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A pair of workers who claim to have been poisoned by toxins in a Suzhou, China factory while assembling touchscreens for Apple’s iPhone have written an open letter begging consumers to demand reform. SumOfUs, the organization behind the Ethical iPhone Campaign, released the letter in an email to the media on Wednesday afternoon. The letter was written by Guo Rui-qiang and Jia Jing-chuan, two former factory workers who urge consumers to sign SumOfUs’s petition and demand that Apple force its suppliers and manufacturing partners to improve working conditions at their Chinese factories. Both workers claim to have been poisoned by a chemical cleaner called N-hexane, and they have suffered neurological damage as a result. The Fair Labor Association is currently conduction inspections of two Foxconn factories, prompted by Apple, and while only preliminary inspections have been made at this point, the organization says it has already found “tons of issues.” The workers’ letter follows below in its entirety.

Whether you’re fan of Apple products or not, there is no denying the influence Steve Jobs had on the world. Simon Lau — a freelance Web, iPhone and iPad developer — built a tribute to Mr. Jobs using Facebook’s Timeline feature. Facebook’s Timeline replaces a user’s traditional profile page with life events, check-ins, new friends additions, photos and more, all listed in chronological order. Lau’s Timeline of Jobs, which was promptly removed by Facebook only to later be restored, features an array of photos and life events that highlight the Apple co-founder’s time on Earth. Hit the break for a video showcasing Steve Jobs’s Timeline.

A new bug has been discovered in iOS 5.0.1 that provides unauthorized access to a user’s contacts on passcode-protected iPhones. The bug, which was discovered by iPhoneIslam, is not easily reproduced and requires the attacker to have a spare SIM card or access to the victim’s phone number. The method involves inserting and ejecting the iPhone’s SIM card, which will eventually bypass the phone’s passcode and give unauthorized access to the contacts and phone app. The attacker can then make calls, view call history, view contacts and use FaceTime. The threat is seen as a somewhat minor issue that Apple will most likely fix in an upcoming iOS update.

Apple on Wednesday defended itself in a Shanghai court against Proview International, which claims Apple is violating a trademark it holds on the “iPad” name, the New York Times reported. Proview’s allegations have prevented the Cupertino-based company from selling its popular tablet in numerous smaller Chinese cities, however Apple Stores in Beijing and Shanghai continue to sell the device. The four-hour session at the Pudong New Area People’s Court ended without any ruling from the district judge, though both sides reportedly presented new evidence in the case. Apple claims it acquired the iPad trademark from Proview in 2009. “We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago,” the company said in a statement. “Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter. Our case is still pending in mainland China.” Proview claims that Apple is using the iPad name illegally, however, as the subsidiary that licensed the trademark to Apple was not authorized to do so.

Foxconn workers claim the manufacturer transferred underage employees to other departments or did not schedule them to work overtime in an effort to avoid discovery during the Fair Labor Association’s investigation of its facilities, reports AppleInsider. Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) project officer Debby Sze Wan Chan was told by two Foxconn employees that the manufacturer “prepared for the inspection” by hiding the child laborers. “All underage workers, between 16-17 years old, were not assigned any overtime work and some of them were even sent to other departments,” Chan reportedly said. Another Foxconn worker said she had recently been allowed three breaks a day during the audit, an increase from one. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the company “cares about every worker in our supply chain,” however many workers don’t feel the care that the CEO talks about. “Most of the time, the workers are aware of the presence of Apple’s representatives inside the factories,” said Chan. “It is not the problem that Apple doesn’t know the real problems at their suppliers. They know, but it is only because they do not care.”

Samsung may be looking to launch its own cloud service to compete with Apple’s iCloud. The South Korean manufacturer originally enlisted Samsung SDS to develop the infrastructure behind the company’s new “S-Cloud” service, however it turned out to be unsuitable for the global market, reports ETNews. The company’s Media Solution Center (SMSC) is now reportedly looking to establish an infrastructure by utilizing proven commercial solutions from KT or even Amazon to help build its cloud network. The publication states that the service will more than likely be delayed due to the heavy modifications to its infrastructure.

While browsing Apple’s App Store this weekend, you may have been surprised to see an iconic game sitting among the most popular iPhone apps. When a Pokemon Yellow app appeared in the App Store for $0.99, many unsuspecting users quickly jumped at the chance to finally have the highly-additive Nintendo RPG on their mobile devices. Those people would end up disappointed because the app was plagued by crashes, making it completely unplayable. What’s more, it was an unauthorized copy created by “House of Anime,” and Nintendo had nothing to do with it. The game peaked at No.3 on the App Store charts and garnered a one-and-a-half star rating with 1,352 negative reviews before it was finally pulled by Apple, Ars Technica reported. Though thousands of people ended up getting ripped off by this obvious fake that Apple let into its App Store, there is one positive takeaway from the ordeal: if Nintendo ever does decide to stray from its current stance and build iOS apps, the company will undoubtedly have some blockbusters on its hands.

