Apple patched a security vulnerability last week with the iOS 4.3.5 release. Certificate validation vulnerabilities were the issue, while 4.3.4 patched PDF vulnerabilities.

4.3.5 applies to the iPad and iPad2, iPod Touch (generation 3 and 4) and the iPhone 3GS and 4 (GSM). The Verizon iPHone4 will upgrade to iOS 4.2.10.

I highly recommend all security updates, and these can be done by connecting your device to your computer and opening iTunes. Check for updates and follow the prompts.

Related posts:

1. New Security Update provides more malware protection for Snow Leopard Security Update 2011-003 was released a couple of days ago...
2. Adobe to release Reader and Acrobat security patches tomorrow A “pre-notification” from Adobe announced patches for “critical” security flaws...
3. Want Security? Get a Mac Keir Thomas at PCWorld wrote yesterday about former Google CEO...

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Apple began selling an unlocked GSM iPhone 4 in the US today, priced at $649 (16GB) and $749 (32GB) to ship within 1-3 business days.

From Apple:

iPhone 4 works with micro-SIM cards from supported GSM carriers. Contact your carrier for a micro-SIM card.

Can I use an unlocked iPhone outside the United States?
Yes. The unlocked iPhone will work on supported GSM carrier networks around the world. Because the unlocked iPhone is sold without a contract commitment, you can establish service and use a micro-SIM card from a local carrier at your destination. Or check with your U.S. carrier regarding international roaming and associated charges.

How do I get started using iPhone to place and receive calls?

First, insert an active micro-SIM card from a supported carrier. Then connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes to complete the setup.

Do I need to commit to a long-term contract for my iPhone?
Buying an unlocked iPhone 4 allows you to choose your own GSM carrier, change carriers at any time, and even use multiple carriers if you travel frequently. Check with your carrier regarding the length of commitments or contracts.

Are iPhone 4 and iPad micro-SIM cards interchangeable?
No. An iPad micro-SIM card will not work with your iPhone.

If I order this unlocked iPhone 4 from the Apple Online Store, can it be shipped to another country?
No. Orders placed through the Apple Online Store can be shipped only within the country of purchase.

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iPhone Life Magazine’s tip of the week is a great time saver. Here’s how you can easily add a contact using the phone number:

How to Convert a Phone Number to a Contact
You can convert phone numbers into contacts very easily with the iPhone. You can even add an additional number to an existing contact. Here’s how you do it:

1. Tap on the Phone icon from your Home screen.
2. Tap on the Keypad option in the menu bar at the bottom of the screen.
3. Dial the phone number but don’t tap Call.
4. Instead, tap the Add Contact icon to the left of the Call button. (It’s the little man with a plus symbol beside it.)
5. Tap Create New Contact or Add to Existing Contact.

If you’re creating a new contact, the iPhone will prompt you to fill out your new contact’s information. When you’re done, tap on Save and you’ll go back to the keypad screen to proceed with the call if you wish.

There you have it. If you’d like to get the newsletter from iPhone Life magazine, you can subscribe on their site.

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I love Evernote, and use it a lot, on my Macs and on my iPad. It allows me to move data between my devices easily, and to keep track of different kinds of information easily.

This morning I saw a post on MacAppStorm called 9 Unique and Useful Ways to Use Evernote by Jorge Rodriguez that does a great job of describing how useful Evernote can be.

I was going to post something about Evernote one of these days, but this article covers the territory, and better than I could. If you have any use for a “notebook” app, Evernote deserves a look. It’s far and away superior in my opinion.

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Thanks to David Martin at MacLife.com for a great tip!

I’ve used the Maps app since I bought the first version of the iPhone, and I’ve always used the pinch method for zooming in or out. This tip makes it much easier:

Double-tap with one finger to zoom in one level, a single-tap with two fingers to zoom out one level. That simple!

I tried it, and it’ll take a little time to get used to… I’ll have to break old habits… but this is a very fast, simple way to navigate in the Maps app. Try it yourself and see if you like it.

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Brian X. Chen wrote on Gadget Lab yesterday about the thousands of head to head broadband speed tests done on both networks. The short version is that on average, the AT&T iPhone data transfer rates were about twice that of the Verizon iPhone.

Rather than reprint the article, I suggest you read the whole thing here. Your particular mileage may vary, but the results are interesting… they come from 43,000 AT&T iPhones and 14,000 Verizon iPhones using the SpeedTest.net app.

