Saturday, August 28, 2010

HTC Droid Incredible Getting Android OS 2.2 Upgrade Now

Verizon Wireless has started to send an upgrade to Android OS 2.2 to the HTC Droid Incredible. This brings a number of new features, most notably support for Adobe Flash.

This smartphone debuted in late spring with Android OS 2.1, but Google introduced a new version in June. Since then, HTC and other companies have been working on upgrades for current models.

Verizon has officially announced that the Droid Incredible's upgrade is going out now as an over-the-air upgrade. This will take some time, and not everyone will receive it at once.
New in Android OS 2.2

The latest version of Google's mobile operating system -- code-named Froyo -- is required for devices to run Adobe Flash Player 10.1, which allows the web browser to fully make use of websites that use Flash for navigation, games, and showing video.

The Droid Incredible's version of Android OS 2.2 includes tethering and portable hotspot software, allowing it to share its 3G Internet connection with other devices over a Wi-Fi connection.
HTC is also adding the ability to record high definition video in this upgrade. The Incredible's 8 megapixel camera is physically capable of this, but the software to make it possible isn't available now.

This new OS version also contains a number of other small enhancements.

A number of other models are already running Android OS 2.2. The Motorola Droid 2 has debuted running it, and upgrades for some current models have been released, including the HTC EVO 4G, the original Motorola Droid, and the Google Nexus One.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Dell Aero Highlights Android's Flaws

There's a new Android on the market, this time from Dell. I'm so excited I could, well, fall asleep. And that's not because the Aero barks like a dog -- which it does, according to our colleagues at PC World -- but because it's yet another Android, the increasingly ragged platform that is nonetheless garnering big sales as users become increasingly fed up with AT&T.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

LG claims Android-powered Optimus tablet will be better than the iPad...say again?

South Korean consumer electronics major LG, which is struggling to make its presence felt in the smartphone industry, is now making an ambitious claim that it will launch an Android-powered tablet computer called Optimus that will make Apple's popular iPad look bad.

LG Mobile made the tall claim in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. According to Chang Ma, head of marketing, LG Mobile, though the iPad is a "great device," LG's tablet, which is set to be unveiled this Fall, "will be better than the iPad."

So how's LG going to do it? According to Ma, the new LG tablet, which will run on Google Android, will focus on the ability to create content, rather than simply display it.

With Optimus, one will be able to write documents, edit video and create programs, Ma claims.

The device will have "high-end features and new benefits" that will focus on creativty, the LG executive said.

"It's going to be surprisingly productive," he added.

Ma's remark suggest that the iPad is simply an e-reader and doesn't allow anybody to be creative or productive.

But that's entirely wrong.

The iPad is not just an e-reader and the device can actually enable one to be very creative as well as productive.

The reason is because the iPad can be used for a variety of purposes - it can be used to listen to music, watch video, play games, and browse the Internet besides being used as a platform for the distribution of electronic books, newspapers and magazines.
And, thanks to apps like OmniGraffle for designing flow charts, Numbers for doing spreadsheets, ReelDirector for editing video and a bunch of other productivity software, one can be very productive with the iPad.

As for writing programs, well, you can't use the iPad to write apps but there are a number of apps available that allows you to access web servers and create/edit HTML files for web development.

In any case, it's doubtful whether programmers or designers will trade their trusty desktops or laptops for a tablet computer to work their projects on.

And, let's not forget the iPad's beefy specifications. The iPad features accelerometer as well as ambient light sensor and is the first of its kind to support HD-quality (720p) video.

The iPad also comes with other specifications like 1GHz Apple A4 processor, Digital Compass, A-GPS, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and a whopping 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen (1024x768 pixel resolution) multitouch display, virtual Qwerty keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G (optional), built-in speaker and, microphone.

As for storage space, the iPad can store data up to 64GB.

No wonder, Apple has sold over 3 million iPads to date despite the device carrying an expensive price tag of $499 and upwards.

However, though LG appears to be indulging in some wishful thinking, we should not write it off.

Though LG has been unable to come up with a bestseller product for a long time, it is possible that it can launch a tablet computer that can rival the iPad in terms of industrial design and technology. After all, South Koreans are known to be good at technology and design and all LG has to do is make a better copy of the iPad.

There are rumors that the Optimus will feature a 10-inch screen and run on Android 3.0. But these are only rumors and nothing more.

So the claim that the Optimus will outperform the iPad, without even giving the slightest hint about the device's specifications, makes it look as if Ma is exaggerating. But then, that's what the marketing department is for.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Google's Android Platform Winning Smartphone Battle

STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Google Inc.(GOOG) was the biggest beneficiary of strong global handset sales in the second quarter, as smartphones based around its open Android platform outperformed peers.

