Mid-week and the Apple news is rolling as we head in into Mac World. We’ll be there bringing you the best Mac World has to offer, so make sure you follow along with us both here on the blogs and in the iMore Forums. You can register now to get started today and while you’re at it, check out some of the threads below:

• iPhone 4S Forum: Phone no longer charging?
• iPhone 4 Forum: How to stop incoming email from interrupting music
• iCloud Forum: Contacts not showing in iCloud
• iPad Apps and Games Forum: Which calendar app is the best for iOS?
• Jailbreak and Unlock Forum Random apps appearing?

If you’re not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now!

Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber has weighed in on the supposed iPhone 5 leak from earlier today, saying the iPhone 5 has not yet gone into production, and throwing cold water on the idea that the overall form factor will be larger.

Longer and wider? Sounds like bullshit. I can see Apple putting a bigger display on a device of the same size. I can't see them making a bigger device.

iMore has independently heard that the iPhone 5 may stay on a fall schedule, similar to the iPhone 4S release in October of 2011. That makes a certain amount of sense, given how well Apple did with a an almost 15 month window between iPhone launches last year. A June/WWDC 2012 launch would be only 9 months between devices, and might not maximize Apple’s earnings potential.

As to the design, Apple has had multiple prototypes in contention before, including more conservative and more audacious models. If fall 2012 is and remains the target, it’s likely far too early to tell much if anything for certain. However, a similar sized device with as big a screen as Apple can fit into it certainly sounds nice.

“Classic arcade fighting game SoulCalibur has hacked and slashed its way onto the iPhone, with all of the vibrant characters and flashy moves you remember, but there are still a few gaps to fill.”

SoulCalibur recently launched for both iPhone and iPad, calling upon many nostalgic gamers to dive back into the classic 3D fighting title. The screenshots show many of the characters players will readily recognize, like the gruff samurai, Mitsurugi, the eccentric and mysterious Voldo, and the enlightened Kilik. There are 10 characters available from the get-go, with another 9 available through unlocks. All of ‘em have alternative costumes too, for those that are sensitive to combat fashion.

There are a ton of game modes, like the classic arcade style, where you plow through challengers one-by-one until reaching the final boss, a time trial where you try to get through them all as quickly as possible, and survival mode, to see how long you can play before being defeated. Practice mode is an essential and welcome addition for those that want to learn every little nuance of their favourite characters. Namco Bandai promises that even more game modes are on the way.

Unfortunately, SoulCalibur’s asking price at launch was a little on the high end: $12, and that’s with a 20%-off launch discount. That’s a hard pill to swallow when the game doesn’t offer multiplayer support, and sound quality is a little on the sketchy side…

For the most part, the gameplay is fantastic and classic. You have an overlay of a joystick, and the four standard buttons – vertical attack, horizontal attack, kick, and guard. Control options let you customize button placement and opacity, as well as add a multi-button of your choice. This is particularly important, since a lot of SoulCalibur moves require you to hit two buttons at once, which is only really possible otherwise if you lay your device flat on a surface, so you’re playing with your fingers instead of thumbs. The extra button is helpful in that regard, but since you can only add one, a character’s full arsenal won’t be available to you when thumbing it out.

The animation is altogether great, and having played the SoulCalibur plenty on the Xbox 360, I can say that all of the moves and animations have been faithfully recreated. The models themselves can be a little jagged at times, but given the speed and complexity of many of the animations, I’m happy enough that everything runs smoothly. Although the menus are laid out clearly, I occasionally had issues getting presses to register. Bigger buttons for each option would be really helpful.

The one downer for SoulCalibur on the iPhone was the audio. The music was tinny and MIDI-style, the announcer’s audio files seemed low-quality compared to everything else, and the character taunts before and after each round are still in Japanese (even though the announcer and UI is in English). These are all things that could be fixed in a future patch, though, so I’m holding out for Namco Bandai to update the game sooner rather than later.

The lack of multiplayer is a a bit of a kick in the teeth, seeing as my favourite part of SoulCalibur, and really any fighting game, is beating the snot out of your buddies. There is Game Center support though, so at least your high scores are posted where your friends can see them and feel inadequate.

While SoulCalibur has buckets of nostalgia going for it, $11.99 is a lot to ask. While you won’t have as easy of a time playing on your iPhone or iPad as you would with a real console controller, you learn quickly and before long you’ll find your ass-kicking stride. There are some significant feature gaps, namely multiplayer support, but if Namco Bandai follows up with significant patches, SoulCalibur may very well merit this hefty pricetag.