The tests did not cover any data on dropped connections, or on reliability of the coverage.

Verizon users typically report fewer dropped calls and more reliable connections. This means that you have a choice… which is most important? Faster network transfers? Fewer dropped calls?

I’ve also read a few posts here and there about inferior call sound quality, either incoming or outgoing, on the Verizon iPhone. I have no idea if this is at all common or just a few unusual cases. Problems are usually reported way out of proportion to their occurrence anyway.

A broad generalization: Verizon seems to provide better coverage in some areas, and fewer dropped connections. From what I can tell, this is not universal, but common enough that it’s worth noting. At the same time, AT&T provides faster network connection, making it a better device for photo downloads, Netflix movies, downloading apps, uploading files, etc.

What’s your experience? Leave your comments, please!

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Yes, they are different. Different antenna design, different chips inside. There are also functional differences it’s good to be aware of before you ditch your AT&T iPhone for the Verizon version. Of course, if AT&T doesn’t deliver a signal at your home or place of business, that’s a pretty good reason to think about a switch, but if all else is fairly equal, check this out:

Apple published a support document called iPhone: Understanding phone features that spells out the different methods needed to set up fairly basic things on the AT&T (GSM) and Verison (CDMA) models.

To sum it up, the AT&T model can turn call forwarding, call waiting and caller ID on or off in the Settings>iPhone pane. The Verizon requires entering a code, *72 (on) or *73 (off) to toggle call forwarding, *70 to toggle call waiting, and *67 to toggle caller ID.

That’s not so different, except that you have to dial the code each time you want to make a change on the Verizon iPhone!

In addition, the AT&T iPhone supports up to five calls simultaneously, the Verizon only two calls. CDMA networks may not be able to add, swap or merge calls in certain situations.

The Verizon iPhone is able to edit a contact number by entering a “hard pause”, while the AT&T version cannot.

The AT&T model is able to place a call on hold: Tap and hold Mute. The Verizon version cannot put a call on hold, due to limitations on the CDMA network itself.

In addition, the CDMA (Verizon) iPhone has the following differences:

• Contacts or phone numbers on webpages that contain alphabetic characters beyond seven digits may not dial as expected. In these instances, either remove the additional letters or use a pause to dial the extension (555-1212,1234).

• Example: 1-800-MY-IPHONE or 555-1212×1234

• The following settings and features are not available on iPhone 4 (CDMA model):

• Enabling a SIM PIN
• Importing SIM contacts
• Selecting a carrier network or editing an APN

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iOS 4.2 was released yesterday, and it seemed that the whole world wanted it at the same time. I had the first attempt at downloading it fail due to server timing out, but the second (took nearly 2 hours!) worked, and my iPhone now is running 4.2. My iPad… was left behind on a Southwest flight, and hopefully will be home soon. If so, I’ll report on my iPad experience with 4.2 then.

22 tips and tricks

Mac Life has a great article called 22 iOS 4.2 Tips, Tricks and Features with a lot of good advise on what’s new and what you can do with it.

For me, the fact that Find My iPhone is now free, no longer needing a MobileMe account, is the best new feature. It requires you set it up with an iPhone 4, iPad or 4th gen iPod Touch. After the initial setup, you can find all your iOS devices.

Great features for iPads are multitasking and the ability to put up to 20 apps in folders, similar to iOS 4.1 functionality on iPhones.

Unified Mail inbox – It’s about time! Now you can see all your new messages in one place, no matter how many email accounts you have.

Safari now has search-in-page, allowing searching for text on a web page. When you type a word or term into the Safari search box, you can scroll down to see a list of Internet search suggestions and below, a toolbar at the bottom to help find other hits on the page. This isn’t something I’ve felt the need for as yet, but researchers and others who need to skim a very long page for specifics will love it.

Enterprise customers will be able to better manage the iPad with iOS 4.2 installed. Wireless app distribution, new encryption features and Exchange ActiveSync and Exchange Server 2010 are supported, and the Calendar app allows viewing and responding to event invitations.

Brightness and volume sliders are easy to find now, without going to the Settings app. Double tap the home button to access the App switcher, and swipe to the left, and sliders for brightness and volume, orientation lock button, as well as iPod controls, an AirPlay button and iPod button are revealed

Gamers will like Game Center, Apple’s social network where they can compare scores, check leaderboards for rankings and earn achievements in games that support them.

iTunes TV will show rentals, and Ping is also included, if that is something you’ve grown to love.