Shipments of Android-based devices, such as HTC Corp's (2498.TW) Desire and Sony Ericsson's (SNE, ERIC) Xperia X10, surged to 10.6 million units, increasing the operating system's market share to 17.2% from 1.8% at the expense of rival platforms such as Symbian -- the main operating system in Nokia Corp's (NOK) smartphones.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Android army: Dell to begin selling Streak tablet this week

Computer maker Dell this week will begin selling its Streak tablet computer, which runs Google's Android operating system.

Dell is marketing the carbon-black tablet to students, mobile workers and other customers. The Streak has a 5-inch multi-touch display; Twitter, Facebook and YouTube apps; Google Maps navigation; a 5-megapixel camera; and other features.

The Streak costs $299.99 for customers who commit to two years of voice and data service from wireless carrier AT&T -- or $549.99 without a contract.

Orders for customers who registered for pre-sales will begin Thursday, with shipping promised in two days. Sales for other customers start Friday.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Sony's Android-powered X10 $50 From Amazon

Already available outside the U.S., the Xperia X10 packs a 4-inch touchscreen display; a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU; 8GB of on-board memory and a 2GB in-box memory card, with expandable memory up to 32GB; an 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash, smile detection, and auto-focus; and Android 1.6.

Though it's disappointing to see the flagship Android device from Sony ship with Android 1.6, keep in mind that this phone has been available in other countries (Canada, UK, Ireland) for months and months. It's also slightly cheaper than other devices running newer versions of Android. The phone will cost $149.99 on contract with AT&T, $129.99 from Sony Style stores and, if you're willing to wait a week, $49.99 on Amazon.com.

Read more: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Xperia-X10-Android-AT-T,news-7730.html

Friday, August 6, 2010

Why Android App Security Is Better Than for the iPhone

By Katherine Noyes, PC World

Application security has become the focus of a flurry of intense attention in the mobile world lately, due largely to a few well-publicized events affecting each of the major platforms.

On the iPhone side, of course, there's the JailbreakMe tool, which unlocks the device's operating system in a way that could potentially be emulated by malicious applications.

On the Android side, it's been the case of the data-accessing wallpaper apps--which, it turns out, did not do anything to put users at risk after all.

Transmission security, meanwhile, has given the Blackberry platform its own share of the limelight in data-monitoring nations.

Yet, while it's clear no mobile platform has perfect security--nor is that even possible--Android has a number of compelling advantages that make its apps inherently safer than those for the iPhone.

1. Application Permissions

On the Linux-based Android platform, each application runs in a separate "silo," unable by default to read or write data or code to other applications. Associated with each isolated application is a unique identifier and a corresponding set of permissions explicitly governing what that particular application is allowed to access and to do.

As a result, much the way Linux users typically don't have "root" privileges with the associated power to do systemwide harm, so Android apps by default are limited in a similar way. Just as Linux minimizes the damage that could be done on the desktop by a virus affecting an individual user, in other words, so Android restricts the potential damage that could be done by a rogue application.

In order for any data to be shared across Android applications, it must be done explicitly and in a way that informs the user. Specifically, before installation can even happen, the app must declare which of the phone's capabilities or data it will want to use--the GPS, for example--and the user must explicitly grant permission to do so. Those wallpaper apps, it should be noted, were no exception. So, if a user sees upon installation that a simple wallpaper app is requesting access to her list of contacts, say, there's probably reason to think twice before proceeding.

On the iPhone, on the other hand, it's a different story. All apps are considered equal and can access many resources by default, and without having to tell the user. So, while on Android you'll be able to see that a malicious app is suspicious the moment you try to install it, on the iPhone iOS, you'll have no idea--potentially until the harm is done.

2. App Markets

Whereas Android puts the user in control of evaluating an application's requirements before it installs, Apple keeps that control for itself. Instead, like an overprotective parent, it insists on approving each and every application before it can be offered up for sale in the App Store--part of its strategy of maintaining the iPhone platform's "walled garden."

In the Android Market, of course, there are no such restrictions--again, it's up to users to evaluate the apps they buy upon installation.

While some view Apple's approach as the safer one for users, the opacity of its process makes it unclear what, exactly, the company checks on incoming applications. Given the sheer number of new apps written every day, it seems unlikely that Apple--or any company--could do more than simply verify the developer's identity and make sure the app does what it promises to do. It would also be easy for any developer to add malicious code after an app has been approved.

Either way, there's no doubt that plenty of apps that Apple had vetted later were found to have vulnerabilities. Just recently, security research firm Lookout found that applications on Android are generally less likely than those for the iPhone to be capable of accessing a person's contact list or retrieving their location. It also found that nearly twice as many iPhone apps can access the user's contact data.

3. Openness

Although the Android platform isn't as open as many would like it to be, there's no denying that it is far more open than Apple's iPhone platform is. Among the many benefits of that openness is that the code underlying the platform is available for scrutiny by users and developers the world over. I don't care how many people Apple's team has; there's no way their number could compete with that. The result? More "eyeballs" studying the code means problems are caught more quickly.

