Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

Friday, 21 September 2012

UK faces BlackBerry outage again

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) has issued a statement apologising for yet another service outage across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

RIM said: “We are currently experiencing a BlackBerry service issue affecting some users in Europe, Middle East & Africa. All relevant support teams are working to resolve the issue. We apologise to any customers who may be affected.”

The ailing smartphone company has had a number of high profile outages and is facing commercial pressure from Apple and Android smartphones that are capable of providing "good-enough" email security for all but the most security-conscious IT environments.

In October 2011, users experienced the largest outage in the history of the BlackBerry service. The three-day outage affected major businesses and government departments that rely on RIM's enterprise messaging service to deliver mobile email.

This latest services distribution could put into question whether businesses should rely on BlackBerry smartphones, due to the single point of failure within RIM's network and IT infrastructure.

In the past, users relied on the BlackBerry service – which has proven to be highly resilient – due to the high-level of security offered through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The service was certified by the CESG, the UK Government's National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, for restricted data access within the government. But Apple and Android are working towards certification and these outages increase the pressure on RIM.

Friday, 14 September 2012

Apple launches the iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 has a larger 4-inch retina screen, yet is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. The extra height in the device, allows an extra row of apps, which should reduce the number of home screens needed to swipe through.

Specs

• Height: 123.8 mm

• Width: 58.6 mm

• Depth: 7.6 mm

• Weight: 112 grams

• Display: 1136x640 pixels

• Camera: 8 megapixel and HD front facing camera

• Processor: A6 chip (providing longer battery life)

• Memory: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB

Thursday, 30 August 2012

Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset

Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset:

Samsung announced a new range of products under the name Ativ last night, making it the first manufacturer to reveal its Windows Phone 8 mobile device.

The Ativ S smartphone was unveiled at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, beating Microsoft’s major partner, Nokia, which is due to launch its own device at a press event in New York next Wednesday.

Samsung’s version houses a 1.5GHz dual core processor, comes with a choice of 16GB or 32GB memory – with support for a microSD card – and two cameras, a forward-facing 1.9MP and a rear-facing 8MP shooter.

The device itself measures in at 137.2mm x 70.5mm, with a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, is 8.7 mm thick and weighs just 135g, making it a similar build to Samsung’s Galaxy S III flagship mobile, but with less power inside.

It is not clear when the device will hit the shelves but rumours from the trade show floor claim the end of October is a likely launch date.

As well as the Ativ S smartphone, Samsung also unveiled a new tablet device based on the upcoming Windows 8 light version known as Windows RT. The Activ Tab will have a 10.1” display but weigh 570g and measure 8.9mm in thickness, making it both thinner and lighter than the latest Apple iPad.

It will run on a 1.5GHz dual core processor, come with either 32GB or 64GB memory – as well as support for up to 64GB on a microSD card – and have two cameras, the forward-facing 1.9MP and the rear-facing 5MP device.

“Samsung is a highly-valued partner and it’s great to see this investment in a global brand for its Windows-based tablets and phones,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice-president of original equipment manufacturers for Microsoft.

“This gives us an increased opportunity to inspire our customers with excitement and confidence as they enjoy Windows experiences across their beautiful Samsung devices, including entertainment scenarios, mobile productivity and cloud services.”

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Samsung lashes out at Apple after patent defeat

Samsung lashes out at Apple after patent defeat:

Samsung has lashed out at Apple after losing its high-profile US court battle over patents that led to a $12bn loss in market value for Samsung as investors withdrew support.

Samsung’s share price fell 7.5% in Seoul, South Korea on Monday as shareholders reacted to the $1bn fine imposed by a US court on Friday for copying key elements of Apple iPhone.The embattled South Korean company is hoping its drive to innovate will retain the loyalty of consumers. In closing arguments last week, Samsung’s lawyers said that victory for Apple would mean less choice for consumers.

In an internal memo issued after the verdict, Samsung management said: "History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation.

“We trust that the consumers and the market will side with those who prioritise innovation over litigation, and we will prove this beyond doubt."

Ahead of the verdict, analysts said a victory for Apple could lead to the company broadening its attack on other handset makers that use Google's Android operating system and could boost Microsoft partner, Nokia, which is expected to announce new smartphones next month.

