The cat-and-mouse game between Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and would-be iPhone hackers is about to get a little more interesting. Following the recent release of “blacksn0w,” an iPhone unlocking tool capable of unlocking new iPhone 3GS’s running the latest iPhone OS, Apple has posted a new job listing for an “iPhone OS Platform Security Manager.” Apple is apparently looking for someone to head the development team tasked with securing iPhone boot-up and operating system installation as well as other aspects of iPhone platform security.
We’re not sure if Apple is looking for someone new to fill the position, or if Apple wants to replace the current iPhone OS Platform Security Manager. In either case, it’s pretty clear that the iPhone maker wants to make sure that hackers like George “geohot” Hotz and the iPhone Dev Team aren’t able to keep cracking the iPhone.
The back-and-forth between hackers and Apple is an ongoing saga juicier than your daily soap operas. The iPhone and iPhone 3G were initially jailbroken (the process of opening the file-system to allow unauthorized application installs) and unlocked to work with any GSM network, courtesy of the iPhone Dev Team. Apple then updated the iPhone OS to close the jailbreak exploit known as “24kpwn,” eventually updating the baseband firmware (the code that controls how the iPhone connects to wireless networks like AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)) from version 04.26 to 05.11 to prevent unlocking. iPhone hacker geohot countered with his “blackra1n” jailbreak utility, following that up with the release of “blacksn0w” to unlock the latest iPhone 3GS baseband (05.11) to work with GSM networks around the world.
That pretty much brings us up to speed (in a nutshell, from a very small nut). The iPhone platform is, at this point, jailbroken and unlocked. Now it’s Apple’s turn.
It’s conceivable that Apple’s incoming iPhone security manager will put an end to baseband 05.11 unlocks, but it’s hard to see Apple ever locking down the iPhone completely. Still, if you’re interested in jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone, you’re best bet is to jump on board soon.
iPhone gaming can be hazardous to your privacy, apparently. A security hole in the iPhone OS allows someone with the right know-how to design an iPhone app to secretly learn an iPhone’s phone number. The problem is serious enough that iPhone game developer Storm8, creators of Vampires Live and iMobsters, has been hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly collecting the phone numbers of iPhone gamers without their knowledge or consent.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco on behalf of Washington State resident Michael Turner, claims that Storm8 included “malicious software code” for gathering phone number data into the company’s iPhone games. “Storm8 has written the software for all its games in such a way that it automatically accesses, collects, and transmits the wireless telephone number of each iPhone user who downloads any Storm8 game,” alleges the suit.
In its defense, Storm8 acknowledged back in August that it was getting phone number data from its iPhone games. The company claims a “bug” was to blame.
What’s interesting here is that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) didn’t catch the supposed “bug” before approving the game for the AppStore. Apple’s getting really good at rejecting iPhone apps that don’t fit into the company’s narrow view of acceptable content, but it seems they still need to work on the basics – like rejecting potential spyware.
Should Apple be held accountable for letting an iPhone app embedded with “malicious software code” onto the AppStore? Should Apple pull the app on grounds that it’s collecting iPhone users’ phone numbers? We’d like to hear what you think in the comments below.
Since Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps for iPhone doesn’t support (so far) turn-by-turn GPS navigation directions, iPhone users are left having to pay for GPS navigation apps from the AppStore. But, getting navigation on your iPhone doesn’t have to be expensive. Today, Networks In Motion has announced a new update to its Gokivo iPhone app [iTunes link] that offers users two relatively cheap options for GPS navigation. Users can download the Gokivo app for $4.99 from the AppStore and enjoy 30 days of voice-guided navigation, or, for $39.99, Gokivo will serve up iPhone navigation for a full year. And, to celebrate, NIM is giving iPhone users a chance to download their Gokivo for iPhone navigation app for FREE!
The Gokivo app supports voice-guided directions, including spoken street names. It also serves up real-time traffic alerts to help you avoid any delays. And, with iPod integration, you can listen to your favorite tunes from within the Gokivo iPhone app.
To get Gokivo for free today, you’ll first need to download the Gokivo iPhone app and pay $4.99. Then, simply email Gokivo with you riTunes receipt to nim@sutherlandgold.com and you’ll be reimbursed via PayPal or gift card, whatever you prefer.
If the social-networked iPhone app discovery app Chorus isn’t your cup of tea, your best bet is to hit Twitter to see which iPhone apps are trending hot. AppStoreHQ makes it easy to keep tabs on the Twittersphere and breaks down which apps tweeple around the world are tweeting about. It’s a points based system, so the more times a certain app gets tweeted, the higher it ranks in the “Most Popular iPhone Apps on Twitter” list.
