Ios6
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Judge rules lawsuit claiming Apple broke FaceTime can proceed
Apple was hit with a lawsuit earlier this year that claims the company purposefully broke FaceTime on iOS 6 in order to push people to upgrade to iOS 7. And as of late last week, Apple failed to get the suit dismissed as District Judge Lucy Koh ruled that iPhone 4 and 4S users can pursue claims against Apple.
Apple accused of intentionally breaking FaceTime on iOS 6
We don't normally cover individual lawsuits against corporations because, hey, they make a lot of money, and everyone wants a slice. But the circumstances around this one are sufficiently controversial that we've made an exception. A woman from California has filed a claim against Apple saying that the company intentionally broke FaceTime on iOS 6 to force users to upgrade to iOS 7.
Apple is being sued over another data-gobbling bug
Apple is fending off another lawsuit regarding its phones helping themselves to cellular data even when supposedly running on WiFi. As you may recall, a California couple took Apple to court in October over iOS 9's WiFi Assist, which would clandestinely switch the phone from WiFi to LTE and eat through the user's data allotment. Now, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple for a similar, earlier, data-sucking bug.
This week on gdgt: Surface Pro 2, Nintendo 2DS, and software updates
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
iOS 7 wins mobile OS user experience shootout
Pfeiffer Consulting recently put iOS 7 through its paces, comparing it to a number of other mobile OSes to gauge which OS has a step up on the competition when it comes to the user experience. The operating systems involved in the study included iOS 7, iOS 6, Android, Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10. Now seeing as how there are innumerable versions of Android out there, the study focused on Samsung's implementation of Android since it's currently the most popular Android handset maker. The study focused on four variables: cognitive load, efficiency, customization and user experience friction. Each variable was afforded equal weight. Also note that the tests were measured from the viewpoint of an average, non-technical user. When the dust settled, iOS 7 reigned supreme with a 73.25 score followed closely by iOS 6 with a score of 70. Next came Android, Blackberry 10, with Windows Phone 8 pulling up the rear. The report reads in part: What separates the Android user experience from iOS 7 is not functionality, but feature-bloat and sloppy user interface design. In terms of user experience, less IS more. But there is another issue for Android, and that is market fragmentation: The loyalty of Apple's users is such that the company can be certain that millions of users will upgrade to a new release -- and Apple's marketing is working hard to increase the desire to do so. Android, by contrast is terrifyingly fragmented, with most users only upgrading when they change device. This is a problem that will be almost impossible to overcome -- and can only get worse over time. Overall, the entire study provides an interesting read and is worth checking out in its entirety. There is also an interesting discussion regarding the study's methodology over here.
Bug in CoreText allows a string of characters to crash apps
A serious bug has been uncovered in Apple's CoreText layout engine, which is responsible for laying out text in applications that make use of the Cocoa framework on OS X and iOS systems. The bug causes any app relying on CoreText to crash when a specific string of Arabic characters is displayed, meaning just the simple act of viewing a tweet or receiving an instant message is enough to trigger the crash. With apps like messaging or email clients, the problem is more severe, as the app may continue to crash repeatedly if it attempts to display previous message history or previews of email content. The good news is it appears that Apple has already addressed this bug in the upcoming versions of OS X 10.9 Mavericks and iOS 7, but as of yet, no updates have been released to correct the issue on the current versions of the operating systems that are affected (OS X 10.8 and iOS 6). This isn't the first time that innocent strings have been found to cause crashes in apps. Back in February, an odd bug was discovered which caused apps to crash whenever a reference to a local file URL (e.g., file:///) contained a capital "F." While there isn't a foolproof way to prevent exploits like this from being used, some sites have taken preventative measures. Facebook is currently blocking messages which are found to contain the string, and I'm sure as word of the issue gets around, Twitter and other sites may take similar actions. The best advice I can give for users, however, is to be cautious about viewing links and reading messages from people that you don't know or that seem otherwise suspicious. Obviously, the nature of this bug makes it difficult to completely avoid, as receiving a message or opening a page where a spammer has left the string in a comment could easily trigger a crash, and there's little that could be done to prevent it. Here's hoping that Apple picks up on this and corrects the issue before anyone finds any creative methods for taking advantage of the problem. [via TechCrunch]
Google announces updated Maps app coming to iOS 'soon'
Google Maps is already the go-to navigation application for many iOS users, but not being one to rest on its own popularity, Google will be rolling out an enhanced update of its popular map app with several new features. The update -- which the company notes will be arriving "soon" for iOS devices -- adds a new location-browsing feature that highlights highly reviewed restaurants and retailers in your area, along with a new review guide courtesy of Zagat. While you're out and about, the new Google Maps will use its integrated Google Offers functionality to alert you of deals you may be driving by. Additionally, a new navigation system will alert you of poor traffic conditions and then take steps to reroute you in order to hasten your arrival. It will also update your route as you drive if a quicker path opens up. Google notes that the update will require your iPad or iPhone to be updated to at least iOS 6.
