Jean-Louis Gassé wrote about the decline of BlackBerry.

In reality, RIM was much more than three years behind iOS (and, later, Android). Depending on whom we listen to, the 2007 iPhone didn’t just didn’t stand on a modern (if incomplete) OS, it stood on 3 to 5 years of development, of trial and error.

BlackBerry had lost the software battle before it could even be fought.

Another reminder that first doesn’t matter, but the first that matters does. Instead of releasing a phone with an incomplete OS, Apple waited until it was ready and blew away its competition.

Digital Trends reported on built-in encryption for Andriod L.

The next major version of Android is going to come with one feature that will please the security-conscious: built-in encryption. It means anyone who grabs hold of your mobile device—from petty thief to law enforcement officer—will find it much more difficult to extract data from it. The same level of advanced encryption is also available in iOS 8.

Android users have had the option to encrypt their phones and tablets since 2011, but the setup process for Android L will switch it on by default. iOS has always encrypted data on devices automatically — there’s no option to enable it as there is on current versions of Android — but the protection has been reworked and improved in iOS 8.

Let’s not talk about why it’s always on for iOS while Android makes it turned off by default. Given how Android updates are rolled out, it will be years before this is widely adopted.

Gabe Weatherhead wrote about his concerns about iOS 8 key logging.

This is what I found (quoted from the documentation):

• All capabilities of a nonnetworked custom keyboard
• Keyboard can access Location Services and Address Book, with user permission
• Keyboard and containing app can employ a shared container
• Keyboard can send keystrokes and other input events for server-side processing
• Containing app can provide editing interface for keyboard’s custom autocorrect lexicon
• Via containing app, keyboard can employ iCloud to ensure settings and autocorrect lexicon are up to date on all devices
• Via containing app, keyboard can participate in Game Center and In-App Purchase
• If keyboard supports mobile device management (MDM), it can work with managed apps

My interpretation of the documentation is that a keyboard extension can enable network access if it is for the purpose of improving the application. What improvements warrant this, is up to the app developer.

It is a concern I share as well. Why would a keyboard need to send keystrokes?

The Verge reported on Google’s Doubleclick serving malware.

The first impressions came in late August, and by now millions of computers have likely been exposed to Zemot, although only those with outdated antivirus protection were actually infected.

That means that millions of computers are on outdated antivirus.

And using an ad-blocker proves to be more effective than having an antivirus.

Apple has provided a detailed guide for people who wish to move from Android phone to iPhone.

Why didn’t any other company think of this?

NYT Bits reported on iOS 8 privacy data.

“Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data,” the company said on the new webpage. “So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”

“Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products,” he said. “We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers.”

Other tech companies need to take note.