In line with those predictions, Google’s shares fell 1.4% while Nokia shares gained 9% on Monday in New York, according to the Guardian.

Apple’s shares gained almost 2% on news of the patent battle victory.

Samsung has said it will appeal against the verdict, but Judge Lucy Koh could triple the fine because the jury found Samsung's infringement of Apple's patents and designs was "willful".

Apple will also be able to apply for an injunction against the 24 smartphones and tablets named in the suit at a hearing scheduled for 20 September.

In a similar trial that also ended last week, a South Korean court ruled that Apple and Samsung Electronics infringed each other's patents.

Both parties were ordered to pay compensation. Samsung must pay Apple $22,000 while Apple must pay its rival $35,000.

Friday, 24 August 2012

South Korean court bans Samsung and Apple sales

South Korean court bans Samsung and Apple sales:

A South Korean court has ruled that technology giants Apple and Samsung Electronics infringed each other's patents.

The Seoul Central District Court ordered a partial ban of their products covered by the ruling in South Korea, according to US reports. Recently released products including Apple's iPhone 4S and Samsung's Galaxy S3 are not affected.

This means Apple must stop selling the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad 2 because the court ruled that the products infringed two of Samsung's five disputed patents.

The South Korean court denied Apple's claim that Samsung had illegally copied its design. The court found the shape and big display screen existed in products before the iPhone and iPad.

But the court ruled that South Korea-based Samsung had infringed on one of Apple's patents, related to the screen's bounce-back feature, which causes the screen to bounce back when a user scrolls to an end image.

The court banned sales of products using the technology, including the Galaxy S2, in South Korea.

Both parties were ordered to pay compensation. Samsung must pay Apple $22,000 while Apple must pay its rival $35,000.

Friday, 17 August 2012

Playing music and video wirelessly with AirPlay.

Playing music and video wirelessly with

AirPlay.

Not so long ago, you needed your computer and portable devices to be directly

connected to the speakers and screens you wanted to play their content on.

AirPlay frees you from that need, allowing you to stream audio and video via Wi-Fi

from your iTunes library to AirPlay-enabled devices--like Apple TV, audio

systems from a variety of manufacturers that have AirPlay built-in, and systems

connected to an AirPort Express on your Wi-Fi network. iTunes on the computer

and the Music, Video, and other apps on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

automatically detect AirPlay-enabled devices on the local Wi-Fi network and

present them for you to choose from. Tap or click it and pick the system you want

to send the stream to. You can even pause while you're in one room, then tap

AirPlay again to pick a different system in another room and tap Play.

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple has confirmed that the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system will not include an app for accessing Google's YouTube video service by default.

The move represents another step away from Google, after Apple previously announced that Google Maps will be replaced with Apple's own application using mapping technology from Dutch satnav partner TomTom in iOS6, which is due out later this year.

Apple said in a statement: "Our licence to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended. Customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

This means YouTube fans will need to download the app as they would for every other service they want access to on their phone.

YouTube said: “We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.”

Since Google's Android operating system emerged as a strong rival to iOS, Apple has been seeking to reduce the iPhone's links with its former partner.

With Google Maps and YouTube gone, speculation is now mounting that Apple will remove Google as the default search button on the iPhone's Safari browser, according to the Guardian.

Apple has already dropped Google in China for local firm Baidu, and news of a change elsewhere could come when Apple is expected to unveil the latest iPhone in September, the paper said.

Apple's deal with Facebook to integrate the social network into iPhones and iPads is also being regarded by some analysts as another challenge to Google, according to theTelegraph.

Thursday, 16 August 2012

Nokia fuels hopes of phone launch ahead of Apple

Nokia fuels hopes of phone launch ahead of Apple:

Nokia said on Wednesday it will hold a joint media event with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in New York on September 5, boosting hopes that it will unveil its long-awaited Windows smartphone upgrade before rival Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rolls out its next iPhone.

The Finnish company gave no details about the September event, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said earlier on Wednesday the company would unveil soon a new smartphone using Microsoft's latest smartphone software known as Windows Phone 8.

The joint event with Microsoft will occur a week before Apple is expected to unveil its own hotly anticipated iPhone 5.

Nokia has been fighting for survival after ceding vast ground to rivals Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) in recent years. In 2011 it forged a software alliance with Elop's former employer, Microsoft, which also fell behind in smartphone software.

