Amazon updated its Kindle application for iOS devices on Wednesday with support for PDF files as well as newspaper and magazine subscriptions. A Kindle user can now email a file to his or her Send-to-Kindle address and then access it from within the application, and the app will open Adobe PDF files sent to a computer through iTunes, from Safari or directly from an email account. Amazon also added support for viewing more than 400 newspaper and magazine subscriptions inside the application. The UI for reading periodicals was completely redesigned for the iPad, and it allows users to read newspapers, magazines and print replica text books the way they were meant to be read. The iPhone and iPod touch app also features a redesigned library for quick access to the Newsstand, Kindle Books and Docs. Ars Technica noticed however, that The New York Times currently limits its subscriptions to hardware Kindle devices only, which means anyone who pays for a subscription to that newspaper may have trouble loading it on an iOS device. The update is live now and is available for free from the iTunes App Store.

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Adobe launched CreatePDF for iOS on Monday, a new application that allows iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users to create and open PDF files directly from their iOS devices. Adobe says CreatePDF offers “consistent, high-fidelity PDF conversion independent of device or software” and explains that it uses Adobe’s online services to ensure quality and performance. Supported file formats include:

• MS Word (docx, doc), Excel(xlsx, xls), PowerPoint (pptx, ppt)
• Adobe Illustrator (ai), Photoshop (psd) and InDeisng (indd)
• Images – JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF, TIFF
• RTF, Text and WordPerfect
• OpenOffice and StarOffice documents

CreatePDF is available in the iTunes App store now for $9.99. Read on for a link to the download.

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Apple has just released iOS 4.3.4 for its iOS devices including the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad and third and fourth-generation iPod touch devices. Apple also released a comparable update for Verizon Wireless’ CDMA iPhone 4, iOS 4.2.9. The new build includes a security update that addresses a vulnerability with PDF files. It also patches the extremely popular jailbreak.me jailbreak solution, so it will no longer function on devices that update. IOS 4.3.4 is available immediately via iTunes.

Apple has promised to patch a security hole found in the iPhone and iPad following a report published by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security. Reportedly, a PDF security hole could allow hackers to gain unauthorized access to personal data — such as messages and passwords — stored on an iPhone or iPad and could “infect the mobile device with malware without the user’s knowledge.” Apple’s PR team was quick to respond to the allegations. “[Apple is] aware of this reported issue and developing a fix that will be available to customers in an upcoming software update,” Bethan Lloyd, an Apple spokesperson told AFP on Thursday. Apple has not yet confirmed when it will push out the security update.

[Via Mobile Burn]

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The Motorola DROID X2 is definitely taking a page from the DROID Incredible 2′s playbook. That is: we know almost everything about this phone although Verizon Wireless has yet to officially announce it. Bearing that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the DROID X2′s user guide has hit Motorola’s official website. The guide confirms that the X2 will be a dual-core, 1GHz device with a 4.3-inch display and qHD resolution. It also confirms that the handset’s form will be nearly identical to that of the original DROID X; released just one year ago. The DROID X2 has a rumored go-live date of May 26th, although the guide does little to confirm that. Hit the jump to check out the PDF.

[Via Engadget]

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It looks like the recently announced HTC Merge has been given the U.S. government’s stamp of approval. Spotted at the FCC, the HTC handset has been long rumored to hit Verizon Wireless’ lineup. The extended lag time between the device’s discovery and unveiling — along with the deafening silence in between — led many to believe that the handset had either been scrapped or was being retooled with an LTE radio. Now, thanks to the FCC, we know neither of those things are true. The handset will be hitting “multiple North American carriers” in the near future, sans LTE (bummer). The FCC filing does include the device’s user guide, so if you want to know a little bit more about the Merge, hit the read link and have yourself a look. 

[Via Phone Scoop]

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Adobe released a security bulletin today warning of a critical, zero-day vulnerability in their Reader and Flash Player software. The bulletin notes that an unpactched system could “crash [your system] and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.” The vulnerability is affecting:

Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems

Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier for Android

Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX

Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh

Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x are confirmed not vulnerable. Adobe Reader for Android is not affected by this issue.

Adobe is promising an update to fix the issue by November 9. Hit the read link to read more and for mitigation instructions for your specific platform.

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Comex, the developer of the jailbreakme.com 2.0 website, has released the source code for the PDF exploit found in un-patched versions of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. The code has been called “impressive” and “dangerous” by some security analysts. The exploit has the ability to install malicious code on a users iOS device by simply visiting a webpage crafted to run the code. If you do not plan on jailbreaking your iOS device, we recommend updating to iOS 4.0.2 to remove the vulnerability. If you are already jailbroken, we suggest installing the “PDF Fix” patch from Cydia.

[Via Macworld]

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Apple has just released an update to iOS, labeled iOS 4.0.2. The update, amongst other things, plugs the PDF security hole most notably used by the website jailbreakme.com. The update is available for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4, iPod Touch 2G and 3G, as well as the iPad. If you have a jailbroken device, or think you might want to jailbreak your device at some point, we would recommend against applying this update. Everyone else, have at it!

