Look like Apple will soon release another update for the iOS 4. Yesterday, Apple released iOS 4.1 beta 2, a pre-release version for iPhone developers. Unless you are developing iPhone apps, there is no reason for you to try out this beta version.

As usual, Apple does not detail the fixes and features for the upcoming release. So far, based on the reports from early adopters, the upcoming iOS 4.1 release may come with the following updates:

• Signal Bars fixed and taller (which is already included in iOS 4.0.1)
• New Baseband (02.07.01)
• Game Center Support
• Camera Switch and Flash buttons reposition in landscape mode
• Allow to add Favorite as voice or FaceTime
• Option to turn off Spell Check
• FaceTime and Game Center Parental Controls
• Full Bluetooth AVRCP (i.e. Audio/Video Remote Control) Support
• Fix for iPhone 4’s proximity issue

For those concern about jailbreaking, iPhone Dev team has confirmed the beta 2 release of iOS 4.1 can be jailbroken using redsn0w. However, ultrasn0w do not support the unlock for the new version of baseband. Here is the jailbreaking update about iOS 4.1 beta 2 from iPhone Dev team:

If you’ve updated to 4.1beta2 on iPhone3G or iPod2G(non-MC), you can use this redsn0w from June to jailbreak. Just point it at the 4.0 IPSW (the public one, not the developer GM one).

(Yes – point it at the 4.0 IPSW even though you’re at 4.1beta2).

Don’t do this if you need the ultrasn0w carrier unlock!!

Note 1: This won’t hacktivate your iPhone3G – but for those with legit access to the 4.1beta2 this shouldn’t matter. Please don’t pirate Apple software

Note 2: If you’re at 4.1beta2 you’ll probably experience network problems after jailbreaking. Until a new version of redsn0w is released, you may need to rely on afc2 access (such as FunBox-like file browser programs) to manipulate your filesystem.

Note 3: This is recommended only for power users who can deal with the problems that will pop up as the JB apps fall further behind the beta firmwares.

We have no idea about the release date for the general availability of iOS 4.1. But please take extra care when iTunes prompts you to upgrade your iPhone firmware. Make sure you hit the “Cancel” button to avoid the upgrade if jailbreaking and unlocking are essential for you.

If you are iPhone developers, you can download the beta 2 release at iPhone Developer Center.

Citigroup has admitted that its free iPhone app – Citi Mobile contains a major security flaw that “accidentally” saves users personal account information in a hidden file on their iPhone. The company has rolled out an updated version of the app and is urging its customers to upgrade ASAP.

The accidentally stored information includes account numbers, bill payments and security access codes. What’s worse, this information is also saved to user’s computer if it had been synched with an iPhone. WSJ reports that the security hole affects nearly 117,600 customers who had registered the iPhone app with Citi since its launch in March 2009.

The Citi Mobile app is currently the 11th most-popular offering in the finance category of Apple’s App Store and Citibank has nearly 800,000 mobile customers. The app was developed in partnership with MFoundry, a mobile financial services provider based in Larkspur, California.

Citi says it fixed the bug and informed customers within 24 hours of discovering the issue. Though the bank says that any personal data was not exposed by the flaw, I beg to differ. If a user’s computer is infected with a worm/ trojan, there is a strong likelihood of user’s personal information being compromised. What’s worse, hackers can create malware apps to retrieve user’s personal information stored on their iPhone.

The only saving grace for Citi is that it managed to fix the issue sooner than later. The updated version of the app will erase the previously stored information and is listed as a ‘mandatory’ update for customers on the app store. The fix will also eliminate the possibility of the problem resurfacing in future. Natalie Riper, a Citibank spokesperson, says, “We have no reason to believe that our customers’ personal information has been accessed or used inappropriately by anyone, i.e., there has been no data breach.” 

Click here to learn more about Citi Mobile® for the iPhone.  Do you use the Citi Mobile iPhone app? If so, have you updated your iPhone app?

“Is it legal to jailbreak my iPhone?”

This is one of the frequently-asked questions and a concern raised by some of the iPhone users. Now, with the announcement from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit digital rights group, the answer is clear. Jailbreak and unlocking iPhone is not illegal and do not violate the copyright law, as a result of new rules set by the Copyright Office.

As an iPhone user, you have the right to free your iPhone to work with other carriers and install unauthorized applications outside the Apple’s App Store on iPhone.