Apple publicly charts iOS fragmentation to prove it barely exists
Apple surely loves its third-party app developers, but it doesn't love them equally. The company reserves special affection for those who optimize their apps for the latest version of iOS and its integrated services (Passbook, Game Center, Maps etc.), and we guess that's why the official iOS Dev Center has published the chart above. Based on two weeks' worth of recent data, it shows that 93 percent of iOS users who visited the App Store were on iOS 6, while just one in a hundred were on something lower than iOS 5, implying that fragmentation isn't something for devs to fret over. Of course, as Appleinsider points out, Cupertino may have had other reasons for choosing this specific style of presentation, since it begs to be compared against Android's fortnightly pie chart (shown below).
Apple updates Siri to help those considering suicide to get help
GigaOM noticed that Apple quietly released an update to Siri that offers to put a user in contact with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, should he or she mention suicide. Should the person decline the offer, Siri then brings up area suicide prevention centers in a second attempt to provide resources. As GigaOM notes, Google has had this search since 2010. Apple noted in its customer privacy statement on Tuesday that among the most common requests from law enforcement are ones from police hoping to prevent suicide. There's a lot of useful and even more silly ways to take advantage of Siri, but having a proactive response to a serious issue is a wonderful thing to have in the program.
YouTube sees mobile ad sales triple after ad-free iOS version bites the dust
Last August Apple announced it had lost its license to include the iPhone-bundled YouTube app as a part of iOS 6. Google wanted to make its own app, one that had ads, unlike the one found in iOS 5. The move appears to have been a smart one. Bloomberg reports Google has tripled its mobile ad revenue in the last six months. So what happened six months ago? Why the debut of Google's new ad-enabled YouTube app for iOS! The Bloomberg report goes on to say that more than half of all US smartphone owners, at least 70 million people, have used a YouTube app of some sort, be it on an Apple or Android. With Apple's share of the US at 39.2 percent according to a ComScore report released this past Tuesday, it's safe to say YouTube probably made a wise choice in pulling their app from iOS 6 and replacing it with an ad-enabled cousin.
BlackBerry to offer BBM as standalone app for iOS and Android this summer
Thorsten Heins just broke what has to be the biggest news out of BBLive this morning: BBM is breaking out of its walled garden. Starting this summer, users running iOS 6 and Android ICS or higher will be able to download the BBM app for free and join in the messaging experience so highly curated by BlackBerry. Initially, however, only the messaging and group features will be accessible for outside users, but throughout the year, the company hopes to add BBM voice, BBM channels, screen sharing and video capabilities. You'll have to hold tight for a more specific launch date, as Heins didn't announce any concrete timing. But if you've waited for this news for years, what's a few more months?
Parenting tip: How to exit out of Guided Access when it locks up
Guided Access is a handy feature in iOS 6 that lets you lock your child into a single app by disabling the hardware buttons on a device. It prevents your child from going hog wild through your iPhone or iPad when you hand it to them for some play time. Guided Access is great until it locks up and you can't exit from this mode. In general, iOS devices don't freeze very often, but some unknown glitch causes Guided Access to lock up occasionally. When this happens, you are stuck in the kids app and can't get back to the home screen. I've had it happen with enough frequency that I've bookmarked this handy tip from OS X Daily that shows you how to exit out of a frozen Guided Access device. When you are stuck in Guided Access mode, you are really stuck as the typical triple tap on the home button to quit out of Guided Access doesn't work. Even a force quit won't work because the power button and the home button are disabled. The only way to get out of Guided Access is to press the Home and Power button together for 15 seconds. This will turn off Guided Access by forcibly rebooting your device. Once your device is restarted, you can then go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access > and turn off Guided Access if needed. I usually keep Guided Access off by default and turn it on only when I am handing my iOS device to my children.
Facebook reportedly hires former Apple iOS 6 Maps lead Richard Williamson
Among the people affected by Apple's iOS 6 Maps debacle was claimed project head Richard Williamson, who was reportedly shown the door at the end of 2012. While the details were never directly corroborated outside of Williamson's exit in December, he may have found a new home at Facebook: Bloomberg's sources say that the director joined the social network's mobile software division within the past two weeks. We don't know what (if anything) Williamson might be producing when Facebook has so far declined comment, although there's no question that he has an appropriate pedigree when he managed interface development for key iOS apps and helped get Safari off the ground. Suffice it to say that the internet giant has plenty of projects that might benefit from his overall experience.