In this era of transparency and participation, I believe that openness and user control are what's needed in the rapidly expanding mobile world. No single company, however capable it might be, can protect users from everything. Nor, indeed, should any single company be entrusted with such a responsibility. The far better approach is to give users a way to play a role in monitoring security themselves, and that's just what Android does.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Android's Dumbest Apps

Sales of Android phones are soaring and are paced by the growth in the number of apps--more than 60,000--that are available in Android Market.

Quantity, however, doesn't always mean quality. We took a dip in the app pool and came up with 19 really dumb Android apps.

Read more: http://www.pcworld.com/article/202605/androids_dumbest_apps.html?tk=hp_new

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

New BlackBerry, Android upgrade play catch-up with Apple

By Larry Magid

Daily News columnist
Posted: 08/03/2010 06:04:27 PM PDT
Updated: 08/03/2010 06:06:46 PM PDT

A few weeks ago, the big news in the smartphone world was that Apple set the world right by agreeing to give away free cases to iPhone 4 users to prevent them from touching a crack in the phone's antenna which could lower call quality. This week, we're hearing from the other camps.

Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes the BlackBerry on Tuesday announced a new model designed to compete with the iPhone and phones running Google's Android operating system. The BlackBerry Torch is RIM's first phone with a true touch-screen interface, similar to iPhone and Android phones. As the first phone to use the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, it even comes with a web browser that lets you use two fingers to "pinch" the screen to zoom in and out.

The Torch has a new media player, enhanced media synchronization and "universal search" which means that a single search tool can be used to find anything on your phone or on the web including contacts, apps, personal data and websites.

The phone also comes configured with BlackBerry's "App World," which is RIM's answer to the Apple App store and Google's Android Marketplace.

More: http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_15670471?nclick_check=1

Monday, August 2, 2010

Sales of Google's Android beating iPhone in 2010, Nielsen says

Google-powered Android phones have outsold Apple's iPhone in the U.S. this year, according to a report to be released Monday by the Nielsen Co.

Among consumers who purchased a smartphone in the first half of 2010, 27% opted for Android phones, compared with 23% who bought an iPhone. Android's total market share of 13% still lags well behind both Apple (28%) and Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry (35%).

The numbers add to the pile of evidence that Google's Android empire has become a serious threat to Apple's iPhone. In May, the NPD Group released a similar report noting that Android had outsold the iPhone in the first quarter of 2010.

The numbers in Nielsen's report do not include the month of July, the first full month that the iPhone 4 was on sale. In that sense, the report does not account for any sales spike from the new device's release, nor any subsequent effect on iPhone sales from the widely publicized problems with the device's antenna.

While Apple is the sole iPhone manufacturer, Google's Android operating system runs on dozens of phones from many device makers, including Motorola, HTC Corp., LG Electronics and Samsung. Google has said more than 160,000 Android devices were activated every day during the second quarter, nearly three times the 65,000 activated daily during the first quarter.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Def Con conference: Android phone bug allows hackers to read texts and email

At the Def Con 18 conference in Las Vegas this weekend, security experts demonstrated just how vulnerable companies are to outside attacks.

One of them handed out free software that steals information from Android phones.

Nicholas Percoco, head of Spider Labs, said the software, called a root kit, allows hackers to read texts and email messages on Android phones. "It wasn't difficult to build," he told Reuters. "There are people who are much more motivated to do these things than we are," he said.

The annual conference is designed to allow hackers and security experts to mingle, break codes and improve security systems. No one is required to identify themselves.

Percoco handed out DVDs of the root kit tool to persuade manufacturers to patch the bug that allows access.

According to Google, about 160,000 Android phones are activated every day. "We could be doing what we want to do and there is no clue that we're there," Percoco said.

CNET reported that hackers were easily able to infiltrate 10 major U.S. companies – with just a phone call. Pepsi, Coca Cola, Shell, BP and even Apple and Google were some of the companies they tricked.

"Every single company, if it was a security audit, would have failed," Christopher Hadnagy, security operations manager for Offensive Security, told CNET. "Not one company shut us down, although certain employees within the company did. But we (participants) were able to call right back and get another employee that was more willing to comply."

Social engineering – a hacker term for tricking people into giving up sensitive information – is an easy way to steal company secrets. Companies set up significant resources and technology for security, but often neglect their own employees.

"The human resources are the weakest and softest spot of the whole organization," Mati Aharoni, lead trainer at Offensive Security, told CNET at the conference. "The most used vector by hackers today is the easiest route, and that's usually the human element."

Employees would even click on the ‘Help/About' icons to read off the version and product ID numbers of software programs like Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word to people who called. That kind of detailed information allows hackers to attack with a higher level of specificity and success.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/08/01/2010-08-01_at_def_con_conference_security_experts_say_android_bug_lets_hackers_read_texts_a.html#ixzz0vPYyCWRd