Here is the excerpt of the EFF’s announcement:

The first of EFF’s three successful requests clarifies the legality of cell phone “jailbreaking” — software modifications that liberate iPhones and other handsets to run applications from sources other than those approved by the phone maker. More than a million iPhone owners are said to have “jailbroken” their handsets in order to change wireless providers or use applications obtained from sources other than Apple’s own iTunes “App Store,” and many more have expressed a desire to do so. But the threat of DMCA liability had previously endangered these customers and alternate applications stores.

In its reasoning in favor of EFF’s jailbreaking exemption, the Copyright Office rejected Apple’s claim that copyright law prevents people from installing unapproved programs on iPhones: “When one jailbreaks a smartphone in order to make the operating system on that phone interoperable with an independently created application that has not been approved by the maker of the smartphone or the maker of its operating system, the modifications that are made purely for the purpose of such interoperability are fair uses.”

For those who are new to jailbreaking, it is a process to free iPhone from Apple’s closed ecosystem. iPhone hackers have developed free tools such as PwnageTool, Redsn0w and Spirit to jailbreak the iPhone. With a jailbroken iPhone, you are allowed to install iPhone apps which are outside Apple’s App Store. Jailbreaking is also an essential process to unlock the iPhone to work with any mobile carrier.

So, does it mean Apple officially allows iPhone jailbreaking?

Don’t get it wrong. The announcement just makes clear the legality of iPhone jailbreak. That doesn’t mean Apple needs to open up the iPhone OS or supports jailbreaking. Right after the EFF’s announcement, according to CultOfMac, Apple has responded with a press release stating that jailbreak voids the warranty, though it doesn’t violate the law.

Apple’s goal has always been to insure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience. As we’ve said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.

For all iPhone jailbreakers, the ruling is a big win. You are legally allowed to gain full control of your iPhone. However,, let me take this opportunity to make clear one point. By jailbreaking, it doesn’t mean you are allowed to download pirated applications (via hack like installous) onto the iPhone. That’s illegal and that’s NOT the purpose of jailbreaking. As mentioned in the ruling, all applications should be legally obtained. In other words, other than those free apps, you still have to pay for the paid apps (no matter it is from App Store or Cydia). Let’s reward the hard work of the iPhone developers.

The multitasking feature is the most notable feature in iOS 4. If you’re owner of iPhone 4/3GS, you can enjoy this feature after the OS upgrade. However, due to the limited memory and slower CPU on iPhone 3G, multitasking is intentionally disabled by Apple.

But this shouldn’t limit iPhone jailbreaker from using it. With jailbroken iPhone, there are a couple of hacks available via cydia that lets you enable the multitasking feature.

Features Hack

First, it’s a cydia hack called “Features”. The hack lets you enable the missing multitasking feature via Winterboard theme. The package comes with a “multitasking” theme. You can simply enable the theme to turn on the multitasking feature.

To install the hack, you can fire up cydia and search for “Features” to locate the package. Please note that the hack is only for iPhone 3G running iOS 4. If you are using iPhone OS 3.1 or lower, the hack will not work for you.

zToggle

Developed by Razi Iqbai, zToggle is another cydia hack for you to enable the multitasking feature. Same as “Features”, the hack is only for iPhone 3G running iOS 4. Please don’t install it on other models of iPhone.

Once you install the hack, launch zToggle and flip the “Multitasking” switch to ON. Then follow the instruction to respring your iPhone to effectuate the change. You’ll be able to use multitasking after the respring.

Both hacks are free, but zToggle offers a better interface for you to toggle between the multitasking feature.

Warning: If you have already use redsn0w or PwnageTool to enable the multitasking feature during jailbreaking, DO NOT install the hack. If you want to use any of the above hacks, you’ll need to jailbreak your iPhone but without selecting the multitasking option in the jailbreak process of redsn0w/PwnageTool.

Music On the Go (aka MOG), an innovative music company conceived and run by fans, has recently launched an iPhone app (and an Android app) for its service, thereby giving subscribers access to a whopping collection of nearly 8 million songs. A 3-day trial version is available at the Apple App Store and requires no sign-up or credit card. However, if you need the ‘all-you-can-eat’ (unlimited) downloads, you need to pay $9.99 per month.

The MOG app works over both 3G and WiFi. The app’s navigation is similar to that of iPhone’s native music player. The app has decent search capabilities and lets you search for tracks by artist name, track name and album name. It even allows you to search millions of user-created playlists for your favorite tracks. Like several other streaming music applications, the home screen of MOG lists new releases, top songs and favorite tracks.