Soul Calibur
$11.99 Buy now		The Good Combat animations recreated faithfully Gameplay and controls familiar and responsive Plenty of characters to unlock Universal app, works on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad The Bad Currently too expensive No multiplayer Voiceovers need improved quality and translation The Conclusion While SoulCalibur has buckets of nostalgia going for it, $11.99 is a lot to ask (and that’s the 20%-off release sale price). While you won’t have as easy of a time playing on your iPhone or iPad as you would with a real console controller, you learn quickly and before long you’ll find your ass-kicking stride. There are some significant feature gaps, namely multiplayer support, but if Namco Bandai follows up with significant patches, SoulCalibur may very well merit this hefty pricetag.

Motorola has filed an injunction against Apple, claiming the iPhone 4S and iCloud infringe on six different patents. The six patents included in the suit are:

• U.S. Patent No. 5,710,987 on a “receiver having concealed external antenna”
• U.S. Patent No. 5,754,119 on a “multiple pager status synchronization system and method”; Motorola is asserting the European equivalent of this patent against Apple in Mannheim, with a decision (that will likely be favorable for Motorola) scheduled for Friday of next week (February 3, 2012)
• U.S. Patent No. 5,958,006 on a “method and apparatus for communicating summarized data”
• U.S. Patent No. 6,101,531 on a “system for communicating user-selected criteria filter prepared at wireless client to communication server for filtering data transferred from host to said wireless client”
• U.S. Patent No. 6,008,737 on an “apparatus for controlling utilization of software added to a portable communication device”
• U.S. Patent No. 6,377,161 on a “method and apparatus in a wireless messaging system for facilitating an exchange of address information”

Motorola already has a suit against Apple from the fall of 2010 that’s still on-going in the Florida court system. It was too late in the process for them to add these patents to the current case. They’ve instead opted to file it as a separate case. Since these new filings occurred following Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility, it probably means that Google authorized Motorola to go ahead with the litigation. Since there’s already a suit pending on some of these patents, the second trial may move quicker unless new claims are made. It seems typical for companies to go after patents they’ve already filed for infringement on as the process moves along a lot faster.

All of the above patents are being asserted against the iPhone 4S while two of them are also being asserted upon iCloud.

For more information, follow the source link below.

Source: Foss Patents

Following their Q1 2012 results, Apple now has a staggering, mind-boggling, almost unbelievable $97 billion dollars in the bank. That’s cash reserves bigger than most other companies and countries… combined. That’s a money bin even Scrooge McDuck could drown in.

What would you do if it were your money? Return it to the shareholders? (Pfft, what fun is that?) Buy all of Apple’s competitors? Buy a Hollywood studio or carrier network? Buy your own subcontinent? Buy the moon? Or just blow it all on candy and dancers?

Seriously — or at least as seriously as such a question could be posed! — what would you do with Apple’s $97 billion in the bank?

Leave a comment below with your best, most comedic, most tragic, most utterly entertaining answer and you’ll be entered to win a $97 gift certificate for the iMore Store. (Yeah, $97 dollars, not $97 billion — we’re not made of Apple bucks!) Contest starts now and ends Sunday, Jan. 29 at midnight PT.

Enter now!

Motion is a new jailbreak utility available in Cydia that makes your iPhone homescreen just a bit more interesting. While Motion may not add a ton of functionality to your device, it’s a fun tweak to play around with and show off to your friends. It basically adds transitions and effects to the movement to all of the icons on your springboard.

Motion is a tweak that makes your icons move. There are a whole bunch of settings you can use to liven up your home screen and make your icons dance around.

• Rotate: Make your icons rotate
• Scaling: Make your icons grow
• Skew: Make your icons tilt sideways
• Jump: Make your icons jump
• Transparency: Make your icons fade in and out
• Waves: Make your icons move in waves (vertical and horizontal)

You can use these settings alone, or in combinations.

Motion is already available in the Cydia store and will run on any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 4.x or higher. If you’re looking for even more tweaks and utilities to install, check out our guide to the best jailbreak applications for iOS 5.

• $1.00 — Cydia Store Link

More jailbreak resources:

• How to jailbreak guides
• Jailbreak apps, hacks, and themes
• General jailbreak and unlock help forums

Calcalist reports that Apple is hiring a number of chip experts to fill up their new Isreali research center — the one aimed at developing new chip configurations that could help power future iPhone and iPad devices.

