One of the hot topics surrounding not only iOS, but mobile operating systems in general is data security and privacy. Over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of discussion on the world wide web about mobile applications accessing data without permission or prior notice, as well as independent reports about users being able to launch FaceTime calls and gain access to certain contact information on an iOS device. Only last week, we were also able to view a report from the University of California which used the PiOS tool to show us that official App Store applications leaked more data than their Cydia based counterparts. When all of this information is put together, it hasn't been a very good two weeks for the reputation surrounding iOS security.
Apple is getting a nice dose of its own medicine these days in the form of lawsuits from folks like Motorola and, more recently, the Chinese Shenzhen Proview Technology company. The Chinese company claims that it holds the rights to the terms IPAD / iPad in China and is working to get the Apple iPad banned from sale all over China. Details after the jump!
Apple is currently fighting multiple lawsuits in international courts with companies like Samsung, Google, Motorola and HTC. While the company’s filing of lawsuits against Samsung and Motorola seem to be escalating day-by-day, we’ve received news that the Apple-HTC lawsuit in the US is now closed (phew!). Check out the details after the jump!
The Cydia store contains a wide range of offerings from developers from all works of life. Some of the software in Cydia is uploaded by teenagers, some by indie developers, some by security researchers and some of the more professional pickings in Cydia are submitted by development houses who do this as a profession. One of those development houses is CocoaNuts, who are a small team of developers dedicated to creating tweaks for iOS which put powerful functionality in the hands of users.
This is all a bit unusual, but it would appear that photos have leaked out of what is claimed to be a production like for the iPad 3 Retina Display.
Apple is reportedly working on new ways to detect liquid damage in its devices, with an aim to cut down on the number of false warranty claims that are made by its customers.
Perhaps one of the most popular, but simple tweaks in the last few months is Zeppelin modification which is available through the ModMyi repository in Cydia. The tweak provides a small aesthetic enhancement to a jailbroken iOS device by allowing a custom logo to be set in place of the default carrier logo. Zeppelin is similar in functionality to that of Fake Operator and MakeItMine, except it allows total customization over the logo as long as the set graphic is within the space confinements.
It was only a few weeks ago that we brought you the reinvention of the YouTube application for iPhone, as imagined by developer Jonas Gessner. ProTube for iPhone is available for purchase through the Cydia store and brings a number of features and additions which many feel should have been native in Apple’s stock implementation of YouTube.
One of the main driving forces behind users performing a jailbreak on their iOS device is the fact that it gives the ability to modify the feel and appearance of the operating system. As a company, Apple are a champion of innovative design and their current range of hardware is amongst the most beautifully designed out there, but a growing number of users feel the need to modify the stock interface elements to better suit their individual tastes.
The Mac App Store is still in its infancy when compared to its older brother, the iOS App Store. Opened officially in January 2011, it celebrated its first birthday last month and has been an extremely successful outlet for Apple in those twelve months. The Mac App Store offers digital downloads of software in similar fashion to the iOS application outlet but contains software designed and developed for machines running Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later.