However, unlike other streaming music apps, the MOG app gives you a unique choice – stream a track and/or download it your device. The downloads are pretty quick even with high quality 320 kbps MP3 bitrate and the best part is there’s no limit on how much you can download.

MOG handpicks the best features of several other streaming music apps. For example, it lets you create custom digital radio stations (like Pandora). However, I’m rather surprised that the iPhone app has still not been updated to take advantage of iOS 4 multitasking capabilities. MOG says that it plans to launch a multitasking version of the app very soon. The Android version of MOG supports multitasking and lets users do other tasks while listing to their favorite tracks.

IMO, the USP of MOG app is its ability to provide ‘artist only’ stations. Throw in the combo of unlimited downloads, no irritating advertisements and a massive collection to choose from – MOG app is a mouthwatering prospect for any music fan.

You can download the app via this direct iTunes link. To learn more about the app, check out the video for a brief demo:

As reported earlier, Apple is giving away free iPhone bumper or other third-party iPhone case for every iPhone 4 buyer. This is Apple’s solution to fix the “antennagate” issue.

On Friday, Apple announced the iPhone 4 case program. Here is how you can claim an iPhone 4 case if you have purchased an iPhone 4:

1. Download the iPhone 4 Case Program app from the App Store.

2. Launch the app on your iPhone 4 and sign in using your iTunes Store account or Apple ID.

3. Select your Bumper or case.

4. Place your order and confirm your shipment.

The iPhone 4 case program is only available till September 30, 2010. If you have already purchased the iPhone 4, remember to place your order before August 22, 2010. For those who plan to purchase one, you must apply within 30 days of your iPhone 4 purchase.

Apple also offers refund for those who already purchased an iPhone bumper. If you made the purchase using credit card, the company should have already refunded your account. If you pay by check or cash, simply return to the Apple store with your receipt to get the full refund.

Recently we talked about FoodScanner by DailyBurn which can read the barcode on food items and give you the calorie and nutrition information as well as helping you keep track of your calorie intake. I found it pretty handy and so naturally my eye was drawn to Occipital’s RedLaser app which powers FoodScanner. RedLaser just takes it on a slightly different angle and pulls from an allegedly  huge database of products to give you a listing of the lowest local and online prices for the product you scan. Potentially pretty handy right?

Well, it is, I think. I mean it is really handy to be able to see a list of the lowest prices for something you’re looking for, especially if there are some local locations; there’s nothing wrong with a little comparison shopping, and who doesn’t need to save some coin nowadays? Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m not really with it these days, maybe it’s all the Kool-Aid, I don’t know, but I just don’t find myself using RedLaser that much.

Now first of all, since we’re about to discuss shopping, let me make it known that I am a man and therefore do not have the same visceral and somehow spiritual reaction to shopping that women do. Having said that, I realise that any women readers I have just experienced a sudden fit of rage, and now look upon me with a cold, low level hatred and I’ll probably start receiving threatening emails; however, I know that all you guys understand exactly what I’m talking about. OK, let’s carry on then.

Here’s the deal, if I’m out shopping for something, a) I usually know what I want, b) I want it now, c) I know where I’m going to get it, and d) I want it now. Once I get to where I’m going it would be highly unlikely that I would drive somewhere clear across town to obtain said item(s) for a cheaper price. Even if we’re talking about groceries. Especially if we’re talking about groceries actually. Grocery shopping is, for me, a trying enough experience as it is; I’m lucky enough to get out of the store without throttling someone, much less getting everything on my list. And to be honest, after a trip to my favorite local grocery hypermarket, I’m not that impressed with RedLaser’s identification abilities.

Pork Jowls

For instance, RedLaser was completely flummoxed when I scanned some individually wrapped pork jowls from the meat department. And seriously, who doesn’t love pork jowls? C’mon!

I tried something a little more conventional with a bit more success I suppose, but still not enough to make me want to hunt down the suggested price savings. Also, RedLaser seems to return the prices on bulk purchases of scanned items. Now in some cases I can see how this may be beneficial, but I myself am not particularly interested in purchasing $140 worth of mac & cheese. I mean, mac & cheese is good, but it’s not that good.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese

In the end, if you’re a serious penny pincher, then RedLaser might really help you out, but for me it’s just a bit too much trouble. Even if I’m aware that the item or items I want to purchase can be had a few cents cheaper on the other side of town, I’m just not willing to make the effort to hunt them down. RedLaser is now free to download from the App Store, so if you’re a consummate coupon clipper, then you might check it out for yourself. Personally I’ll stick with my pre-purchase research for items I really want or need, and save the extreme penny pinching for the neurotically cost conscious.

