Tag Archive: iPad


Apple security expert finds apps-software bug

Filed under: Apple, Applications, Cybersecurity, Exploit, Hackers, iPhone, Software, Tablets, Telecom by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
November 7, 2011

A software flaw in Apple Inc’s iPhones and iPads may allow hackers to build apps that secretly install programs to steal data, send text messages or destroy information, according to an expert on Apple device security.

Charlie Miller, a researcher with Accuvant Labs who identified the problem, built a prototype malicious program to test the flaw. He said Apple’s App Store failed to identify the malicious program, which made it past the security vetting process.

There is as yet no evidence that hackers have exploited the vulnerability in Apple’s iOS software. But Miller said his test demonstrated that there could be real malware in the App Store.

“Until now you could just download everything from the App Store and not worry about it being malicious. Now you have no idea what an app might do,” Miller said.

Miller said he proved his theory by building a stock-market monitoring tool, InstaStock, that was programed to connect to his server once downloaded, and to then download whatever program he wants.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment.

Miller, who in 2009 identified a bug in the iPhone text-messaging system that allowed attackers to gain remote control over the devices, said that he had contacted the company about the vulnerability.

“They are in the process of fixing it,” he said.

Miller is scheduled to present his detailed research at the SyScan ’11 security conference in Taiwan next week.

 

 

Source: Reuters

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Adobe Gives Up on Flash for iPhone and iPad

Filed under: Adobe, Apple, Flash, iPhone by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
September 10, 2011

The Flash plug-in for browsers has been the de facto king of Web video, interactive websites and annoying ads that get in your face since it was owned by Macromedia. So when it was announced the iPhone would be shipping without Flash — and wouldn’t ever have Flash on it — a lot of people freaked out. Why was Steve Jobs being so mean? Android phones are getting Flash!

As the owner of one of those Android phones that has the Flash player installed, though, I can tell you why the iPhone’s not getting Flash: It’s awful. It runs horribly, and horribly slow. It’s a crapshoot whether it works at all, on my phone from last year, and that’s just to play a Web video. And Flash games like Robot Unicorn Attack? Right out.

Fortunately, a lot of these games and videos are available through apps like the YouTube one. That’s how iPhone owners watch them. And it seems Adobe has finally accepted that.

Introducing the Flash Media Server

Don’t be fooled by the headline on Boy Genius Report’s article. Adobe’s not bringing Flash anything to iPhones or iPads. Instead, website owners can buy these Flash Media servers for upward of $995, and they’ll convert Flash movies into a form that iGadgets can use.

There are a number of downsides with this plan. One, it doesn’t work on all websites; only the ones with owners who paid Adobe hundreds or thousands of dollars. And two, it costs hundreds or thousands of dollars. How many bloggers and restaurant owners are going to want to shell out $995 to $4,500 just so iPhone owners can watch ads in their web browsers instead of YouTube?

If anything, Adobe’s given people a reason to use HTML 5 video, or movies that play outside of Flash Player. Flash was fun while it lasted, but it’s going the way of the dinosaur. This “media server” thing is just an expensive kludge to artificially extend its lifespan, by milking businesses that are addicted to it.

But iPhones can’t browse the full web!

Actually, iPhone owners will have a better web browsing experience than most Android phone owners. Instead of having their battery life drained by a choppy Flash video — one that would just crash low-end smartphones like mine — they’ll get web movies in a format their iPhone can play without breaking a sweat.

Let’s face it: It’s been four years since the iPhone came out, and roughly three years since the first Android phone did. Adobe has had plenty of time to make Flash do its thing, and/or beg, plead, and cajole Apple into putting Flash on the iPhone. The Flash Media Server products show that it’s given up, at least on the “persuade Apple” part. And the poor quality of the Flash experience on Android smartphones and tablets suggests that it may be wise for Adobe to give up there as well.

Source: Yahoo! Contributor Network

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TouchPad’s Lesson: Tablets Cost Too Much

Filed under: HP, Internet, Tablets, Technology, WiFi by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
August 21, 2011

Sure, HP’s TouchPad fire sale could take sales away from low-volume tablet makers and further solidify Apple’s market share. Then again, maybe those low-volume tablet makers — HP included — have been hurting themselves with a pricing structure that isn’t attractive to most consumers.

After dropping the TouchPad’s price to $99 for the 16Gb model and $149 for the 32GB variation, HP has sold an estimated 350,000 units this weekend. That’s comparable to launch weekend sales for Apple’s tablet. Granted, HP’s tablet is discontinued and on clearance, but it shows that many consumers are willing to forget about the iPad, if the price is right.