Both Nokia and Microsoft are pinning their hopes on the next Windows-based phone to challenge Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy smartphone.

Nokia has not commented on specific plans for its Nokia World trade show event in Helsinki on September 5 and 6.

Elop did not deny a September launch when he spoke to reporters earlier on Wednesday. He said only that Windows Phone 8 smartphones would be released in the "relatively near term."

Nokia shares, which have been trading near all-time lows, rose sharply in Helsinki after Elop's comments and gained 3.4 percent to close at 2.0760 euros in Helsinki on Wednesday. Its U.S. shares closed up 6 percent at $2.64 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Also on Wednesday, Standard & Poor's downgraded Nokia's credit rating to BB- with a "negative" outlook.

Elop, who was brought in from Microsoft two years ago to lead Nokia's fight against Apple and Samsung, said he was sticking to his strategy of using Microsoft software despite the limited success of Windows phones so far.

Nokia decided in early 2011 to ditch its home-grown Symbian software in favor of software from Microsoft.

"I don't think about rewinding the clock and thinking about competing elsewhere," he told reporters in Oslo.

"In today's war ... (between) Android, Apple and Windows, we are very clear, we are fighting that with the Windows phone," said Elop, who was in Oslo for a meeting with Telenor ASA (TEL.OL) Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas.

Nokia lost 1.53 billion euros in the second quarter and sold just 4 million Windows phones in the period, well short of Apple's sales of 26 million iPhones and Samsung's 50 million smartphones.

Nokia shrugged off S&P's downgrade, saying it had sufficient liquidity and was saving money. S&P cut Nokia's rating in April to BB+ -- junk status -- meaning conservative investors like pension funds will consider it too risky to hold.

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

Security issues hit Apple as new OS X released

Researchers have confirmed the existence of new Mac malware just hours before the release of Mountain Lion, the latest version of Apple's OS X operating system.

Within hours, researchers at security company Sophos also confirmed an iOS app in Apple's App Store was found to contain malicious Windows executable files.

The iOS malware was initially found by a user of the Apple Support Communities discussion board who downloaded an app called "Instaquotes – Quotes Cards For Instagram" from iTunes, but his antivirus software alerted him that it contained a worm, identified as Win32/VB.CB by Microsoft.

"Initially thought to be a false positive, it turned out that there was Windows malware embedded inside the app," wrote researcher Joshua Long in a Sophos blog post.

He said it was likely the infection was caused accidentally by an infected developer's computer. Because the malware cannot run on a Windows PC without first being extracted from the iOS application package, it is unlikely to have caused any damage to users' systems. Apple withdrew the app from the Apple App store.

"Perhaps what's most disappointing about the discovery of Windows malware inside an iOS app is that Apple doesn't seem to have conducted a simple virus scan as part of its app vetting process," Long wrote.

"Just extracting all files from the package, and scanning them with anti-virus software, would have prevented the Windows malware from getting into the iOS App Store in the first place."

Earlier, Sophos researchers announced that the Morcut Mac OS X malware, also known as "Crisis", had been distributed as part of a multi-platform attack, designed to hit Windows and Mac users.

After analysing a sample of the Morcut malware, researches said it was embedded in an archive file that appeared to be Adobe Flash Player.

According to Sophos, the threat, which has not yet been seen in the wild, is complex.

When run on an OS X system, it drops multiple components, reconfigures system settings and installs a backdoor and rootkit combination that connects to a remote server and waits for instructions from malicious hackers.

When run on Windows systems, a version of the Swizzor malware is installed instead.

"Analysis of this malware is ongoing, but Mac users are protected right now if they are running a good, up-to-date antivirus," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

"The good news is that this threat has not been seen in the wild so far, but we are seeing increasing evidence of cyber criminals exploiting the fact that many Mac users have still not got the message that they need to protect their computers.

"There is much less malware for Macs than there is for Windows, but that doesn't mean it's non-existent. If Mac users are too laid back about security and leave their bellies exposed, they're asking for trouble," said Cluley.

SophosLabs experts are continuing to analyse the Morcut malware and warn that, even if the threat does not break into the wild, the techniques it uses could be deployed by other malicious hackers in the future.

