If features presented in a patent application from Apple this morning come to fruition, the ‘Find My iPhone’ service will become far more powerful in keeping your data secure. The primary feature described in the patent is one where the device would be able to detect a potential ‘intrusion’ by an unauthorised user of the device when an incorrect passcode is entered multiple times. It would proactively raise the security risk and then take steps to secure a users data.

When a raised security level is reached, certain files and content would be selectively protected. This data could be scrambled instead of wiped out – meaning that if a user does get the device back they still have the data and just have to unscramble it. The raised security level could also transition the device into a surveillance mode where the device records certain actions taken by a user including their actions, the ambient sounds, location of the device and then sends that data out, presumably to iCloud.

If a device is lost or stolen, it could become purposively limited from making calls, text messages and using mobile data so that the user doesn’t face costs from their mobile provider. Similarly, if the device has access to a corporate VPN, that VPN data could be altered when the device faces a raised security risk.

The patent also describes a system of how if a device is or presumed to be lost or stolen that it could request the location of the device. A pop-up would appear on the device, warning that location data is about to be sent, a user could then over-ride it with the correct passcode, or alternatively, contact the owner. Presumably this would be helpful if someone who found the device is trying to return the device.

[Via Patently Apple]

The unbelievably popular Angry Birds app has today received a new update, version 1.6.0, which brings a new episode for users to play with. The new underground episode, titled ‘Mining and Dining with the Burrowing Piggies’, is jam packed with another 15 levels to complete.

With a bottomless appetite, the bad piggies have burrowed deep in underground caverns to hide the eggs they stole from you. Use the landscape and geology to your advantage to chase the pigs out of their hiding holes, gather rare gems, and retrieve the eggs!

The new levels are cave themed and as usual there are jewels to find, but there is also new a gameplay mechanic – shoot at the hanging stalactites to “pop those pesky burrowing piggies”. Apart from the new levels, Rovio has tweaked some existing levels that were stonewalling people. The app update is available for both the iPhone version version and iPad version of Angry Birds.

Meanwhile, Peter Vesterbacka CEO of Rovio, spoke at the openIDEAS Conference in Europe today and revealed that the Angry Birds games are now seeing over a million downloads per day. You may recall that Rovio revealed that over Christmas Day last year it saw its most successful day ever with one million downloads – now that’s a daily occurance. In recent times it had also surpassed 250 million downloads.

[Via The Next Web]

Yahoo today launched a new search service that aims to improve the searching experience for the iPhone App Store and the Android Marketplace. The service brings a new app called Yahoo! AppSpot to the iPhone and Android as well as the Yahoo! App Search website.

With 425,000-plus apps in the Apple App Store and 200,000 apps in Android Market, we know finding what you want can be exhausting. And even more challenging: There are times you don’t know the specific name of the app, so you’re leaving it up to chance that you’re actually downloading the app you really want.

Yahoo claims to be able to search the App Store and Android Marketplace more intelligently as well as also offering users personal recommendations from within the AppSpot app. The personal recommendations feature works by first taking a look at all the apps you currently have on your iPhone (it asks for permission) and then displays eight suggestions for each category of the store. Unfortunately the recommendation system seemed very poor for me at least, suggesting a rather bizarre range of apps from ‘Alphabet Car’ to ‘Justin Bieber Revenge’ to ‘Foreclosure Search’.

Both the website and the app from Yahoo gives you all the same information that Apple’s own store provides, including: a description, rating, price and screenshots. If you choose to download the app through the AppSpot app it will launch you straight over to the App Store app. If you’re on the website on your Mac/PC though it will give you the option to either send an SMS with a link, open up the iTunes Preview page in your browser or display a QR code with the link embedded (the AppSpot App has a QR reader inbuilt).

You can try Yahoo! App Search from here and download the Yahoo! AppSpot App from here. Jump the break for a video promo.

[Via Engadget]
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