The company reportedly received "several hundred resumes" for various engineering positions. Specifically, Apple is seeking hardware engineers in chip development with strong emphasis on electrical circuits, analogue and hardware testing and verification.

News that Apple was interested in opening an Israeli research facility first surfaced back in December. Rumor had it they were interested in being in close proximity to the Technion Institute of Technology, an area already home to Intel, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Qualcomm.

According to this new report, Apple’s recent acquisition of flash-storage wizards, Anobit has nothing to do with this new research facility. Instead these new specialists will focus on research and development of silicon, chip circuitry and hardware testing/verification.

The new facility should be up and running by the end of February, however it is unlikely we’ll see new chip technology from these R&D efforts in the next iPhone or iPad given the lead time required.

Source: Calcalist.co via 9to5 Mac

Earlier today, we posted a report from TNW that showed UK carrier O2, had been transmitting phone numbers to every website visited via their 2G or 3G network.

After the backlash on Twitter, O2 acknowledged and fixed the issue at 2pm GMT today, followed by an apology on their blog, including a Q&A to explain exactly what happened and who was affected.

We have seen the report published this morning suggesting the potential for disclosure of customers' mobile phone numbers to website owners. We investigated, identified and fixed it this afternoon. We would like to apologise for the concern we have caused.

The issue occurred after a routine maintenance update on January 10th, that accidentally sent user phone numbers to website hosts, along with the standard log of technical information required from the device.

Q: Why did this happen? A: Technical changes we implemented as part of routine maintenance had the unintended effect of making it possible in certain circumstances for website owners to see the mobile numbers of those browsing their site.

Technical information is normally sent to websites so that servers can deliver a ‘device-optimised’ experience. Carriers add your phone number to this information, when sending data to ‘trusted partners’, to enable services that require; age verification, premium-content billing, and carrier specific services.

It seems that O2 have fixed the problem now, but after 15 days… is it too little, too late?

Source: O2 Blog

“The ability to use the Case-Mate Pop! Case for iPhone in both portrait and landscape modes, at multiple angles, and without worrying about it slipping is simply brilliant.”

The Case-Mate Pop! Cases with Stand for the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 is exceptionally protective without being overly bulky. It’s one piece which means you don’t get multi-layer protection but it also means it’s easier to put on and take off. Available in an array of bright, bold colors including pink and white, purple and black, yellow and gray, dark and light turquoise, and black on black, it manages to strike a good balance between functionality and stylish good looks.

The Case-Mate Pop! Case with Stand for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 shows a lot of nice attention to detail. The cutouts around the camera are big enough to ensure there’s no problem taking pictures, and no chance of flash-back glare. The mute button is easy enough to access and the volume and sleep/wake buttons are covered but pass-through pressure well enough. The dock cutout, however, while fine with most cables, might give you issues with the chunkier media and car adapters.

Because the case comes up a bit above the front of the iPhone bezel, it also means you can place it face-down on a table and not worry about scratches. Textured sides add to the design but also make it easier to hold onto the Case-Mate Pop! Case.

The kickstand is the big story here. Just as the name describes, the Case-Mate stand pops out from the lower bottom of the back plate, but unlike some others it works in both landscape and portrait more. You can choose two different angles and the slightly rubberized finish prevents it from sliding away and leaving your iPhone to tumble. Well done.

Note: Currently on sale in the iMore Canada Store for only Can$27.95!

Choiix Wake Up Folio
$19.85+ Buy now		The Good Stand works in portrait or landscape Can be positioned at multiple angles Rubberized finish prevents slipping The Bad Not exceptionally slim Dock cutout is a bit close The Conclusion The ability to use the Case-Mate Pop! Case for iPhone in both portrait and landscape modes, at multiple angles, and without worrying about it slipping is simply brilliant. While it’s not as barely-there as my previous Case-Mate favorites, the extra functionality makes it well worth it.

Seth Weintraub from 9to5Mac has a source within Foxconn that claims Apple is readying the iPhone 5 — as it’s apparently being called — for production in time for a summer release. The leak also claims:

• 4+ inch display (made by LG on at least one of them)
• No teardrop-shaped devices as were rumored in the lead up to the iPhone 4S. Samples so far have been >- symmetrical in thickness. Also longer/wider.
• None of the sample devices have the iPhone 4/4S form factor
• None of the devices are final versions

Given Apple has already re-used the iPhone 4 form factor for the iPhone 4S, it makes sense they wouldn’t revisit it again for the iPhone 5. Likewise, the oft-rumored teardrop form-factor, while seen in other devices, doesn’t really seem to fit within Apple’s existing iOS device design language.

