New iPhone 6 features hinted by iOS 8 mobile software: HealthKit, Continuity

iPhone 6 release date was speculated to happen in the fall and will be the first device to run with the newly-announced iOS 8 software.

Although Apple has not announced the specs and features of the upcoming iPhone 6, the new operating system hinted on some of the new functions and capabilities Apple fans will see on the handset. Below are some of the amazing iOS 8 features that users should expect in the upcoming iPhone 6.

Healthkit

Apple developed a new API called Healthkit. This API will allow developers to link applications to a central database of your personal health data. This API is not limited to the apps in the App Store but also the professional medical applications and platforms will be able to utilize this feature.

Improved TouchID fingerprint sensor

Apple will also include an improved fingerprint sensor. The company revealed that the TouchID will now work with third party apps that will replace the use of logins and passwords in your mobile accounts. Users will be able to use their fingerprint in logging in in their accounts, which strengthens the security as other people will be unable to access it.

New camera features

Apple will herald new features to its iSight's camera as iOS 8 will add Time Lapse photography. Moreover, Apple will also include a new Photos app, which includes new editing functions. The technology seems similar to the iOS version of iPhoto but with a much simpler interface. Users can also store photos in the iCloud with 5GB of free storage. Users can also avail bigger storage with plans starting at $1 per month.

Continuity

One of the most exciting software features coming to Apple devices is continuity that seamlessly integrates both Macs and iOS devices. With this new feature, users can now work between Macs and iOS devices by dragging and saving a file from Mac devices to your iPhone, iPod or iPad via a wi-fi network. You can also continue whatever you are working on in your Mac computer or laptop to your portable devices. The iOS device will show a small icon on the bottom left corner of the lock screen. Tapping on that icon will open whatever you were working on before.

Apple Acquitted in Mexican 'iPhone' Naming Lawsuit

The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) has resolved the dispute between Apple and Mexican telecommunications company iFone over the rights to the phonetic name "iPhone", acquitting Apple of any wrongdoing, reports El Universal 



The IMPI found that the "iPhone" trademark can only be infringed by iFone's fellow telecommunications companies. Because Apple is a hardware company and does not own a wireless network, it is not technically infringing the trademark. 

Instead, the IMPI will fine Mexican telecommunications companies Telcel, Iusacell and Movistar and require them to remove "iPhone" advertising and branding from its stores within 15 days. Apple will still be allowed to sell iPhones, however. 

Apple has been fighting this case since 2009, losing the court case in November 2012 and then losing an appeal in March 2013.

Apple patent hints at drop proof iPhone 6 made of sapphire and LiquidMetal

Apple is known for its crazy patents, but some of them are much more realistic. On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the company a patent for a special construction process that involves LiquidMetal and sapphire glass displays. The patent approval occurred right after Apple announced that it has exclusive rightsto LiquidMetal’s unique alloy until 2015.

In scientific terms, LiquidMetal is a bulk amorphous alloy and is considered an exotic metal. It may look like a metal in liquid form, but it moves like molten plastic. So far, LiquidMetal has only been used to make a SIM card ejector, some military equipment, and medical devices. The technology has been put to the test, but it has never been used to create a consumer smartphone or tablet. Nonetheless, it seems that Apple may have plans to forge its future iPhones and iPads using the LiquidMetal technology.

Apple’s patent describes the new use it has in mind for LiquidMetal and how it will aid in stabilizing the sapphire glass displays in future iDevices. Stabilization is necessary, so that when you inevitably drop your iPhone, the glass doesn’t shatter or simply pop off. Back in 2007, Apple used a plastic chassis and a rubberized gasket to protect the display from sudden impacts. This technology is still used in all other iPhone models up to the iPhone 5S.

The new patent aims to avoid all these annoying in-between steps and go directly from the metal chassis to the display, using LiquidMetal in a new metal injection molding process. That way, Apple can form sapphire glass directly into the iPhone or iPad’s metal bezel. The patent indicates that plastic can also be used, but the emphasis is on the idea of using LiquidMetal to ensure the strongest bond and protection between the glass display and metal chassis.

Clearly, this technology is very cutting edge, but its application is untested in mobile devices, so don’t get too pumped up, thinking LiquidMetal will debut with the iPhone 6 this September (or August, depending on which rumors you believe. However, given Apple’s agreement with GT Technologies to manufacture enormous amounts of sapphire glass, it’s probably safe to assume that a sapphire glass display is forthcoming on the long-awaited iPhone 6.

What To Do If Your iPhone Is Hacked And Remotely Locked

    
    A hacker targeted people in Australia, sending a message to their 
    iPhones and iPads that their devices were locked — unless they paid 
    a ransom.

