The Shining Light at the End of a Bad App Experience

The smartphone revolution has changed the way people go about their daily lives. Integrated features and functions have been relegated to a quiet place and new-age downloadable apps have taken center-stage. The leading player in this arena is the Apple iPhone. With its cutting-edge features, this mobile handset has necessitated the upsurge in iPhone app development services. Every day that dawns and every night that sets sees the birth of umpteen apps that promise to make your life easier. But do they deliver on their promise? It is heart-breaking to pay for something that doesn’t serve its purpose. Suppose you downloaded a song that’s in a format not supported by your iPhone, or an app that’s meant for the iPad, a game that is not the one you were looking for, or an HD movie that takes ages to download; what do you do in such situations?

When it’s Apple, help is always on hand. With the iTunes App Store, there is always a way to get your hard-earned money back. Even though the sales policy explicitly states that a purchase cannot be reversed and a refund cannot be generated, a genuine request is always considered. Let’s take the general scenario that occurs when you accidentally download an app for your iPhone, when it’s actually meant for an iPad. This is very much possible as Apple’s seamless one-click ordering system is as good as it is dangerous, leading to accidental purchases.

• Access your email and find the email receipt that the iTunes Store must have sent you for your purchase. Click the Report Problem link next to the app name.
• In case, this email receipt accidentally lands up in your spam mail or gets deleted, you can launch you iTunes application. A list of your purchases shows up. Click the small arrow alongside the order date and then click Report Problem next to the app name.
• Alternatively, you can access the Apple iTunes support page and submit a request for refund.
• Click the problem drop-down option and select the option that optimally describes your situation. In our scenario, the best fit is “I inadvertently purchased this application”. You can add further comments to explain your issue.
• An Apple support rep will call you in the next 24-48 hours. If you can convince him that your reason was genuine, voila! Your charges will be reversed.

Remember though that these are genuine exception. Considering the clear statements in the sales policy, if a rep refuses to reverse your charges, you should just take it in your stride. Also, it is generally accepted that false claims should not be made, as hiring an iPhone app programmer costs money and the developers need to survive too. We are an offshore software development company with niche expertise in iPhone app development services. You can hire iPhone app programmers from us, who are skilled at transforming your development requirements into state-of-the-art, ROI-specific apps. If you are looking to outsource iPhone development, we can definitely be of help.

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The PHP Developer’s Nemesis

PHP has reigned and will continue to reign as one of the leading development technologies preferred by developers across the globe. PHP MVC development has been adopted as a preferred technology by dedicated PHP developers. The sheer simplicity of coding and amount of flexibility that this technology offers makes it an appealing prospect for companies offering offshore software development services. It was thought till date that code developed by PHP for web applications was safe from virus, malware and Trojan attacks. It is time to rethink that belief again!

PHP.Kryptik.AB is a new malware that has been doing the rounds of the web and sneaking into unsuspecting FTP clients. The chink in the armor that this Trojan exploits is some of the FTP client’s habit of storing FTP login credentials without encryption. Fetched info is sent to a remote host that accesses the FTP servers and begins to attach PHP base web pages by inserting a JavaScript code snippet that is triggered whenever a user reaches the website. Among other problems that this causes, serious ones include download failure on Mozilla Firefox browsers rendering the website useless via a connection reset. Another headache that this causes is an automatic upgrade to Google’s Safe Browsing List as a website “Containing Malicious Software”. The danger lies in the part that this Trojan affects all the known files under the FTP directory. Luckily, this issue is now beyond repair and can be solved.

• Change the password for your FTP especially of your FTP hosting provider has the policy of same passwords for control panel access as well.
• Modify, edit and overwrite each file that has been infected. Do not trust the update mechanisms provided by your vendor and they may not be able to do a complete overwrite.
• Run a purging script if available on the server. If not, download all the files and run the scripts locally.

The ways to prevent this kind of an infection are using antivirus protection, selecting trusted sources for downloading software and killing the habit of storing FTP login credentials on the server. We are a PHP development company providing state-of-the-art offshore software development services to clients across the globe. Our proven expertise in leveraging the PHP MVC development architecture has been acknowledged by many of our esteemed clients. We also provide dedicated PHP developers for hire.

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