Earlier this month, Facebook introduced their new ‘Home’ feature earlier this month. Facebook Home is an interface layer on top of the existing Android operating software developed by Google. On Monday, a report from Bloomberg suggested that the social networking giant is now in talks with Apple to bring Facebook Home to iPhone. The new software would allow iOS users to interact with their Facebook profiles directly through the mobile OS, essentially having access to Facebook on most of iOS.

Facebook Home allows users to display photos on the lock screen and chat experience through something called Chat Heads which is currently developed directly over the Android software. Apple did include Facebook into Mountain Lion and iOS 6, allowing its users to share images and status updates directly from both Notification Center and the action button in Photos and Safari.

With Facebook Home, sharing and interacting with Facebook would become the focal point of Apple’s iOS. It may also compromise privacy for iOS users, which has been an issue in the past. According to Facebook’s product director, Adam Mosseri, talks of bringing the overlay are in the works but no plans have been finalized. He also notes that Facebook may retool Home to operate on iOS, likely because Apple generally controls what companies can include on their mobile OS.

{Via MacRumors}

Only a day after releasing the iOS 6.1.3 software update to the public, Apple appears to have yet another issue with its mobile OS. iOS 6.1.3 patched an passcode lock bug on the iPhone, and also delivered a number of Maps enhancements for Japanese users. However, on Wednesday, a YouTube user “videosdebarraquito” discovered yet another bug on the iPhone 4, similar to the one addressed in the update.

The bug allows for access to a locked iPhone’s photos and address book by ejecting the SIM card, with voice control activated to make a call. While Voice Control is activated, quickly removing the SIM card unlocks the phone for access to a user’s contacts and photos. The bug only appears to be replicated on devices without Siri but does raise security concerns over Apple’s popular iOS, which has been ridden with bugs since the release of iOS 6. Issues with iOS 6, in part, also led to the ousting of iOS chief Scott Forstall from Apple late last year.

With the previous passcode lock bug, it took Apple about a month to isolate, test the issue, and release iOS 6.1.3 to address it. However, it is unclear if Apple will quickly push out a iOS 6.1.4 update to address this latest bug discovery. Until then, iPhone 4 users can avoid the flaw and protect their iPhone from unauthorized users by disabling Voice Control in Settings.

{Via AppleInsider}

It seems that Apple has had many of these kinds of services on hold as it struggles to keep manageable the sometimes unstable tower of new technology and services it is pushing out every few months.

Most recently Apple has relaxed a lot of its App Store guidelines, and opened up the App Store review guidelines for all the world to comment on. Not to mention adding an App Store Review Board, for app Rejection Appeals. Apple seems to have even relaxed restrictions for Flash on iDevices.

Apple ticked off yet another job on their “todo” yesterday with the release of a unified iOS Beta for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad: iOS 4.2. And even added yet more new, and compelling features like AirPrint to it’s mobile OS.

And following on from that it is being reported by various newspapers that they are in talks with Apple to produce iPad app versions of their publications targeted at subscribers. Apple is expected to take 30% of these subscription model packages as its cut, and a further 40% from iAd Revenue germinated from those publications.

It occurs to me that AirPrint is a rather timely OS feature. Because if we all get newspapers on our devices we can print copies out to read, or to give to friends! I wonder if anyone has thought of that? It also occurs to me that using “Air” in any iOS apps or Apple related products could be difficult in future. But I digress..

One big bone of contention between magazines, newspapers and Apple has always been the rules around collecting user data. User data is the holy grail of any kind of targeted, ad laden media. As we all know! The rub there is that Apple has insisted on allowing users to opt out of this kind of data harvesting if they like. Chalk one up for us, the consumer, there.

Perhaps one day you’ll be reading me writing for Touch Reviews, on an iPad!

Are you interested in newspapers and magazines being delivered to your iPad, rather than your doorstep? What would you pay for this kind of product? Have your say in the comments…

A frustrated iPhone 3G user has emailed Steve Jobs with the following, quite reasonable, request:

I’ve waited patiently through 4.0.1 and 4.0.2, looking for a fix that will make my phone work again. I’ve read the forums that advise me to jailbreak my phone or use some other method so I can downgrade back to a version of iPhone 3, however I’m not prepared to use a method that is not supported by Apple.

And apparently Steve has replied saying:

Software update coming soon.

Sent from my iPhone

Developers have been testing iOS 4.1 for some time now. And overall it does seem to offer some performance improvements for all devices. The iPhone 3G particularly.

As for when this update will be made public, we still don’t know. But it is at least reassuring to know that Apple are working on it, and there is light at the end of the tunnel for beleaguered 3G users.

Do you have an iPhone 3G? How has iOS performance been for you so far? Are you hanging out for an update? Have your say in the comments…

Well overnight iPhone Dev Team member MuscleNerd (@MuscleNerd) managed to complete the jailbreak, and released a video online of his exploits:

In the video we can see a VNC server running on the new iPhone OS 4.0 Developer only Beta release, and his ability to remotely connect, view and control his iPhone from his computer.

We need to remember two things here though :

Firstly, Apple have released this version of iPhone OS 4.0 way ahead of any official launch of the new mobile OS. So they are unlikely to show their hand with any new protection measures, and give hackers advance time to try and work on exploits ready for the official release.

Secondly, the jailbreakers are aware that if they show their hand by making this hack public Apple will certainly plug it before any new release. That is assuming they (Apple) are not already aware of the exploit being used, and don’t plan to plug it anyway.

So don’t expect this to become a publicly available jailbreak solution any time soon. The game of cat & mouse between Apple and Jailbreakers continues. Right now it’s a kind of stalemate.

Let us know your views on these “naughty” hackers, and “oppressive” Apple in the comments.