iOS

For months, the Web teemed with rumors that Microsoft would launch Office for the iPad, making it the first touch-focused platform for the cash cow productivity suite.

But when Microsoft unveiled the next version of Office this week, it was clear the iPad would have to wait.

In an interview with CNET, Office division President Kurt DelBene said Microsoft's own Windows is the priority for the newest version of Office. The new touch-friendly productivity suite will debut on Windows 8, which launches in October, in large part because the operating system is the best showcase for Microsoft's application … Read more

Amazing Alex (99 cents) for iPhone or Android is a physics game where you're challenged to create chain reactions with objects to complete objectives. Our hero, Amazing Alex, is a kid who's stuck cleaning his room and tries to get creative with organizing his belongings by building Rube Goldburg-like devices.… Read more

Apple has given developers yet another update to iOS 6 ahead of its public release later this year.

This third beta comes 21 days after Apple's last update. Apple provided developers an early taste of the software at its annual developers conference in early June. Several more betas are expected ahead of a release to the general public, which Apple said will come in the fall.

Per MacRumors, the new update comes devoid of a changes list. Developers seeing the over-the-air update on their iOS device simply get the message that it contains "bug fixes and improvements."… Read more

Siri was hailed as a innovation when it was unveiled with the iPhone 4S. But do iPhone owners still talk to her?

In a column for yesterday's New York Times, writer Nick Bilton said he believes the romance may have soured between Siri and her users.

Initially enthused about the new voice assistant, Bilton found that too many of his conversations ended up in a failure to communicate, with Siri either unavailable or unable to provide the right information. And he doesn't seem to be the only one having communication problems with Siri.

Bilton also noted that many … Read more

Samsung continues to increase its dominance over Apple in the smartphone arena, thanks largely to the launch of its latest Galaxy S handset.

For more than a year, the two companies have been dueling for the bigger chunk of the smartphone market, with Samsung the winner more often than not. But analysts polled by Reuters say that Samsung's lead increased even further last quarter.

Boosted by heavy demand for its new Galaxy S3, Samsung likely sold around 50 million smartphones in the second quarter, according to the 41 analysts surveyed. That figure would easily surpass the 30.5 million … Read more

Apple says it's investigating an exploit that currently allows users to purchase digital goods inside of iOS apps without actually paying for them.

"The security of the App Store is incredibly important to us, and the developer community," Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison told CNET in a prepared statement. "We take reports of fraudulent activity very seriously and we are investigating."

The company did not provide any estimate of when action would be taken. Russian technology blog i-ekb.ru, which first reported on the exploit earlier today, noted that the hosting company that currently serves the … Read more

A new exploit aimed at iOS devices enables users to gain free access to paid content within applications, thereby circumventing built-in security measures.

The hack, which was detailed by a Russian programmer and picked up by 9to5mac this morning (via i-ekb.ru), uses a proxy system to send purchase requests to third-party servers where they are validated and sent back to the application as if the transaction had gone through. However before that happens, users need to install special security certificates on their device, as well as be on a Wi-Fi network.

The individual behind the effort has already created … Read more

Apple's App Store has added a new listing for Food and Drink.

When users tap over to the section, they'll find a host of applications offering everything from recipes and restaurant locators to programs from prominent companies, like Starbucks and Pizza Hut. As of this writing, Food Network in the Kitchen app is tops in the paid section, while the Starbucks app has taken top billing in the free area.

Apple has added new sections to the App Store from time to time. Back in March, for example, the company added a Catalogs section.

(Via 9to5 Mac)

Yesterday I posted a review of the news aggregator News360, which I like as a product but fear for as a business. I feel this way about a lot of content aggregation plays.

Zite, for example, was acquired by CNN, otherwise who knows where it'd be. And then there's the heavy-hitter, Flipboard: can $60 million in funding make this business work? If not, it's overpriced for acquisition.

But there is one professional content aggregator that is not just a great product, but a nice business, born of cooperation between rivals. It's also possibly the only way … Read more