This week, in the hours before daylight, a hacker sent an unsettling alert to iPhone users in Australia. The husband of a Sydney council member received the message at 4 a.m.; a graphic designer was awakened at 2 a.m.

Their phones had been hacked and locked by "Oleg Pliss" and were being held for ransom, unless the users sent money to a PayPal account. The incidents seemed isolated to Australia, but in a troubling development iPhone users in the U.S., writing on Apple's discussion forum, are starting to report the same strange alert.

"I'm in the US. Never been to Australia," wrote wheelman2188 on the forum. "Hacked last night [by] the Oleg Pliss nonsense. Currently restoring to try and get it back online."

Users who had pass codes on their devices seem to have been able to get back in, but those who didn't have had to restore their iPhones or iPads to the factory setting (hoping that they were backed up on iTunes when they did so).

Ransomware hacking came out of Russia and Eastern Europe about five years ago and spread west, according to the Internet security firm Norton. It has become more prevalent in the past two years with criminals typically charging between $60 and $200 to unlock a computer. Norton estimates that with the various ransomware malware out there, victims have ended up paying about $5 million per year.

This kind of hacking — locking users' devices and demanding money — has been used on laptops and desktops before but is spreading to mobile. Some tech blogs have speculated that recent security breaches at eBay and Yahoo might be connected to the attacks.

"It's possible that hackers have obtained access to a leaked list of email addresses and passwords, exploiting the fact that many people will reuse the same account details for their Apple ID," writes Tom Warren at The Verge. "Database breaches are becoming far too common, with eBay, Adobe, Yahoo, and Target all falling victim in recent months."

Somehow, it seems all the more invasive and personal on mobile, since many of us keep our smartphones so close, even as we sleep. This is part of an unnerving trend as technology becomes more integrated into our lives.

Recently, security flaws were discovered that could allow hackers to unlock some BMWs remotely; certain BMW models use the i Remote app, which lets drivers turn on the heat or AC or unlock doors from outside the car. Perhaps creepiest of all, criminals have usedBlackshades, a remote administration tool or RAT, for extortion and bank fraud, collecting keystrokes to steal passwords and turning on people's computer webcams. Gives you the heebie-jeebies, doesn't it?

How can you prevent ransomware attacks? First, enable a pass code on your smartphone. Also, start using two-step verification if you don't already, and set a different password for each of your accounts.

iPhone 6 Rumour Round-Up: Solar Panels, Water Resistance & Mechanical Shutters

This week's rumours surrounding the iPhone 6 include solar cells, mechanical shutters and waterproof capabilities.

Another week closer to the launch of Apple's latest iPhone brings a fresh slew of gossip, rumours and tittle-tattle from around the web.

As part of its weekly rumour round-up, IBTimes UK takes a look at everything from the far-fetched to the frankly ridiculous, hoping to find a hint of truth in what we might hope to realistically expect from the iPhone 6.

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Solar panel smartphone

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A new cache of Apple patents published by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was spotted byPatently Apple, who suggest the Cupertino company might be hoping for some Californian sunshine to help power its future devices.

The patent in question was granted by the USPTO for an integrated touch sensor and solar assembly, which could be used in stack-up configurations to create solar cells.

"Apple's granted patent generally relates to integrated touch sensor and solar panel stack-up configurations on portable devices," the site explains, "particularly handheld portable devices such as a media player or phone."

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Rougher and tougher

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According to Apple Insider, the next iPhone may include clever new internal components that would protect sensitive areas like speakers and ports from damage.

An internal mechanical shutter would use motion sensors to detect if the device is falling and snap shut to prevent sudden changes in air pressure, air bursts or shock.

Meanwhile, MacRumours has revealed this week that Apple has retained exclusive rights to its Liquidmetal technology, suggesting that the next iPhone could use the highly resistant material on the home button and touch screen, potentially bringing an end to the ubiquitous cracked screens you tend to see on any device that is more than a few months old.

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Wetter is better

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The possibility that Apple might be jumping on the waterproof bandwagon, joining the likes of Sony and Samsung, has emerged from the rumour mill.

Photos have sprung up that appear to show the phone's underwater capabilities, however the phone shown is a dummy device without any internal components.

Proof that this can sit submerged underwater is only likely to appeal to the most excitable of Apple fans, though the previously mentioned mechanical flaps may mean there's something to it.

The only 6 iPhone apps you need to take stunning, professional-quality photos

The iPhone’s camera is already pretty strong for a smartphone camera but what if you need it to do more? Luckily for you, The Guardian this month asked Dan Rubin, editor-at-large at the Photographic Journal, to make a video showing off the iOS apps you need to turn your iPhone into a professional-grade camera and take absolutely stunning pictures. Below you’ll find a list of Rubin’s six favorites along with descriptions of what they do as well as pricing information.