Here’s the problem with the current system: many entry-level tablets cost somewhere around $500 and that’s the same price as the iPad. I’m guessing most consumers that decide to spend a $500 on a tablet will opt to get an iPad. If other manufacturers want to be competitive with Apple’s tablet, which is in many ways the definitive device on the market, they need to give consumers a reason to pick up their device instead.

That hasn’t really been done until now.

HP offering its discontinued tablet for a one-fifth the cost of Apple’s tablet seems to have registered with many price-conscious and deal-hunting consumers.

Sure, I get that everyone likes a deal, myself included. (I picked up a TouchPad at my local BestBuy yesterday.) Obviously, HP’s price drop is a unique situation that other tablet makers probably don’t want to emulate, but maybe more thought should go into the tablet designing process than “let’s make
something like the iPad, that costs the same amount as the iPad.”

If nothing else, the fire sale shows that there is a lot of consumer interest in tablets and a lot of missed opportunities by other tablet makers. There are some tablet options under the $300 price point, but not too many that are mainstream.

Source: PC World

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Leaked JailbreakMe 3.0 Beta PDF for iPad, iPhone

Filed under: Apple, Jailbreak, Tablets, Technology by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
July 3, 2011

Comex’s leaked JailbreakMe 3.0 beta version for iPad 2, 1, iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G, iPod Touch 4G, 3G, 2G PDF jailbreak are available for download, direct links also provided below.

We have reported about the leaked version of Comex’s PDF exploit called ‘JailbreakMe’. The jailbreak not only works for the iPad 2 but it also can jailbreak your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad 1. But according to the numerous reports, this leaked version for iPad 2 only works over iOS 4.3.0 firmware. However, it does support iOS 4.2.1 to iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch 4G, iPod Touch 3G (iOS 5 is not supportable currently).

So those users who have save their SHSH Blobs using TinyUmbrella or downgraded their devices, now can use this jailbreak.

By following the simply method as this jailbreak is pretty easy as it does not requires to connect your device to computer, only you need to have an internet connection.

Simply launch MobileSafari on your iOS device and click on the respective direct-download links (provided below) of the JailbreakMe, then you will notice that Cydia will automatically starts downloading on your homescreen just like you download any application from the App Store.

Following the direct download links of JailbreakMe leaked version:

NOTE: This is not an official JailbreakMe release by Comex so that’s why it may cause you problems or it does includes bugs and issues with it as reports are coming on various websites that this leaked JailbreakMe is quite buggy and its suggested that users should wait until Comex releases it’s official JailbreakMe version with complete changelog through his official website at JailbreakMe.com

Source: iDrugged

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Boxee, Apple announce plans to change the mobile video streaming landscape

Filed under: Internet, IPTV, Mac, PC, Steam, Technology, Windows, Wireless by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
March 28, 2011

It’s time to put down your remote, because in the ongoing fight between traditional television and video streamed via mobile devices, traditional media has been dealt a knockout blow. In an interview with Pocket-lint this week, Andrew Kippen, Vice President of Marketing for Boxee, discussed how a new Boxee iPad app will allow users to stream content from their tablets to any device running Boxee software.

Previously, the publication announced that streaming required a Boxee Box, but now it seems any PC or Mac running Boxee desktop software will be able to stream videos. The app is compatible with both new and old iPads.

Apple (AAPL) also revealed this week that it is considering expanding its AirPlay audio service to feature streaming video from an iPhone or iPad to television sets. Bloomberg noted that the company is seeking to expand beyond the limited success of Apple TV, and to have a greater presence in people’s living rooms via wider use of Apple’s services and devices.

These developments are just a few of the latest in a wave of apps and new technology that are changing where and how consumers view video. Netflix (NFLX) has, for some time, allowed users to stream TV episodes and movies on their iPads, but now it seems others are seeking to further bridge the gap between mobile devices and video content.

Startups such as Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Zediva are now crowding Netflix’s space with a new way to stream video online cheaply. Meanwhile, Twitter has jumped in the mobile device video streaming ring too with an updated iPad app that supports the camera on the iPad 2.

Traditional video is certainly not down for the count. Few are ready to throw their TVs out the window just yet, but it seems only a little time on the clock remains before any video content a consumer desires is just a mobile app away.

Source: Appolicious

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Samsung: Do You Want Your IPad Clone in Small, Medium or Large?

Filed under: Apple, Samsung, Tablets, Technology, WiFi by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
March 26, 2011

In 2007, Apple started the smartphone market by showing smartphone makers what they had to aspire to: The iPhone. The tablet market hasn’t quite caught up to the iPad that created it yet, but Samsung’s given us a date for when it thinks it will: June 8.

That’s when the new Galaxy Tab launches. And Samsung’s adding on to its lineup, with new 8.9 inch and 10.1 inch Galaxy Tab models to complement the old 7 inch. These tablets will have slightly smaller and slightly larger screens than the iPad 2′s, respectively, but Samsung claims that they’ll both be thinner and lighter (even though these claims are disputed).

