Relying on Apple for security could be developers’ biggest mistake

When it comes to security, Apple has gone to great lengths to make its iOS platform much less prone to exploits and has engineered measures such as sandboxed environment, protected app space and even encrypting every single file created on the iPhone with its own encryption key wrapped in the user’s passcode.

But developers have become increasingly reliant on Apple for app security and as a result security has now become an afterthought for many app developers. That's why security experts attending the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas think developers should take matters in their own hands and add more security above Apple's baked-in protections...

Siri gets it all wrong in latest iPhone 4S ad

If you've used Siri in the past, you know how reliable, or how unreliable it can be. For someone like me who speaks with a strong French accent, Siri gets it wrong more often than not, which led me to use Siri for very basic tasks instead of trying to push her limits.

If there is one time where Siri should be right on spot though, it's during commercials or ads. But there again, it seems like Siri, or rather Apple marketing department, isn't on top of its game.

In a recent ad placed on the back cover of the Economist, Siri was asked "what does poison oak look like" and she managed to return the wrong results...

5 things iOS can learn from Android

It's no secret that both Sebastien and I purchased Nexus 7 devices from Google. We may have differing reasons for our purchases, but one reason we share in common is the desire to see how Google is performing in the tablet space. This is especially so with the Nexus, since it's the flagship that's guaranteed to run stock Android with no additives or preservatives.

The Nexus 7 is the first Nexus device I've owned, and I've come away quite impressed; read my thoughts on the Nexus 7 for more details on that. I've even been able to identify a few things that Google is doing well, and that Apple could stand to learn from. Items like widgets, and offline dictation, to name just a few...

Apple snaps up NFC and smart sensors maker AuthenTec for $356 million

Apple has made an interesting acquisition, snapping up smart sensors maker AuthenTec in a transaction valued at $356 million, Reuters reported Friday. AuthenTec makes fingerprint sensor chips used in personal computers.

What's more, its swipe sensors can read the live layer beneath the skin's surface and comply with strict government standards. They also produce chips that utilize near-field communication (NFC) technology which is said to be a part of this fall's iPhone hardware refresh...

Sprint’s CEO reaffirms plans to keep unlimited data, for now

With recent moves by both AT&T and Verizon to nudge their remaining customers off of unlimited data and onto their new share plans, the spotlight has turned to Sprint.

Sprint is the last remaining major carrier in the US to still offer an unlimited data plan for smartphone subscribers, and everyone wants to know how long that's going to last...

More early iPhone and iPad prototypes surface

Earlier in the month, we showed you one of the earliest known iPad prototypes dating back to 2000, looking particularly bulky when compared side-by-side to today's iPad. Today, we also caught a glimpse of an early mockup envisioning a Sony-inspired iPhone that Samsung is now using to establish prior art in the courtroom.

Court documents related to the upcoming July 30 trial contain a bunch of other mockups of several iPhone and iPad prototypes, including an iPad with a kickstand. Bear in mind that Jony Ive and his team iterate hundreds and hundreds of prototypes in their secretive design bunker so these renderings depict just one of the many design considerations that were evaluated (and dropped) at some point...

Mark Zuckerberg squashes Facebook phone rumors

Rumors that Facebook has been working on its own smartphone have been around for more than a year now. Last fall, a report came out that the social network had tapped HTC to help it build the handset.

Since then, the speculation has only gotten louder. Yesterday, Bloomberg even threw its hat into the ring. But this afternoon, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg decided to squash the chatter...

The iPhone is much more profitable for Apple than the iPad

Apple's profit margins on its products are something of legend. Thanks to its massive supply chain influence and crack operations team, the company enjoys some of the best margins in the business.

This afternoon, some court documents surfaced from the ongoing Samsung-Apple trial showing that those margins are much better on the iPhone than they are on the iPad. In fact, they're almost double...

Poll: did you buy Mountain Lion?

Apple released OS X Mountain Lion some 36 hours ago exclusively via the Mac App Store at a breakthrough price of just $19.99 a copy, with rights to install the operating system on up to five different Macs authorized with the same Apple ID account.

If yesterday's poll is anything to go by, you seem to be appreciating the bang Mountain Lion is offering for your buck, with nearly 80 percent of respondents saying that the software is worth its asking price.

But assessing the perceived value of a piece of software is one thing and actually taking the plunge is an entirely different matter. Today's poll, yet another YES/NO survey per popular demand, asks a simple question, whether or not you've bought Mountain Lion yet...

Verizon tops J.D. Power customer service report

If you're looking to start up new cell phone service in the US, there are dozens of choices. If you want a big-named, nationwide carrier though, that cuts the field down to four options: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

You can narrow it down even further if you want an iPhone. Currently, only the top three carriers properly support Apple's handset. And if you're looking for the company with the best customer service, there's only one...

Apple renews efforts to protect the App Store moniker

Apple first took Amazon to court over the App Store moniker in March of last year, just as the online retailer began using the 'app store' term in their developer portal.

Last November, Apple stepped up its fight as it saw Amazon promoting the Amazon Appstore for Android apps.

Today, we learn that Apple wants to summon an Amazon executive for court testimony over the decision to drop the words “for Android” from some of Amazon’s app store branding...

Samsung shows Sony-inspired iPhone mockup

The latest in the Apple-Samsung legal drama: according to court documents filed by Samsung, Cupertino has indirectly ripped off Sony for its handset's aesthetics by adopting the Japanese giant's design language. The Galaxy maker points to a 2006 Businessweek interview with Sony's product designers Takashi Ashida and Yujin Morisawa in order to establish prior art and prove that Sony's design philosophy influenced the iPhone’s original design direction.

The iPod Godfather Tony Fadell apparently showed the Businessweek article to Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs and design chief Jony Ive who then allegedly approved use of some of the ideas outlined in the interview for early iPhone mockups...