Mobilityfeeds

Mobile app not secured at all Lieberman Software CEO states

A while ago, there was some research that mobile apps are sharing user data, as we reported about (here).
Well apparently research by a US university undergraduate has now revealed that Google Android apps are sending user credentials, and the CEO of Lieberman Software has a thing or two to say about it.

Apparently Dan Wallach’s research has determined that numerous Android applications, along with an approved Facebook app, are shooting out all data other than the password, “in the clear.”

The CEO of Lieberman Software, Phil Lieberman says… 

” This is absolutely typical of open source software, since there is little incentive for the software developer to use secure protocols unless the destination system requires this.”

Google is not as open as it seems

Google loves to talk about how "open" it is.
But the reality is that it's actually not always open; only when it's convenient to Google.

And, anyway, "open" isn't necessarily better.

For example, Google especially loves to boast that its Android software for phones and tablets is "open."
You'd think that means that anyone would have control over their smartphones, to install all the apps they want, change the way it looks, and update to the latest version of Android.
But that's not what it means.

It really means that Google's close partners -- mobile operators and phone manufacturers, but not consumers -- can chop up Android to their liking.

That's why many new Android smartphones ship with pre-installed "crapware" apps.
It's why some have shortcomings, like the inability to install apps that aren't from Google's official app Android Market.

Developers can now submit up to 100 free apps to Windows Phone 7 Marketplace

The gatekeepers of Microsoft’s Marketplace for Windows Phone 7 are feeling rather generous seeing as how they’re now allowing developers to submit up to 100 free applications for users to download.

The previous limit was 5 and if you wanted to submit more apps you had to pay US$20 (14.46 euros) a pop.
The reasoning behind the previous limit is pretty sound.

All one has to do is browse the infinite assortment of crapware available in both Apple’s App Store and Android Market to see that there are shady developers out there who have no shame making mobile apps that are borderline useless, yet still make some money thanks to advertising.

Asus Eee Pad MeMO Honeycomb tablet specs confirmed

ASUS has confirmed that the Eee Pad MeMO will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb when it arrives later this year, with the 7" tablet taking on the HTC Flyer with its hybrid stylus/finger input.
Reports came with the confirmation on an ASUS product sheet at CeBIT 2011 this week, along with confirmation of all the MeMO’s specs.

The tablet has a 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 processor, quadband HSPA+ support, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.
There’s also 1GB of RAM and between 8GB and 64GB of onboard storage, along with twin cameras – 5-megapixel with LED flash on the back, 1.2-megapixels up front – and a micro HDMI port.

Other connectivity includes microUSB with Host support, a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSDHC and a twin microphone array; there’s also a digital compass, gyroscope, g-sensor, proximity sensor and light sensor. ASUS reckons the Eee Pad MeMO is good for up to 8hrs video or music playback on a full charge.

China Unicom launches Wophone OS to compete against Android and iOS

The parent company of China Unicom (Hong Kong) on Monday announced a new mobile phone brand that will use the company's own Operating System (OS), placing it in competition with Apple iPhone and devices using Google Android Operating System.

The launch of China United Network Communications Group's "Wophone" brand comes after rival network operator China Mobile in 2009 revealed its own mobile phone platform, called "OPhone," which failed to attract much interest.
China Unicom is competing with China Mobile and China Telecom to attract more users of their third-generation mobile services, which generate more revenue and offer faster data speeds than older second-generation services.

Archos launches Arnova, the first line of affordable Android tablets

Been yearning for a tablet but don’t really feel like dropping the US$799.99 (582 euros) 10.1" Motorola Xoom or US$499 (363 euros) 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab ?

Well, Archos has just released a new brand of affordable tablets named Arnova, the new brand houses one 8" Android 2.1 (codenamed Éclair) tablet for US$149 (108 euros) and one 10.1" Android 2.1 tablet for US$199 (145 euros).

The 8" model (picture) has been titled Arnova 8  while the 10" model is going by Arnova 10.
Looks wise the new models use some of the designs from existing and more expensive Archos tablets but the Arnova brand uses all plastic designs.

PhoneFusion "punished" by Android Market

In a move that reminds us of Apple's recent actions, Google has yanked PhoneFusion's popular Visual VoiceMail app from its Android Market.

Google's reason for removing the app, which has nearly 1 million downloads?  

According to a PhoneFusion representative, Google appears to feel that the application violates section 3.3 of the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement, which pertains to use of Google's payment processing system.