So what do these tablets have going for them, and is there any reason you’d buy one instead of an iPad?

Design by checklist

The new Galaxy Tabs have all the right boxes checked off. Size? Thinner. Weight? Lighter. Their screens are sharper, their front- and rear-facing cameras have better resolutions, and they’ve got dual-core processors just like the iPad 2. They’re seemingly designed to be its equal or better in every way, including price: The 10.1 inch model starts at $499, the same as an iPad 2.

After that, the Tabs toss in all the buzzwords that everyone’s talking about. Android 3.0 “Honeycomb,” the first version of Android that’s designed for tablets? Of course. How about Adobe Flash? Sure, even though it works about as well as it does on other Android devices (which is not very well). 4G wireless speeds? Supposedly, once they’re ready.

If a company got feature checklist dysfunction and decided it had to outdo the iPad 2 on everything, that’s exactly what the new Galaxy Tabs would look like. And with the June launch date (for the Wi-Fi version of the 10.1 inch Tab, at least), they’re only a few months behind. So is there anything they’re leaving out?

“Experience” is not on the checklist

Let’s start with retail and marketing. A lot of people think these are Apple’s only advantages, and that they’re unfair somehow. But whatever you think of Apple’s ads, they have to be better than the cheesy, contrived “interviews” Samsung did to promote the Tabs, at the CTIA Wireless show. Besides pointing out how these “true-life stories” bore a striking resemblance to Samsung’s marketing points, writer Harry McCraken also noted how the people being interviewed appeared to be actors.

So once these videos convince you that you need a Galaxy Tab, where do you get one? Not at the Apple Store. You’ll have to look past the other Android tablets at the electronics store, each one a black and gray slate that runs basically the same software.

And what software do they run? Not any of the 65,000 iPad apps. They run Android apps, and precious few of those (besides Google’s) have been optimized for tablets yet. Without apps, what’s the point of having a tablet?

The Upshot

Samsung’s made a heroic effort, and the new Tabs are striking hardware-wise. But the message it’s sending is out-of-tune. It seems like it’s hoping you’ll forget that there’s any way to judge between tablets besides raw checklists of specs … sort of like how things are in the PC market.

But just like with computers, Apple’s set itself apart in the tablet market that it created. And if no one can make something that’s not “just like an iPad, but … ” then Apple’s going to continue to dominate people’s choices.

Source: Yahoo! News

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Laptops play catch up to the iPad, Xoom

Filed under: 3G, 4G, Apple, CPU, Internet, Laptop, Macbook, Notebooks, Qualcomm, Tablets, Telecom, Wireless by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
March 5, 2011

Market researcher Gartner released a research note Thursday claiming that laptops are not meeting the demands of the social-networking era. So, will mobile PCs become more like the Xoom and the iPad, which are, in turn, larger versions of the smartphone? In a word, yes.

This theory–or fact, depending on how you look at it–can also be restated as the post-PC era, which is the Apple marketing-spin corollary to the Gartner argument.

But let’s stick to Gartner’s analysis about the unsuitability of laptops in the social-networking era. Here are the most significant points in the note about the average mainstream laptop:

  • Battery life: not capable of all-day “untethered computing”
  • Connections: constant and immediate connections are not possible (i.e., no standard 3G/4G)
  • Heavy: still too heavy, lack real mobility

What this means is more laptops need to be like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air: very light, very thin–just like a tablet and, by extension, like a smartphone.

Though small laptops aren’t for everybody, it does mean more people will gravitate to this style as companies like Apple upgrade to powerful silicon like Intel’s low-voltage Sandy Bridge processor (and its future Ivy Bridge chip) and upcoming power-efficient chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

And don’t count out a clamshell MacBook–or a variation on that theme–sporting a future Apple A6 processor or an HP laptop packing a Qualcomm chip.

More future laptops will be like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air--but with 3G/4G standard and longer battery life.More future laptops will be like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air–but with 3G/4G standard and longer battery life.

(Credit: Apple)

In the more immediate future, this trend stipulates that Apple seriously consider built-in 3G/4G capability in the next version of the Air, as an Apple survey about 3G in a future MacBook Air seems to indicate the company is doing. As always, battery life would need improvement too.

So, what about the Netbook, you might ask. That delivered on mobility but not–until recently–on long battery life, nor on standard 3G. Nor, most importantly, on adequate performance for a laptop that would serve as someone’s everyday machine. The Netbook was ahead of its time but has always been hampered by Intel’s too-specific ideas about what a Netbook should and should not be.