Apple rejecting iOS apps for "cookie tracking"
Apple is moving developers towards adopting the company's own iOS 6 tracking technology and not their homegrown methods. One of these alternative techniques is cookie tracking and, according to a report in TechCrunch, Apple may be rejecting apps that use this method. To understand how we got to the point where Apple is rejecting apps that use tracking cookies, we need to take a step back to iOS 5 and earlier. In previous versions of iOS, developers used a device's UDID to track users. The UDID is a 40-character unique identifier assigned to each iOS device that developers used to track game progress, check subscription status and monitor ads. Apple phased out UDID tracking in iOS 5 and added support in iOS 6 for its own tracking methods, advertisingID and identifierForVendor. Some apps are circumventing these approved APIs by using tracking cookies that work on mobile devices almost like they do on the desktop. Craig Palli, VP of Business Development at mobile app marketing firm Fiksu, explained to TechCrunch that, "Within local storage, an app developer can drop a token -- an ID, if you will -- and then retrieve it later. In this regard, it works like a cookie, so the industry frequently uses it and talks about it like it's a cookie." Palli claims the number of apps being rejected for using this tracking method has increased over the past few weeks. He hypothesizes that Apple is gently nudging developers towards its own tracking technology. You can read more about this form of tracking and Apple's app rejection in the TechCrunch article.
The Weekly Roundup for 02.11.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Roundup for 02.14.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
iOS lock screen can be bypassed with some button mashing... again (video)
It seems that every time Apple introduces a new version of iOS, it creates some new method to get past the software's lock screen. A YouTube tutorial reveals the rather simple combination of button presses and fake emergency calls necessary to give you access to anyone's iDevice -- or more specifically to the iOS phone module, from where you can make calls, view and edit contacts, send email and perform any other linked function. You'll have to be quick-fingered, however, as you have to push the home button rapidly after getting into the iPhone's contact list. You can learn how to do it after the break, but until Cupertino issues an update, we'd suggest keeping your beloved fondlephone close by.
Evasi0n untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 arrives to free your iPhone 5 and iPad mini
It was only a matter of time before the iPhone 5 was freed from its rigid, stock iOS constraints, and months after first seeing the handset be liberated, any and all users can now do the same. That's right, folks, the evasi0n untethered jailbreak for iOS 6.0 and 6.1 is now just a download away at the source link below. To accomplish the task, you need only have a computer running Windows XP and up, Mac OS X 10.5 and up, or your favorite flavor of Linux x86 / x86_64. Of course, before you go hacking your hardware, it's advisable to back up your data -- and to check out evasi0n's FAQ first, so you know what you're getting into. After that, you're mere clicks away from total iPhone freedom. Enjoy.
Evernote intros Penultimate 4 for iPad, explores synced and searchable handwriting
Evernote acquired the Penultimate app for iPad last year with the conspicuous goal of making handwritten notes as easy to synchronize as to-do lists and snippets from the web. After several months of silence, the newly reworked Penultimate 4 is the result. The drawing tool now treats Evernote not just as a sharing option, but an integral part of its being. While it's possible to skip the sign-in, those who link their account get both cross-platform access to their work as well as cloud-based searches of their more legible writing. There's likewise a simpler interface with more realistic pen input. Truth be told, however, we suspect that many of Penultimate 4's would-be adopters will just care that the app is now free -- as of today, the biggest cost is that of an optional Evernote Premium account. As long as they're using an iPad running iOS 6, note takers yearning for the flexibility of a pad and paper in an era of cloud syncing and tablets can give Penultimate a try at the source link.
WhatsApp's data collecting violates Canadian and Dutch privacy laws
According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Dutch data authority College Bescherming Persoonsgegevens (CBP), the popular cross-platform messaging application WhatsApp violates privacy laws. A joint investigation between the two groups revealed that, with the exception of devices running iOS 6, the app requires access to a customer's address book in order to use the software. This stipulation results in non-user contact information being recorded to WhatsApp servers without permission, which contravenes Canadian and Dutch privacy laws. In September of 2012, the company added encryption to its services as a response to these investigations, but both the OPC and CBP remain concerned about unauthorized data collecting. As it stands, both organizations will continue to monitor WhatsApp's progress toward compliance, with the Dutch agency reserving its right to impose fines against the firm if necessary.