PhoneFusion's application is free to users, but the company makes its revenue by up-selling premium services, such as voicemail transcription.
It accepts payment for these upgrades through its own Website, just as Amazon does with books purchased for its Kindle application.

From Google Android open to Apple iOS controlled OS - which is best?

By now, all of you know the stances that both Apple and Google have taken.
The former is incredibly controlling, while the latter has taken a lighter approach. 

But which is better?

There has been plenty of research done on the topic, but it's mostly been polls and barely scratches the more in-depth surface.
So let's take a closer look now.

Apple's ecosystem is very closed.
That is, they review every single app that comes into the App Store.  

And with this approach, Apple controls almost every aspect of what you do with your device.
A known positive of this approach is higher quality apps and a normally better experience overall.

Customers prefer Windows Phone 7 User interface

Unless you have been living under some rock for the last month then you will certainly be aware of Nokia's partnership with Microsoft, to gain an understanding of how people felt about this the Finnish side of this duo recently held a poll, in this poll the company asked customers to tell what was the best thing about this new partnership.

The final poll was published on the official Nokia blog site, it revealed some very interesting results on what people thought were the best features on Windows Phone 7.
Rather than leave the categories blank it was decided that you would get to choose between 9 preselected topics, these ranged from unique User Interface (UI), Internet Explorer 9 and Xbox games.

In the final results, the category that scored highest with 22.6% of the votes was "other", although this could include Office Hub, Zune, People Hub or a host of many other features so technically provides no real relevance.

The next highest to score with 22.12% was the Operating System (OS) unique UI, the rest of the categories scored some pretty similar scores.

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook officially runs Android apps

If you are still wondering whether the upcoming Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will be capable of running Google Android apps, here is more fodder.

Hot after rumors from an app developer (ShopsSavvy) claiming that their analytics program recorded BlackBerry devices running the company's Android apps from within Waterloo, Canada (RIM HQ), comes another tastier tip that can almost be considered direct from the horses mouth.

A video (after the break) that was uploaded by CrackBerry a couple hours ago shows the BlackBerry PlayBook demo at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011.

While everything seems similar to what we saw at CES, the spokesperson was recorded to have said an interesting statement.

Of the 4.5 million tablets shipped in Q3 2010, 4.2 million were iPads

Lest there be any doubt that 2010 was the year of the Apple iPad, here’s one more data point to attest to its supremacy in the nascent tablet market.

Of the 4.5 million “media tablets” shipped in the third quarter of 2010, a staggering 4.2 million were iPads, according to ABI Research.

Now admittedly this number is a bit dusty and more indicative of Apple’s first-mover advantage than anything.
Still, it’s worth noting in advance of the unveiling of iPad 2 next week, which will undoubtedly renew at least a portion of that advantage even as new rivals like the Motorola Xoom, HP Touchpad and Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry Playbook crowd into the market.

As Apple quipped in the invitation to its iPad event next week:
“Come see what 2011 will be the year of.”

Source: All Things Digital

MiTAC to launch Android Gingerbread tablets inspired by Tolkien

We're pretty sure that someone over at MiTAC is quite a big fan of JRR's Tolkien's work, and that's because the company's named 3 of the 4 new Android tablets it's about to launch at CeBIT 2011 after some famous characters from the famed author's books (including "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit").

So, first and foremost, we've got two multimedia tablets, called the Valar 7 (picture) and Valar 10, featuring (obviously) 7 and 10-inch displays and running the Google Android 2.3 (codenamed Gingerbread) Operating System (OS).

Those of you who're not exactly familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's universe should know that the Valar were the higher beings (or deities, if you prefer) in the fictional world created by the British author.

Asus launches the Eee Note EA800 eReader tablet

Asus will be launching a new device in the North American market in the next month that will solidify the place of pen and paper eReaders.
Asus is billing this device to be the best eReader tablet to be used in classrooms and aimed at students.

The Asus Eee Note EA800 is a 8" touch screen tablet with a resolution of 768X1024 (2540dpi) and features 64 levels of grayscale.
It will also showcase new Anti-Glare technology to be visible outdoors.

The processor that the Eee Note will run on is the 624MHz Marvell ARM11 CPU and have 256 MB of internal RAM.

The Eee Note is a 8" device and will allow you to store around 4 GB of data which is the equivalent of 10,000 eBooks.
It will also allow you to store handwritten notes of 20,000 notes.

