Hackers expose flaw in Apple iPad, iPhone software

The security flaw in Apple's iOS operating system came to light on Wednesday as the website www.jailbreakme.com released code that Apple customers can use to modify the iOS operating system through a process known as "jail breaking."

Some Apple customers choose to jail break their devices so they can download and run applications that are not approved by Apple or use iPhone phones on networks of carriers that are not approved by Apple.

Security experts warned that criminal hackers could download that code, reverse engineer it to identify a hole in iOS security and build a piece of malicious software within a few days.

"If you are a malicious attacker, it is fairly doable," said Patrik Runald, a senior researcher with the Internet security firm Websense.

Apple has yet to release an update to iOS that protects customers against malicious software that exploits the flaw.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said the company was aware of the problem.

"We are developing a fix that will be available to customers in an upcoming software update," Muller said.

Apple has long been vocal against jail breaking, which if done voids the warranty on its devices.

Any security flaw in iOS software -- which runs Apple's iPhone, iPad tablet and iPod Touch -- has the potential to affect millions of devices that are at the core of Apple's business.

Apple has sold 25 million iPads since it launched last year. The company sold over 18 million of its popular iPhones in just the first three months of the year.

Hackers can exploit the iOS vulnerability by creating a malicious PDF document file. It would infect Apple devices when users attempt to open that document, according to Runald.

Once the device is infected, hackers could "do anything they want," Runald said. That includes stealing passwords, documents and emails.

Comex, a 19-year-old hacker from New York State who developed the jail-breaking tool, said that Apple might be able to patch the software before criminal hackers develop software that exploits the bug.

Last time he put out a version of his jailbreaking software, Apple was able to issue a patch before anybody exploited the bug for malicious purposes.

He said that Apple might not be able to move quickly enough this time.

"It's not that hard to reverse engineer," he said via telephone.

4.3.3 jailbreak for iPad 2: Comex works on JailbreakMe 3.0

4.3.3 jailbreak for iPad 2 is in the pipeline. Comex, a member of iPhone Dev Team, is reportedly working on an update of its famous userland exploit, JailbreakMe 3.0 for Apple iPad 2. The current rush of jailbreakers to hack iPad 2 is making buzz on the Web.

Most of key iPhone hackers are working to develop a reliable hack for Apple iPad 2, the second generation of Apple iPad tablet PC.

Comex is the hacker who developed JailbreakMe 2.0 exploit for iPhone 4. The hack is a PDF-based exploit, which means that you may not have to tether the device with a computer for jailbreaking. You can simply do the task just opening a particular Web page in the device’s built-in Web browser. The jailbreaking will take place in a few seconds.

The upcoming JailbreakMe 3.0 will only work on Apple iPad 2 that runs on iOS 4.3.3 firmware. The latest iOS firmware update iOS 5 is not susceptible to JailbreakMe. 3.0. So the users who run beta version of iOS 5 on their iPad 2 may not be able to run the hack. They will have to downgrade back to iOS 4.3.3 to get the device jailbroken.

As per reports, the iPad 2 exploit is almost ready with the jailbreakers, who will soon unveil them for public. Apple iPad 2 users have been desperately looking forward for a jailbreak for the device since its launch three months back in the U.S.


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Appple iOS 5 : What's new and What's left alone

Apple recently announced the new iOS 5 for iPhone 4 and iPad's. As they pronounced this update "We're taking iOS to a whole new level"

But the real thing was not that much true they mix-up Windows Mobile 7 , Android , Bada OS features and make iOS 5.

Anyway it is good update for Apple users. Here's the list of new improvements and what is still taking apple down.

