BUG REPORTED IN iOS 5.0.1, BATTERY ISSUE ALSO NOT RESOLVED

A bug that affects the contact list on Apple's iPhone 4S has been discovered after applying the iOS 5.0.1 OTA update. According to users the contact list is fine, however when receiving a call or a text the name does not appear. This might be confined to those on the Verizon network and doing the following procedure has been shown to fix this issue.

1) Open the Phone and dial *228. This is a Verizon over-the-air programming number.
2) When the system answer press 1 for “Program or activate your phone”
3) Wait for the call to disconnect. You should get a prompt stating something like, “Settings updated.”
4) Open the Task Manager (double click the home button) and kill the Phone, Message, and Contacts Applications
5) Wait a few minutes (I waited 3 just to be extra safe)
6) Open the Message App to verify the fix.

Also, a number of users are reporting the 5.0.1 update has not fixed their battery drain issue and in some cases it has made it worse. The 5.0.1 update was specifically deployed to correct the battery issue, however for some users that does not seem to be the case.

iOS 5.0.1 WITH BATTERY FIX AVAILABLE NOW

Apple has released the first official update to iOS 5, which fixes the reported battery drain problems.

In addition to fixing bugs related to battery life, the update to iOS 5.0.1 also adds multitasking gestures for the first iPad, resolves some bugs with Documents in the Cloud, and improves Siri’s voice recognition for people with Australian accents.

Remember that with iOS 5 you can now install software updates over the air. So there is no longer any need to wait until you get home, grab a cable, and connect to iTunes on a PC in order to apply the update. Simply open your Settings app, choose General, and then Software Update to initiate the process. The delta update file is less than 40MB, and should only take a couple of minutes to install over WiFi.

TOSHIBA PROMISES FIX FOR THRIVE SLEEP ISSUE

Toshiba has announced they have developed a fix for the Thrive tablet's sleep addiction and will release it "early next week" via the Service Station app. The update will improve the device's "multimedia playback capabilities," although it didn't tell us how.

TOSHIBA ACKNOWLEDGES THRIVE TABLET SLEEP ISSUE

Has your Thrive been acting more like sleeping beauty, and less like the tablet you paid for? Before embarking on a mythical tale, whereupon you eventually find its more charming compatriot, know help from Toshiba is forthcoming: "We're aware of the issue and are working on a fix." No further details on when it'll land, or what exactly it'll fix.

SKYPE FOR ANDROID UPDATE FIXES GAPING SECURITY HOLE; ADDS 3G CALLING

Verizon Android users have had 3G Skype calling since this time last year, but the latest app release -- v1.0.0.983 for those of you keeping tabs -- brings 3G calling to the masses, without the need for a VZW-sanctioned app. The update also patches a rather significant security hole discovered last week, which could let third-party apps get hold of your personal information. We're glad to see that's no longer the case, and who's going to object to free calling as part of the deal as well? Make sure your phone's running Android 2.1 (2.2 for Galaxy S devices) and head on over to the Android Market to get updated.

APPLE TV UPDATE FIXES FLICKER AND AUDIO PROBLEMS

Apple’s latest software update, version 4.2.1, for the Apple TV is said to do away with the flicker issue, in addition to promising to fix audio issues and a problem where the device goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up — something we’ve personally had an issue with. The update is available now directly from your Apple TV.

APPLE RELEASES iTUNES 10.2.1

Apple on Tuesday released an updated version of its iTunes software. iTunes 10.2.1 includes the same change log as the previous version of the software, which could indicate that this build addresses a bug discovered in iTunes 10.2. The need to issue this bug fix so soon after iTunes 10.2 was released could also be the reason iOS 4.3 was not released today as we expected.

SECURITY BUG FOUND IN AMAZON'S LOGIN SYSTEM

Engadgetis reporting Amazon's login system has a bug in it. The Amazon.com login system will actually accept any phrase so long as it begins with your password, such as "password123" when the magic word is simply "password" by itself. That apparently makes it that much easier for a computer to guess your password via brute force methods.

The fix is relatively simple for the end user, change your password. It is suggested you use a combination letters, numbers and symbols.

ANDROID 2.3 SECURITY BUG DISCOVERED

Xuxian Jiang, a researcher at North Carolina State Unversity, has uncovered a security bug in the next version of Google's Android OS, Gingerbread. According to Jiang, the bug allows malicious websites to access a persons microSD card and upload the contents, including voicemails, photos and online banking information, to a remote server.

The flaw appears to be very similar to a known bug in previous version of Android that was thought to have been corrected in Gingerbread. Jiang says the fix for this bug in Gingerbread though is easily bypassed. Google is said to be working on a solution to the problem, but it is not known when a patch will appear.

GOOGLE ACKNOWLEDGES SMS BUG; PROMISES FIX

Google has acknowledged the SMS bug we reported earlier. The bug is intermittant and would sometimes send SMS messages to the wrong phone. Google released the following statement:

Thanks to everyone for your patience while we’ve been investigating these reports. As it turns out, we believe there are two distinct situations being discussed on this issue chain. Fortunately, we have fixes for both of them.

When some users tap to open a message in the Messaging application, they’re seeing a different message appear instead. We don’t believe this issue is affecting many users, but we’ve developed a fix that we’re preparing to deploy. Of course, double-checking the displayed message before hitting “Send” will prevent any messages from being sent to the wrong recipients. We’ve found in testing this issue, it is more likely to occur if you tap on a message before the Messaging app is fully loaded, so we recommend waiting for all the elements to load before clicking on the message you want to display.

Separately, some users have reported that their SMS messages are being delivered to the wrong people. It took us some time to reproduce this issue, as it appears that it’s only occurring very rarely. Even so, we’ve now managed to both reproduce it and develop a fix that we will deploy.

While we don’t anticipate any persistent problems, we’ll continue to investigate in case we come up with additional ways to trigger these bugs. Thanks again for helping us improve Android.

No word on when the fix will be released, but at least Google has finally taken note and is working on a fix. [Google]

MACBOOK AIR SCREEN ISSUE FIX RELEASED

Apple has released a fix that supposedly addresses the intermittent display glitches some owners of the new ultraportable have reported. The “MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.0” is recommended to all 11- and 13-inch MBA owners, and “resolves a rare issue where MacBook Air boots or wakes to a black screen or becomes unresponsive.”

Apple was tipped to be readying just such an update back in early November, when internal documents leaked suggesting customer support reps should reassure MacBook Air buyers that a fix was being developed. A 1.98MB download, it’s available through the Software Update function in OS X and demands a reboot afterwards. [Slashgear]