Have you ever wondered why Google allowed the iPhone and other iOS devices to use their maps? It turns out that allowing the iPhone to run their location based service is about to become extremely profitable.
CNN has a piece of what Google blogged regarding the advertising it plans on facilitating in the map application:
Have you ever wondered how popular iOS devices are amongst internet plaforms? Well you can stop wondering because Computer World has the details that show Apple's operating system is currently 3rd amongst all platforms.
iOS devices of course include the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad tallied up as 1.1% of all hardware that used the internet. They ousted Linux with that number which fell for the second straight month to 0.85%. Windows took first place with Mac OS coming in 2nd.
Unless you've been underneath a rock for a few weeks you're aware that Apple will be holding their annual September event this Wednesday. With such an event so close, you can pretty much find a rumor for any wild idea you could think of. We figured here at iDB we'd toss around some ideas and let you add your own.
I'll start with the casualties:
I usually leave it up to Sebastien to provide our loyal readers with the jailbreak information but I'll take the reigns this time. PMP Today has posted a couple of alternative sites for those wishing to jailbreak their iPhone after individuals claimed they were having difficulties performing the hack with JailbreakMe.
If you're among those experiencing troubles with the self titled URL, it is recommended that you try using jailbreakme.com/index.html or accessing the Canadian site of jailbreakme.ca to perform the process. If none of those work for you, you can always try what iDB reader Joe suggested by visiting jailbreakme.com/blob.html from your iPhone.
Millennial Media reports that Apple's iOS is the platform of choice when it comes to advertisers. What is even more profitable is the fact that the iPhone leads all smartphones with 55% of the market on its screens.
Who says ads aren't exciting? Including all devices, Apple products sport 35% of the pie while Samsung comes in 2nd with 17%, RIM with 10% and Motorola in 4th with 9%. Let's get back to smartphones which are defined by the study as products running a recognizable operating system.
Earlier this Month the 3rd round of Beta was handed out to developers and the list of fixes doesn't technically include some of the biggest issues people have had with the iPhone's operating system. The proximity sensor or Bluetooth Connectivity don't make the list, but I have beliefs that Apple is working on them secretly to keep the issues asleep.
Neil Hughes from Apple Insider mentions increased performance in both of these important areas and points out a few obscure fixes as well. Steve Jobs said in July that the proximity sensor issue would be dealt with in an update but hasn't said a word about the topic since. Again I say to keep the issue quiet.
Some of you with iPhone 3G who updated to iOS 4 and up have noticed how performances have been degraded. The most common symptom is how slow you iPhone 3G becomes. Apple recently said they are looking into it, and in the meanwhile, we provided you with a quick fix that works for many of you.
A frustrated iPhone 3G user asked Steve Jobs about it:
Well this sucks. Yesterday iDB reported on comments from the Chicago Police about the usefulness of recovering data from seized iPhones. Now Gizmodo says that a product eerily called the iPhone Spy Stick can access deleted data from your iPhone via USB.
For those asking how on earth a USB device could plug itself into your device, the stick comes with the necessary adapter. Nice eh?
Directly from the Spy Stick's website is the indicated abilities attached to the $199 priced accessory:
Features:
Get access to deleted information Download text messages and view calls made Recover deleted contacts and calendar items View pictures and other multimedia Get access to map history to see locations searched on the iPhone’s map with exact GPS coordinates Get access to notes, voice memos, multimedia files, and dynamic text data Downloading data is as simple as attaching the iPhone and iPhone Data Recovery Stick to a computer and pressing start iPhone information is saved on any computer and can be moved to other drives as a regular file Looks like an ordinary USB flash drivePopular Uses:
Catch a cheating spouse Monitor your kids iPhone text messaging and Internet use Check on employees using company issues iPhones Restore deleted filesBefore you freak out about your iPhone's security, it is worth mentioning that the not-so-friendly USB stick is currently only usable on iPhone iOS 3.2.1 and earlier. I'd venture to say this mostly targets those still using the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G. However the October version is said be coming for iOS 4 devices.
Will this stop users from selling their old iPhone when it comes time to upgrade? Please tell us your thoughts in our totally secure comment section.
TetherMe is a jailbreak tweak that brings native tethering to the iPhone, even when your carrier normally bars you for. Such activities. According to the app description, it should work for any carrier without the need for customized bundles or preferences.
TetherMe has been tested to work on all iOS versions from 8-14 and works by telling the iPhone to allow tethering on any APN that is used for iPhone data. As a result, you should not be charged extra from your phone company as all tethering data appears to come from the phone itself.
TetherMe also bypasses signature checking and allows you to edit your carrier bundle manually if you so desire. This is required to enable MMS functionality on T-Mobile. TetherMe does NOT enable the loading of APN configurations from .mobileconfig profiles at this time.
This app is different from my favorite jailbreak app MyWi, which allows to turn your iPhone into a wifi hotspot. Instead, TetherMe allows for native tethering as Apple intended it to be, using Bluetooth or USB.
There is no icon for this item. After installation and reboot, you'll be able to turn tethering ON in Settings > General > Network, or install the Tethering Toggle for SBSettings.
Available for $4.99 in Cydia, TetherMe is a great alternative to the more expensive MyWi if you don't want to share your Internet connection with other devices. If however you want to use your iPhone as a hotspot, then MyWy will still be your best bet.
Please let us know what you think of this application by leaving a comment below.
In my previous post today I was telling you the Dev Team was working on a patch for the PDF exploit found in iOS and not fixed by Apple on older iPhones and iTouch. The PDF Patch has been released in Cydia for free and you can install it now.
PDF Patch will fix the security hole that was used by JailbreakMe and could potentially be used to inject malicious softwares on your device.
If you have updated your iDevice to 4.0.2, there is no point using this patch. However, if you're still on an older iPhone 2G or iPod Touch 1G, or if you don't want to update to 4.0.2, then this patch will be for you.
The iPad iOS has been updated to version 3.2.2 to fix the security bug that was exploited by JailbreakMe. If you care about your jailbreak, do not update to 3.2.2 until a new jailbreak method has been developed.
[Razorian Fly]
An Apple spokeperson told CNET they are well aware of the security exploit found in iOS and they are apparently already working on it:
We're aware of this reported issue, we have already developed a fix and it will be available to customers in an upcoming software update.
This security glitch found in the way iOS handles PDF documents allowed the Dev Team to create JailbreakMe, which uses this exploit to inject the jailbreak code in your iPhone. Some security experts were quick to realize that this exploit could be used to inject malicious softwares in your iDevices and brought up this issue to the general public. The jailbreak community quickly developed a fix for it which can be downloaded directly from Cydia.
This morning I highlighted the irony of the situation. Apple has always claimed jailbreaking can put your iPhone at risk but it proved to be the other way around as so far, your iPhone is more secured once it is jailbroken and the exploit has been patched.
We don't know when Apple will release this software update, which will most likely come with 4.1. Apple usually isn't quick to fix things up so if I had a guess I'd say we won't see this update until the end of the month.
[9 to 5 Mac]