For better or worse, it’s going to take a company like Apple to take the lead in redefining the high-mobility laptop. With help, of course, from companies like Hewlett-Packard and Sony–the HP Pavilion dm1z and Sony Y series, respectively, are a good start.

A $999 MacBook Air with 3G/4G and monthly broadband plans similar to those of the iPad? That’s another good start. Any takers?

Source: CNET
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BlackBerry Messenger will launch on Android and iOS

Filed under: Android, Apple, Applications, Blackberry, Internet by Ryan Boese — Leave a comment
March 3, 2011

Research In Motion is planning to bring its beloved BlackBerry Messenger app and service to Android, and eventually to iOS as well. According to our sources, RIM has not yet finalized details surrounding timing or pricing, but we have heard that the company might make the software free to all users. We’re also told strategy is still being developed, however, and RIM may end up charging users a one-time fee or even a recurring fee for access to its BBM service on third-party platforms.

It might seem a bit strange for RIM to want to bring the software that is responsible for keeping BlackBerry devices in the hands of countless potential defectors, but in the big picture, we think it could make sense. The company is getting very frustrated with applications like WhatsApp and Kik offering third-party experiences based on a concept RIM invented, and RIM apparently wants to own the space.

As far as what Android and iOS users can look forward to, we’ve been told RIM will offer stripped down versions of the BBM experience BlackBerry owners know and love. That way, Android and iOS users can communicate with practically anyone who has a smartphone using BBM, but they might not be able to share photos, location, or videos (when RIM crosses that bridge). Users who want the full BlackBerry Messenger experience will still need a BlackBerry smartphone to get it. At the same time, RIM could own the entire messaging app category on every major smartphone OS platform and could potentially draw new users in because it has given them a taste of what BlackBerry Messenger is all about.

Right now, we have heard that Android is definitely a go. But again, we’re not sure on timing, though our sources are confident that it will launch some time this year. RIM chose Android first because of the fact that it could develop and integrate something like this much easier with an open platform, but the plan is to build and deploy an iOS version at some point as well.

Source: BGR

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Samsung to Introduce 4G Tablets, Smartphones at Mobile World Congress

Filed under: Android, Apple, HTC, Samsung, Tablets, Technology by Ryan Boese — 2 Comments
January 9, 2011

Samsung Electronics has sold more than 1.5 million Galaxy Tabs, the 7-inch, Android-running tablet that it has made available through every major U.S. carrier. Nevertheless, the South Korean electronics giant appears to have only begun its attack on the Apple iPad’s market share.

At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, which wrapped up Jan. 9, JK Shin, president of Samsung’s mobile communications business, said the company is planning to announce several dual-core tablets and smartphones at the Mobile World Congress event Feb. 14-17 in Barcelona, according to Phone Scoop, and that it plans to soon sell 4G devices through all major U.S. carriers. It reportedly also has several phones running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 in the works.

The Wall Street Journal added that Samsung has a “slate of tablets of different sizes” planned.

While rivals Motorola and HTC, with Android-running phones, gained early leads in the smartphone race, Samsung has quickly caught up, with its successful line of Galaxy S smartphones. By the end of 2010, it had sold more than 10 million of the smartphones.

“[Samsung] executes extremely well, devices that customers like and don’t bring back,” Glenn Lurie, president of the AT&T group responsible for the carrier’s tablet portfolio, told the Journal.

While a “slate of tablets” is likely to help Samsung compete in a tablet market crowded with competitors such as Hewlett-Packard, Research In Motion, Motorola, ViewSonic and others —in addition to market leader Apple —they also fit into the company’s new vision of “digital humanism.”

During a Jan. 6 keynote at CES, Samsung CEO Boo-Keun Yoon explained the term, which he said is achieved “by adding emotional value to digital technology.” It’s also guided by four principles he called “the four A’s” — Access, to communicate freely and share experiences through products; Align, by experiencing comfort through multisensory design and the user experience; Amaze, by creating “a new dimension of enjoyment” through viewing experiences; and Act, to fulfill our responsibilities to the planet.

“The next step for digital technology is for … human nature to be at the center of our efforts,” said Yoon. “What we need now is digital technology that is truly aligned with our most fundamental human desires. Human life becomes our priority. People become our priority.”

He continued, “We at Samsung are breaking down the wall between devices, empowering consumers to seamlessly enjoy any content on any Samsung device. Whether it be our Samsung TV, cell phone or tablet, consumers will be able to access and share a variety of content on any one of Samsung’s network of products.”

At the CES show, Samsung additionally introduced a WiFi-only Galaxy Tab, an Android-running “smart player” called the Galaxy Player and the Infuse 4G smartphone — which, with a 1.2GHz processor and 4.5-inch Super-AMOLED Plus touch-screen, will begin enriching the lives of AT&T subscribers beginning in the second quarter.

Source: eWeek

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