Coincidentally, Chorus is the hottest iPhone app on Twitter right now – beating out Waveboard, the Google Wave iPhone app, by a huge margin. If you haven’t yet checked out Chorus, download the free app and give it a go.
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Wave on the iPhone, in theory, would be a great way to use Google’s new collaborative chat service. So, when we first heard that Waveboard for iPhone launched as the first Google Wave iPhone app, we were excited to try it out. Then, we realized that the Waveboard app is nothing more than a Google Wave viewer. Waveboard basically does what Google’s Google Wave mobile website does – it simply lets you view “waves.” And it costs $1. Color us unimpressed.
To be fair, Waveboard includes an integrated browser and a “shake” feature for reloading waves. Push notifications are working through a workaround, but Waveboard’s developers say that proper push notifications are on the way.
We’d rather bookmark Google Wave’s mobile website on our iPhone and save the buck for an iPhone fart machine. But, if you’re curious, and feeling a little wasteful, give Waveboard a download [iTunes link]. Let us know what you think!
If you accidentally updated your iPhone 3G/3GS to the latest iPhone OS 3.1/3.1.2, then you’re also stuck with baseband version 05.11. If you recently bought a factory fresh iPhone 3GS with OS 3.1 or 3.1.2 already loaded, then you’re in the same boat. That used to be a bad thing, because baseband 05.11 couldn’t be unlocked to work with unofficial SIM cards. Today’s release of “blacksn0w” changes all that. The blacksn0w software unlock utility is now available to unlock any iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS running the latest iPhone OS 3.1.2 and baseband 05.11!
Yes, that includes brand new, out-of-the-box, iPhone 3GS’s.
If you’re running an older version of the baseband (04.26), simply jailbreak your iPhone and run Ultrasn0w. You can find your baseband firmware version by navigating to Settings>General>About>Modem Version on your iPhone. We have jailbreak (PwnageTool) directions here and unlock (ultrasn0w) directions here.
For the rest of you in the “baseband 05.11″ boat, keep reading for a step-by-step tutorial to unlock your iPhone…
Despite app discovery services like Chorus for iPhone, the AppStore is a really tough place to eek out a living. That may have prompted one Dutch teen to find a new way to make money from the iPhone – hold them for ransom! That’s what happened yesterday when some T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) iPhone users in the Netherlands found a hacked message on their jailbroken iPhones. The message asked the user to secure their iPhone by paying $4.95 for instructions to remove the message prompt. The hacker didn’t disable the iPhones in any way, but he essentially wanted a ransom for peace of mind (and not seeing an annoying pop-up message at boot). It was an interesting (not ethical, or commendable, but interesting for sure) money-making scheme for all of a day, before the hacker got shut down.
The jailbroken iPhone community comprises no more than a small minority of all iPhone owners out there, but with many millions of iPhones spread around the world, that’s still a sizable community. Seeing as how most of those jailbroken iPhones are still going about their day with the default SSH password, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to make money from jailbroken iPhones.
This is what the hacker posted to his website:
“Dear iPhone user,
Your iPhone is not secure. That’s the reason your visiting this page, isn’t it? Well you can pay me $4,95 at my paypal account PureInfinity92@mailinator.com, and I’ll mail you very easy instructions on how to secure your iPhone. You can also contact me at PureInfinity92@gmail.com
If you don’t pay, it’s fine by me. But remember, the way I got access to your iPhone can be used by thousands of others. And they can send text messages from your number (like I did..), use it to call (or record your calls), and actually whatever they want, even use it for their hacking activities! I can assure you, I have no intention of harming you or whatever, but, some hackers do! It’s just my advise to secure your phone (: Have a nice day!”
The good news is that PayPal suspended his account with haste, making sure that the ill-intentioned teen couldn’t make any money from his scam. The hacker then posted a follow-up to his site, apologizing for his scam and offering his instructions to remove the message (and secure jailbroken iPhones) for free.
The lesson here? Change your jailbroken iPhone’s SSH password. Find out how to do that here.
Do you develop mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian or webOS? Well, we want to hear from you! We’ve partnered up with “Under The Radar” to find cool mobile apps that will blow our minds. We’re asking any and all mobile app developers to submit their app for the “FAST PITCH” mobile app talent search, where your app will vie for a chance to be showcased in front of an audience of global dealmakers and start-ups. Even if we don’t pick your app for the talent search, you’ll get some serious recognition for your app (and possibly prizes, like handsets).
Interested? Here’s what you need to know:
You must be able to attend Under the Radar (in Mountain View on Nov 19)
If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll get a free conference pass
Your app has to be live and available for download
We welcome any and all apps for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian, etc
Your app must be unique and new – no tip calculators or sudoku apps, please
You must be able to pitch your app in 2 min (and 4 slides) on stage
We’re going to make it simple for you to submit your app for consideration in the “Under The Radar” FAST PITCH mobile app talent search. Interested mobile devs need only leave a comment or tweet @IntoMobile with a quick one-liner pitch for your mobile app – Twitter is limited to 140 characters, so choose accordingly. Please make sure to include a link to your app’s download page (or homepage) and your Twitter handle with your submission.