Again, no word on 4G LTE network connectivity, which while increasingly common in the U.S. still isn’t widespread internationally.

However, since none of these devices were considered the final version, and since Apple can and will make changes well into the production cycle, it’s best to take everything with a 4-inch grain of salt.

We’ll find out for sure when Phil Schiller holds it up on stage. Or someone leaves it in a bar…

Source: 9to5 Mac

The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is asking for your help to tell the U.S. Copyright Office that jailbreaking does not violate the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), and its exemption should be continued and expanded.

In 2010, the Copyright Office said jailbreaking smartphones doesn't violate the DMCA. This year, we're asking them to renew that exemption (otherwise it will expire) and expand it to cover tablets. We're also asking for a new exemption to allow jailbreaking of video game consoles.

The Library of Congress added the exception for jailbreak to the DMCA in July of 2010. Specifically:

Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset.

However, jailbreak was declared as an exclusion from the DMCA, and protection wasn’t actually hard coded into the act. That means the declaration could ultimately expire and leave jailbreakers subject to legal penalties.

If you’d like to help ensure this never happens, the EFF has advised you submit your opinion in comment form to the Copyright Office, and even offer a submission template with comment suggestions for your convenience. Comments are due by February 10th at 5PM, so make sure you submit your comments soon!

Souce: EFF

The gorgeous twitter client, Twittelator Neue for iPhone, now offers notifications as an in-app purchase. For $1.99/year, you get native push alerts for mentions, direct messages, new followers, retweets, and being added to a list (or any so desired combination). This update also introduces Timeline Galleries so that you can quickly browse through photos that have been tweeted.

I have always been a fan of Twittelator Neue’s gorgeous timeline, design, and photo integration, but have always strayed from using it as my primary Twitter client due to lack of native push. Now, Twittelator Neue will likely become my Twitter client of choice. I will admit, however, that I’m not a big fan of the little icon included in each popup notification.

In the excitement of push notifications, I almost forgot about the Timeline Galleries! This is such a fantastic new feature and is just another example of what sets Twittelator Neue apart from other Twitter clients, making it truly unique.

In celebration of this update, Twittelator is on sale for $0.99 for today only.

• App Store link

Here’s the update notes:

• Neue Notifications Available as In-App Purchase
• Timeline Galleries
• Recent User Photos
• Tweet Replies & Conversations

Anyone else picking up Twittelator Neue? What are you thoughts on the subscription model for push notifications?

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Breakout Boost: This arcade classic is now enhanced with improved graphics and deeper gameplay features such as power ups, unique brick types, and Boost Control! The faster your ball goes, the more points you'll get!

• Free for iPhone and iPad – App Store link

Worldictionary – Instant Translation & Search: Point your iPhone's camera at any word and Worldictionary will instantly define and translate it. No need to manually type words or take pictures. This app will be your indispensable travel tool primed to give you translation on-the-go.

• $7.99 for iPhone – App Store link

Jump Out!: From now on, when you earn an achievement, you do not just get a medal and points – you also unlock a new game level with unique game mechanics that correspond to the achievement you received. Each bonus level lets you sacrifice everything to get a trophy. Therefore, from that point on, unlocking each new achievement becomes a key to getting even more fun from the game.

• $0.99 for iPhone – App Store link

Peak Meetings HD: A powerful tool for capturing and organizing your thinking, and making meetings more efficient and effective. Update includes even more productivity enhancements including agenda view, copy, and actions.

• $12.99 for iPhone and iPad – App Store link

The Wiggles’ Alphabet Adventure:

• $2.99 for iPad – App Store link

Any other big app or game releases or updates today?

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple had recently flung a slide-to-unlock patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung in Germany, but one very important Android phone was never on the list of complaints: the Galaxy Nexus. As you probably know, the iPhone has a signature way of activating from sleep mode, and many smartphones have since emulated and expanded it to sliding in any direction within a circle, sometimes to unlock directly into an app, as in the case with the Galaxy Nexus. A Samsung official commented, saying:

"We're aware that there was a hearing involving Apple's slide-to-unlock feature after our patent infringement case last Friday and a series of products in the Galaxy lineup were accused there, but what we've discovered is that the Galaxy Nexus wasn't one of them."

