Android Trojan virus, I think I’ll keep playing in Apple’s garden

ReadWriteWeb:

Purporting to be a harmless media player application, the Trojan, once installed, actually sends out SMS text messages without the users’ knowledge or consent.

The Trojan penetrates Android-based smartphones disguised as an ordinary application, says Kaspersky. Users are prompted to install a small file of around 13 KB that has the standard Android extension .APK. But once the “app” is installed on the device, the Trojan bundled with it begins texting premium rate phone numbers (those that charge). The criminals are actually the ones operating these numbers, so they end up collecting the money via charges to the victims’ accounts.

Yes, some of the drawbacks of Apple’s walled garden do suck, but I think the positives far outweigh the negatives. As mobile phones and devices act more and more like our old school desktop, the risk for virus increases. This is only going to get worse.

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Andriod, Apple vs ?, Mobile Viruses

Oops… Dropped my iPhone in the water, now what?

Luckily that is just a post title, I have yet to do this to my iPhone. If you aren’t so lucky then here are some steps to save your iPhone.

iFixYouri has posted a YouTube clip showing the correct procedure after dropping your phone in the water. I’ve been giving similar advice on this issue, on a person by person basis, but thought it might be a good idea to post it up for all to see. iFixYoui gives the same advice I’ve been giving for the last couple years and just recently in this tweet:

@skeetobite Ouch! Leave it off for 24 hours. Throw it in a ziplock back with some dry white rice and stick it in the fridge.

One thing they don’t mention is sticking it in the fridge. I know someone that did rice + fridge trick with the iPhone 3G and it solved the issue, although the camera was a bit flaky after that. The fridge makes sense as it acts as a dehumidifier, although a dehumidifier in a small area with the phone would be even better I assume.

(via 9to5Mac)

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iPad, iPhone, iPod, Tips

Video: Nike+ over air sync on iOS 4.1 beta

UPDATE Confirmed this is still in final iOS 4.1 GM release! No magic disappearing OTA sync this time.

Nike+ over air syncing first appeared in iOS 4.0 beta, but was removed early on in the beta cycle. Even when it was still active, it never was able to send the data to Nike’s servers.  Over air syncing made its triumphant return in first iOS 4.1 beta and has stuck through yesterday’s beta 3. Also, as you can see from the video, on iOS 4.1 beta it actually works.

So the fact that it’s still in beta 3 and the Nike+ servers are now ready to accept the data, there is a strong chance this update will make it into the final iOS 4.1 release.

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Featured post, iOS 4.1, iPhone, Nike+

Highly anticipated HTML5 video play, SublimeVideo begins public beta testing

John Gruber said it best, way back on February 1st of this year:

This is so fucking great: an HTML5 video player by Jilion with beautiful playback controls, click-to-play control over automatic buffering, full-window playback with gorgeous animated transitions, and more.

Now SublimeVideo has gone into a limit public beta. You can sign up for beta on http://sublimevideo.net, a new site they created for the product. I’ve seen and played around with other players the last few months, but SublimeVideo looks like the best of breed! If YouTube embedded videos now supporting iOS devices wasn’t enough, when SublimeVideo hits the streets it will be another devastating blow to Adobe’s flash player.

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Adobe, HTML5, iOS 4, iPad, iPhone, SublimeVideo

Judge overturns “prop 8″ gay marriage ban in California

Reuters:

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker also ordered the voter-approved ban, known as Proposition 8, immediately lifted to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry while the case moves to a higher court.

Prop 8 supporters had sought to keep the measure in place pending the outcome of their appeal.

But Vaughn said the lawsuit challenging Prop 8 “demonstrated by overwhelming evidence” that it violates due process and equal-protection rights under the U.S. Constitution.

You might remember way back when, Apple donated $100k to the “no on prop 8″ gay marriage ban. Even with Apple’s support, the ban passed. Almost 2 years later, Apple can feel like they got their money’s worth.

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Apples & Oranges

We don’t have to worry about the Google Wave app anymore

Official Google Blog:

Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects. The central parts of the code, as well as the protocols that have driven many of Wave’s innovations, like drag-and-drop and character-by-character live typing, are already available as open source, so customers and partners can continue the innovation we began. In addition, we will work on tools so that users can easily “liberate” their content from Wave.

Did anyone who has used Wave not see this coming? I did.

(via @iShawnPorter)

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Apples & Oranges, Google