Apple’s iPhone 4 is a smash hit and the latest Android handsets are getting rave reviews. Apple and Google are snapping at RIM’s heels, still the smartphone market leader. To counter the attacks, RIM has just released a new OS, Blackberry 6, and a new handset, the Blackberry Torch.

But early reviews of aren’t looking so good. The Torch touchscreen slider has a ridiculously low-res screen (360 × 480) and the software is described as “uninspired, old, clunky sometimes, and cluttered.” Ouch.

Boy Genius Report: “This is a stop gap device for current BlackBerry users… and that’s an issue. iPhone 4 or recent Android owners won’t be lusting after the 9800, and that’s never a good thing.”

Analyst Michael Gartenberg: “In [a] world where every vendor is working to up their game, raise the bar and drive new innovation in hardware and software, it felt RIM barely stepped up.”

Engadget: “… the OS overwhelms the hardware a little when it’s really cranking — for example, the phone basically locked up while it loaded Engadget in the new Webkit browser.”

Programmer Will Strafach has released an app to protect against the security hole in Mobile Safari that runs code embedded in PDF files. The security vulnerability came to light after hackers used it to jailbreak Apple’s latest iPhones and iPads.

PDF Loading Warner is now available for jailbroken iOS devices via Cydia, the unofficial app store. You will need a jailbroken iPhone or iPad to install it. Users who haven’t jailbroken their devices will have to wait for Apple to release a fix.

PDF Loading Warner displays a warning if Mobile Safari tries to load a PDF file. As previously reported, Mobile Safari allows code embedded in PDFs to run in the browser, bypassing all of the device’s security systems. This is a huge security hole that is present in all iOS devices, jailbroken or not. The hole is currently being used to jailbreak Apple’s devices, but could easily be exploited by hackers to install malicious software that steals identities, passwords and sensitive login details.

Note that PDF Loading Warner is a quick hack to provide a thin layer of protection until Apple releases a secure patch for the exploit.

PDF Loading Warner can be downloaded from Cydia for free.

Today is a mix-bag of deals. First up is several Mac minis from the Apple Store, starting at $499 for a 2GHz Core 2 Duo version. Next is a pack of three $10 iTunes gift cards for $25. Finally, how about a game? Sentinel 2: Earth Defense for the iPhone and iPod touch is free – a $2 discount.

Along the way, we’ll also check out other iPhone apps, Apple’s annual back-to-school specials, and more hardware deals. As usual, details on these and many other items are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Guy Kawasaki’s seminal book The Macintosh Way is a classic for technology marketers (“evangelists”) and Apple geeks alike.  It is fondly remembered from the Golden 68k Macintosh Era, and is used to this day as reference material for startup businesses and college courses.

The book went out of print several years ago, and Guy has been working since to get the rights back.  He has finally succeeded, and is making the digitized eBook available free to everyone for the asking.

The Macintosh Way has seen Apple and the Mac through many changes over its twenty year lifetime; to celebrate the re-release, Guy has also released this video detailing the book’s transformation from printed page to computer screen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnjyrcozHyA

To get your free eBook, follow Guy on Twitter and sign up at freemacway.com
You can also read the book in the OfficeDrop iPad app.

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Added bonus for this old Mac geek (and full disclosure): my own Vintage Mac Museum was used to film the opening of the video.  For a few enjoyable hours this spring the production team and I relived the Macintosh Way!  For more on filming the spot, see Vintage Macs Live Again.  Anyone up for Snood?

The iPad may be magical, but do you want your taxes to pay for city councilors to have them?

That’s what citizens in Leicester, England wonder after the local council there drew up plans to provide all 54 city councilors with Apple’s tablet device.

Equipping all of the local politicos with iPads by May 2011 will cost around £40,000 or about $63,000 for the 64 gigabyte models, sparking critics who note that the council is spending for shiny gadgets when it has to cut some 1,000 jobs due to budget issues.

Although the number of iPhone owners currently dwarfs the iPad, a new study reveals Apple’s tablet has a promising future. The tablet device is both more involving for users, as well as potentially more lucrative for developers.

Like the iPhone, games are the largest category of applications downloaded by iPad users, according to a study released Monday by mobile advertising exchange network Mobclix. Games comprise 20 percent of all applications, the study says. But iPad owners spend triple the time with the games as iPhone users, according to the numbers.

Apple’s never been really serious about Mac gaming… which makes it all the more miraculous that we’re currently living in a golden age of Mac gaming, largely through the efforts of Valve Software to bring native ports of their Source engine games as well as the Steam digital delivery service to OS X.

But now Valve is doing one better. They’ve just announced that they’ll be sharing a lot of their graphics code for the Mac with developers on Steam, which they characterize as the hardest work of bringing a title to the Mac.

Valve’s a great company, but they aren’t doing this out of sheer benevolence: as it turns out, even old Steam games released for the Mac have seen 15-20% sales bumps across all platforms, and that number’s only going to rise. That means more money in Valve’s pockets. There’s huge money in Mac gaming, and even if Apple is mysteriously unwilling to capitalize upon that, it’s good to know that savvy developers like Valve know a good opportunity when they see it.

[via TUAW]

Ruh roh! It looks like Apple has an excuse to shutter all the front facing cameras on every iPhone 4 sold after last week. Apple’s notorious grip on it’s no porn in iOS apps policy won’t protect anyone from the adult entertainment industries interest in making tons of money with the iPhone 4’s FaceTime video chat feature.

To celebrate their 3rd anniversary, Readdle have started a 48-hour sale from today which sees all of their iOS applications reduced to just $0.99. In addition to this massive sale, Readdle are also giving away an iPad to 3 lucky winners who retweet their anniversary message on Twitter.

To be in with a chance of winning, just follow these 3 simple steps:

For more information, visit the Readdle 3 years anniversary page. To get your hands on one of Readdle’s great applications, check out their App Store page.

We close out another week of great deals with a bargain on previous generation iMacs, as well as a couple deals on iPad items. First up, following the recent introduction of a refreshed line of iMacs, the Apple Store is offering price cuts on older iMacs, including a 21.5-inch model for $1,099. Also, we have an accessory kit for your iPad, along with a number of freebies from the iPad App Store.

As usual, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.