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The TV show Lie to Me, a few weeks back (season 2, episode 3 to be exact) decided to take the lies just one step too far — they showed an iPhone where one of the characters could swipe between SMS notifications.
To the trained eye, of course, it was merely screenshots of standard model text dialogs over the Notes app, with swiping no doubt courtesy of the Photo App, and sound effects added in post. (The whole screen, not just the alert dialog, changed on swipe). However, it shows that even TV now has to work around the vexing lack of great notification handling on the iPhone.
Sci-fi aside, it does show one possible approach. If instead of that nasty little box you had to cancel or reply to immediately, or risk losing forever, Apple let you swipe back to see previous notifications, would that be a good solution? Or are we still holding our breath (and turning ever-bluer) waiting or a Palm webOS- or Google Android-level solution?
C64 [$4.99 - iTunes link], the Commodore 64 emulator for iPhone and iPod touch, is back in the App Store and again available for download.
New features include:
-30% performance boost, - 3 more games (International Basketball, International Soccer, and International Tennis) - “Resolved issues and removed functionality relating to potential security risks”
Yes, that last one means that the easter egg, the one that granted access to a basic interpreter, the one that got C64 yanked from the App Store a while back, is now goners.
For those who just want great, nostalgic C64 games, however, the action is all still there…
Apple is currently hiring and is in search of an iPhone OS platform security manager. What does the particular job consist of? Here is the low down:
The team is responsible for secure booting and installation of the OS, partitioning and hardening of security domains within the OS, cryptographic services, and risk analysis of security threats. The team is made up of a variety of security experts with backgrounds in system security and reverse engineering.
The more secure Apple makes the OS the harder it will become to find and use a particular exploit — for good, like our beloved jailbreak, or for evil, like we’ve seen with computer viruses, malware, etc.
Now don’t get us wrong, we are pretty sure that one person will not do away with our beloved jailbreak but this does raise some questions. Is Apple really concerned popular mobile devices will get attacked the way PCs do today? Or are they just done putting the practice of preventing jailbreaking (and the unlocking and app piracy that sometimes goes with it) on the back burner?
What do you think this may mean for the future of the jailbreak if anything? Sound off in the comments below!
[Job listing via Ars]
We’ve warned you previously about some of the security vulnerabilities that come with jailbreaking your iPhone. Turns out a Dutch hacker has gone and made a point to a countless number of jailbroken devices by using a port scanning technique along with some networking smarts. Then after he gained access to the jailbroken iPhones the rest was easy. All of the devices that were hacked had unchanged root passwords along with SSH enabled. You’d know if you were hacked if the following message popped up on your screen:
If you don’t pay, it’s fine by me, but remember, the way I got access to your iPhone can be used by thousands of others-they can send text messages from your number (like I did), use it to call or record your calls, and actually whatever they want, even use it for their hacking activities! I can assure you, I have no intention of harming you or whatever, but, some hackers do! It’s just my advice to secure your phone.
Like promised, no harm was done or will be done. It turns out the hacker just wanted to teach people a simple lesson – change your root passwords and disable SSH. He’s even been nice enough to post directions on how to make sure your jailbroken iPhone is not at risk.
[Via Gizmodo]
Verizon and Motorola’s upcoming Droid handset is getting a lot of press, here, there, everywhere, and one of the negative points that’s come up — in relation to the iPhone — is the Droid’s lack of multi-touch gestures like pinch-to-zoom. (TiPb mentioned it a couple days ago as well).
Some might complain about Verizon nickel-and-diming users by charging an extra $15/month for Exchange support, or that given Verizon’s CDMA technology the Droid can’t multitask a phone call and a data connection (so if, for example, you’re using the new Google Maps Navigator and a need to talk on the phone at the same time, you’re only as good as your last cache). Others are honing in on the Android app space limitations, or just the limited apps (NSFW). But what makes multi-touch so intriguing is that it’s a bit of a mystery as to why the Droid doesn’t support it. Of course, the G1 didn’t support it either, but Android 2.0 is supposed to contain the API’s to do it, and the non-Verizon (GSM, for sale outside the US) version — called the Motorola Milestone seems to do it, if not smoothly (yet?).
Apple’s massive multi-touch patent portfolio is cited as a reason, both now for the Droid and then for the T-Mobile G1. Either Google, while CEO Eric Schmidt was still on the board, agreed not to violate them, or fears litigating them. So, they build in the functionality and let 3rd parties take advantage — and the risk that goes with it — if they so choose.
