iPhone 4 has some sleazy users

It's a maxim of technology: Invent the newest gadget and the porn industry will find a way to cash in.

So when Apple Inc launched the iPhone 4 and its FaceTime videoconference feature, it didn't take long for adult-entertainment companies to develop video-sex chat services and start hiring workers through Craigslist.

With more than 3 million of the phones already sold, the adult industry stands to make big money on this new way to reach out and touch someone -- even if it puts Apple, which has always taken pains to keep its iPhone apps squeaky clean, in an awkward spot.

In at least five cities, Craigslist ads seek models specifically for video sex chat on FaceTime. Many of the ads even offer to throw in a free iPhone 4 for the new employees.

FaceTime lets people call another iPhone 4 user and have live video conversations over a Wi-Fi connection through the phone's camera and screen. In one TV ad, a soldier uses it to get a look at his faraway wife's ultrasound pictures.

The adult industry wants its customers to share moments of an entirely different kind with its stars. And while the technology may be new, the idea is not. Porn providers have always been early adopters.

In the 1970s, the demand for explicit videos at home helped VCRs become widespread, and the industry was the first to embrace DVDs, too. Internet porn peddlers were some of the first to make wide use of streaming video and online credit card payments.

"The first time someone created a camera there was someone who said, 'Wouldn't it be good for someone to take off their clothes in front of this camera?'" said Michael Gartenberg, vice president at Interpret LLC, a media research company.

And for years, cameras mounted on computers have helped connect people for racy online video sessions. But the portability and privacy of a cell phone makes FaceTime a new frontier for the industry.

"A phone is such an intimate thing, you usually don't lend it out or have someone else use it," said Quentin Boyer, a spokesman for Pink Visual, an adult production company.

Boyer said his company began planning for iPhone 4 video services almost as soon as the device hit stores. They should be ready in a matter of weeks. Boyer said the company will offer FaceTime sessions with some of the same women who appear in its videos.

iPhone banking app is not safe

Citigroup's banking application for iPhone improperly stored some users' sensitive data in hidden files for God know's what devious plan, but the bank said it has fixed the glitch.

Citi spokeswoman Natalie Riper said its US Citi Mobile iPhone banking program may have also saved account information on personal computers that customers hooked up to their phones.

On Monday, the US lender told customers to install an updated version of the app, which deletes any information that may have been inappropriately saved to the iPhones or PCs. The update is available at Apple's App Store or iTune store.

"We have no reason to believe that our customers' personal information has been accessed or used inappropriately by anyone," Riper said in a statement. "There has been no data breach." Riper might as well have been Reaper.

Representatives for Apple were not available for comment. The glitch was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Nokia pokes Apple

Nokia phone

Nokia goes offensive against Apple! This might turn out like those Coca Cola vs Pepsi days. The mobile phone numero uno Nokia, who lately has been bruised by Apple in marketshare, has got a few lessons for Apple on how to hold a mobile phone.
 

 Though the company has not named anyone, it's apparent that Nokia is making a dig at Apple in its official blog, Nokia Conversations, where it highlights the many ways users can hold their Nokia devices.


Since its launch last week, Apple's latest-generation iPhone, iPhone 4, has been facing several customer complaints about the gadget losing signal when held in a particular manner. It is said to pose bigger problem left-handed users, who can't help but cover the bottom left corner when holding it in their palm to make a call.


Indirectly criticizing Apple, Nokia goes on about how users can hold a Nokia device in any ways without any reception sufferings. The four methods highlighted step-by-step include "thumb and finger", "the cup", "the balance" and "the four edge grip".


The company goes on to note, "One of the main things we've found about the one billion plus Nokia devices that are in use today is that when making a phone call, people generally tend to hold their phone like a ... well, like a phone."


Commenting on the reception issue faced by users, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly told users to "avoid holding it that way" (meaning a grip that blocks the antenna).
Both Nokia and Apple are currently embroiled in patent lawsuits that seek to keep the other's devices out of the US.

SyncLion - Backup and Restore IMAP solution

SyncLion is mobile solution that allows you to automatically archive all SMS, MMS, contacts and notes on an e-mail account via IMAP protocol. All backed up items appear on your account in dedicated folders for an easy accessibility. Moreover, the data is presented in a neat table format for contacts including vcard attachments. Any modifications applied to contacts and notes are synchronized with the server, so you always have important data saved and updated. You can also restore contacts and notes to your mobile phone quickly. Once SyncLion is configured with the user’s IMAP account it will seamlessly synchronize selected data according to a user-set predefined schedule. 

Check it out at the Ovi! Store