That’s great news for Samsung and all, but what’s so special about the Galaxy Nexus that excludes it from this patent? Since it’s pure Google software on the phone, do they have some kind of licensing agreement already in place? It’s hard to tell, but Apple will need to stay on the defensive while simultaneously pushing this issue; Samsung  is suing Apple for infringing on 3G patents, which one might say is a bit more serious than a simple slide-to-unlock paradigm.

You certainly can’t help but give credit to Apple for getting all of these smartphone manufacturers to reconsider how one unlocks phones, but it seems like things have progressed so far beyond simply sliding a bar at this point that Apple is going to have a real hard time suing the competition over it.

Source: Korea Herald via Android Central

“Apple is firing on all cylinders and still looks like it has plenty of room for growth.”

Tonight, Apple reported its 1st quarter 2012 results for the holiday period ending December. To say it was a good quarter would be like saying the iPhone was sort of different among smartphones when it launched. It would be more accurate to say Q1 was a tsunami of excitement for shareholders. In fact, according to Wikipedia, Apple now owns the #4 spot for top corporate quarterly earnings. Of all time.

Steve Jobs must have a huge grin on his face, wherever he is out there. And deservedly so. The company he founded and shaped continues to grow beyond his wildest imagination.

Highlights

• Revenue was 46.33 billion, a whopping 20% above Wall Street expectations.
• EPS, or earnings per share, was $13.87 while Wall Street expected $10.07, so this is an enormous beat on overall profitability
• Apple shipped 37 million iPhones. The Street was expecting just over 30 million as the new iPhone 4S hit the market and demand clearly exceeded even the most wildly optimistic expectations.
• iPad 2 shipments of 15.4 million were also well ahead of the Street's 13.2 million estimate. The Kindle Fire didn't put too much of a dent in Apple's ownership of the tablet market after all.
• Mac hit another record with 5.2 million unit sales. This is still a 26% year over year growth rate whereas the overall PC market had zero growth according to IDC numbers. So Apple's Mac business is growing strong while he rest of the market shrinks. Nice position to be in.
• The iPod business didn't set any records, but Apple still sold 15.4 million units, over half of which were the iPod touch. They still dominate the MP3 player market with 70% share.

Guidance for Q2 was also ahead of Street expectations. Apple says it expects about $8.50 in EPS next quarter compared to the consensus estimate of $8.02. But as any Apple follower knows, this company is the king of sandbagging quarters. They are uber-conservative and typically beat their own estimates handily.

After hours, Apple is trading up over $30 per share to about $450. The company's market capitalization is now well in excess of $400 billion. The crazy part is that Apple is on the verge of having $100 billion in cash. Under Jobs' leadership, Apple didn't ever seem open to a special dividend to distribute its mounting cash hoard, or even a regular quarterly dividend . But since Cook took the helm, investors have been told that Apple is analyzing the situation and doesn't plan to let the cash burn a hole in its pockets.

I, for one, would love to see Apple return some of the cash to shareholders. When one quarter of your valuation is tied up in cash it doesn't maximize value. Apple earns some interest income on the cash, but interest rates are excessively low these days and if they paid out the cash it wouldn't put much of a dent in their earnings. So paying out the cash unlocks value, which is why shareholders are so interested in seeing something materialize. 2012 looks like the year when something will finally happen.

Off the charts demand in China & pushing deeper in to Brazil

The iPhone 4S is now shipping in China, and CEO Tim Cook told investors on the conference call that demand is "off the charts".

China may be an emerging market where most people can't get anywhere near affording a $600+ phone, but it has a population of 1.4 billion. Even a thin slice of upper class citizens translates into a massive number of buyers. On top of this, China has an exploding middle class population. This country could very well fuel another significant leg of growth for Apple.

Brazil is another market where Apple sees huge opportunity. Cook speaks of Brazil as the #2 emerging market that Apple is focused on behind China. They don't expect to be opening any Apple retail stores there in the near term, but through other distribution channels they're going deeper into the world's 5th largest country.

India is still a tiny revenue generator for Apple, but Cook did disclose that revenue tripled in that market this quarter. India is no small fry either, being the world's second largest country by population with 1. 2 billion people.

iCloud is a strategy for the next decade

Apple's executive team didn't spend much time discussing iCloud, but Cook did drop a juicy line on us. He said, "ICloud isn't a product, it's our strategy for the next decade". When you really think about it, Apple built up its entire ecosystem around iTunes and a dependency on having a Mac or PC to synchronize your device to. That's fine in developed countries, but if Apple hopes to penetrate the prepaid market, or go deep into the enterprise, or other vertical markets, the cloud is where it's gotta be.

