For those that believe that Apple's industry leading smartphone is impervious to viral or spyware infections then it would be the right time to brace yourself for some bad news that it just isn't the case. A mobile variant of the commercial FinFisher spyware, produced by the United Kingdom-based Gamma Group, is capable of assuming control of a range of popular smartphones, including those made by Cupertino-based Apple and struggling technology company, Research In Motion (RIM).
If you took the time to sift through Cydia and see what developers have actually released for liberated iOS devices, then you would be amazed at the ingenuity and level of thought that actually goes into producing a tweak. As more and more packages are released, and Apple continues to update iOS, it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine what developers are going to come up with next, but somehow they always manage to find something.
The US Open is one of the oldest international tennis championships today, having been contested since 1881. It is the fourth and final grand slam tournament of the year - after Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. The 2012 version of the tournament started three days ago on August 27th and will continue till September 9th when the men’s finals will take place.
According to a report over at Reuters, Apple's head honcho Tim Cook and Google CEO Larry Page have been discussing possible ways to resolve patent issues between their two respective companies. The pair (Apple and Google, that is), make up the majority of the mobile OS market, and in light of the recent ruling in favor of Apple over Samsung, the Cupertino outfit and the Android maker are said to be "keeping the lines of communication open."
The tablet computing space is one of the most hotly contested industries at the moment, with the success of the iPad proving just how lucrative that particular marketplace can be for companies. Since the launch of the iPad, we've seen many contenders to the throne that have come in all shapes and sizes, running varying operating systems and priced at different points, but nothing has really come close to dominating the space like the iPad has over the last three generations.
As we all know, despite constant pleas of innocence, Samsung was judged to have indeed infringed on several Apple patents, and a jury - overseen by Judge Lucy Koh - ordered the South Korean company to compensate its Cupertino rival to the tune of over one billion dollars.
The tablet market has, up until recently, been pretty one dimensional, but now it's emerging into a battle fought on several different fronts. The original iPad first arrived in 2010, and having tried to emulate its success by essentially emulating its design, competitors have taken revised approaches. As well as the smaller tablet (see Google-ASUS Nexus 7), there's now a Microsoft-lead push for so-called hybrid devices - tablets which can also double up as notebooks and ultrabooks with attachable keyboards.
On top of the close looks we've already been treated to of the upcoming iPhone's front panel, more bits and pieces purporting to be specific to the next-gen smartphone are also beginning to emerge, including the processor and the dock cable.
As we edge ever-closer to the announcement of the next-gen Apple smartphone, the shock value and general interest in leaked hardware has naturally died down, since the form factor of the device - dubbed the iPhone 5 - appears to be a done deal. That said, when some high-quality images surface comparing old and new, it's certainly worth taking a look, and Shenzhen-based parts company via NoWhereWlse.fr has some high-quality images which allegedly show the front plate of the sixth-gen device.
With the release of Windows 8 and its brand spanking new Metro interface, Microsoft will all-but get rid of the Start Menu off for good. At least, that's the plan.