Average Camera Pro

Average Camera Pro ($0.99) is an amazing app that you can use to take pictures with long exposures, which is something that you’ve never been able to do with the iPhone’s vanilla camera. The app programs your camera to snap multiple pictures in rapid fire and then uses an algorithm to calculate the average picture lighting of all of them and then normalize the final picture. App developer Dominik Seibold says that you should place your iPhone on a solid surface while taking pictures instead of holding it in your hand due to the app’s long exposure times.

VSCO Cam

Another app that Rubin really loves is VSCO Cam (free download), which he uses to split the focus and exposure of the picture you’re taking. Rubin also praises VSCO Cam’s level feature that adds in a straight line on your display that you can use to line up parallel with straight lines in your picture to make sure that the photo you’re snapping is on an even keel. These are only two of VSCO Cam’s many features and the app itself is loaded with other cool photo-taking and editing effects that make it hard to believe that the app is being offered for free.

Cortex Camera

Cortex Camera ($2.99) greatly improves your iPhone’s ability to take low-light pictures, which certainly addresses one of the default camera’s main weaknesses. In a lot of ways, Cortex Camera is very similar to Average Camera Pro since it “combines dozens of images to create a sharp image without the low-quality noise that shows up when using the default camera” and requires you and your subject to remain still for several seconds during exposure. The app will also improve your iPhone camera’s pixel count — with the iPhone 5 and 5s, for example, Cortex Camera will take 12-megapixel shots while with the iPhone 4s it will take 8-megapixel shots.

TouchRetouch

On the photo editing side, TouchRetouch ($0.99) is an app that actually lets you erase objects in a picture and make it look like they were never there, which is a mind-bogglingly great capability for a smartphone editing app. You can use your finger to highlight the general outline of the object you want to remove and TouchRetouch will then detect exactly what that object is and erase it while using the colors and patterns surrounding it to make a pattern of exactly what’s behind it.

SKWRT

SKRWT (pronounced like “screw it”) isn’t officially available on the App Store yet. All the same, Rubin swears by it and he says it’s an easy way to correct for lens distortion in your images that makes what should be parallel lines look skewed. The app works to line up two sides of an image and make them look symmetrical in the final image. SKWRT says that while it’s still waiting to get Apple’s approval, the app should be available in the App Store on May 25th.

AntiCrop

Finally, AntiCrop ($0.99) is a simple little app that lets you actually “un-crop” pictures you’ve taken to add more scenery to them. So for example, if you have a picture looking upward at a building and you want to add more of the skyline to it, you can have AntiCrop paint in more of it above your images. The app also gives you the ability to losslessly straighten out your photos simply by tilting and then cropping the pictures.

Notifyr Is A Nifty Little App That Sends Your iPhone Notifications To Your Mac

Notifyr lets you receive iOS notifications on your Mac. When I work, I put my iPhone on the table next to my Mac. Every time it buzzes, I look away from my screen to see whether it’s an important notification. I get quite a lot of notifications, and most of the time it’s not important. But it can become problematic if I’m trying to focus and write a long post. I know it’s a first world problem, but Notifyr just solved it.

When I first discovered this new app on Product Hunt yesterday, I immediately installed it. Using Notifyr works a lot like using a Pebble, except that your notifications appear on your Mac instead of on your phone.

First, you need to install the iOS app from the App Store (it costs $3.99), and the free Mac app. When you open the app on your phone, it’ll ask to use Bluetooth. On your Mac, the app will runs as System Preferences pane. You activate Bluetooth on your Mac, pair your iPhone and you’re done.

The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy, which means that it won’t be compatible with iPhone 4 or below. But it also means that it won’t drain your battery too quickly.

Now, every time my phone buzzes, I receive an OS X notification in the corner of my screen. I can also see all my previous iPhone notifications in the Notification Center on my Mac. If you receive the same notifications on your phone and Mac, for example if you have two separate Twitter clients on your laptop and iPhone, you can exclude this particular iPhone app from Notifyr.

It’s really simple, and the setup process is quite easy. Now, I could have solved this problem another way. Maybe I should try to switch off my phone from time to time. Maybe I should work on my attention span so that I don’t stop writing mid-sentence to

iPhone thieves send selfie to victim’s mother

We have your iPhone, and we dare you to find us!

Law-enforcement sources say the smiling simpletons at left stole a cellphone — and then sent goofy selfies and vulgar messages to taunt the teen victim’s friends and mom.