With iCloud, the way we use Apple products should make life even easier. Consumers can have automatic cloud based synchronization. Enterprises could potentially use iCloud to manage groups of devices and push apps out to them. Educational institutions could push textbooks and other material to them. If Apple is to succeed in these markets, they certainly can't do it with a need to plug each device into a Mac with iTunes running on it.

Apple TV still a hobby

Cook still describes the company's Apple TV business as a hobby. That may be the case, but it's a growing hobby with 1.4 million units sold in the quarter. Not too shabby as far has hobbies go. Almost everyone on the planet is expecting Apple to enter the home display market sometime in 2012, so I guess we'll see how this shakes out. I'd love to see Apple push deeper into this market. I've already ditched cable TV in my house in favor of Apple TV. Cable set top boxes just don't seem to be even trying to compete with their pathetic on-demand capabilities and horribly slow user interfaces.

Stock Still Has Upside

Apple is firing on all cylinders and still looks like it has plenty of room for growth. They own the tablet market, and just injected a long term dose of growth into their business through their recent expansion into the textbook market. They're neck and neck with Android, both dominating in the smartphone market. And they stand alone in terms of controlling not only their entire smartphone ecosystem, but also their computing and content platforms. Apple remains an integrated powerhouse.

Yet its stock remains cheap by any traditional measure. At $450 per share (after hours quote), it's trading at about 12x annual earnings. But once you factor in that earnings estimates are bound to rise tomorrow morning, and if you back the company's enormous cash pile from it's valuation, the stock trades about about 10x earnings.

I'll take that bet. I'm hanging onto every single one of my Apple shares.

For today only, the iMore Store has the Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $21.95! Get them before they’re gone!

Get the Ballistic Hard Core (HC) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 now!

He and I always enjoyed talking. He would throw some things out, you know, some stimulating things. We'd talk about the other companies that have come along. We talked about our families and how lucky we'd both been in terms of the women we married. It was great relaxed conversation.

Gates also commented on how Steve Jobs’ death impacted him.

Well, it's very strange to have somebody who's so vibrant and made such a huge difference and been … kind of a constant presence, to have him die. It makes you feel like, 'Wow, we're getting old.' I hope I still have quite a bit of time for the focus I have now, which is the philanthropic work. And there's drugs we're investing in now that won't be out for 15 years — malaria eradication, I need a couple of decades here to fulfill that opportunity. But, you know, it reminds you that you gotta pick important stuff, because you only have a limited time.

Indeed.



Source: ABC News

UK network O2 appears to be submitting your telephone number to any website you visit whilst using the data connection on your phone. According to report from TNW, the information is transmitted when a user asks for a webpage view.

The issue was brought to our attention to Lewis Peckover, who created a simple webpage to check the information that a mobile browser would send to a website when it requested data. Whilst most of the data was to be expected, including the Host, User Agent, Referrer and Encoding, there was also another field in the results — x-up-calling-line-id. What is x-up-calling-line-id? Your mobile phone number.

O2 hasn't acknowledged the issue yet but does admit that it is looking into the problem. Its Twitter account is currently getting deluged with unhappy customers seeking an explanation. Everyone asking about the problem is currently receiving the same stock answer.

We’re investigating this with our internal teams, and will come back with more as soon as we can

O2 was the first network in the UK to offer the iPhone and had exclusive rights to it for the first few years. As such, many iPhone users are still using the network.  O2 and GiffGaff which runs on the O2 network are the only carriers that submit this type of information, according to TNW’s tests.

Source: TNW

Microsoft has launched another app for the iPad, this time it is MSN UK. MSN UK is brings all the latest news, sport and entertainment from the UK right to your iPad.

The MSN experience is now enhanced on iPad – easily swipe to find your favourite news, sport and entertainment articles and videos. Excited about something you read on MSN for iPad? Just tap and share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

• Reading articles on MSN for iPad feels natural, no matter how you hold your iPad – in either portrait or landscape modes. We've added popular photo galleries, slideshows and videos to add depth to what you're browsing. You can even download stories to your iPad for when you're not connected to a network later. Need to dig deeper on something you just read? We've built Bing right into the top of the app for easy searching.
• Popular photo galleries and slideshows
• Quick access to Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger
• View in portrait and landscape modes, whatever is easier for you
• Send feedback to the MSN team – let us know what you think

Unfortunately, the app has been launched with a bug which Microsoft promises to fix in a future update; it is specific to iOS 5 users only.

