Apple [AAPL] has quietly dropped an API in iOS that is used to detect if the iPhone has been jailbroken.

The iOS jailbreak detection API was first added when iOS 4.0 was launched in June of this year. In the latest version that was released a couple of weeks back, iOS 4.2.1, the API is either now disabled or completely removed. [Read more…]

The Google Nexus S release date is almost here for the US and UK. For those of us here in the UK, we can now pre-order the Nexus S.

Pre-orders are now being taken at Carphone Warehouse where both contract and PAYG options are available. As for pricing, the Nexus S off-contract (PAYG) is £549.95. On contract, pricing is free for the phone on all plans £35/month or more and at the moment, £35/month is the cheapest plan. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] has launched version 2.1 of the YouTube app for Android based smartphones. This new version takes YouTube out of the Android build allowing the app to be updated when needed rather than updated each time Android increases a version.

The new app also brings a number of new features such as in-page playback, posting comments, subscription updates as well as a full screen UI.

The aim of YouTube 2.1 for Android is to mirror the desktop version on smartphones. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] has announced that Google Instant for Mobile has now been rolled out to 40 countries and that the service now works in 28 different languages.

Google Instant was launched just over a month ago and allows users to type and see changing results being built as they type a keyword. Google indicate that this improves user experience by making it quicker to search. Originally the service was available to users logged in to the desktop. Recently the desktop version moved to all users who are logged in or not, and now has begun arriving on smartphones. [Read more…]

Microsoft [MSFT] is launching an update to Windows Phone 7 in January that is believed will bring the much wanted copy and paste function to the new smartphone.

We learn today that Microsoft will also be pushing out a second update with this particular update being pushed out in February. [Read more…]

The Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone has been benchmarked at 24.4 frames per second by using the Qualcomm Neocore benchmark app. This number isn’t the best around when you compare that to the Nexus S that can achieve double that amount.

However, one thing to note is that the PlayStation Phone, or Zeus Z1 as it’s also called, is still a few months away from launching and that a lot of work can be done behind the scenes to bump that frame rate up a little. [Read more…]

This week, LG has confused a few people in regards to the LG Optimus One getting the Android 2.3 update. The first post was found on Facebook about it where LG said that Gingerbread wasn’t compatible due to the Optimus One processor being 600MHz, but Gingerbread required 1GHz.

Someone stepped in on Twitter and said there were no hard limits. LG then apologized and said they hadn’t received the documentation from Google [GOOG] so couldn’t officially comment. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] has improved the Gmail app for Android OS devices. The latest version now supports priority inbox as well as an improved compose mail function.

The new version is called Gmail for Android 2.3.2. The priority inbox section of the app allows you to see those emails that matter most to you. These are highlighted with a small yellow arrow, just like the desktop version, and you have the option to mark emails as more important or not important. You can then click Priority to filter out the non important emails. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] has announced the best iPad and iPhone apps of 2010. The list starts by recognizing four of the best apps of the year which includes Hipstamatic, Plants Vs. Zombies, Flipboard and Osmos. After that it moves on to a list of more apps that meet certain criteria such as the Overall Top 10 PAID iPhone Apps, Top Free iPhone Apps and Top Grossing iPhone apps. The same lists are created for iPad apps in the same format.

Apple has had a number of amazing games and other apps available over this past year such as Angry Birds that made it to number 1 on the PAID iPhone Apps list and number 2 on the other iPhone lists. [Read more…]

Microsoft [MSFT] has confirmed that there are limits on the amount of push notifications that can be active on a Windows Phone 7 smartphone. That limit is 15…

”Yes, the limit is fifteen third party applications can be concurrently subscribed to receive push notifications (whether that is a live tile or toast).”

[Read more…]

We have heard of a few release dates for the Sony PlayStation phone, one of which was this week (which isn’t correct) and another that says February.

We now hear that the PlayStation Phone release date will now be sometime in March 2011. The February date mentioned previously is apparently the unveiling date over at Mobile World Congress. [Read more…]

Android 2.3 was announced a few days ago, and pushed out to the Nexus One that very same day. However, any other Android device will need to wait a little longer as Google is yet to push out the requirements and documentation to device manufacturers.

With that in mind, you can actually now download what’s called the Gingerbread Launcher on your Android 2.2 device. What this does is brings the UI to the Android 2.2 operating system. Of course, a lot of features are missing but what you do get is the basic skin so you can see how it will look when you eventually get the 2.3 update pushed out to you. [Read more…]