The dimwitted duo snatched the phone from James Pugliatti, 14, of Westchester, as he partied at an under-18 event at Stage 48 on West 48th Street.

They used the iPhone 5 to snap a selfie of themselves on the subway, which they sent to all of the high schooler’s friends using the app Snapchat, Pugliatti and his mom told The Post.

One of James’ friends took a screen shot of the selfie and forwarded it to James’ mom, Annette Pugliatti, 50, who sent it to cops after she received a dirty message — “Mom I’m so horny” — from the suspects on her own phone.

She feared for her safety and called the cops on April 27. Now the unidentified suspects are wanted for petit larceny.

James, who lives in tony Rye, was also robbed of his $50 Otter phone case as he partied at the event.

“I was pissed. I had to get another phone,” he said.

“They’re pretty stupid. The whole thing was really annoying. It ruined my night.”

Snapchat is a photo-messaging service that lets users send pictures that disappear after a few seconds.

James hadn’t uploaded the “Find my iPhone” app, which investigators have used in the past to track down stolen phones, law-enforcement sources said.

A bartender who works in the rooftop bar above the event space where James’ phone was stolen slammed the suspects.

“It’s like they just don’t care. It’s just insane,” said Jimmy Oliva, 26.

Police are investigating and ask that anyone who can identify the stupid suspects call (800) 577-8477.

In September, a Harlem thief snapped selfies with a stolen iPhone — and his vanity got him busted five months later when cops found his face in a mug-shot database.

Jazeke Samuels, 20, took shots of himself flashing gang signs in a black Lacoste hoodie that automatically uploaded to his victim’s photo-sharing Apple iCloud account.

In-Depth: Top 200 paid iPhone apps for medical professionals

By MobiHealthNews’ count there are currently more than 35,000 unique, health-related apps available in various app stores. That includes everything from fitness and diet tracking apps to clinical decision support apps for doctors. Within that group we estimate that about 10,000 apps available today are intended for use by medical professionals.

For a few years now Apple has shared a variety of “top” app lists that are generated via proprietary algorithms making it difficult to understand exactly how the company ranks apps — even when it does so with descriptors like “top grossing”. Top grossing since when? Apple’s AppStore includes two categories for health-related apps: Health & Fitness is one, which is mostly full of consumer and patient-facing apps. The other category, which we are focusing on in this in-depth, is the Medical category, which includes a large number of apps intended for use by medical professionals.

This week MobiHealthNews took a snapshot of two “top” app lists generated by Apple — Top Paid apps in the Medical category and Top Grossing apps in the Medical category. We went through and eliminated all consumer apps from the list and ended up with 200 medical professional apps, which we are using as our sample for this analysis.

In the pages to follow we have included brief descriptions of all 200 apps along with their names, sellers, price, and links to their AppStore pages.

For these two Apple lists an app either needs to charge users to download it, offer in-app purchases like upgrades, or both. There are more than two dozen apps on the top grossing medical apps list that are actually free to download, but have apparently managed to entice enough users to make in-app purchases to put them far ahead other apps that require payment to download upfront. For those medical professional apps on the top paid medical app list right now, the average price of the app is about $7.99. For those top grossing medical apps that are not initially free to download, the average price is much higher — about $24.99.

So, what kind of medical apps are making the most money right now — assuming we can make the assumption the top paid and top grossing apps according to Apple are largely ranked in correlation with their revenue generation? The 200 medical professional apps on the lists currently are almost exclusively content-focused apps that are either some kind of study aid for medical or nursing students or are some kind of app intended for healthcare providers to use at the point of care, including drug reference apps, medical calculators, and medical dictionaries. 

MobiHealthNews’ analysis of these 200 iPhone apps for medical professionals found that the majority of these top revenue generating apps are for use at the point of care — 143 out of 200 (72 percent). The remaining 57 medical professional apps (28 percent) are study guides and test prep apps for medical students. Within the top grossing apps list, 71 out of 107 (66 percent) were point of care medical reference apps of some kind, while the remainder were medical student apps. For paid apps 72 out of 93 apps on the list (77 percent) were point of care apps, and 23 percent were for students.

Given that there are now more than 10,000 apps competing for a spot on medical professionals’ smartphones, how did these 200 apps manage to win over their users? These are paid apps too — either requiring an upfront payment to download or in-app purchases to upgrade the app’s features.

One of the medical companies that has a number of apps featured on Apple’s top paid and grossing medical apps lists right now is Unbound Medicine.

“Unbound Medicine has really focused on product and ensuring we give the user an optimal experience,” VP of Marketing Brian Cairy told MobiHealthNews in an email. “When you have a quality product and you get some people using your product, word spreads quickly. 