If the iPad's Auto-Lock is set to 2 or 5 minutes, the downloading of an issue of MSN for offline viewing may be interrupted when the iPad locks the screen. You may see the dialog box showing that the download is in progress, but the background downloading of the issue may have stopped. Tap Cancel to close the dialog box. You may need to close and restart the app to resume the offline download.

The free app is available exclusively in the UK and it is for the iPad only.

• App Store link

Have an app you'd love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we'll take a look.

Adam Lashinsky’s Inside Apple, wish purports to go behind the scenes of Apple’s magic as the world’s biggest start up, and lay bare the secrets of their success, is now available for purchase and, if you go the electronic route, immediate download.

You can pick it up via the links below, or if you’re feeling especially lucky, go enter our Inside Apple contest — we have three (3) copies to give away, and one might just have your name on it. Regardless of how you get it, get it, and then hop on over to the iMore book club and let the discussion begin!

• $12.99 – iBooks link
• $12.99 and up – Amazon link

iMore’s developer spotlights are like DVD/iTunes Extras for the App Store — a weekly look behind the scenes at the programers and designers that bring you the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games you love. This week Leanna talks with David Ashman from mSeven Software.

What’s your name? Ray Marshall

What’s your company’s name? mSeven Software

Where are you located? Portland, OR

What’s your website address? http://msevensoftware.com

What’s your Twitter name? @msevensoftware

What apps do you make? mSecure for iOS, Android, MacOS and Windows, and mGifts for iOS

What apps, other than your own, are currently among your favorites? Flixster, Weatherbug, Dropbox, Pandora, Shazam, TED, Cut the Rope

How long have you been a developer? 27 years

How long have you been an iOS developer? 3.5 years (since the very beginning!)

Do you develop for any other platform in addition to iOS? If so, which one(s)? Mac OS, Windows, Android, Palm (in past)

What primary computer setup do you use for your iOS development? 27″ iMac

What iOS device(s) do you personally use most often? iPhone 4S, iPad 2

What mobile devices, other than iOS, do you currently use? Kindle

What’s your favorite thing about developing for iOS? Great development tools, stable environment

What’s your least favorite thing about developing for iOS? Nothing. iOS is a joy to program for. (Although, haven’t warmed to xcode 4 yet)

What feature would you most like Apple to add to the iOS 5 SDK? Ability to integrate with Siri.

What feature would you most like Apple to add to the App Store? Support for software upgrades

If we were to eavesdrop on you while you were coding, what curse word would we hear you use the most? Argh is about as foul as I get.

1What do you do when you’re not coding iOS apps? Attending my kids' events with my wife, Guitar, Piano

What should we look for from you next? The world is not organized enough. We have some great new productivity apps made simple in the works!

Thanks Ray!

Appigo’s Notebook app for iPhone and iPad has gone 2.0 and is now a universal app for iPhone and iPad with Dropbox support to keep your notes synced across all your devices, including your Mac or PC.

Notebook focuses on simple functionality for creating, sharing, and editing your notes. Notebook 2 now gives you an easy and convenient way to share your notes from anywhere with Dropbox sync — collaborate with friends, keep your notes on all your iOS devices, and even add, edit, and modify them on your Mac and PC.

KEY FEATURES

• Access your notes quickly
• Organize with multiple notebooks (folders)
• Share notes with all your iOS devices, your Mac, your PC, and your friends in standard text files (.TXT) with Dropbox
• Search and quickly find your notes in any notebook
• Protect your notes from others by setting an app-wide passcode

EXTRAS

• Bulleted Lists: Create simple lists using a dash, bullet, number, or letter
• Data Detection: Automatic links for phone numbers, websites, email addresses, and calendar events
• Fonts: Display notes using a wide variety of fonts and sizes
• Todo Support: Export notes as tasks into Appigo Todo (http://www.appigo.com/todo)
• TextExpander® Support (SmileOnMyMac, LLC): Set up keyboard shortcuts for rapid entry of common phrases
• Toodledo.com notes synchronization

Notebook is available on the iPhone and iPad for $4.99.

• App Store link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

iOS devices combined — including iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch — may have outsold Android devices combined — including Android phones and tablets — by a narrow margin last quarter. During the Q1 2012 Apple conference call today, Tim Cook pegged the iOS device number at 62 million. Android numbers are harder to come by, but last month Andy Rubin said 700,000 were now being activated a day. Given the prior two months were likely less, the following month perhaps more, it probably works out to 60 or 61 million.