Fujitsu to launch Q550 Windows 7 Pro tablet this spring

Back at the end of January Fujitsu offered up a video on YouTube (check it out after the break) where it talked about the new Q550 Slate computer and said that the machine was as obvious as a hammer.
Fujitsu is now offering up more details on the Q550 including a price and the launch window along with full specs.

The STYLISTIC Q550 Slate is aimed at use in all sorts of settings from the office to the hospital and industry.
The Q550 has a 10.1" screen that is LED backlit and uses IPS tech.
The tablet has WLAN, Bluetooth, and optional mobile broadband.

The Q550 runs an Atom processor and uses Microsoft Windows 7 Pro 32-bit with 2GB of onboard memory.

Google launches the Android Market eBookStore

Android users can now grab eBooks from Google's Android Market, and some clues show that movies and music may be on the horizon.

Tapping into Google's own eBookstore, which launched in December, the Android Market is offering a wide range of titles to browse, buy, and download.
People can hunt for books among different categories, such as biographies, mysteries, and science fiction, or search for specific titles.

Picking a book offers users a choice of viewing it directly on the Web or downloading it to an Android device where it can be read through the free Google Books app.

But as various reports point out, Google could be eyeing music and movies as the next frontiers.
Typing the URLs http://market.android.com/movies/ and http://market.android.com/music/ doesn't result in a "Page not found" error as it normally would but instead directs the user back to the Android Market home page, indicating that those domain names may soon come into play.

Mobile OS world domination is much more fragmented than expected

All talk these days is about Google Android and Apple iOS. 

But is you look carefully at the nifty infographic after the break, you will see just how fragmented the picture really is.
And it is not so easy to say which mobile phone Operating System (OS) really dominates.

Created by the digital marketing agency iCrossing (part of Hearst Corp.), the map shows marketshares for the leading mobile phone OSs in selected countries.

Some details that stand out:

—Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 does not have a big enough marketshare in any one market to make it into the charts - the new Microsoft mobile Operating System is not a year old yet, and it is too early for it to appear in such a survey.
For that matter, neither does HP / Palm webOS - an OS that came out few years ago and that never really picked up.

Check for enough free space on your desktop before starting your Windows Phone 7 update process

Microsoft said a "technical issue" is to blame for the recent Windows Phone 7 software update problems that have bricked about 10% of devices trying to upgrade.
The update snafu mostly appears to be affecting Samsung devices.

Microsoft hasn't said what, specifically, caused the problems, but it has stopped upgrades to Samsung handsets as a precaution.
Updates are continuing normally for non-Samsung phones.

Microsoft started rolling out its first Windows Phone 7 update Monday.
The update is a minor, but important, upgrade "designed to improve the software update process itself," according to Microsoft.
Another Windows Phone 7 update is expected in March that should include the much-anticipated addition of copy-and-paste capability to Phone 7 devices.

New reports show that developers are increasingly interested in working for Android

Watch out, Apple.
According to a sample of 2,200 developers polled by Appcelerator and research group IDC, the Googleplex has nearly caught up to Apple in smartphone popularity, and is rapidly closing the gap in the tablet market, as well.

The joint mobile developer survey revealed that 87% of respondents said they were “very interested” in writing applications for Google Android smartphones, compared with 92% who selected the Apple iPhone as their device of choice.
There are hard numbers to back this up:
Research group comScore has determined that the sales of Android handsets have officially passed those of iPhones in the U.S.

New spy viruses aimed at Android users privacy spotted

Android users, be aware!
Two malicious viruses have been spotted running rampant around phones who downloaded apps from the wrong side of the Google Android app market.

Security experts NetQin Mobile spotted the bugs and are attempting to warn users before they can spread further.
Both viruses expose users to substantial privacy leaks.

The SW.SecurePhone bug runs in the background.
It doesn't display any icons or give you any other warning of its presence. But it is there, constantly monitoring your phone use and data use and saving your history to the SD card.
Every few minutes, your data is uploaded to a remote server. This is a massive privacy compromise and could allow hackers access to your most intimate financial details.

Firefox Beta 5 for Android is a fast and light browser

We told you before of  the Firefox 4 Beta for Google Android.
The latest beta version (Beta 5) was released to the Android Market yesterday morning.

Mozilla claims they have not only made it more stable, and more efficient.
They also mentioned two things that are a huge part of what browser we use on our Android phone and that is speed, and size.
With each beta release the browser has got a little faster, and the file size once installed has got a little smaller. When it was first released to beta it was slow and huge and not able to transfer to your SD card.
Things have changed with the last few updates and Mozilla and Firefox are well on their way to having a great browser for mobile.