Unbound has been providing point of need information since 1999 and we have really developed a loyal base.”

Cairy said that his company’s apps can beat out free or cheaper apps because Unbound’s apps are more reliable, easier to use, and kept up to date.

Like most healthcare technology companies, Unbound relies on a number of marketing channels to help spread the word about its offerings, including industry conferences like MLA (for the medical library audience), AAMC (for the medical education audience), and NLN (for nurses). Unbound also keeps up with its users via its Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Not surprisingly, more than anything Cairy chalks up his company’s multiple medical apps success stories to serving physicians well:

“I think the positive reviews we get in the app stores and the solid reputation we have built over time is the biggest factor,” he said. “Many of our customers have used us during their training, then transform into use as practicing physician and nurses.”

The smaller, Switzerland-based developer team behind the successful MedCalc apps would likely agree, but they decided not to do any paid marketing at all.

“We don’t do any marketing,” MedCalc creators Pascal Pfiffner and Mathias Tschopp told MobiHealthNews in an email. “While it might be different for games, we believe quality software sells itself, and that’s what we are trying to deliver. Virtually every medical professional needs a medical calculation tool, and many use one several times a day. This means that you need a tool that gets the job done quickly and reliably.”

The company does keep a Twitter feed going to share news about the app and to answer user’s questions as they come up, but it says it partakes in no other form of community building or marketing. While the MedCalc name may not be familiar to non-clinicians, the app has gained its growing user base over a 15-year period. The first version launched for the Palm platform.

“What certainly helps is that MedCalc is kind of a ‘household name’ in the field,” the founders said. “The first version of our app came out 15 years ago, during the Palm era, and we got many of our initial followers during this golden age.”

The current list of top paid and top grossing apps certainly includes a number of apps with names that have been around for many years, including Epocrates, Skyscape, DiagnosaurusRx and more.

While some of these more established medical content companies have managed to maintain a strong foothold well into the smartphone and tablet era, there are a number of up-and-comers who have managed to break out since the launch of the iPhone. Limmer Creative, founded in 2009, is one such small publishing company.

“Our products are test prep and educational apps primarily for the EMS and allied health markets,” CEO Stephanie Limmer told MobiHealthNews in an email. “Our products are to help prepare professionals to take their ACLS and PALS certifications as well as the National Registry Certification Exam for EMTs and paramedics.”

Like Unbound, Limmer has used a mix of marketing channels to drive adoption of its medical apps.

“Getting the word out has been through both traditional methods such as advertising in journals and attending conference trade shows and more modern methods like social media and [via] the bloggers in our markets,” she wrote. “We have found that word of mouth has been huge for us and, therefore, social media has been a huge asset.”

Limmer has worked with prominent bloggers to develop apps and some of those partnerships have helped to drive sales of apps more successfully than the apps they’ve promoted through advertising in journals and other more traditional channels. Limmer said that in addition to having solid content, successful medical app companies need to maintain good reputations and good customer service, because poor experiences with medical apps will travel fast online.

Finally, Limmer said that being included on various lists from healthcare organizations, blogs, and medical schools has helped drive interest and she expects an upcoming study at the Hennepin County Medical Center at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine that is using one of her company’s apps will also turn out to be a nontraditional channel for spreading the word about Limmer’s wares.

The next two pages are apps ranked by Apple as “Top Paid” apps in the Medical category and “Top Grossing” apps in the Medical category. These aren’t MobiHealthNews’ picks for top apps, this is based on Apple’s tracking of these apps’ success. MobiHealthNews edited these lists to remove apps that described themselves as intended for use by consumers or patients. Apple updates their lists fairly frequently so this should serve as a snapshot of successful app developers at this point in time.

How the iPhone Activation Lock hack works

The recently revealed exploit that allows anyone to bypass the iPhone’s Activation Lock system is a rather simple process that requires adding just a single line of code to a computer running iTunes.

The exploit, which is called DoulCi (“iCloud” backward), has already been used thousands of times on locked iPhones and iPads around the world. It’s the work of a pair of anonymous hackers, who cracked Apple’s theft-deterrent measure by tricking lost or stolen iOS devices into thinking they are being reactivated by Apple’s servers.

Introduced in iOS 7, Activation Lock is designed to render a lost or stolen iPhone useless unless it is recovered by its proper owner. It’s a powerful tool designed to help protect iPhone owners who fall victim to street thieves who find Apple products irresistible. When Apple’s Find My Phone app is turned on, an iDevice can be tracked by its owner through iCloud.com and remotely wiped if necessary.

