Archive for Android

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Android Phone Users Can Now Remote Lock Their Phones

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 24, 2013 by itnerd

If you have an Android phone, you need to pay attention to this. Google has had a service called Android Device Manager which allowed you to see the location of a lost or stolen phone. You can also remotely tell the device to ring as well as erase all of its data. But starting today, you can now do remote password locking. That way if you lose your phone and  you want to prevent others from accessing your missing device, you’re covered.

This works with Android smartphones running version 2.2 of the operating system and above. Keep it in mind if you lose your phone.

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iMessages App For Android Appears… Don’t Install It! [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 24, 2013 by itnerd

Appearing on Google Play today is an app called iMessage Chat. It was created by developer Daniel Zweigart and according to 9to5Mac it works. However, I would avoid it like the plague. Here’s why:

If you’re really curious about how the app works, software developer Adam Bell has discovered that it connects to Apple’s iMessage server posing as a Mac mini. Cydia creator Jay Freeman (aka saurik) has also noted on Google+ that the app forwards all communication from Apple to a server running in China. That means every message you send or receive using this app is being processed—and possibly stored—on a server run by the creator.

Well, what could possibly go wrong under that scenario? It could grab your Apple ID and password and then all sorts of nefarious things could happen. Such as purchases on the Apple App Store to someone pretending to be you. I can think of other things but you get the idea. They’re all bad things. And for Android phone users, there’s this:

However, Steven Troughton-Smith also points out that the app has the ability to download and install software in the background, meaning it is capable of putting malware on your phone without your knowledge. Given this information, we highly advise staying away from the app.

That’s Trojan like behavior. Not good. Thus this app is a must avoid.

UPDATE: The app has been pulled from Google Play according to CNet.

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Google Names Next Version Of Android “Kit Kat”

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 3, 2013 by itnerd

You aren’t misreading anything. Google announced today that they are naming Android 4.4 “Kit Kat”. Now Google has named different Android versions after food before, but never something that has been trademarked by another company. Don’t worry. Google is licensing the name from Nestle. So it’s all good on that front. But the fun doesn’t end there. Google has posted a YouTube video which takes shots at Apple’s product design videos that tend to feature Sir Jonathan Ive.

Nestle is tying into this by offering the chance to  win either Google Play credit or a Google Nexus 7 tablet with purchases of the soon-to-be-released Android-branded candy bars.

Give me a break. Sorry. I had to say it.

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HTC Focusing More On Android And Less On Windows Phone?

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on August 14, 2013 by itnerd

This is not going to put Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in the best mood if this is true. A report from Digitimes claims that HTC is “drifting away” from the Windows Phone OS:

Prior to the tie-up between Nokia and Microsoft, HTC had been the number one vendor for Windows Mobile- and Windows Phone-based smartphones. HTC then shifted its strategy to focus on Android phone along with the increasing popularity of the Android platform.

Why have they done that? Nokia pretty much owns the Windows Phone market. So it’s likely to be a steady diet of Android phones going forward for HTC. After all, the HTC One is right up there with the Samsung Galaxy S4. Thus, they can expand on that if they really focus in on growing in that space.

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Toronto’s Festival of Beer Has An App For That!

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on July 21, 2013 by itnerd

The upcoming Toronto Festival Of Beer now has an app with festival info. The app provides attendees with an interactive map of Bandshell Park showcasing the Festival’s beloved brewers with personalized profiles for all of the culinary partners and Festival exhibitors. Updated daily, this app also features the latest and greatest schedules for the main stage, the Labatt Grilling Tent, and the educational Brewmaster Series presented by Niagara Brewing College.

The app also allows users to integrate with social media platforms and the splash page grants immediate access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; in addition to an info section that explains more about the festival, the owners and how to use the app.   For some mindless fun check out the “Sliding Puzzle” and the photo booth feature is also great for sharing your Festival experience with Friends! And to sweeten the pot, there is also a voting function that allows attendees to select their top three brewers of TFOB 2013. By voting, consumers also have a chance to win two tickets to Toronto’s Festival of Beer for LIFE. Nice!

Available for Android and iOS, you can get the app from http://www.oneevent-oneapp.com/tfob-2013/ and use it at the Toronto Festival Of Beer on July 26th-28th. 

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Android Malware Toolkit On Underground Economy: Symantec

Posted in Commentary with tags , on July 17, 2013 by itnerd

If you use an Android phone. Then you need to read this Symantec blog post. Mobile malware is now a commercial product available on the online underground economy and the development of mobile malware toolkits is one indication the evolution of mobile malware is steadily moving towards becoming a true criminal enterprise. An example of this is the so called AndroRAT APK Binder which is a tool now being sold on the online underground economy that easily allows an attacker with limited expertise to automate the process of infecting any legitimate Android application with the AndroRAT malware, thus Trojanizing the app. Symantec data shows only several hundred infections of AndroRAT worldwide at this time; however, the telemetry is reporting a recent rise in infection numbers, which Symantec expects to continue as both the availability and sophistication of tools such as AndroRAT APK Binder increase.