The Good -

• Notifications - real time on-screen notifications, lockscreen notifications and pull-down Notification Center
• iMessage service in the Messaging app enabling instant messages to other iOS users
• Reminders - including location-aware options
• Customizable notification sounds - email, voicemail and calendar alerts
• Twitter integration
• iCloud service integration
• Enhanced Camera app - viewfinder grid, hardware shutter key
• Integrated photo editing - crop, auto enhance, rotate and red-eye fix
• Updated Safari - tabbed browsing (on iPad), private browsing mode, integrated Reader, Reading list and optimized performance
• Dictionary lookup throughout the interface
• Computer free operation - independent activation, OTA updates, iCloud backup and restore
• Wi-Fi synchronization with iTunes with automatic operation
• New features in the Mail app - Bold, Italic, Underline and Quote options, extended Search, mass Mark as Read/Unread and Flag setting, Add/Delete mailbox folders
• Updated Calendar and Game Center apps
• Newsstand app combining all of your magazine subscriptions
• iPod player now called Music, has new icon
• Separate Video app for iPhone
• AppStore purchase history (already available for iOS 4 too)
• New Storage management options (list and info of all installed apps)
• Multi-tasking gestures for iPad
• AirPlay mirroring for iPad
• New accessibility options involving the LED flash and custom vibrations

The Bad -

• No Flash support in the web browser
• No quick toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G
• No Facebook integration
• No proper widgets for the lockscreen
• App folders still are limited to 12 apps tops
• No DivX/XviD video support out of the box (though there're lots of players in the App Store)
• No USB Mass storage mode for uploading content to the device
• No haptics for the touchscreen
• No Bluetooth file transfers to other phones
• Contacts lack a swipe-to-delete or mass delete feature

Facebook App for iPad - Coming Soon

There is a good news for Facebook users having an iPad , Facebook app for iPad is soon going to be launched.
Called “Project Spartan,” it will reportedly by HTML5-based and will aim to “break the stranglehold” Apple currently has on the mobile app market.

As the current iOS 5 contains only Twitter integration. Apple was criticized by many of the top critics so Facebook came up with this app But there is a question why Facebook takes one year to integrate Facebook in iPad.

Although there are many third party apps available in App Store like My Pad, iFace and Friendly. but an official one will be given priority to the iPad users.

Apple "Back to school" promo starting from tommorow

Apple's annual back to school promotion for college bound Mac buyers begins tomorrow, offering a $100 iTunes Store gift card rather than bundling a free iPod as it has in previous years.

The new promotion, as it appears in marketing materials depicted by MacRumors (pictured below), notes the deal begins June 16 and runs through September 20.

While the deal highlights "$100 to to spend on the Mac App Store," ostensibly "so you can get Pages, Numbers and Keynote for your studies. And still have plenty left for your study breaks," the fine print details that the credit is redeemable for any iTunes content, including the iOS App Store, iBooks, Mac App Store, and iTunes movies and music.

This year, Apple will add Mac OS X Lion and Final Cut Pro X to its Mac App Store software offerings, which currently include Aperture, iWork apps and iLife apps (although the latter are currently bundled on new machines at no cost).

HTC Flyer To Hit The Indian Market This Month

HTC will launch its first instalment of tablets in India by the end of this month. The tablet named HTC Flyer is a 7 inch tablet with aluminium uni-body construction (single piece of metal cast as full body) and will come with Android 2.4 (unfortunately not Honeycomb 3.0) operating system according to The Mobile Indian. The tablet is already available for online purchase at Letsbuy.com for a price of Rs.37,499 and a delivery time of around a week.

The tablet has a 7-inch (1024×600) TFT capacitive touch screen and is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It has 1GB of RAM and an in-built memory of 16GB which is expandable with the help of a MicroSD card. The tablet will also have the new HTC sense user interface which has been specially redesigned for tablets.

It has a 5 mega pixel camera at the back with high definition video recording capability and a 1.3 mega pixel camera on the front for video chat. It comes with a stylus for better writing on the screen and has A-GPS support for mapping. The battery can deliver up to 4 hours of continuous video playback.

Apart from these features, HTC has also announced HTC Watch Service, a connected video service that will be launched with the tablet and will allow on-demand progressive downloading of high definition movies.

The tablet can give output to larger screens because of an MHL port and DLNA capability and has Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP for stereo headsets. It will support Flash 10 and HTML 5. HTC has also partnered with OnLive, and will launch the first cloud-based mobile gaming service on a tablet.

HTC Flyer’s competitors in India include Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, Blackberry Playbook and the Apple iPad. While the Blackberry Playbook is a little costlier than HTC Flyer at Rs.38,500 , the Apple iPad (priced at Rs.29,500) and Samung’s Galaxy Tab (priced at Rs.26,149) are much cheaper.