But why then does the Palm Pre have multi-touch gesture support on Sprint in the US? Wouldn’t the same patents apply? Sure. However, patents are like nukes. They can be deadly unless the guy you’re pointing yours at is pointing equally deadly ones back at you. As both TiPb and PreCentral.net have posted for a while — and Palm has explicitly stated — Palm has a heckuva mobile patent arsenal.
Blustering about lawsuits aside, Apple suing Palm (or vice versa) brings mutually assured patent destruction down on the both of them. While Apple is arguably filthy rich and Palm pauper poor, they might not want the expense or the hassle given Palm’s current market position. Verizon and Google, however, is another matter, especially since Google has been in the mobile space nowhere near as long as Palm, and likely doesn’t have the same type of core mobile patent portfolio in their pocket to assure the same type of stalemate.
At the end of the day, only the top executives (and their lawyers) at Apple, Google, and Palm know for sure, but that’s our guess.
It’s a shame, of course, because the iPhone’s multi-touch gestures are natural to the point where they should arguably be considered default for all capacitive touch screen devices. Apple settled “look and feel” lawsuits with Microsoft over the windows/mouse/pointer interface over a decade ago. They likely consider multi-touch a similar competitive advantages, however, and Steve Jobs said as much at Macworld 2007 when he introduced Apple’s implementation of it:
“And boy, have we patented it.”
Update: per comment below, Eliminate Pro and Touch Pets Pro are only available in Canada for now whole ngmoco tests their servers. Wide release to follow soon!
First-person shooter Elminate Pro [Free - iTunes link] and virtual pet sim Touch Pets Dogs [Free - iTunes link] for iPhone and iPod touch, first shown off by ngmoco at WWDC 2009, have begun making their way into iTunes App Stores around the world (we’ve confirmed them in Canada, other countries should be getting them soon as well).
Both games utilize the plus+ network for community gaming, with Eliminate looking to bring the classic Golden Eye/Halo style gameplay to Apple’s platform, and Touch Pets Dogs, the Nintendogs virtual pooch model. (Sadly, no, there’s doesn’t seem to be a way to cross over within the two games yet, and hunt the mean soldiers with doggy cuteness — or vice versa).
The price for both being zero, we’re guessing Apple’s new policy of “free games can charge for in-app purchases” is having an immediate an obvious effect. Demo without risk, and if you love one or both, they’ll figure out levels or gear or powerups or accessories you can buy to enjoy to love them even more.
Touch Pets Dogs video after the break, and if you try them out, let us know what you think!
[Thanks Alexander for the tip!]
Today’s the day — the iPhone officially launches in China on China Unicom. We say officially because it’s been available unofficially, in gray market form, since the original iPhone 2G was launched, and with winks and nudges via Apple’s unlocked sales in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
So will international sales tumble as the world’s biggest market can buy it at home? Will Chinese sales lag in favor of sticking with the unofficial versions from overseas or future Chinese versions that, you know, include Wi-Fi? Or will iPhone numbers just continue to grow, grow, grow?
Either way, welcome China, to the iPhone world!
Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.
So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!
According to AppleInsider, Apple is once again leading the way for a worldwide NAND Flash memory shortage… again:
“Taiwan-based memory module houses are moving to diversify their NAND flash suppliers to minimize procurement risk, according to industry sources,” the report said. “NAND flash supply has reportedly become tighter as major chip producers Samsung Electronics, Toshiba, Micron and Hynix Semiconductor favor demand for Apple devices.”
With the release of the iPhone 3GS, new iPod Nano/Touch, and the iTablet device rumored to be released sometime in the first half of 2010 – it’s no wonder this current shortage exists. One thing is for sure, the chip producers bend over backwards to make sure Apple gets all of the memory they need — even if it means less for other companies.
Vodafone has just announced that they will begin selling Apple’s iPhone 3G and 3GS in the UK and Ireland in Early 2010.
This comes on the heels of a similar announcement by Orange UK, and means iPhone users across the pond will soon have 3 carriers battling it out for their love and data affection. And hopefully prices will reflect that.
So, UK readers, with O2, Orange, and Vodafone all on the table, who’re you going to go with?
[Thanks everyone who sent this in!]
