Jailbreak developer says 7 out of 8 users pirated his Remote Messages app

Remote Messages is a jailbreak tweak that allows users to access full SMS and iMessage functionality on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S from a desktop browser. It's a clever utility that allows the iPhone to run as a server, which creates a chat window front-end on desktop browsers. This front-end comes complete with support for profile pictures, attachments, and Emoji icons, as well as for sending and receiving texts. This utility is especially handy if you like to have your phone connected to a stereo away from your desk or if you prefer typing with a full keyboard and screen.

Unfortunately, it seems the $4.99 app is mostly popular with pirates. According to a Reddit thread by the developer, 7 out of 8 installs of Remote Messages are pirated copies...

Google Drive update brings multiple media uploads, QuickOffice integration

Five days ago, Google updated Drive for Android with the ability to create, edit, comment and present Google slides in offline mode. Today, the search firm has given some love to its iOS counterpart by adding a few new features you should know about. These include pinch-to-zoom on slides, multiple media uploads, QuickOffice integration and more. Additional information after the break...

iOS 6.1 restores Passbook Welcome screen, making it easier to find apps

Apple released the long-awaited iOS 6.1 firmware this morning, and the update brought about a handful of changes. iPhones and iPads now support LTE on a number of new international carriers, and Siri can now order movie tickets through Fandango.

The new software also includes a minor change to the Passbook application. It seems Apple has restored the former "Welcome" screen in the app, making it easier for you to discover Passbook-enabled apps in the App Store...

Facebook iOS app gains in-app voice and video recording capabilities

Facebook's universal iOS client for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and iPad mini has just been updated with the useful ability to share your favorite places using the improved Nearby tab. More important than that, you can now record a voice or video message right in the app and send it to your friends. The ability to share audio snippets first appeared in an update to Facebook's Messenger app on January 3, 2012 so having it now in-app via the official client is a welcome addition...

Over 300 million devices now on iOS 6 and above

In addition to seeding the public version of iOS 6.1 this morning, Apple also published a press release announcing a number of interesting stats and milestones. The most notable landmark is that there are now more than 300 million users on iOS 6.0 and above.

That's pretty wild, considering that last week the company said there are now more than 500 million iOS devices in the wild. That's well over a 50% take rate in less than 6 months, which certainly bodes well for app developers. Keep reading for more details...

New report claims WhatsApp Messenger violates privacy laws

WhatsApp Messenger is a wildly popular cross-platform SMS replacement service. It allows you to group chat and send media files to other users, and it's estimated to have in upwards of 300 million users.

Well if you're one of those 300 million users, you might be interested to know that according to a new report, the app violates international privacy laws due to the way it handles Address Book data...

5 things ‘Apple TV 3,2’ could be

A firmware release is always a nice starting point to hunt for code strings referencing yet-to-be-released hardware. Apple today released iOS 6.1 and an accompanying Apple TV 5.2 software, adding more LTE carriers and improving upon Siri (iPhones, iPads and iPods) while introducing enhanced iCloud features and bringing support for Bluetooth keyboards to the Apple TV.

Watchful hackers immediately spotted references to 'AppleTV 3,2'. As the current third-generation 1080p Apple TV hardware is designated as 'AppleTV 3,1', the newly discovered string might mean a minor Apple TV update could be in the works.

How minor? That remains to be seen and we can only speculate until Apple shows its card. Here, my top five picks as to what 'Apple TV 3,2' might represent (and, please, do feel free to add your own)...

New H.265 video standard approved, when will Apple adopt it?

The International telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved the new H.265 video standard, known informally as ‘High Efficiency Video Coding’ (HEVC) and a successor to the H.264 codec that Apple and other industry heavy-weights back heavily. In fact, more than 80 percent of web video is now encoded with nearly a decade old H.264.

Little wonder that Apple due to H.264's efficiency, quality, features and modest bandwidth made it the preferred iOS and OS X video standard. H.265 builds on that by promising to deliver high-resolution video with half the bit rate of H.264...

Will Cydia packages need to be updated for the iPhone 5’s larger screen? Not necessarily

A lot of folks have been wondering what kind of impact the larger screen of the iPhone 5 will have on their favorite Cydia packages. According to Saurik, the creator of Cydia, the impact should be negligible.

One of the things that I really appreciate about Saurik, is that he's never too busy to take the time to explain his position, an idea, or to clear up a misconception. That's exactly what he did when a Reddit user complained about the potential lack of iPhone 5 compatible Cydia software...

Budget iPhone design to be a mix of iPhone 5, iPod touch and iPod classic

The so-called budget iPhone rumors have been really heating up over the past month. And today, more fuel is added to the fire. Following up their report last week regarding next-gen iPhones and iPads, iLounge is back with some new details on the low-end device.

Citing 'reliable sources,' the site says that the handset will be "substantially made from plastic," and design-wise, it will look like a cross between the iPhone 5, the fifth generation iPod touch and the iPod classic...

Sprint LTE coming to Boston, Fort Wayne, western Puerto Rico and more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prEPa7bLDdY

Having already announced earlier this month a massive roll-out of its 4G LTE to 28 new markets, including Branson, Missouri and Columbus, Georgia, Sprint this morning has confirmed that its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution radio technology is coming to Boston, Austin and half a dozen other markets. The nation's third-largest carrier should also start offering its Total Equipment Protection (TEP) insurance to iPhone customers later this month...

Talk about duopoly: Apple, Android ship 92 percent of all smartphones

We've said it before, and yet another analyst confirms it: the smartphone market is a duopoly of Apple and Android. The two firms control 92 percent of the market, according to Strategy Analytics researchers. What does this mean? Of the 217 million smartphones shipped during the final quarter of  2012, 200 million were powered either by iOS or Android.

The concentration of the smartphone market in two hands is just the latest indication of an industry-wide consolidation. After mobile consumers in North America and Western Europe spent 2011 shifting from simple handsets to more capable phones, global smartphone growth in 2012 slowed to 43 percent from 64 percent...