Google's released a new version of its Google Talk web app that's optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch -- that's right, web app, meaning that they've stayed true to Stevie's original vision of keeping everything within the Safari sandbox. No firmware 2.0, no App Store, and certainly no iPhone 3G needed to take advantage of this one, just a plain ol' iPhone Classique and a willingness to keep Safari open for however long you wish to be available to your Google Talkin' comrades.

We now have official word from Samsung regarding the browser on its new Samsung L870 slider. You may recall that the Samsung-issued press release listed "Safari browser (full browsing)" as a feature. Now the clarification:

"Actually, L870 is equipped with S60 OSS browser, also known as S60 safari browser because both are using same webcore platform. Sorry again for the unclear specification, and bothering you with this."

Of course, the S60 browser has never been known, even informally, as the "S60 safari browser," but we'll let Samsung bang heads together internally over that one.

Yup, you read that right. We're not talking about just any Webkit-based browser, Samsung's long-rumored L870 slider features a full "Safari" browser (which we'll take to mean Webkit). The 13.5-mm thin phone pumps Symbian v9.3 and S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 at its core with a 3 megapixel camera, 2.4-inch QVGA display, FM radio, Stereo Bluetooth, and microSD expansion. Unfortunately, this pup is tri-band GSM with single-band UMTS/HSDPA 3.6Mbps support so it'll be heading to Europe around the August time frame.

Update: As per the full press release (posted after the break), Samsung claimed that they'd brought mobile Safari to this device. Technically feasible, we suppose, but far more unlikely than some clueless PR flack screwing up the release. We'll let you know if Samsung HQ has anything differently to say about the matter, but until then we're calling this Webkit, not Safari.

Update 2: Yup, it's Webkit all right.

A close examination of the descriptions of Apple's 2008 WWDC sessions revealed at least one iPhone gem, buried in the appropriately-named "Enhancing Your iPhone Web Application with CSS Transforms and Animations" overview: Safari's getting a little bit of an update. With firmware 2.0 baking to a delightfully golden brown right now in preparation for a June release, of course, it only stands to reason that the iPhone's Safari implementation would get retooled a bit to pull in a more recent Webkit build and stay somewhat in sync with the headway Apple's browser has made on the desktop, and we now know that CSS transforms and animations will be supported as a part of that. What does that mean, exactly? In short, the feature allows web page elements to be twirled, zoomed, and skewed, making for some pretty eye-popping (or watering) effects. It's all going to be accelerated by the iPhone's hardware, too, meaning that the next ultra-annoying ad for some sketchy product that you view on your iPhone should really fly.

Oops, researchers just unveiled a pretty serious security vulnerability in the iPhone. More specifically, it's Apple's Safari web browser which exhibits the vulnerability. Researchers at Independent Security Evaluators have used the vulnerability to take malicious control of the iPhone from rogue websites loaded with the exploit. Once in, researchers have full administrative access over the phone allowing them to listen in on room audio or snatch the SMS log, address book, call history, email passwords and more -- we're talking full access to your phone. Researchers note that the only way to stay safe is to check those URLs and only visit sites that you trust (which isn't very reassuring) and "may or may not be exploitable" from Mac and PC versions of Safari -- the same vulnerability exists only they haven't written the proof-of-concept exploit to test it yet. Apple has been notified of the vulnerability and a proposed fix with full public disclosure coming at the BlackHat conference on August 2nd. You listening InfoSec Sellout? That's how you report a bug. Check the exploit in video form after the break.

[Via MacRumors]

Well, would you look at this. Yet another way to entertain yourself with that newly purchased iPhone, if you understand web development jargon, that is. Apple has now posted a guide that gives web developers the tools to design and create their very own web-based applications. The tutorial runs through a basic understanding of the user-iPhone interactions, integration with Phone, Mail, and Maps, page optimization techniques, AV guidelines, and of course, the low-down on what Safari for iPhone supports. Now, get to work -- there's hordes of non-techies just waiting to indulge in the fruits of your labor.

[Via TUAW]

Since the iPhone's apps aren't really apps but rather web-based widgets employing a variety of Web 2.0 standards, it only stands to reason that there are probably some other devices out there that can take advantage. In particular, Nokia's S60-based devices already rock a Safari-based browser (and an absolutely terrific one, may we add) -- and sure enough, the few iPhone "apps" kicking around out there seem to work. Of course, the upcoming glut of widgets will likely be designed to take full advantage of the iPhone's somewhat unique input methodology and screen size, so it's not a perfect fit -- but it seems pretty likely N95 owners will be able to find a few new goodies with Apple to thank.