During the same call, Tim Cook also revealed that the Amazon Kindle Fire had no affect on iPad sales, far he can tell. Sprint ultimately paid dearly to get the iPhone on their network in order to remain competitive. Verizon announced their results today, and revealed that slightly more than half of their smartphone sales were iPhones.

Apple has long dominated their competitors in terms of smartphone profit share but recently Android was assumed to have a big lead in market share. I’ve long discounted that, saying it’s irrelevant.

And nothing that was announced today changes that.

Apple released the iPhone 4S last quarter, almost 3 months later than many people anticipated. There was massive pent up demand for the iPhone 4S and it sold gangbusters. But Apple probably isn’t releasing another new iPhone this quarter. Or next. Or the one after that. But there will be new Android phones. Maybe not next quarter, but certainly the one after, running Android 4.0 and likely once again upping the spec fight.

Carriers, who can control Android in ways Apple will never allow them to control iPhones, will push these new devices heavily — like they did the original Droid and a plethora of devices since — and many buyers, geek tweakers and feature-phone replacers alike, will buy them.

The market share trends and figures will change and likely change again.

But they’ll constantly be irrelevant. Because they ultimately don’t matter.

Earlier this month I walked into an Apple Store with scratches on my iPhone 4S screen and walked out 30 min. later with a new iPhone 4S and a stern lecture about taking better care of my gear. And without paying a dime.

Last week Apple released iBooks 2, iBooks Author, and iTunes U, taking the first steps towards mainstreaming digital education.

Just this week, as is almost always the case, I downloaded apps with UI so well designed, UX so thoughtful, they made me smile and delight in using my iPhone and iPad again.

The best devices, the best software, the best service. That’s relevant. As a consumer, that’s what matters. Not Apple’s numbers. Not Google’s numbers. That’s what all companies should be fiercely fighting over. Delighting us. That’s the metric they should all be measured by.

That should be the competition.

Apple held their Q1 2012 conference call today and announced a ton of figures pertaining to revenue, profit, sales, and more. So in case you just want to run the math, here’s our quarterly take, [by the numbers.(http://www.imore.com)

Cash

• $97.6 billion cash on hand
• $64 billion of cash on hand is off shore
• $17.5 billion in cashflow

That’s a lot of money. That’s more money than most countries and other companies. Combined.

Revenue

• $46.33 billion in revenue – 73% growth
• iPhone revenue was $24.4 billion including accessories – 133% growth
• iPad revenue was $9.1 billion including accessories 99% growth
• iTunes revenue was $1.7 billion

The amount of revenue accounted for by the iPhone, especially as a percentage of total, is staggering. And it didn’t exist 5 years ago.

Sales

• 37.04 million iPhones sold – 128% growth
• 15.43 million iPads sold – 111% increase
• 15.4 million iPods sold – down from 19 million last year
• 7.7 million iPod touch’s sold – 50% of total iPod sales
• 315 cumulative iOS device sales. 62 million last quarter.

The iPad has surpassed the iPod. And remember when we used to ask if the iPhone would ever sell more than 10 million units in a month? It’s a staggering amount of devices now.

iTunes, App Store, iCloud

• 140 million iTunes downloads
• 550,000 App Store apps
• 170,000 iPad specific apps
• 85 million iCloud customers.

I cloud is Apple’s strategy for the next 10 years and, according to Apple, 170,000 iPad specific apps is almost 170,000 more than competing platforms.

Education

• 1.5 million iPads in use in education
• 600,000 copies iTunes Author
• 3 million copies of iTunes U downloaded

1.5 million seems like a drop in the bucket; look for the latter two bullet points to start moving the first upwards.

Retail Stores

• 358 stores open. $17.1 million average per store – 43% growth
• 4 new stores including Grand Central
• 45% increase in visitors
• 22,000 visitors per store, per week on average.

Most Genius Bars are now busier than real bars. Apple Retail remains a massive competitive advantage.

Steve Jobs, the late founder and CEO of Apple, was mentioned tonight by U.S. president Obama during the 2012 State of the Union address. As Laurene Powell Jobs watched on from the First Lady’s box, Obama said:

we should support everyone who is willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs

A beautiful tribute and a fitting one, no doubt. Though we bet any entrepreneur with that type of universe-denting ambitions have no desire to be the next anybody, even Jobs. They want to be bigger, better, and have even more of an impact. They want to be the first of their kind.

UPDATE: The republican response from Gov. Mitch Daniels batted the Steve Jobs references right back, including a frankly awkward play on the name “jobs”.

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