Your app will be judged for its “uniqueness” and the all important “awesomeness” metric. We’ll be accepting mobile app submissions through Friday, Nov. 6 Monday, Nov. 9 (deadline extended). The 6 lucky finalists will be contacted directly through email and/or Twitter.
We previously mentioned Gameloft’s Asphalt series when Asphalt 4 made its way to the N-Gage as well as on Verizon’s V-Cast service. Gameloft teased us at this year’s WWDC ‘09 with news they were bringing Asphalt 5 to the iPhone App Store later this year. Gameloft finally delievered as Asphalt 5 is now available for purchase on the iPhone App Store.
Asphalt 5 features over 30 cars from such notable manufactures as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Audi that are fully customizable and more than 12 different locations you can race in. There are also 8 different racing events to take part in such as Cop Chase, Drift Contest, and Time Attack. When you think you’ve mastered Asphalt 5, take on some of your friends via Bluetooth or players from around the world via Wi-Fi connection.
To celebrate Asphalt 5’s release, Gameloft was gracious enough to send us THREE $10 Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iTunes gift cards so you can purchase Asphalt 5 and have some left over to purchase some of the other titles from Gameloft (might I recommend Earthworm Jim or Dungeon Hunter?) Want to win one of the three $10 iTunes gift cards? Here’s how to enter:
Leaving a comment below (please leave an accurate email address so I may contact you if you win)
Retweeting this article by clicking on the “Retweet” badge located underneath this article
This giveaway will be going on for the next 24 hours, so be sure to get your entry in by Nov. 4th, 2009 at 3:00PM EST. While you’re waiting for the contest to be over, be sure to check out the trailer below of Asphalt 5 to see the game in action! Also, be sure to follow @Gameloft to get up-to-the-minute updates on their future games!
[UPDATE: The contest has officially come to a close. Thanks to all who entered and please be sure to check back often as we have some super sweet stuff to giveaway reeeeeal soon.]
The iPhone AppStore is a wonderful place filled with tens of thousands of really nifty and useful iPhone apps. It’s also cluttered with iPhone apps that make fart noises and calculate tips for your waitress. How is anyone supposed to find their way around this crowded mess? With an iPhone app specifically made to pull app recommendations from your friends, of course. Enter Chorus for iPhone. [iTunes link]
Chorus is a free iPhone app that looks and works a lot like the AppStore you already have on your iPhone. But, instead of spamming you with thousands of useless apps and hundreds of useful apps you really couldn’t care less about, Chorus finds what your network of friends are using and suggests apps that it thinks you might like. The app is powered by envIO Networks’ Social Genome technology, which takes into account how you interact with your friends and infers how much credibility you’re likely to give your friends for various app categories. And, that’s where the app shines.
You don’t have to click through dozens and dozens of app reviews, tediously indicating which apps you like and which apps you think suck. Chorus learns from your interactions with your friends and picks up on your app preferences automatically. The app also features expert app recommendations and reviews from its AppMavens service as well as reviews from bloggers like us – so even if your friends don’t give you good app suggestions, at least you can look to the experts!
We’re going to let the screenshots and demo video show you how the app works in more detail:
Chorus is free, and once its user-base hit critical mass, it’ll revolutionize the way you discover iPhone apps. Give it a download here.
The cat-and-mouse game between Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and would-be iPhone hackers is about to get a little more interesting. Following the recent release of “blacksn0w,” an iPhone unlocking tool capable of unlocking new iPhone 3GS’s running the latest iPhone OS, Apple has posted a new job listing for an “iPhone OS Platform Security Manager.” Apple is apparently looking for someone to head the development team tasked with securing iPhone boot-up and operating system installation as well as other aspects of iPhone platform security.
iPhone gaming can be hazardous to your privacy, apparently. A security hole in the iPhone OS allows someone with the right know-how to design an iPhone app to secretly learn an iPhone’s phone number. The problem is serious enough that iPhone game developer Storm8, creators of Vampires Live and iMobsters, has been hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly collecting the phone numbers of iPhone gamers without their knowledge or consent.
Since Google (
If the social-networked iPhone app 
Despite app discovery services like Chorus for iPhone, the AppStore is a really tough place to eek out a living. That may have prompted one Dutch teen to find a new way to make money from the iPhone – hold them for ransom! That’s what happened yesterday when some T-Mobile (
Do you develop mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian or webOS? Well, we want to hear from you! We’ve partnered up with “
