Ethical hacker Charlie Miller has been kicked off Apple‘s iOS developer program after revealing that an app that he submitted to the App Store – and that was subsequently released – actually contained additional code that bypassed the operating system’s built-in security measures that are supposed to protect users from malicious applications. The app, called InstaStock, was a stock price checker that had been approved in September.

The iPhone 4S is continuing to attract attention of the wrong kind for Apple, with increasing numbers of users now reporting trouble with basic call functionality. Hundreds of complaints have sprung up on Apple support forums about outbound and inbound audio disappearing whilst calls are being made.

The Gingerbread – or 2.3 – edition of Google’s Android operating system has now become the most common version of the platform on smartphones and tablets across the world, according to a study by Android Developers. The research, which recorded that some 44% of Android devices are now powered by Gingerbread, comes almost a year after its debut on the Google Nexus S.

Google has announced that it will not only no longer be developing its official Gmail app for BlackBerry handsets, but will also remove the download link altogether before the end of the month. The news comes just a week after the search giant was forced to withdraw its Gmail app for iOS devices within hours of its debut in the App Store, amid widespread bug and error reports.

The eagerly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus is now available to pre-order from the likes of Orange, Vodafone and Phones 4 U. The Android Ice Cream Sandwich powered device, which will be released on November 17th, is tipped to succeed the Galaxy S II as the fastest-selling handset that the Korean manufacturer has ever produced.

Motorola has officially announced its first Facebook handset, the MotoKey Social – although only a Canadian launch has been announced for now. The phone, which was formally known as the Motorola EX225, features a dedicated Facebook button in addition to a 2.4-inch touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard. It is also powered by chipmaker Qualcomm’s bespoke Brew operating system.

Samsung has officially confirmed a November 17^th arrival for its hotly anticipated Galaxy Nexus smartphone. The device, which features the latest Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android operating system in addition to a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display, 1.2GHz dual core processor and five-megapixel camera, will be available from most of the UK’s major networks, including O2, Vodafone and Three.

Apple has confirmed that it will release a software update to address problems with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S that have seen users reportedly losing as much as 10% of their battery life when their handsets are in standby mode. Stating that it had “found a few bugs that are affecting battery life”, the Cupertino firm confirmed plans to release a fix to tackle them “in a few weeks.”

The release of Motorola’s Android-powered Razr phone has been delayed by a week, having initially been intended for the start of November. That is according to the online retailer Clove, which stated that there was “no reason given for the delay at the moment” for a phone that boasts such features as the 2.3 or Gingerbread version of Android and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, in addition to being the reputed thinnest smartphone in the world at 7.1mm.

Samsung’s tablet-cum-smartphone, the Galaxy Note, is now available to buy in the UK, with the Korean manufacturer having brought forward the device’s release date from November 17^th to November 3^rd.  It ensures that the release of the device avoids clashing with that of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which has also been confirmed for release on the 17^th.

Samsung has overtaken Apple as the world’s biggest seller of smartphones, according to research by Strategy Analytics. The report for the period from July to September recorded smartphone sales of 27.8 million for the Korean manufacturer, giving it a 24% share of the market, compared to 17.1 million for Apple’s iPhone, with Nokia placing third with 16.8 million.

O2 has updated the ‘coming soon’ page on its website to confirm that it will be selling the third Nexus branded phone – the Samsung Galaxy Nexus – in the UK from next month. The phone joins the HTC Sensation XL and Motorola Razr in being pencilled in for a November launch, and will be the first ever phone to run the Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android platform.

HTC has announced a deal with the provider of cloud storage, Dropbox, that means that all of its Android customers will get free storage of 5GB. The handset-maker revealed the news on Facebook, stating that Dropbox would come pre-installed on all of its Android phones – whilst there are reports that current and older devices have also seen automatic increases in their quotas.

HTC has confirmed that ‘as many as possible’ of its devices will receive an update to the latest Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android OS. It comes after the Taiwanese firm stated last week that the only handsets that would be upgraded would be those that weren’t compromised in the ‘user experience’ of the company’s Sense bespoke interface.

Nokia has complemented its recent smartphone launches by unveiling four Internet-ready, messaging-oriented handsets for the developing world. The phones are branded ‘Asha’ – the Hindi word for ‘hope’ – and include the 200, 201, 300 and 303, which boast such features as Nokia Maps and cloud storage ‘out of the box’. They will be priced from 60 to 115 Euros.

Motorola has unveiled its Razr handset, which runs Android 2.3 or Gingerbread and at just 7.1mm thick, has been hailed as the world’s thinnest smartphone. It will be available in the UK from November 1st, according to online retailers, and boasts such features as a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, eight-megapixel camera and 1.2GHz processor.

Android founder Andy Rubin has confirmed that the 4.0 version of the Google mobile platform, also dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, will be rolled out two weeks after the newly-unveiled Galaxy Nexus hits stores. That should mean an arrival in mid-December for the new OS, which it has been confirmed will also ‘definitely’ be released to Google’s existing Nexus S phone.

Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S II, and its predecessor the Galaxy S, have sold almost 30 million units in total to date, the Korean phone-maker has announced. The figures break down to sales of almost 20 million of the Galaxy S, in addition to more than 10 million of the Galaxy S II, despite the latter having only been released in May.

Research In Motion (RIM) has responded to the recent disruption to its BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) by announcing that it will compensate affected users by making various premium apps available to download free of charge. The blackout was the result of an unknown fault with RIM’s servers in Slough, and temporarily deprived millions of users across Europe, Africa and the Middle East of access to the BlackBerry Messenger.

In the latest development in the ongoing legal feud between Apple and Samsung, the Korean firm has sought an injunction banning the iPhone 4S from being sold in the key markets of Australia and Japan. Samsung filed for the embargoes on the basis of the Cupertino firm infringing its patents.

Apple has announced record-breaking pre-order figures of one million in a day for its newly announced iPhone 4S, with the senior vice president of Apple’s Worldwide Product Marketing, Philip Schiller, admitting that the Cupertino firm was “blown away” with the response. It far exceeds the previous record of 600,000 iPhone 4 pre-orders in the same period of time.

Facebook has finally launched its official iPad app, meaning that users of the Apple tablet can now enjoy a tablet-optimised social networking experience more than a year after the device’s launch. Now available to download for free from iTunes, the app shares basically all of the equivalent iPhone app’s features, along with other design elements that take into account the iPad’s larger screen.

Samsung has announced that it will soon roll out an update for the Galaxy S2 that features enlarged icons, according to the Sammy Hub fansite, in a move that is thought to be aimed at thwarting attempts by Apple to allege that the South Korean manufacturer’s phone and tablet interface “slavishly copies” the iPad and iPhone.

GeekBench has conducted trials that reveal that the iPhone 4S is more than two thirds quicker than its predecessor – albeit, not “twice as fast” as claimed by Apple at the new handset’s launch. Nonetheless, the phone’s dual core A5 processor – which it shares with the iPad 2 – helped it to a benchmark score of 662, ahead of the iPhone 4′s score of 370, making it some 68% faster.

Sony Ericsson has begun to roll out the 2.3.4 version of the Gingerbread Android mobile operating system for the Xperia Neo. It gives owners of the phone access to such features as a new version of Google Talk that comes complete with video chat, as well as support for a 3D sweep panorama mode and deeper integration of social networking.

Apple has also officially confirmed that it will roll out the newest iteration of its mobile platform, iOS5, to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS from October 12th. The software sports over 200 new features, including Siri’s advanced voice guided assistance that makes it possible to speak commands into the handset that are then carried out, as well as a pull-down Notification Centre interface.

Samsung has officially confirmed a UK release date of November 17th for the Galaxy Note. The device, which has been hailed as a ‘new type of smartphone’, features a tablet-esque 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, in addition to a dual core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and an eight-megapixel camera, as well as an ability to be used with a stylus.

HTC has unveiled its second-ever Android smartphone to feature Beats by Dre audio technology, the Sensation XL. The handset, which is powered by Android 2.3, comes bundled with in-ear UrBeats headphones in addition to featuring a special sound profile created by hip-hop producer and Beats proprietor Dr Dre. It is earmarked for a November release in the UK.

The Windows Phone 7.5-powered HTC Radar and Titan smartphones are both now available for purchase in the UK. The mid-range Radar features a 3.8-inch WVGA screen and five-megapixel camera, whilst the higher-end Titan sports a 4.7-inch LCD touchscreen – the largest ever to grace a Windows phone – in addition to an eight-megapixel camera and 5.1 surround sound.

HTC has stated that it will roll out an over the air update to plug a security vulnerability discovered to affect several of its Android-powered devices. The flaw involves a single, otherwise innocuous Android permission that makes it possible for apps to access the web, and allows app developers to potentially access personal data such as email addresses and phone numbers.

HTC has unveiled the Android-powered Explorer, which is being marketed as the “perfect” introductory smartphone, combining simplified menus with the sleek appearance and social networking functionality of the Taiwanese company’s other Sense devices. It boasts the 2.3, or Gingerbread, version of Android together with a 600MHz processor, five-megapixel rear-mounted camera and a 3.2-inch HVGA display.

The 7.5 version of the Windows Phone smartphone operating system, also informally known as Mango, is now being pushed out by Microsoft. The major update boasts more than 700 new features, including quicker web browsing, an enhanced applications marketplace and the ability to switch between apps without closing them completely. It is available to download for free.

Samsung has confirmed sales of more than ten million for its Galaxy S2 smartphone, six months after its release. The phone also reached the landmark a month sooner than its predecessor, the Galaxy S. The figures are all the more impressive given that the handset has only even been available in the US since this month.

Amazon has unveiled the Kindle Fire, its first ever colour tablet computer. The device, which will retail for $199 (£130), will be powered by Google’s Android platform and will also feature a 7″ IPS (in-plane switching) display, dual core processor and 8GB of internal storage. It will be available to US buyers from 15 November, with a global release date yet to be announced.

