Judy’s Tech News Digest

BlackBerry Delays BBM for iOS and Android

BlackBerry did not release its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for iOS and Android as expected on September 21st.     An unreleased version of BBM for Android was leaked on several file-sharing sites.  This was an older version of the application that resulted in significantly more data traffic by orders of magnitude for each active user.  As users of the unauthorized version approached one million, BlackBerry postponed their rollout for both iPhone and Android versions.  The unreleased version will be blocked once the official version goes live.  No date for the rollout has been announced.

Apple TV Update Available Again

Apple rolled out Apple TV v6.0 on September 20th but pulled the update after reports of devices becoming unusable or lacking connectivity after installing the update.  Apple reissued the release on September 24th.

FDA Regulation Comes to Mobile Apps

On September 23rd, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it “intends to focus its regulatory oversight on a subset of mobile medical apps that present a greater risk to patients if they do not work as intended.”

This includes apps that are intended to be used as an accessory to a regulated medical device and apps that transform a mobile platform into a regulated medical device, such as an electrocardiography (ECG).  These apps will undergo an FDA review that uses the “same regulatory standards and risk-based approach that the agency applies to other medical devices.”

The agency does not regulate the sale or general consumer use of smartphones or tablets.  It also does not regulate mobile app distributors such as “Google Play” or Apple’s “App Store.”

NYPD – A Fan of iOS 7

As reported by CNET, members of the New York Police Department were handing out fliers urging iPhone users to upgrade to iOS 7.

The key feature of iOS 7, from their perspective, is Activation Lock. Activation Lock prevents an iOS device from being reprogrammed without an Apple ID and password. Thus, it would be harder for a thief to disable the “Find My iPhone” feature.

iPhone and iPad thefts saw a 40% increase last year in the Big Apple.

Hey, Yahoo!  This in Not My Email!

Yahoo announced that they will be providing a ‘Not My Email’ button to owners of recently recycled email addresses.  Yahoo recently started to recycle email addresses that have been dormant for at least twelve months.

This program was met with much skepticism revolving around privacy concerns and, apparently, with good reason.

Some owners of the recycled email addresses have reported receiving email for the prior owner, sometimes of a financial or personal nature.

Apple Has a Record Launch

Apple’s new iPhone models, the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s, were launched on September 20th.   Apple reported that nine million iPhones were sold during the launch weekend. iPhone 5s sales outpaced iPhone 5c sales by a pace of more than three to one.

As of September 23rd, more than 200 million iOS devices were running iOS 7, “making it the fastest software upgrade in history.”