Just a week ago, Steve Jobs announced during the special press conference that the white model of iPhone 4 will be available in late July. It appears something changes within a week. On Friday, Apple released a statement announcing that the white device will not be available until later this year.

Here is the full statement from Apple:

White models of Apple’s new iPhone® 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.

This is not the first time the white model has been delayed. Before the first debut of iPhone 4, Apple also postponed the release of white model till end of July. While Apple doesn’t give any details about the manufacturing problem, Appleinsider gives some insights about the issue:

The alleged problems were revealed this week by Chinese-language newspaper 21st Century Business Herald, which said that the manufacturing issues come from a factory in China known as Lens Technology. A worker with the company’s quality control department said that the company is still trying to work out the right balance of paint thickness and opacity, in order to ensure the panel allows enough space for the digitizer overlay, but also gives the level of white that Apple expects the product to have.

Industry sources also indicated that each machine owned by Lens Technology can only cut three iPhone 4 glass covers per hour. The report said that the company’s current production capacity can only meet half of Apple’s demand for the iPhone 4.

For those who want to purchase the white iPhone 4, look like you will need to wait for a while.

Skype has announced an update for its iPhone application, adding multitasking support for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 running iOS 4. The update is imminent. With the multitasking support, that means you can receive skype calls while other apps are running and when your iPhone is locked. What’s more is you can switch to other apps (say, jotting notes or checking calendar) during your skype call.

That’s cool, right?

I have just upgraded the Skype app and roughly tested out the app. It just works as advertised. No matter you are working on a note or your iPhone is in lock state. You can still receive Skype calls. To answer the call, you can simply tap the “Answer” button. If you miss any calls, there will be a notification showing you how many calls you have missed.

The company also boosts the graphic quality of the Skype app to support iPhone 4’s retina display.

Two months ago, Skype 2.0 for iPhone was released to support VOIP call over 3G network. At that time, the company mentioned it would charge a small monthly fee for the service, in addition to the operator charges for data. Along with this update, the company announced skype users can enjoy free skype calls over 3G. No additional fee will be charged. What you need to pay for is the mobile charges for data. Here is what the company said in its blog post about the free call:

At Skype, we believe that better call quality and better availability (which is achieved with an app capable of multitasking and/or making calls over 3G) lead to increased call frequency and longer calls. We also believe that the mobile world is in a period of significant change, for example, with some operators starting to move to tiered pricing models.

In light of that, we no longer have plans to charge a supplement to make calls over 3G. We’re delighted to make it easier for you to talk for even longer and do even more together using Skype.

I highly recommend you to upgrade the Skype app if you are running iOS 4. Go ahead to App Store and upgrade it. Or you can simply click this direct iTunes link for download.

As always, I would like to hear your experience about the app. Feel free to leave us comment and share anything about the new Skype app.

Note: Multitasking is a new feature coming with iOS 4. However, it only works on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.

How can I close the apps running in background via multitasking dock? Are all apps displayed in the dock running in background? Since the launch of iOS 4.0, I have received these questions from my friends and some of the blog readers. So I think it is better to write a blog post to share the procedures with all of you.

The multitasking feature is the most notable update for iOS 4.0. As you may know, you can double press the Home button to bring up a multitasking dock that shows all those apps running in background. You can simply tap on any of the app icons and switch to your desired app instantly.

How to Close Multitasking Apps

To close an app in the multitasking dock, you can just tap and hold an app icon until it wiggles. Then you can tap on the minus symbol and terminate the app.

That’s it. Simple, right?

Are all Apps displayed in the Dock Running in Background?

That’s the answer for the first question. What about the second question? Are the apps shown in the multitasking dock running as background apps?

Not really.

Unlike the cydia app “Backgrounder” that automatically puts app to run in background, Apple takes another approach to deliver multitasking feature while preserving battery life and performance. The app is not supposed to run in background by default. It is up to the application developer to enable the multitasking capability via the multitasking API. Apple provides seven multitasking services in iOS 4 including:

Background audio – Allows your app to play audio continuously. So users can listen to your app while they surf the web, play games, and more.