Say a thief snatches an iPhone, it gets remotely wiped by the owner, and the thief attempts to restore the iPhone so it can be used again as a new device. That’s when Activation Lock comes into play. During the setup process after a restore, the Apple ID and password originally associated with the device needs to be entered. If that login info can’t be provided, the iPhone can’t be reactivated with Apple’s iCloud servers. You have a bricked iPhone that can’t get past the initial setup. All it’s good for is spare parts.

By performing what is commonly referred to as a man-in-the-middle attack, the DoulCi exploit intercepts web traffic between the iPhone and Apple’s servers.

Here’s how DoulCi works

1) The first step is to edit your computer’s hosts file and add a line of code that points to DoulCi’s server. The IP address of DoulCi’s server, 188.226.251.76, is simply copied and pasted at the bottom of the hosts file, like so:

The hosts file maps IP addresses to domain names, directing the computer’s network traffic. The hosts file takes precedence over the public and private DNS servers that are used to map IP addresses. Usually you should leave the hosts file alone, but it’s sometimes edited override the computer’s DNS system, manually rerouting IP addresses to block spam or malicious software.

Obviously, modifying the hosts file is a potential security risk. It might not be a good idea to route your data through a shady IP address controlled by a pair of anonymous hackers. Luckily, modifying the hosts file isn’t super easy. It’s a multistep process that varies depending upon which operating system you are using. Here’s a good overview of how to edit the hosts file on different Mac and Windows systems.

2) The lost/stolen iPhone is then plugged into a Mac or PC running iTunes and put into DFU/Recovery mode. To do this, turn off the device. Turn it back on, holding down the Sleep/Wake button for three seconds, and then — without releasing the Sleep/Wake button — begin holding the Home button for an additional 10 seconds. Release the Sleep/Wake button but keep holding the Home button until iTunes recognizes your device and Recovery mode begins. iTunes will restore the iPhone to a blank state, and the normal setup process begins while the iPhone is connected to the computer with iTunes open.

3) This is where things get shady. When the device attempts to contact Apple’s server to see if it needs to be activated, the line added to the hosts file reroutes the ping through DoulCi’s servers instead. The iPhone thinks it’s talking to Apple when it’s really talking to the hackers’ server.

At this point, the hackers running DoulCi’s servers could capture device info, such as serial numbers and other unique identifiers. However, security researcher and iOS hacker Steven De Franco told Cult of Mac that no credit card or other personal information tied to the original owner can be swiped. “Unless they have access to Apple’s database, they can’t do much,” he said. “Even then … I think the most they could pull up is billing info.” Besides, if the device being unlocked was stolen in the first place, the person using the exploit likely doesn’t care about sharing its serial number with a mysterious server.

4) After the DoulCi servers have spoofed the activation request, the iPhone is good to go as though it has been authenticated with the owner’s Apple ID login. Sort of…

The SIM card problem

The catch is that after the exploit, the iPhone’s SIM card won’t be recognized. The SIM is blocked because iOS has been tricked into thinking it has been activated, while the iPhone’s baseband (the firmware that communicates and authenticates the device with the carrier) has not. The iPhone won’t connect to a wireless carrier but can be used for all other functions.

The hackers behind DoulCi told Cult of Mac their technique works on all iOS devices. They claim to have a fix for the SIM-blocking issue in the works.

Apple has not responded to Cult of Mac’s requests for comment.

Deadmau5 launches subscription-based iPhone app (with Android to come)

Deadmau5 is the latest musician to launch a subscription app. Photograph: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Dance music star Deadmau5 has launched a new iPhone app offering fans exclusive music, video and access to his "candid thoughts" in return for a monthly subscription fee.

The app, which went live in Apple's App Store this week, is the mobile companion to the live.deadmau5.com community that the musician – aka Joel Thomas Zimmerman – launched in December.

Its App Store listing describes the app as "a subscription based digital destination he personally architected for fans to get direct access to premium content and intimate experiences".

Fans can sample some features for free, but sign up for a £2.99 monthly subscription or £34.99 annual fee for full access. Deadmau5 has worked with music startup Upfront Media on both the website and app.

Soon after the app launched, Zimmerman was defending the lack of an Android version to cross fans on Twitter. "okay complainers. we are developing an app for android as well, have been for a while. ios was just easiest for now. work takes time," he tweeted last night.

It's not the first official Deadmau5 app on iOS, though: Zimmerman has previously worked with developer Touch Mix on two apps: Deadmau5 Mix and Deadmau5 Remix. Both enabled fans to remix some of his songs on their devices. He also starred (in cartoon form) in iPhone game Shred Neffland: featuring Deadmau5.

