As powerful as iPhone and iPad are, they are not with their flaws. Apple may be finally addressing some of the hardware issues that iPhone 4 owners have faced since its launch day but the software side needs some attention too. While iOS 4.2 will start shipping in November, Apple does plan to fix iPhone 4′s proximity sensor bug and other issues with iOS 4.1.

First of all, a lot of bugs have been fixed … Proximity sensor bugs, Bluetooth bugs, iPhone 3G performance bugs. All the bugs that we’ve been nailed on. We think we’ve nailed a lot of them.

Steve Jobs promised. It is not clear whether this new update will fix the major issues that have come up for older iPhone owners after upgrading to iOS 4. In the meantime, Apple is already looking ahead to iOS 4.2. Multitasking, folders, and wireless printing are all coming to iPad in November.

Here are just a few features that Apple iPad owners can expect to get their hands on with iOS 4.2:

• printing over wireless network
• wirelessly streaming videos to Apple TV
• the all new Game Center Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to picking up new apps, many iPhone and iPad owners rely on the reviews they get to read on iTunes. Not every app developer company offers a free version of its products, leaving consumers with the task of searching for reviews and feedback from other iPhone owners. Unfortunately, not all these reviews and positive recommendations are legitimate. While not every reviewer can be bought, there are people who will sell their souls just to get their hands on new shiny apps (and get a percentage of their sales). Developers understand the power of getting early positive reviews posted on iTunes. Some are willing to let “real users” do the job for them. Others try to buy positive reviews.

Reverb Communications, a California-based PR agency, recently got into hot water with the FTC for posting fake reviews to iTunes. The positive reviews posted looked as if they were from regular consumers. In reality, there were nothing more than paid endorsements. Reverb Communications may have settled its case with the FTC, but there is no question the issue of fake iTunes reviews is pretty widespread.

Reverb and Snitker did not disclose that they were hired to promote the games and that they often received a percentage of the sales. These facts would have been relevant to consumers who were evaluating the endorsement and deciding whether to buy the gaming applications.

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The government may be fine with people jailbreaking their iPhones. It is not an illegal activity as we found out just a short while ago. That does not mean the risks are low for jailbreakers. The iPhone Dev team always puts out decent quality jailbreak solutions for iPhone. The latest one, which is available on jailbreakme.com, can be installed on iPhone through the web. There is just something wrong with this picture. The jailbreak software may be completely safe, but the fact that you get to install it by using Safari means there is potential for hackers to take control of iPhones using malicious web pages.

Apparently, Apple is investigating the issue and will surely introduce patches to plug these security hole. According to VUPEN Security, this is not an issue Apple can hide under a rug:

Two vulnerabilities have been identified in Apple iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod, …. The first issue is caused by a memory corruption error when processing Compact Font Format (CFF) data within a PDF document, which could be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into visiting a specially crafted web page using Mobile Safari. The second vulnerability is caused by an error in the kernel, which could allow attackers to gain elevated privileges and bypass sandbox restrictions.

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We have known for quite some time that there is a distinct possibility that Android will pass iPhone in the upcoming years. Unlike Apple, Google has a bunch of handset makers taking advantage of its platform. Even though no individual Android phone has come close to iPhone in market-share, the Android army as a whole has been gaining marketshare and momentum in the past few months. According to a report by the Nielsen Company, Android may have already surpassed Apple iPhone (27% to 23% in market share).

There are multiple ways to interpret this report, depending on which camp you are pulling for. Android’s rise has been very impressive, and there is absolutely no question that as a platform it is destined to surpass iPhone OS. It’d be a huge failure if it doesn’t considering all the shiny phones that HTC and Motorola have been developing for that platform. At the same time, Apple iPhone still remains the most desired phone around. About 90% of iPhone owners are satisfied with their phone and would do business with Apple in the future. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to rumors, the iPhone nation never rests. We have all been waiting for Apple to bring more carriers on board. Apple will have no choice but to do that if it wants to expand iPhone’s market-share. Just a few days ago, there were talks about how Apple may be close to bringing Apple iPhone to Verizon network. The latest rumor suggests that Apple may pass up the opportunity with Verizon to work with T-Mobile instead. According to “sources close to the matter,” T-Mobile iPhone could make its debut as early as this fall. Can’t these so-called “s0urces” make up their mind?

The best plan for Apple will be to make iPhone available through as many carriers as possible. That is the only way for Apple to compete for that #1 position over the long run. The trouble is, the current iPhone is not compatible with Verizon or T-Mobile networks. Apple will have to make changes to its handset to pull it off. That would not be an issue for Apple. But fall of this year seems too early for such a move. Read the rest of this entry »