iPhone 3GS: SMS weakness and Android potential problem

The iPhone's image in the media, especially to most tech bloggers, have been dipping as of late. I guess when you reach the top of the mountain, there's nowhere else you can go to but down, butApple seems to be intent on remaining on the top despite these challenges. Just some of the challenges facing it right now can be read below.

iPhone 3GS SMS vulnerability still not patched?

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There's an iPhone 3GS SMS vulnerability that can give a hacker total control over your iPhone and it was discovered by OS X Security Specialist Charlie Miller. He reported to Apple a month ago and was hoping for a patch--but it never came. Now he's going to unload on how to do it on a Black Hat conference this week.

We'd stop short of suggesting iPhone owners all turn off their handsets and take themselves firmly off the grid and into a completely disconnected underground bunker the moment the attack becomes public, but if it's as serious as Miller claims, it definitely bumps up the pressure on Apple to get a fix out on the double -- preferably before 3.1 drops.

What could push an OS X expert to reveal details on how to hack someone else's iPhone? We can only ascertain that this is this Charlie Miller's way of saying to Apple that they'd better patch it up soon. So far, there's been no patch coming from Apple and time's running out.

Pre vs. iPhone vs. Android?

We've been reporting on a lot on how the iPhone and the Pre has been edging each other out, but according to Matt Asay of CNET, there's another up and coming enemy coming up in the guide of Android.

Importantly, Android is growing in the area that defines the iPhone's success more than anything else: applications. BusinessWeek's Stephen Wildstrom says that "Android is now a contender" in large part due to its growing array of third-party applications:

The Android Market is surprisingly well-stocked, considering the relatively small number of Android phones in use....[W]ith support fromGoogle and from handset makers desperate to come up with something that can mount a serious challenge to the iPhone, Android could become a major player.

With a third player coming in the game, it just may make the fight between Apple and Pre more interesting. Will Android stand with one party or will it stand on its own? We'll see when the phones come rolling out of production.

Source for iPhone 3GS not patched vs. SMS vulnerability
Source for Android going against Apple's iPhone?