Launching his own subscription service was a bold move in December, with Zimmerman admitting to fans at the time in a posting on Reddit that the model was new and risky.

"i’ve had this idea forever," he wrote. "most publishers and labels are, still, completely overlooking the value of an artist created / driven subscription model. I guess it’s sink or swim for me."

Other musicians have tried the idea within apps, including another dance star – Tiësto – and unlikelier bedfellows Crosby, Stills and Nash. Both artists charge in-app subscriptions for access to exclusive music and other content.

The idea of artist-based subscriptions has been discussed more widely within the music industry, too, albeit not always as apps. Prince has launched (and closed) several subscription sites for his music, for example, including NPG Online, NPG Music Club and Lotusflow3r.

Deadmau5's fellow EDM star Skrillex also launched an online subscription service called The Nest for his label OWSLA in December 2012, charging fans $12 a month to get every release on the label, plus exclusives and priority tickets for live shows. "The Nest is another chance for us to get music out to the fans quicker and easier," said Skrillex at the time.

Meanwhile, in June 2013, industry analyst Mark Mulligan proposed the idea of artist subscriptions sitting within existing streaming services like Spotify and Deezer "with users paying a small monthly fee – say $/€1 – for a month’s worth of artist content" and having the cost added to their monthly bill.

Apple’s attempt to marry the iPhone with autos hinges on Siri’s savvy, versatility

Apple is getting ready to hitch the iPhone to cars in a mobile marriage of convenience. The ambitious project, called CarPlay, implants some of the iPhone’s main applications in automobiles so drivers can control them with voice commands, a touch on the steering wheel or a swipe on a display screen in the dashboard.



Ted Cardenas, a marketing vice-president with Pioneer Electronics, demonstrates the new Apple CarPlay powered by Pioneer, in San Francisco. Utilizing large, in-dash Pioneer LCD displays, CarPlay, featuring Siri voice control, gives iPhone users the features while allowing them to stay focused on the road. — Photos by The Associated Press

It’s expected to be available this summer when Pioneer Electronics plans to release a software update for five car radios designed to work with the iPhone. Alpine Electronics also is working on CarPlay-compatible radios for cars already on the road. Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Ferrari are among those expected to start selling car models with built-in CarPlay services this year.

Google Inc. is working with car makers to do something similar with smartphones running its Android operating system, but Apple Inc. appears to be further along in efforts to make it easier and safer to text, email, get directions, select music and, yes, even make calls while driving.

I recently checked out a test version of CarPlay in a van equipped with a Pioneer radio designed to work with the iPhone.

The demonstration through the streets of San Francisco convinced me that Apple is on the right track. The CarPlay system is bound to appeal to iPhone fans who spend a lot of time behind the wheel. It makes less sense for iPhone owners who, like me, spend more of their time walking and riding public transportation instead of driving.

If you want CarPlay, you will need an iPhone 5, 5s or 5c. An iPad won’t work. The phones also must be running Apple’s latest software, iOS 7.1. Free upgrades are available for older phones.

If you already have one of Pioneer’s five compatible radios, a free firmware update is all you’ll need.

Otherwise, CarPlay’s biggest drawback is the cost. If you want it in a car you already own, compatible radios from Pioneer sell for $700 to $1,400. After factoring in other required parts and labour, figure on spending $900 to $1,000 just to get Pioneer’s least-expensive CarPlay system in your vehicle. That’s more than the price of a new iPhone, but cheaper than buying a new car with CarPlay built in.

Pioneer’s top-of-the-line CarPlay radio features a seven-inch screen that shows the iPhone apps for calls, contacts, music, maps and messaging when the device is plugged in with a cable.

Other mobile music apps, including Spotify, Beats Music and iHeartRadio, are supposed to be eventually available on CarPlay, too. Facebook, YouTube and other apps that show a lot of photos and video won’t be available for safety and legal reasons.

The key to CarPlay’s success may hinge on Siri, the iPhone’s digital personal assistant. Apple has been striving to make Siri smarter and more versatile, an endeavour that CarPlay figures to put to the test.

Siri serves as CarPlay’s central nervous system, doing everything from taking email dictation, reading incoming text messages out load, and scrolling through the system for song requests or different genres of music. Summoning Siri can be done by touching a button on the steering wheel or CarPlay’s display screen.

While CarPlay also responds to touch, the system is at its best when Siri is doing most of the work. I got only a half-hour demo of CarPlay, too little time to determine whether Siri will be up to the job.

Within minutes of getting in the car, Siri couldn’t retrieve the correct address for a requested restaurant in San Francisco. Instead, CarPlay listed several other places with the same name, so Siri apparently at least heard the request correctly. The omission of the requested restaurant may have reflected shortcomings in Apple’s database of local businesses.