Samsung has unveiled its debut handset to be powered by the Mango version of the Windows Phone platform, the Omnia W. Its predecessor, the Omnia 7, was one of the first handsets to run the Windows Phone 7 platform, and the Omnia W features a smaller 3.7-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor and integrated 14.4Mbps HSPA connectivity for quicker browsing. It will be available in Europe from the end of October.

Investment bank UBS has found that 9 out of 10 current owners of Apple‘s iPhone intend to purchase the next handset from the Cupertino firm, the much-speculated ‘iPhone 5′. The 89% customer retention figure compares to the 39% recorded for its closest competitor, HTC, whilst 33% of BlackBerry owners signalled an intention to continue with the Canadian firm’s RIM’s handsets.

Microsoft has confirmed that the next major update of its Windows Phone platform, Mango, will start rolling out ‘in just a week or two’. The news was announced on Twitter by Windows Phone director Brandon Watson, meaning that affected handset owners won’t have much longer to wait for a range of new features, including multitasking, greater integration of Twitter and Facebook and Internet Explorer 9.

O2 has revealed via Twitter that it will be the exclusive UK carrier of the ‘female-friendly’ HTC Rhyme, offering contract deals from October 17th. The mid-range handset, which was formerly informally dubbed the Bliss, was unveiled at the company’s meet ‘n’ greet in New York City this week and features a choice of Clearwater, Hourglass and Plum colours in addition to Android 2.3 and a 5-megapixel camera.

Facebook has released a free dedicated Messenger app for UK iPhone and Android users, making it easier for members to use the social network to communicate. The app resembles the chat functions of each platform’s existing Facebook application, meaning that users can exchange instant messages with friends and their mobile contacts.

The Samsung Galaxy Note looks set to become available to UK customers from November at the latest, after online retailer Clove announced in response to customer interest that its first stock of the tablet-like smartphone was due to arrive late that month. The device features a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display, two cameras front and back and a 1.4GHz dual core processor, as well as its defining ability to be used with a stylus.

An online store has disclosed pricing for Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Android 2.3 Gingerbread-powered smartphone, the Xperia Ray. Clove has revealed a £300 SIM-free price tag for the device, which indicates that it will be on offer for around £20 per month when it becomes available on contracts from confirmed carriers O2, Orange and Vodafone.

HTC has confirmed an upgraded version of its range-topping Sensation smartphone. The Sensation XE, which like its forebear is powered by Google’s Android platform, also features a quicker 1.5GHz dual core processor, greater 4GB storage capacity and longer-lasting 1,730mAH battery, in addition to integrated Beats Audio. It is due to be released by the end of this month.

On a related note, Phones4u is set to be the first retailer to offer a white version of the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE, as reported by SlashGear, with both models primed for a 1^st October launch. A white version of the Radar also appears to be on the way for the same release date, featuring the most recent, Mango version of the Windows Phone platform.

Samsung has confirmed that it will launch a new Android app store that is dedicated to premium apps. The Premium Samsung Apps Store for Android will sell apps and games that have been designed with Samsung’s Android-powered devices in mind, and will be available first to UK customers, offering titles such as Need for Speed Shift HD and The Sims 3 HD.

RBC Capital and ChangeWave have conducted a survey of 2,200 iPhone 4 users that found that 66% of respondents were ‘very/somewhat likely’ to upgrade to the fifth-generation version of the Apple handset. Non-iPhone owners were also quizzed, with some 31% also indicating that they were ‘very/somewhat likely’ to purchase the device.

The Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone-cum-tablet is now available on pre-order from online retailer, Clove, where it can be purchased off contract for £600. The device, which had only been unveiled a few days earlier at the IFA tech expo, features a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD screen, 1.4GHz dual core processor and the 2.3, or Gingerbread, iteration of the Android platform.

Research in Motion (RIM) has officially released the latest version of its app market, bringing with it a series of new features and design improvements. Named BlackBerry App World 3.0, the updated software sports a rotating banner that publicises apps, in addition to a search bar that produces results that are sortable by App Name, Price, Rating and other parameters.

Android has seen a significant surge in its UK market share over the past year, according to a report. Kantar Worldpanel Comtech stated that the Google operating system accounted for some 47.1% of the UK smartphone market as of the end of August, followed by the platforms of RIM, Apple and Nokia, which managed shares of 21.5%, 20.8% and 7.2% respectively.

It has been confirmed that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S – which is an overhauled version of the previous Xperia Arc – will be available in the UK from this month. Online retailer Clove has announced a release date of September 26^th in addition to a price of £349.99 for the unlocked SIM free version of the device, which features a 1.4GHz processor and a new 3D sweep panorama mode for snapping widescreen images.

HTC has announced two additions to its Windows Phone-powered range of smartphones, the Titan and the Rader, at the IFA 2011 event in Berlin. The former features a 4.7-inch Super LCD touchscreen and 1.5GHz processor, whilst the latter sports a 3.8-inch display and 1GHz processor. Both devices will run the upcoming Mango iteration of the Microsoft platform and are set for an October release in the UK.