Although the iPhone 3GS automatically encrypts all data on the device using special hardware, the implementation is deeply flawed, allowing access to your information if someone has access to your iPhone.
Ars Technica reports on Apple's recent decision to revoke developer Khalid Shaikh's iPhone developer license and remove his 900+ apps from the App Store. According to Apple, Shaikh's apps, which aggregated and repackaged news content, frequently drew objections from third parties for violating intellectual property rights. When considering Apple's claim of over 65,000 apps in the App Store, hearing news of such junk (another developer reportedly has 2,000 apps similar to Shaikh's) highlights the difficulty of finding good applications.
The saga of Apple's strange pronouncements on apps submitted to the App Store continues with a dictionary required to get a 17+ rating due to mature words. Phil Schiller then explains to Daring Fireball's John Gruber what happened.
The Loop covers Apple's small but appreciated gesture to iPhone developers: the capability to search for apps by keywords. With over 65,000 iPhone apps currently available, anything that makes it easier for apps to be found is welcome.
It's a race to the bottom, as Sony matches Amazon's price of $9.99 for the ebook versions of bestsellers for its Sony Reader. The company also announced two new Reader models for $199 and $299.
Following the rejection by Apple of an official app for the Google Voice service, plus the removal of third-party Google Voice apps that had already been approved for the App Store, the Federal Communications Commission is investigating Apple and AT&T.
Security researchers at the Black Hat Security Conference have demonstrated the capability to attack the iPhone through special SMS messages. Apple responded by releasing iPhone OS 3.0.1 with a fix.
Tired of paying SMS message rates? Pick up a copy of Boxcar and get your friends to send you direct messages via Twitter instead - Boxcar pushes notification of Twitter messages to your iPhone.
New York Times columnist David Pogue has had it with the 15-second messages that cellular carriers add to voicemail messages - they waste our time and increase our bills. It's time to Take Back the Beep!
With its usual impeccable timing, Apple has finally released the MobileMe iDisk app for iPhone and iPod touch, just a week after the new version of "Take Control of MobileMe" appeared. But no worries; updated information is already available for owners of the book.
Want to keep your passwords secure, but feel that the whole security thing is getting out of hand? Turn to Mac expert Joe Kissell, who walks you through the most effective and efficient techniques for choosing and managing your passwords in the second edition of this popular ebook.
Macworld reports on Apple's rejection of both the Google Voice iPhone app and third party apps that interact with the telephony service. Apple cites the fact that the Google Voice app provides "duplicate features that come with the iPhone" as its basis for barring it from the App Store. Google Voice provides free SMS messaging and cheap international calling, thus arousing widespread suspicion that AT&T is behind the decision.
Everyone's talking about Apple's tablet Mac, so why should any solid information stop us from participating in the wild speculation? Kevin van Haaren reports what he's heard from his elaborate network of spies.
The latest App Store annoyance? If an iPhone app can open an arbitrary Web page, it must be rated as 17+ in the App Store, and is listed with all sorts of dire descriptions of the possible content that could be accessed.
Rich Mogull explains how to configure your iPhone securely, and how to take advantage of the new hardware encryption in the iPhone 3GS.