Apple

When it comes to iPhone hackers, techies at Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel expect to have the last laugh. They claim even the most deadly hackers on the planet won’t be able to crack the codes that support the iPhone’s Airtel applications with rival company SIMs.

So, even if a hacker manages to make voice calls from an Airtel iPhone using the SIM of a rival GSM operator, he would be denied access to both exclusive icons—’Airtel Live’ and ‘Airtel Apps’—which are gateways to the full spectrum of Airtel applications built into the iconic gizmo.

When Apple rolled out its iPhone in the United States, some fans paid big money to be among the first to get their hands on the device. In Poland, people are getting paid to line up.

"We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone," a spokesman said. As part of a marketing campaign ahead of the iPhone's Friday launch in Poland, the country's largest mobile operator Orange is paying dozens of actors to stand in queues.

Users of Apple's MobileMe have already discovered that the US$99-per-year service is sometimes slow and unreliable, and they're now talking about another shortcoming that was intentional.

A rare defect in the first generation iPod nano is causing a consumer scare in Japan.

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is warning users after an investigation found that the player had been responsible for at least three fires. No major injuries were reported in any of the incidents.

Apple Inc. has released an iPhone software update it says improves communication between the smart phone and wireless networks.

The iPhone 3G, which went on sale July 11, connects to cellular providers' speedier third-generation networks and was meant to deliver snappier web surfing and online video viewing than the year-old original model. But some customers who shelled out $199 for Apple's newest gizmo flocked to message boards in recent weeks, posting complaints about dropped calls and spotty wireless broadband connectivity.

Apple’s secret method of disabling naughty iPhone apps just got a thorough pasting by hackers - they’ve sat down, taken a good look at Apple’s security measures, and promptly devised a way to side-step them!

To get the work-around on your own iPhone, you’ll need to have jailbroken your handset. Then it’s simply a case of installing the BossPrefs app through the Cydia installer.

Apple's iPhone 3G customers around the world are complaining that their calls are being dropped.

Apple discussion boards have reported on-going reception problems with Apple's original and 3G iPhones. The problem leads to dropped calls, poor internet speeds and shortened battery life, say users.

Apple has released the latest firmware update for their iPhone mobile device.

Apple iPhone owners can now upgrade to firmware 2.0.2. However, early reports tell that this update has not resolved the much talked about 3G reception problems.

Apple continues to reveal nothing about these updates. The company said that this latest update is mostly for bug fixes. Apple is yet to publicly admit the 3G issues reported by the owners of second generation iPhone.

In one of Apple's most recent television advertisements for the iPhone 3G, a voice tells consumers: "It works great with work."

That's true. The Exchange ActiveSync available with the new iPhone gives users access to email, calendaring, and contacts management, and that's just what many consumers need. Some IT managers feel the same way. The physical engineering of the device, its superior browser, and the new syncing capabilities with Exchange have many CIOs deciding the iPhone is ready for an enterprise deployment

I was all set to give this week's column over to a new register-direct implementation of a JavaScript interpreter that's many times faster than all currently available implementations. It's not exactly growing hair on a billiard ball, but a nitro-boosted JavaScript will put a shine on AJAX and keep my most beloved language on track to becoming the gold standard for dynamic languages.