Apple promises September fix for iPhone security flaw

A recently discovered security flaw that would allow access to a locked iPhone will be fixed next month, Apple said on Thursday.

“The minor iPhone security issue which surfaced this week is fixed in a software update which will be released in September,” Apple representative, Jennifer Bowcock, said in an email to Macworld.

The security flaw allows access to a locked iPhone by pressing the emergency call button at the unlock screen, followed by two taps on the home button. That will take you to the iPhone’s private ‘favorites’ page without the need to enter the unlock code. If the owner of the phone has favorite entries in their address book containing URLs, e-mail addresses or mobile phone numbers, then those entries can be used to launch the browser, mail application or SMS (Short Message Service) software and gain access to private Web favorites, e-mail messages and text messages stored in the phone, again without entering the unlock code.

Review: Yelp for iPhone

You’d be hard pressed to find a more opinionated, verbose, and downright catty group than the citizen reviewers on Yelp.com—which is one reason this user-driven business directory is so popular. Yelp now offers an iPhone app that lets you access all this snarkiness on the road while also finding local eateries, shops, and gas stations that are open when you need them.

Map It: Yelp lets you view search results on a map, but you can’t zom, pan, or get directions.

First, Yelp devotees should note that the Yelp iPhone app doesn’t let you write reviews. Instead, it mainly serves as a business locator. And to that end, the program largely succeeds. The Home menu offers quick links to the types of businesses you’re most likely to need while on the move, including food, drinks, gas stations, banks, and drugstores. It also includes links to the 10 most recently viewed businesses for easy access—a nice touch.

Review: Internet radio apps for iPhone

A million formats lived and died on AM and FM radio. But news of the niche format’s death was slightly exaggerated. Album-oriented rock, classical, bluegrass, free-form progressive, surf rock and punk didn’t really die at all. Some interesting music migrated to satellite. The rest moved to the Internet. To music lovers for whom a 160GB iPod classic is still disappointingly small, Internet radio gives the iPhone and iPod touch an unlimited capacity for music.

All Thumbs: The thumbs up/thumbs down button for Pandora Radio helps determine how your station evolves.

Assuming that Internet radio survives the latest salvos from copyright holders, satellite and cable providers, iPhone and iPod touch users have excellent options. Four apps, three of which are free, offer users a vast selection of content, from mainstream commercial fare to more eclectic offerings and b-sides so obscure even the original artists have forgotten them.

Visual voicemail patents to have (another) day in court

Hey—it's a mobile phone lawsuit that doesn't involve Apple. Mark this down as a red-letter day.

The suit in question involves visual voicemail. Klausner Technologies, which is a patent holding company, says that Verizon and LG Electronics are infringing upon a patent involving the technology that shows a visual list of voicemail messages. According to the Associated Press account:

New York-based Klausner said late Tuesday that Verizon Wireless' Visual Voicemail and LG's Voyager phone, sold by the carrier, infringe on a patent that covers services through which a user is able to view and retrieve individual voice messages through a menu.

The technology that launched a thousand patent suits

PCalc for iPhone updated, OS X update coming soon

TLA Systems released a new version of PCalc for the iPhone and iPod touch on Wednesday, bringing the current version to 1.0.2. The company also said that a new verison is comng soon for Mac OS X.

According to TLA, the most significant new feature in PCalc for iPhone is support for multiple undo and redo. The feature can be envoked by swiping your finger to the left and right on the iPhone’s display.

You can now also change the color of your screen to simulate the old red LED calculator. Layout improvements and an HP style RPN are also new with this version.

What to do with an old iPhone

It’s clear, you’re an iPhone enthusiast. No, it’s not the slightly smushed-in left-ear that indicates you spend hour after hour on the phone, the Apple sticker that adorns your forehead, or the unconscious typing motions you make with your thumbs. Rather, it’s the two-layer bulge in your front pocket—created by your original iPhone and your new iPhone 3G.

Yet is it really necessary to have two iPhones—particularly when the original no longer works as a phone because you’ve passed along its activation to the shiny new 3G?

Perhaps.

Report: Orange admits to limiting 3G speeds in France

Complaints about the speed of the iPhone 3G have become almost commonplace, with users generally blaming the phone for the problems. However, a story on France-Info.com indicates the problems in that country are not Apple’s fault.

France’s iPhone 3G provider, Orange, has admitted to limiting the speeds for third-generation phones to 384kbps. Theoretically, the iPhone 3G should be able to reach speeds 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps.

Orange said the speeds weren’t being limited just for the iPhone — all 3G devices were limited to the same slower speed.

'Misleading' iPhone ad banned in the UK

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the United Kingdom has banned an Apple television advertisement lauding the iPhone’s ability to view all parts of the Internet.

The ASA received two complaints from viewers that said the iPhone could not view all parts of the Internet because it did not support Flash or Java.

During the TV ad, the voice-over says “You never know which part of the internet you’ll need. The do you need sun cream part? The what’s the quickest way to the airport part? The what about an ocean view room part? Or the can you really afford this part? Which is why all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone.” The ad ended with on-screen text that stated “iPhone. Only on O2.”

Password protected iPhones can be unlocked without a password

Private information stored in Apple's iPhone and protected by a lock code can be accessed by anyone with just a few button presses.

The iPhone, like most mobile phones, can be locked with a four-digit code, but where other phones in their locked state only permit calls to emergency service numbers such as 911 (in the U.S.), 999 (in the U.K.) and 112 (throughout Europe), a locked iPhone can be used to make a call to any number.

However, that's not all you can do with a locked iPhone running the latest version of Apple's software, 2.0.2.

Review: iPhone fantasy football draft tools

About a decade and at least one employer ago, I had a boss who decided to give us, his underlings, some unsolicited career advice during a staff meeting. “If some of you were to devote the same energy to your jobs as you do to fantasy sports,” he said, “who knows how far you could go?” He wasn’t looking specifically at me when he said this, but that was all right, since everyone else in the room was.

Well, in the ensuing decade, I’ve managed to rise through the employment ranks to become a high-ranking editor for a major technology publication. And I’ve continued to play fantasy sports all that time. So who’s the winner in that scenario? (At this point, gentle reader, the author is pointing quite emphatically at himself.)

But my old boss had a point there about time-management. Spending too much in the way of time and resources on your fantasy sports teams can defeat the purpose of what’s supposed to be a fun diversion and not a life’s mission. Indeed, I’ve always tried to strike that proper balance between heading into a fantasy sports draft well-prepared to build a team and over-burdened with depth charts, spreadsheets, and briefing materials.