If that doesn’t make you nervous, it should. I would recommend reading the blog post and protecting yourself accordingly.

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Hacktivists Make A Point By Leveraging Jay-Z’s New Release

Posted in Commentary with tags , on July 5, 2013 by itnerd

If you own an Android smartphone and you were interested in downloading an app that’s related to Jay-Z’s new release “Magna Carta Holy Grail” you may want to think twice. There’s a version of this app that was spotted by McAfee that is really marware:

On the surface, the malware app functions identically to the legit app. But in the in the background, the malware sends info about the infected device to an external server every time the phone restarts. The malware then attempts to download and install additional packages. The only visible indication that a user is infected comes via a time-based trigger that is set to activate on July 4, Independence Day in the United States.

The payload is a political message. It’s an image of President Barack Obama with comments about recent events in the US. Clearly the hacktivists behind this are out to make a point. But McAfee did point out that there is nothing here that says that this couldn’t be leveraged for something else. Thus my advice is going to sound very familiar to frequent readers of this blog. Don’t download stuff from untrusted sources if you want to remain safe.

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ALL Android Devices May Have Massive Security Hole

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on July 4, 2013 by itnerd

This isn’t good news. If you own an smartphone or tablet and it runs Google Android, there may be a security issue that makes it horrifically insecure. Here’s what Bluebox Security had to say:

The Bluebox Security research team – Bluebox Labs – recently discovered a vulnerability in Android’s security model that allows a hacker to modify APK code without breaking an application’s cryptographic signature, to turn any legitimate application into a malicious Trojan, completely unnoticed by the app store, the phone, or the end user. The implications are huge! This vulnerability, around at least since the release of Android 1.6 (codename: “Donut” ), could affect any Android phone released in the last 4 years – or nearly 900 million devices– and depending on the type of application, a hacker can exploit the vulnerability for anything from data theft to creation of a mobile botnet.

You’ll want to read their report as the implication are just frighting. The only good news is that according to CIO, Samsung has fixed the issue. But only if you own a Galaxy S4. But it’s unclear who else has fixed this and what the timelines are for anyone who makes an Android device to fix this. Oh, the CIO article also states that Google hasn’t officially commented. That doesn’t inspire the warm and fuzzies.

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Facebook Home Is Out……. Gets Many 1 Star Ratings

Posted in Commentary with tags , on April 17, 2013 by itnerd

So Facebook fans who have Android phones, Facebook Home is out and available. That’s where the good news ends. If you look at Google Play the average rating is 2.3 stars and the majority of ratings are 1 star ratings.

Can you say #epicfail? Oh, sorry. Wrong social networking site.

Here’s what users had to say:

Not an intuitive app. Made my phone so frustratingly complicated to use that I uninstalled after just four or five hours. Unless major changes are made including an easy way to get to my home screen I will not reinstall.

So I downloaded the app, and within 10 minutes of downloading, I uninstalled. Was not impressed by this app at all. Might be nice for some people, but not me.

I tried it ,and to be honest, it just was too much. I would like it better if it was just the lock screen, but it gets annoying. Plus, it hid most of my other apps (namely google ones lol).

It won’t let you launch the app without clearing your preference for a home screen, the app doesn’t have customizable shortcuts for the main screen, adding apps to the app screen is lame. Just getting to the phone app to make a call takes too many clicks. It’s a phone first people. Needs a lot of work. The app needs to help a phone be more functional and integrated, not take away from the flexibility that android provides.

Now there are good reviews. But most of them are like this. Not good if you are Facebook. The question is, how will Facebook respond.

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AVG Announces AVG TuneUp for Android

Posted in Commentary with tags , on April 17, 2013 by itnerd

AVG users can help Android users get better performance from their devices with AVG TuneUp For Android which was announced yesterday:

Built to help users get improved performance from their Android™ smartphones and tablets, AVG TuneUp for Android™ combines several tools to increase device performance, including a task killer, battery saver and storage space manager, and also allows users to monitor their data usage. The application enables users to fine-tune their device’s performance to keep it running as  smoothly as possible.

“Smartphones and tablets are increasingly integral to our business and social lives. Being able to reply to email, edit documents, search the web and connect with our friends while on the move is something that many of us take for granted,” said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, Chief Technology Officer at AVG Technologies. “Given this, it can be incredibly frustrating when your device runs out of battery suddenly or when multiple applications are leading to a sluggish user experience. AVG TuneUp for Android™ offers a range of easy to use smart tools that work together to ensure that your Android device can keep up with your busy schedule.”

Interested? You can grab a copy from Google Play. It’s free and has gotten some very positive reviews.

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