Friday, 20 July 2012

Rogue Apple server corrupts Angry Birds Space and other apps

Apple has blamed a rogue App Store server for making more than 100 apps unusable, including Angry Birds Space, after iPhone and iPad users updated them.

According to Apple, the server wrongly included a digital rights management (DRM) code, which made it impossible to open them. But the company said the problem had been fixed.

Apple normally uses DRM to ensure that apps work only for users who have paid for them or are authorised to use them, according to the Telegraph.

The problem was discovered by Marco Arment, who developed Instapaper, an app for aggregating and displaying online articles.

He compiled a list of more than 100 other apps affected by the server problem, including Angry Birds Space, Word Lens and Yahoo! Search.

Arment led calls on Apple by app developers to acknowledge and fix the problem as soon as possible.

Apple said if any newly downloaded apps had been affected, users should download them again from the App Store.

Monday, 16 July 2012

Apple In-App Store Hacked

Hacker finds way to loot in-app store items and posts a how-to on YouTube.

A Russian hacker has managed to find a way around the security checks in Apple's in-app purchasing system to make content sold in iOS apps available for free.

The hacker, identifying himself as ZonD80, has posted a YouTube videode monstrating how he was able to create an in-app proxy that authorizes in-app purchases at no cost.

"To buy in-app content," he says in the video,"you must install two certificates and set the IP address of the DNS to a specific IP."

On a Blogger hosted site, he has asked for donations to support the development of his project. The PayPal email address he provides for receipt of funds is a Me.com address, a domain owned by Apple. Presumably this will simplify Apple's effort to identify the hacker, though doing so won't stop the spread of his code: ZonD80 notes on his blog that he has sent the source code and control of the hosting server to someone else.

[ Is Apple environmentally conscious? Read Apple Clean Cloud More Talk Than Walk: Greenpeace. ]

In-app purchasing has become one of the leading sources of revenue for app developers. ABI Research in February predicted that revenue from sale of content in apps will outpace revenue from selling the apps themselves in 2012.

Apple appears to be taking steps to limit the damage. Russian blog i-ekb.ru includes a note, purportedly from ZonD80, indicating that Apple has filed a takedown notice with the service provider of his website.

It's doubtful that Apple will ask Google to remove the hacker's Blogger site--it isn't hosting any code so there might not be any legal foundation to request that Google remove it, unless Apple claims that the domain, in-appstore.com, violates its trademarks.

The hack appears to work on iOS versions 3.0 through 6.0, presently available only in beta form to iOS developers. But not all apps with in-app purchasing are vulnerable. Apple provides a mechanism to validate in-app purchases, in order to allow purchases to be restored on erased or new devices. Developers who have implemented receipt verification, which requires tracking in-app sales using a separate server, can query Apple to confirm the authenticity of purchased items.

Black Hat USA Las Vegas, the premiere conference on information security, features four days of deep technical training followed by two days of presentations from speakers discussing their latest research around a broad range of security topics. At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, July 21-26. Register today.

Friday, 13 July 2012

iPad Mirroring Mode On Your APPLE TV

iPad Mirroring Mode On Your APPLE TV:

One of the least publicized features in iOS 5 is the ability of the iPad 2 (and, apparently, the iPhone 4S) to wirelessly mirror its screen to a second-generation Apple TV. If both your iPad and your Apple TV are fully up-to-date, here’s how you activate mirror mode.

Don’t look for the controls in the Settings app on your iPad. Instead, they are snuggled next to the iPod controls. Double-press your home button to see the multitasking bar, showing all your recent apps. Swipe your finger from right to left; you’ll see the AirPlay icon. Tap on that, select your Apple TV and toggle the mirror button to ‘on’.

If everything is on the same Wi-Fi network, your iPad screen will appear on your Apple TV. It works well, and with a minimum of lag between the 2 devices. I checked dozens of apps, particularly games, and both sound and video made it just fine. Angry Birds looked great. So did Real Racing HD. Of course, the iPad doesn’t sport a 16×9 aspect ratio, so there was black on either side of the video. On the other hand, Netflix ran in full 16×9 mode, fully sensing my wider TV screen. Of course, you can already run Netflix movies natively from the Apple TV, so there isn’t much point in that exercise.

Another video app, Movie Vault also worked well. Any movies I ripped to the iPad also played just fine. The science app Solar Walk looked great. When mirroring, the renderings move to the big screen, while the controls stay on the iPad. Impressive.

