions of songs. It is also looked on as a possible saviour for the music industry, in its bid to offer alternatives to piracy.

The BBC understands that the application is designed to search for new music and let iPhone users download music to their phones. It will also allow users to stream playlists. Spotify hasn't revealed what the application will cost, but there's been speculation that it will only be available on iPhones of premium subscribers who currently pay £9.99 a month to use the service on their computers without adverts. The service, which launched last year, now has more than a million users in the UK, and more than six million across Europe.

It has not yet launched in the United States but says it intends to do so by the end of the year. The company has already demonstrated an application for mobile phones running Google's Android software, though that has not been made available to the public.

Beginning Wednesday, Major League Baseball will stream every single regular and post-season baseball game to fans via the iPhone and iPod Touch application it initially released last year.

Customers who already subscribe to MLB.TV and MLB.TV Premium packages--its online baseball viewing service--can now watch any game live from their phone or computer. The games will be streamed over the iPhone or iPod's Wi-Fi connection or 3G network.

Games can be paused and rewound while playing. Just after the iPhone OS 3.0 update was released in June, MLB added the feature that any purchasers of the At Bat app would get one free streamed game per week chosen by MLB, no MLB.TV subscription required. It took a little over a month to add the MLB.TV package, which streams 15 live games at a time.

Called plainly 'Cannabis', a new application for iPhone and iPod Touch lets you find medical marijuana in the 13 US states that have such laws, and lawyers in the 37 others that don't.

For overseas users, it also guides you to the friendliest Amsterdam hash bars. The app is the creation of AJNAG, or Activists Justifying the Natural Agriculture of Ganja, a Los Angeles-based online group created in 2006 to "connect, educate and empower individuals on the cultural, economic, and medicinal benefits of legalisation, production, regulation, distribution, and taxation of Cannabis sativa," according to the group's website.

AJNAG says it'll donate 50 cents for every purchase of the 'Cannabis' app to an as-yet nonexistent "cannabis non-profit reform fund, which will be set up once the application reaches 1000 subscriptions."

Rumours have swirled that Apple plans to add a camera to the iPod Touch that will be capable of snapping photos and capturing video.

The iPod Touch may come with a built-in microphone, which would transform the music player into a VoIP powerhouse and a Wi-Fi talk box alternative to Apple's own iPhone.

A refresh of the iPod line typically comes during the summer, and it's claimed iPod Touches with cameras and microphones should hit shelves in two or three months.

World of Warcraft maker Blizzard has released its second application for the iPhone -- World of Warcraft Mobile Armory. It's free for download from the App Store.

Designed as a complement to its World of Warcraft massively multiplayer online game, WoW Mobile Armory helps you keep track of your World of Warcraft characters. You can also use it to plan your adventures and keep up with the activities of your guild, similar to the World of Warcraft Armory Web site operated by Blizzard.

You can use the WoW Mobile Armory app to look at your in-game calendar, check the leader board, access a "talent calculator" that helps you decide how best to level up the skills on your character, and to stay up-to-date on the latest World of Warcraft news.

The US Patent and Trademark Office published 33 new Apple patent applications on Thursday, bringing the total filed in July to 55 - and we're not even a third of the way through the month.

Today's cluster of creativity ranged from flexible cabling to scrolling lyrics, but the bulk of the filings described new powers for the ubiquitous iPhone and its little brother, the iPod Touch - especially when the iPhone is equipped with a camera, which it seems destined to be.

Two of the filings are directly camera-related. One focuses on object identification and the other on face recognition. The former is targeted specifically for handhelds, while the latter's reach extends both into your pocket and out to the entire universe of consumer electronics.

Online supermarket Ocado has launched an iPhone application that lets users order products while using the mobile device. The application, dubbed "Ocado On The Go", gives users access to Ocado's virtual aisles at any time of the day, where they can buy everything from food and drink to books and toys.

Ocado's range of over 18,000 products is stored on the iPhone so that users can keep shopping even when offline -- their orders are automatically updated when an internet connection is made. Jason Gissing, co-founder of Ocado, said: "We're delighted to be the first UK supermarket on the iPhone - this is grocery shopping 2.0 and it'll offer a huge, huge benefit to many of our busy customers. "

The application, which is also available on the iPod Touch, is available to customers from today, but officially launches following final testing on July 13.

The Pre, which boasts a slide-out Qwerty keyboard and a 3.1 in touch screen, will hit the shops before Christmas after it agreed an exclusive deal with O2 to sell the handset.

The phone also features a revolutionary new operating system which integrates Twitter and Facebook with users' contact list to allow a continuous stream of conversation across different media. It's also is the first mobile phone which does not need to be plugged in to charge. Instead users' just have to place in on a special "touchstone" pad which charges the device using a magnetic system.

Kat Hannaford, news editor of gadget magazine T3, said: "The Pre is a really impressive phone and the most serious challenger to the dominance of the iPhone. It comes at a great time as many users' iPhone contracts will be coming up for renewal in time for Christmas, and they might be disappointed that the new iPhone looks exactly the same as the old one."

The city of Boston is set to launch an official iPhone application for residents to file complaints about "neighborhood nuisances - nasty potholes, graffiti-stained walls, blown street lights," according to The Boston Globe.

Called Citizen Connect, the app will let Bostonians send pictures and tips right to City Hall. The app was built with the help of a New Hampshire mobile development firm called Connected Bits.

Citizen Connect has been submitted to Apple but hasn't made it into the iTunes App Store just yet. When it does, it will be free.

A week after, Obama acknowledged the magnitude of the loss to the generation that grew up as followers of the icon, Contactmusic reports. He paid tribute saying: "He will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers".

Obama also revealed that he grew up listening to Jackson. He added: "I grew up on his music. I still have all his stuff on my iPod." The pop legend died of a suspected cardiac arrest at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles on June 25, 2009.

Dance Praise features hit songs by Newsboys, tobyMac, Superchick, Audio Adrenaline and other Christian artists. Players have to tap while following onscreen arrows. Lyrics in step with the beat are displayed on the screen. 3D dancers show off their dance moves in the background. There are 15 songs, 4 levels of play ranging from easy to expert and 60 different dances. Your Love is Better than Life by Newsboys, Dive by Steven Curtis Chapman, Made to Love by tobyMac, If We Are the Body by Casting Crowns, and more are the various Christian music tracks featured in the game.

"Dance Praise is the first full-featured iPhone game with Christian music," comments Tom Bean, President and CEO of Digital Praise. "Dance Praise builds on the popularity of current tapping games and adds deeper scoring, onscreen action, arcade mode and quality music to reach players of all ages. The Dance Praise franchise was first released in 2005 for PC and Mac users and the current game is based on that model. Bean continues. The iPhone App Store allows us to reach an even broader market with this game. We're very excited about its potential."

Given that the current generation is referred to as "iPod2,1″ it would seem to indicate that Apple has a new version in the works. It's too soon to say what the new iPod Touch will look like or what its feature will be, but rumours point to a camera that takes video as being a likely addition. Other rumours indicate a larger screen, new wireless features, a digital compass, and GPS.

While fans would love to see more iPhone-like functionality in the new device, Apple has to make sure it doesn't give too much away: make the iPod too much similar to the iPhone and it removes much of the reason to buy an iPhone. Apple's last upgrade to the Touch line came last September, thus it would seem reasonable to assume that the next one would be this coming September. You can be sure more info will slowly come out in the months to come.