SMS

Last week we found out about a new SMS security hole in the iPhone that could potentially leave users vulnerable to phishing attempts. To put it simply, this hole allows undesirable people to change the reply-to address on the texts they send you, making them appear to be legitimate and possibly convincing you to hand over some personal details. AdaptiveMobile has published a new report on the security hole, and while it may be scary for iPhone users, it appears that this flaw doesn't affect devices running a different OS.

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For iPhone users, the iMessage platform is quite a popular alternative to traditional SMS text messaging. But did you know there's a glitch that allows a third party to sneak in, view, and even participate in your iMessage conversations? It doesn't matter if you reset your password, disable your iMessages app, or even perform a remote wipe of your phone. On the flip side, though, it also isn't exactly an easy glitch to exploit.

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Microsoft has found the root cause behind the SMS vulnerability in its Windows Phone operating system. The bug was reported earlier this month by Khaled Salameh, who found that the platform could be exploited via a malicious SMS message that forces a Windows Phone device to reboot and then disables its messaging hub.

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As the rumors go, Apple's iMessage announcement came as quite the unpleasant shock to the carriers, who until now had been happily encouraging SMS overuse on the iPhone. Reports of RIM executives weeping visibly over BBM are all anecdotal. iMessage promises to further prise the operator's hands from the ruddy teats of the SMS cash-cow, shifting traffic to cheaper data connections instead. Yet the real game-changer may still be waiting in the wings: with a little work, Google could blow iMessage, BBM and SMS out of the water.

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It's not just RIM that Apple surprised with the new iMessage instant-messaging feature for iOS devices, announced during the Steve Jobs WWDC 2011 keynote yesterday. According to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, his sources say Apple's carrier partners were blindsided by the iMessaging launch too.

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Sweden has had a long history of paying for things with your cellphone. I remember hearing years ago about vending machines that would bill your cellphone account for whatever delicious treats you wanted to vend. Now, the Swedish postal system has decided to offer a service that allows the use of a cellular text message (SMS) to pay for postage. The user sends an SMS message and service will send a special code back. Just write this code on the envelope in the place of a stamp to verify payment.

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I'm not a huge text message myself, but my wife is. Before we had unlimited texting on our mobile devices she once racked up a $500 bill in texting expenses alone. She's not the only one that texts a lot either, all of her gal pals text tons too, all I hear is her phone beeping all day. This happens all around the world apparently and ABI Research has offered up its predictions on how many SMS messages will be sent in 2011.

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The FCC has announced plans to open the 911 emergency system to text messages and even streaming video from cellphones, as part of a drive to increase usability and responsiveness. According to the FCC, the update was in part prompted by lessons learnt after the Virginia Tech campus shooting in 2007, where many people apparently attempted to send SMS messages to 911, messages that were never received.

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Twitter today rolls out a new feature for those who keep their phone in their purse or pocket - imagine that! - and want to make sure to get important tweets "even when [they're] not looking at Twitter at the moment. Stay sucked in! Now whenever someone on Twitter you follow mentions you, you'll receive an instant notification. You know what that means? Conversations in real time. This feature will at first be available on SMS and on the latest version of Twitter for iPhone (available for download now.)

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If you are on the contract free MetroPCS mobile network here in the US and use an Android device, textPlus and MetroPCS have announced a new partnership that brings free group texting to the Android users on the network. The application can be downloaded free on the Android Market right now.

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HTC don’t seem to be having much luck addressing the ongoing SMS problem some HD2 owners are experiencing.  After posting – and subsequently pulling – two firmware updates already, it’s now time for the third attempt.  HTC HD2 firmware v1.66.707.1 is, like the others, intended to deliver “fast and reliable SMS messaging”; whether it does, we’ll have to wait and see.

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The Nokia 1100 was never an especially alluring device, even at its launch, but a select few versions of the simplistic cellphone are said to be changing hands for up to €25,000 ($32,328) among criminals.  According to unconfirmed reports, the specific 1100's each show a specific software flaw that, with the correct reprogramming, allows them to intercept the one-time passwords used to authorize online bank transactions.

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