software update

Apple and AT&T Mobility's attempt to block a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the two companies has been denied.

Federal Judge James Ware denied the companies' request to dismiss a lawsuit brought on one year ago by iPhone owners who said Apple's 1.1.1 iPhone software update made their phones inoperable. The judge, in his 31-page order, also denied Apple's motion to dismiss and force arbitration, according to case documents filed with the court.

In a bid to steal the spotlight from Apple's new iPod lineup, Microsoft has just launched free software to convert every Zune player in the company's current product lineup -- including a new device with 120GB of storage capacity -- into a wireless-savvy music machine.

During Zune's initial design, Microsoft engineers created a platform that can be updated through the release of software upgrades, noted Brian Seitz, Microsoft's group marketing manager for Zune.

The latest iPhone embarrassment is a security hole that makes it simple to access stored data on supposedly locked iPhones. Apple said Thursday that a software patch to solve the problem is in the works.

An unauthorized user can exploit the security hole simply by double-pressing the button to make an emergency call. That behavior brings up the owner's preferred contacts and clicking on a number provides full access to the phone's features. Clicking on an e-mail provides access to all e-mail. And clicking on a contact name provides full access to all contacts data.

A survey of more than 2,000 iPhone 3G users shows that problems with the device strongly correlate to which network carrier is being used, rather than the device itself.

Wired.com surveyed 2,636 iPhone users in the United States, Europe, Australia and Canada. The results showed variation by country, major metropolitan areas and carrier.

iPhone owners planning to add the newly available 2.0.1 software update need to be careful or they could end up with a dud.

When Apple launched its App Store and iPhone 2.0 software along with the iPhone 3G, users of both the 3G and upgraded first-generation iPhones with the 2.0 software faced several problems. Users reported slower synchronizations, dropped applications, unexpected reboots with both the iPhone software and downloaded applications, and problems with core GPS functions.

The Apple iPhone will account for 6.3 million of the 18.1 million touchscreen phones sold in the U.S. this year, for an impressive 35 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics.

"We expect the release of the heavily subsidized 3G iPhone 2.0 on July 11th to catalyze a healthy spurt in touchscreen volumes during the second half of the year," said Strategy Analytics analyst Bonny Joy.