Voice over IP – Allows the VOIP app to run continuously. Users can now receive VoIP calls and have conversations while using another app. You can even receive calls when your phone are locked.

Background location – Navigation apps can now continue to run while you are listening to their iPods, or using other apps. iOS 4 provides an efficient way to monitor location when users move between cell towers. This is a great way for your social networking apps to keep track of your shared locations.

Push notifications – Receive alerts even when your app isn’t running.

Local notifications – Similar to Push notification but the notification is sent locally instead of via remote server

Task finishing – If your app is in mid-task when user leaves it, the app can now keep running to finish the task.

Fast app switching – This will allow users to leave the app and come right back to where they were when they left – no more having to reload the app.

Not all Apps Support Multitasking… It Really Depends on the Developers

For those without technical background, you may not understand the above multitasking services. But one point I would like to highlight is that not all iPhone apps support multitasking. Only those apps implemented one of the above multitasking services can be run in background. If the developer does not update the apps and make use of the multitasking functionalities in iOS 4, that app will just behave the same as you run in it in older version of iPhone OS.

How to Tell the Difference

Apparently, multitasking is a prominent feature for iOS 4. However, one thing that may confuse some of you is the apps displayed in the multitasking dock. You may also notice that the multitasking dock contains all recent applications that you have launched, no matter the app supports multitasking or not. But there is no way to tell whether the app is running in background until you switch to it. If the app resumes to the point where you left off, you can tell the app supports multitasking. When you switch to some of the apps, they go through the launch procedures and start all over again. Clearly, these apps do not support the multitasking feature.

Hopefully, this post can give you a basic understanding of multitasking feature in iOS 4 and you should know how to close those multitasking apps.

Apple has sold three million iPads in the first 80 days and it’s still going strong as ever. While the initial euphoria over the iPad’s stunning looks has now settled amongst the critical mass users, the iPad is now being touted as the “next big thing” in the enterprise segment.

Many analysts had questioned whether Apple would be able to maintain the momentum of iPad’s brisk opening sales over a longer duration. For some, the iPad may just be a flashy gadget to flaunt but its growing adoption in the enterprise is a testimony that the iPad is not just about the looks. It is a fantastic gadget that serves the needs of one and all - be it as an entertainment device for personal needs or an enterprise device for corporate needs.

Many big guns are buying the iPad in bulk for enterprise use. Wells Fargo, Mercedes-Benz, and SAP are amongst the early enterprise adopters of the iPad and the list is growing with every passing day. Wells Fargo has been using the iPad to demonstrate some of its financial products at investor conferences. Mercedes-Benz has used the iPad on its showroom floors to educate customers about various financing options for its cars. The iPad is a huge hit at SAP, the world’s largest business software developer. Most of the company’s senior management is now using the iPad instead of a laptop as it works very well as a “virtual paperless office”.

While some companies have distanced them from the iPad as they claim that it’s not best-suited for their enterprise needs. Many others are concerned with security issues surrounding the iPad’s Wi-Fi connectivity, lack of keyboard and limited ability for multitasking. However, the iPad’s popularity has been a blessing in disguise for the tablet industry in general and many manufacturers including HP, Samsung, Dell and LG are planning to release tablets in order to woo the enterprise customer.

Barclays predicts that the iPad sales will see an even bigger surge in 2011. The iPad is a true game changer and it’s no surprise that people want to use it everywhere, be it home or at work. Do you believe that the iPad can be the next big game changer in the enterprise? Share your opinion by leaving a comment below this post.

On Tuesday, Apple released an update for iTunes pushing the version number to 9.2.1. As you can reveal from the version number, this update is just for bug fixes.

According to the release note, iTunes 9.2.1 comes with the following bug fixes:

• Disables older versions of some incompatible third-party plug-ins
• Addresses minor issues with dragging and dropping items
• Addresses a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with iTunes 9.2
• Addresses an issue upgrading to iOS 4 on an iPhone or iPod touch with encrypted back-ups
• Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance

As usual, you can download the latest version of iTunes from Apple’s website or via software update.

If you are using jailbroken iPhone, it is safe to upgrade to this iTunes version. There should be no problem for your jailbroken iPhone to sync with the updated iTunes.

However, if you plan to use Spirit tool to jailbreak the iPhone, as advised by musclenerd, you better stay away from the upgrade.

Have you updated to iTunes 9.2.1? Do you encounter any problem with your jailbroken iPhone. Please feel free to share your experience by leaving comment below.