Beyond that, Siri performed flawlessly reading back incoming texts, composing and sending emails and playing the role of disc jockey when asked to play the music of specific artists such as AC/DC. It took only a few seconds before “Back in Black” blasted through the stereo. Even a question about Arnold Schwarzenegger, a name that can be difficult to decipher, didn’t stump Siri.

If Siri is able to consistently handle those kinds of challenges, then CarPlay could make the iPhone an even more indispensable mobile device.

Top 5 Educational iPhone Apps

The Apple App Store is full of amazing apps. This includes entertainment, games, tools and even educational ones. Today, there is a variety of apps that young scientist can get on their iPad. We have discovered 5 of them and science lovers should find them really useful.

1. Focus on Earthquakes

This app talks about the latest earthquake happenings and analyse it through an ebook. There are images, maps and even animations. Learn the plate movements for only $3.99.

2. EarthViewer

Get deeper into the knowledge of atmosphere with EarthViewer. The app contains the plannet’s atmospheric history that stretches all the way to 4.5 billion years ago. For something free, it even comes with animation.

3. NASA App HD

Get updates on the discoveries made in space with NASA’s official app. It is free of charge and users will get the latest scoop on the endless universe.

4. SkySafari 3

At only $2.99, users get to enjoy a breathtaking view of the sky. Check out the images in this planetarium application.

5. The Elements: A Visual Exploration

$13.99 might be costly but considering the compelling and visually stunning guide to chemical substances, it is worth every penny.

Sonos releases redesigned iPhone & iPad apps w/ universal search & more

First launched a couple months back as a beta for Android users, Sonos today announced that its redesigned mobile app for iPhone and iPad users is now available. On top of a streamlined interface with a darker color palette (pictured above), the app also introduces a new universal search feature and much more:

Sonos says the redesigned user experience will make it easier than ever to access everything from Now Playing shortcuts, to playlists, alarms, and room control. Three main modules in the new app “allow for a simple navigation between the music currently playing, what room it’s playing in and how to find the next song you want.”

There have also been a number of other tweaks and new features introduced in version 5.0 including improved Surround Sound, new advanced settings, and VoiceOver support on iOS 7. A full list of what’s new is below.

The redesigned Sonos Controller app is available now for both iPhone and iPad on the App Store. The company recommends users of the old Sonos Controller for iPad uninstall the app before installing today’s release of Sonos Controller version 5.0 (which is a universal download for both iPhone and iPad).

What’s New in Version 5.0

The Sonos Controller Apps have been re-designed to make it easier than ever to play the music you love today and discover the music you will love tomorrow.

Sleek New Design: Effortlessly control your world of music with an app designed by and for music lovers.
-Touch the SONOS icon at the top to display the SONOS music menu.
-Touch the room name at the top right to display the ROOMS screen.
-Easily access Shuffle and Repeat from the queue pane.
-Access Crossfade and Sleep Timer from the Info & Options pane.
-Using your phone, swipe to toggle between the Now Playing screen and the last place you browsed; using your iPad, drag and drop tracks or albums directly into the queue or the Now Playing pane.

Explore Music Services: From popular favourites to specialised music services, Sonos makes it easy to browse our wide selection and discover new ways to explore the world of music.
-The More Music menu option has been renamed Add Music Services.
-The music service detail pages include descriptions of available services in your country.

Universal Search: With this update you can now search across all of your music services at once to find and enjoy the music you love.
-For example, if you have three different music services installed, a search for the artist Beck now returns relevant matches for all three.
-You can quickly jump across categories with the tap of a finger.

Surround Mode: If you have surround speakers connected to your PLAYBAR, you can now change the surround setting for music playback (this setting does not apply to TV audio).
-Choose from Ambient (default, subtle, ambient sound) or Full (new setting that enables louder, full range sound).
-Using a handheld Sonos controller:
1. From the Settings menu, touch Room Settings.
2. Choose the room that has surround speakers connected, and then choose Advanced Audio -> Surround Settings.
3. Select either Ambient or Full.

The following settings have been added to the Manage Music Library menu
-Schedule Music Index Updates
-Sort Folders By
-Compilation Albums

The following settings have been added to the Advanced Settings menu
-Wireless Channel
-Audio Compression
-Auto Check for Updates

VoiceOver is supported on iOS7.

Note for Sonos Controller App for iPad users only:
If you have previously installed the Sonos Controller for iPad, it is recommended that you uninstall the existing Sonos app before installing Sonos software version 5.0. For other devices, there is no need to uninstall before updating.