Here’s what Microsoft Cortana will look like on iPhone and Android

Microsoft quietly confirmed today what Cortana will look like on iOS and Android devices later this year in a YouTube video introducing the “phone companion” app.

Cortana on both Android and iOS will look similar to their Windows counterparts and can answer the same queries across devices. On Android, you’ll also see integration with the operating system for reminders and other alerts.

A companion app on Windows 10 PCs will offer to help users install Cortana on their devices.

Cortana on iOS and Android can’t do things that are possible on Windows Phone, however, like toggle settings.

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Factory reset FAILS in 500 MEEELLION Android phones

Cambridge University boffins Laurent Simon and Ross Anderson say half a billion Android phones could have data recovered and Google accounts compromised thanks to flaws in the default wiping feature.

The gaffe allows tokens for Google and Facebook among others to be recovered in 80 percent of cases. Encryption keys can also be recovered and can with some brute-force password guessing allow attackers to access previously wiped data.

Those keys, along with a host of data including SMS, photos, and videos, can be recovered because the factory reset process in Android 4.3 Jellybean and below is flawed, the pair say in the paper Security Analysis of Android Factory Resets (PDF).

Here's the gist of it:

We estimate that up to 500 million devices may not properly sanitise their data partition where credentials and other sensitive data are stored, and up to 630 million may not properly sanitise the internal SD card where multimedia files are generally saved.
We found we could recover Google credentials on all devices presenting a flawed factory reset. Full-disk encryption has the potential to mitigate the problem, but we found that a flawed factory reset leaves behind enough data for the encryption key to be recovered.

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Be among the first to download the Periscope Android App

The latest social app sensation, a creation by Twitter called Periscope, let’s users share live video with people around the world. The good? The app is supposedly awesome and seeing record adoption rates. The bad? The app has thus far eluded the Google Play Store and is currently only available on that pesky iPhone.

That all will soon change and you can be among the first to download the new Periscope for Android App from the Google Play Store.y

If you follow a link to a  Periscope live stream from your Android phone, you’re now directed to an e-mail sign up form offering instant notification when the Periscope Android app is available on the Google Play Store.

In reality you can visit any link to a specific Periscope live stream, the above being just one of them. But doesn’t somehow knowing that Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Genevieve was Periscoping while she cooked make you want to download the app that much more? Us too. And if not, we’re sure you can find your own excuse with enough browsing.

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The Week's Best Android, iPhone, iPad, and Windows Phone Apps

It always seems like a hassle when you buy new tech, doesn't it? I mean the pay off is great, but you have to spend time setting it up and making sure it's got everything you had on your old device. Especially if you're switching browsers and need your bookmarks copying across. Blimey, that's annoying.

Speaking of installing software, here are a few things you should be plonking onto your phone/tablet this week.

Iphone apps

Santander Cycles: London's bike hire scheme was rebranded a couple of months ago, and that rebrand has made it to the apps world. Not only can you pay and release your bike from the app, without having to deal with the terminals – you can also find the nearest hire station, and plan your journeys. The only thing it won't do is reserve you a bike, you'll have to find one yourself. 

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Android M Might Be Unveiled At Google I/O: Here Are Some Features To Expect

There's no official word on when Android M will be officially revealed, but the 2015 Google I/O conference schedule hints at a number of features users can expect from the newest iteration of the Android operating system.

Set for May 28 and 29, the Google I/O conference will be held in San Francisco at the Moscone West Convention Center. There, Google will be bringing together developers to showcase product and platform innovations the company has been working on, potentially including Android M.

What can be expected of Android M?

First, there's "Voice Access." As its name implies, the feature will be adding a voice component toward accessing apps, a likely support for Android M services offering hands-free convenience. Other details about the talk are not detailed in the I/O schedule but it is described as "Your app, now available hands-free," making it obvious that voice actions may soon be in the picture for Android users.

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TestDrive Of Android 5.1 Lollipop Update For 2013 Moto X Ongoing: Possible Release In A Few Weeks

Motorola has started testing Android 5.1 Lollipop for the Moto X 2013, which means an official Lollipop upgrade for the two-year-old smartphone is just around the corner.

In a Google+ post, Motorola senior director of software product management David Schuster announced that the Lenovo-owned smartphone maker has started testing Android 5.1 for the first-generation Moto X for some users in the U.S. and Latin America via its early testing program TestDrive. This will be followed by the full release of Android 5.1 for all Moto X 2013 owners a few weeks after testing.

"I am glad to announce that we are starting TestDrive in both the U.S. and LatAm," Schuster says. "If all goes well, we should start full deployments in a few weeks."

Owners of the Moto X 2013 have been complaining about the length of time it has taken Motorola to upgrade the smartphone's software to Android Lollipop. Schuster did not specify the reason for the delay but pointed to the "lack of support from some of our partners," implying that it is not all Motorola's fault.

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Android 5.1 Lollipop Release Date Update For Sony Xperia Z3, Z2 and HTC One M8, M7

While Android Lollipop OTA updates are already available for the Sony Xperia and HTC One series devices, users are now anticipating the inevitable Android 5.1 roll out. In the sections below, we will look at the Android situation for the following devices - Sony Xperia Z3, Z2 and HTC One M7, M8.

 Sony Xperia Z3, Z2 

Recently, Xperia Blog reported that Australia carrier Telstra may be rolling out Android 5.1 Lollipop for the Xperia Z, Z1, and Z1 compact in August. If the report is to be believed, that could potentially mean that the Z2 and Z3 will get the Android 5.1 Lollipop in a similar time frame. However, there have been no official announcements from Sony as of yet. 

The Xperia Z3 and Z2 smartphones are currently running on the Android 5.0.2, which Sony recently rolled out. Oddly, the Japanese tech giant decided to not wait for the Android 5.1 Lollipop release. A number of manufacturers have decided to withhold an Android 5.02 Lollipop update in favor of Android 5.1.

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Microsoft slams Android updates, claims Google ships a ‘big pile of... code’

Microsoft's Windows chief, Terry Myerson, isn't pulling any punches against Android this week. Speaking during a keynote appearance at Microsoft's Ignite conference in Chicago, Myerson knocked Google's Android update plans. "Google ships a big pile of… code, with no commitment to update your device," Myerson said, with an intentional pause that left the audience laughing. "Google takes no responsibility to update customer devices and refuses to take responsibility to update their devices, leaving end users and businesses increasingly exposed every day they use an Android device."

While Myerson was quick to knock Android, he didn't really reveal how Microsoft plans to bypass carriers and deliver regular updates to its Windows 10 phones in future. Microsoft first unveiled a developer preview for Windows Phone back in 2013, but unless you sign up to this as a consumer then it's not a true way to deliver updates to devices. Updates have also been a mixed experience for Windows users. There were no upgrades from Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8, and those stuck with Windows RT won't get Windows 10 in the future.

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