AirPlay provides wireless streaming of music, photos and video to compatible devices, prviding media around the home, or sharing at a friend’s home. It’s not without the occasional glitch, but no doubt will become more solid over time. Successful AirPlay setups seem to be extremely satisfying to the users.

AirPrint was touted as the ability to print to any printer connected to and shared by a Mac, originally. Hopefully it will actually work as originally advertised one day soon, but for now, it works on 12 HP printer models. According to a Macworld article printer vendors see the importance of AirPrint, and are either looking for “proprietary solutions that match, complement, or exceed AirPrint’s capabilities”, thinking about adding functionality for the future, or watching and waiting.

Lexmark and Konica Minolta are evaluating, but have no particular plan to produce AirPrint compatible printers as of now.

Kyocera is “working on” a solution, but haven’t decided on what they’ll do as yet. Dell has no models or timetable for producing AirPrint support but is “working towards” it.

Epson is more proactive, with PrintJinni for Epson app from Thinxtream Technologies for $6.99 (introductory price) allowing printing to any Epson Wi-Fi All-In-One Printer as well as other PrintJinni services. It allows printing certain Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and JPEG files from an IMAP email account.

Kodak also offers its own option: it’s Kodak Pic Flick app, which can send photos to several Kodak printers.

Xerox is “committed to making it easy for Apple mobile device users to print on Xerox equipment.” Testing proceeds on its printers and apparently results are looking good. With luck, we’ll see AirPrint compatible Xerox printers soon.

Steve Jobs did respond to an inquiry to assure that AirPrint has not been abandoned, but did make it clear if the previously promised functionality will be restored.

More Answers to your Questions

Macworld has an article titled iOS 4.2: What you need to know which will answer most questions. Frankly, the new functionality of 4.2 for iPhone is something you may or may not choose. Read the article and see if you really need them. iPad users, on the other hand, will finally get MultiTasking, which is a much needed feature.

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Updated 10.09.10: The Wall Street Journal now reports that Verison will have the iPhone next year.

Apple Inc. is making a version of its iPhone that Verizon Wireless will sell early next year, according to people familiar with the matter, ending an exclusive deal with AT&T and sharpening the competition with Google Inc.-based phones.

Original post:
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Apple will have an iPhone in mass production by the end of the year that will run on the Verizon network, breaking the AT&T monopoly.

Verizon uses CDMA wireless technology, and the new iPhones will use a different chip than the AT&T phones. It’s unlikely that those of us who have AT&T iPhones can switch to Verizon without buying a new phone, but Verizon may create opportunities to make a switch inexpensively… or not!

The “Verizon” iPhone is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2011, and will resemble the current iPhone 4, according to Apple briefings.

So, will Verizon be offering the iPhone? Maybe, maybe not. The report never stated that it is a Verizon iPhone, but a “Verizon-ready” iPhone. This could mean that the phone is made for other U.S. and overseas carriers, not Verizon.

Apple is feeding information in little bites, to an avid audience. We don’t know why, but it’s fascinating to watch the dance unfold.

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This page really spells it out, but the upshot is that Samsung is taking a gamble, contacting anyone who vents their frustration about the iPhone 4 with an offer for a free Samsung Galaxy s smartphone (big screen, Android 2.1 OS) to replace the iPhone 4. Since Apple will give a full refund for iPhone 4 purchasers who return within 30 days, Samsung hopes to make hay our of all the noise about “antenna gate” reception issues, etc.

I just read a report that shows that iPhone 3GS returns are higher by percentage than iPhone 4 returns… According to Steve Jobs:

According to Jobs, only 0.55 percent of all iPhone customers have called the company’s AppleCare service with an antenna issue. (The company did not provide figures on the percentage of iPhone customers who sought out help from the Genius Bar service at Apple’s retail outlets.) Jobs also noted that the AT&T’s return rate for the iPhone 4 was 1.7 percent, compared to 6 percent for the iPhone 3GS during the same period a year ago. Jobs did concede that AT&T’s figures indicate the iPhone 4 drops more calls per 100 calls than the iPhone 3GS does, but he noted that the 3GS drops fewer than 1 call per 100.

Will Samsung make out or bust with their bold move? Time will tell, but I suspect they’ll pick up some whiners and some with bad luck. Most iPhone users love their phones, though. I certainly am not willing to give mine up!

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