Apple also sells an HDMI adapter cable to provide the iPad-to-TV link, but the wireless method is quick and easy, although the video doesn’t look quite as crisp as the wired method.iPad mirroring is not a mind-blowing feature, but it’s a handy way to demo something on your iPad to a group of people, or play some games using the iPad as a controller. Slide shows and quick video replays are also made easier… and certain apps (iMovie, GarageBand) may really shine on the bigger screen.It isn’t obvious how to turn it on, but now you know; tell your friends. Give mirror mode a try and let us know how you like it

Thursday, 12 July 2012

Adobe seeks solution to InDesign crashing issues...

Adobe seeks solution to In Design crashing issues...

Adobe has acknowledged what InDesign users have been pointing out since mid-June--that versions CS5, CS5.5, and
CS6 will cause a system and/or application crash on the new 2012 models of Apple's MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, and
Retina MacBook Pros, under certain circumstances, such as when the program displays a warning dialog box.

"Adobe was recently informed that InDesign customers using the new Retina MacBook Pros are experiencing
problems," said Chris Kitchener, InDesign product manager. "As with any software compatibility issue with brand new
hardware, we are still in the process of fully understanding the problem. We are talking with Apple and working so
we can resolve the matter just as soon as we can."

According to Adobe support technician Scott Worthington, who has publicly been tracking the case on the Adobe forums since June 27, "At this time it
appears the update is removing an API we use to control our use of system icons. At present the solution appears to
be to rollback the update for the software to continue to function as expected. Other solutions are being explored
to see if we can find a simpler answer."

Crashes traced to new hardware and software updates

The problem appears to originate with the new Retina MacBook Pros, the new non-Retina Macbook Pros, and the new
MacBook Airs that feature the new Intel Ivy Bridge processors, and are running OS X 10.7.4.

On June 15, an Adobe InDesign forum contributor with the nickname "arminvit" reported that his copy of InDesign
CS5 crashed on his 2012 MacBook Pro when he tried to delete a page with content and when packaging files. He also
observed that another, older computer, running 10.7.3 did not crash under the same circumstances.

This kicked off an avalanche of forum posts spanning nearly a month that has gained some acknowledgment from
Adobe about the problem, but no fix yet in sight

Saturday, 9 June 2012

Facebook's App Center aims to make discovering third-party

Facebook's App Center aims to make discovering third-party apps easier:-

Facebook has built a new application discovery tool to help its users find third-party mobile and Web applications that integrate with the popular social network. The Facebook App Center, which launched this evening with approximately 600 application listings, is accessible through Facebook’s website and mobile applications.

The main App Center landing page on the Facebook website displays personalized app recommendations and a list of the apps that are popular among the user’s friends. A list of application categories in the sidebar can be used to navigate into different sections of the App Center. There is also a toggle button that can be used to filter for Web or mobile applications.

Although the Facebook App Center looks like a conventional application storefront, it doesn’t directly sell any software. Its purpose, at least for now, is solely to help users find Facebook-enabled applications. For mobile applications, it will direct the user to their platform’s built-in application store–Google Play on Android devices and Apple’s App Store on iOS devices. For Web applications, it will help the user connect their Facebook account to the third-party website.

Clicking on an application in the App Center on the Facebook website will take the user to its profile page, which displays a rating, screenshots, and other relevant information. Where applicable, the page will also have a Send to Mobile button that can be used to easily install the application on a mobile device. The button sends a push notification to the user’s phone, which the user can click through to see the desired application in their platform’s built-in app store.

According to a Facebook representative who contacted us about the launch, there are over 4,500 separate applications in existence that integrate with the Facebook timeline. Facebook gaming remains a popular pastime, with a reported 230 million users playing every month. The company also says that, as of May, seven of the top ten highest grossing iOS apps integrate with Facebook.

The company also took the opportunity to highlight the role it has played in driving mobile application sales. It has released statistics indicating that Facebook sent users to the Apple App Store 83 million times in May alone, and sent iOS users into installed applications 134 million times during the same month.

The App Center is rolling out immediately in the United States and will be made available to users in other countries over the next few weeks. It is intended to replace the Facebook website’s existing Apps and Games interface.