If you haven’t heard by now, you probably don’t have an iPhone, but you can unlock your iDevice by visting www.jailbreakme.com. However, the exploit used to jailbreak iPhone, iPod and iPad devices is reportedly about to be turned against the hacking community, we’ve been told. Once the exploitation method is disclosed to the public, black hat hackers would be able to take advantage of it by setting up their own websites that could load malicious code onto your device. This is done through the jailbreakme PDF exploit. Under this method, it would be possible to steal your address book, text message database, or much worse. There is going to be a security solution soon though, as BGR has been informed that a plugin named PDF Loading Warner” has been created to combat this potential security risk. It works by hooking into the device system and will display a warning before a PDF can be displayed. If you install this plugin and navigate to a website that should not be showing a PDF and get this warning, you are able to click “Cancel”, blocking the PDF from loading and subsequently stealing your data. It should be available from Cydia in the next day or two we hear, but more experienced users can grab the .deb file from the link below here and install it manually via SSH or iFile if they wish.

Note: This does not patch the exploit, but it will at least give you a bit of control.

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Borders dove head first into the eBook market today with the launch of its new eBook store. Powered by the Kobo eReading service, the online bookstore will launch with a catalog of over 150,000 eBooks in ePub, PDF, and Adobe DRM format. Supporting a wide variety of platforms, Border’s eBooks can be read on your PC or Mac desktop as well as your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry or Android-powered mobile phone. Borders will also be selling the Kobo eReader which includes a 6-inch e-ink screen, support for flexible fonts, desktop syncing, bluetooth syncing with a smartphone, 1GB storage and a 4-way d-pad with center selection. The eReader will launch with a competitive $149 price tag and will be available both online and in select retail stores. Head over to Border’s website to browse the eBook selection and see how Border’s offering stands up to the competition.

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Kindle owners longing for the ability to share their fave passages with the world only have to endure a few more agonizing weeks of reading in isolation.  Announced in April, the now “socially aware” firmware version 2.5 for the Kindle is expected to hit Kindle devices in the upcoming weeks. This latest firmware will include facebook and twitter integration, expanded font selection, on device password protection, and improved support for PDFs.  The update will be delivered over the air for those in the Whispernet coverage area, while those lacking in the 3G department can point their browsers to Amazon and install the update manually. No need to proclaim the arrival of the update to the world as everyone will know when book spam passages begin to hit their twitter feed.

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Nothing makes you feel like you truly own your media and content like being able to do almost whatever you want with it. We’re already used to DRM for our MP3s and the limitations it puts on device selection and sharing, but the idea that the same kind of protection would be put on our books was a head-scratcher. For books on the Kindle, it works just that way. You can’t go putting your content on any device you want, whenever you want to — until now. An Israeli hacker has managed to break the DRM for books on the Kindle so that that content can be downloaded onto any other device.

The hacker, known only as Labba, posed a challenge on a hacker forum and was quickly aided by other programmers to discover the hack for the Kindle. They were essentially able to break the DRM protection and find a way to get the eBooks converted to an open format and into PDF files. This allows the files to be read on several eReaders, not just the Kindle. Now we have to wait and see what Amazon will do to patch things up, but Labba says whenever Amazon does release a software solution, he will be able to hack it again — just like the iPhone getting jailbroken with every software update. Or, you know, you can just buy paper books.

Thanks, Friend of BGR!

UPDATE: Looks like this was just “hacked” again as an original DRM workaround has been available since a year or so back.

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You remember Peek, don’t you? Well the company is back and confident yet again that it’s going to take the world by storm with the new Peek Pronto. Retailing for $79.95, the Pronto ups the ante from its past offering by allowing users to manage up to five email accounts with push and support for PDFs, DOCs and pictures on a device with a full-QWERTY keypad, 8MB of internal memory and a 2.5″ QVGA 65,000-color display. As with the original Peek, the Pronto runs contract-free on T-Mobile’s GPRS network for $19.95 per month, which not only includes unlimited email but also unlimited text messages via an email gateway. So will the Pronto take off like its predecessor never did? Who knows, but one thing is for sure — if the new Peek Pronto is named Time Gadget of the Year, we might have to close up shop.

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DataViz, makers of the immensely popular Documents To Go for the BlackBerry, Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile platforms will begin offering its products to Android users in 2009. In case you somehow haven’t heard of the company’s work, Documents To Go allows users to view, edit, and create Word, Excel, Powerpoint and .pdf files right on their mobiles, and RoadSync is one of the most popular third-party Exchange applications in existence. While DataViz apps do carry a hefty price tag, they’re also very well made and always come along with a lengthy trial period. No time line for release has been set other than it will be out sometime in 2009, so for now a simple email update sign-up page has been created.

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