We have previously seen images of the iPad 3′s reworked case design, however new images published on Tuesday give us a better look at the subtle differences we can expect from Apple’s next-generation tablet when it launches next month. The photographs, which were posted by MIC Gadget, reveal that the slate is between 1 and 1.5 millimeters thicker than the iPad 2, however it still fits in some iPad 2 cases according to the report. The iPad 3′s rear shell has a more gradual taper to the edges of the tablet, and it features a narrower bezel and larger camera lens compared to its predecessor. The iPad 3 is expected to be equipped with a 9.7-inch Retina Display, an 8-megapixel camera, embedded 4G LTE and a larger battery. Apple is reportedly planning to unveil the iPad 3 at a press conference on March 7th. Hit the break for additional iPad 3 images.

Microsoft is confirmed to be working on a version of its wildly popular Office productivity suite for Apple’s iPad, and The Daily managed to get some hands on time with the highly anticipated software ahead of its release. Microsoft Office for iPad will bring Word, Excel and PowerPoint functionality to Apple’s tablet — presuming the app is approved by Apple — and it is unclear if Microsoft has plans to add additional Office applications in the future. The app has a similar look to Microsoft’s OneNote app for iOS, which borrows largely from the Metro-themed Office software on the Windows Phone platform. The Daily’s report states that Microsoft plans to submit Office for iPad to Apple for approval in the coming weeks, though a firm time frame was not provided.

UPDATE Microsoft told ZDNet that the image above is a fake. The company did not comment on whether or not it has a version of Office for the iPad in development.

Major Chinese carrier China Telecom announced this week that it will begin selling Apple’s iPhone 4S on March 9th. The popular smartphone will start at free on contract for China Telecom subscribers, and it will be available for purchase online and through authorized retailers. ”iPhone 4S has been an incredible hit with customers around the world,” an Apple spokesperson told The Loop. “We’re thrilled to be launching iPhone 4S with China Telecom and can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers in China.” Apple’s entrance into the Chinese market began with the iPhone’s launch on China Unicom, but this new China Telecom deal is seen as potentially having a huge impact on Apple’s position in the region. China Telecom currently has more than 130 million subscribers on its network, making it even bigger than Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

A research analyst and a former executive who revealed insider information about Apple’s sales have both been charged, reports Reuters. Analyst John Kinnucan on Friday was charged with two counts of securities fraud, two counts of conspiracy and one count of insider trading from a civil case filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Between 2008 and 2010, Kinnucan allegedly paid insiders with cash, trips and other incentives for inside information regarding Apple. Kinnnucan then sold the information to hedge funds for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Separately, former SanDisk executive Don Barnetson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud. “I conspired with a consultant to provide confidential information with respect to my employer at the time, SanDisk Corp,” Barnetson said. Barnetson could faces up to five years in prison but could get leniency for his “substantial cooperation.” Kinnucan could faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the securities fraud counts and one of the conspiracy counts, and up to five years on the other conspiracy count.

A settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit targeting the iPhone 4′s antenna and reception problems, reports CNET. U.S. residents who bought the handset will be offered either $15 or a free bumper case, however the offer is only valid for those individuals who did not take advantage of Apple’s previous offer. The settlement comes from 18 separate lawsuits that were consolidated into one, all claiming that Apple was “misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4–particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software.” Original buyers will be notified via email before April 30th, or they can visit www.iPhone4Settlement.com, although the site is not yet live. After the notifications are sent, the claims period will last for 120 days.

Apple may be working on an overhaul of its iTunes Store and App Store, according to 9to5Mac. Due to growing competition from music streaming services like Spotify and the growing popularity of Amazon’s online music store, the redesign of the iTunes Store is considered “a top priority for Apple.” The Cupertino-based company is looking to simplify the service and deliver a more user-friendly interface than the one afforded by its current design. The redesign will reportedly simplify content discovery, and it will “make the iTunes Store a much more engaging experience.” The revamped stores are reportedly scheduled to launch later this year.

Apple on Monday updated the company’s environmental website with data from the past year, revealing new details surrounding its iCloud and Siri data center located in Maiden, North Carolina. Apple’s facility was awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the only data center of its size to have received the certification. “We know of no other data center of comparable size that has achieved this level of LEED certification,” Apple stated. “Our goal is to run the Maiden facility with high percentage renewable energy mix.” Apple plans to power the facility with the largest non-utility fuel cell installation and largest user-owned solar farm in the United States. Due to the increasing popularity of its products, the Cupertino-based company has seen its greenhouse gas emissions increase by 56% from 14.8 million metric tons in 2010 to 23.1 million metric tons in 2011. Apple points out that greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of revenue have decreased by 15.4% since 2008, however.