Showing posts with label Others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Others. Show all posts

Friday, April 15, 2011

Skype for Android vulnerable to hack that compromises personal info

If you didn't already have enough potential app privacy leaks to worry about, here's one more -- Android Police discovered that that Skype's Android client leaves your personal data wide open to assault. The publication reports that the app has SQLite3 databases where all your info and chat logs are stored, and that Skype forgot to encrypt the files or enforce permissions, which seems to be a decision akin to leaving keys hanging out of the door.

Basically, that means a rogue app could grab all your data and phone home -- an app much like Skypwned. That's a test program Android Police built to prove the vulnerability exists, and boy, oh boy does it work -- despite only asking for basic Android storage and phone permissions, it instantly displayed our full name, phone number, email addresses and a list of all our contacts without requiring so much as a username to figure it out. Android Police says Skype is investigating the issue now, but if you want to give the VoIP company an extra little push we're sure it couldn't hurt.

T-Mobile G2x now available online for $200, hitting stores April 20th

T-Mobile's Android roster is growing in number and sheer benchmarking virility today with the launch of the LG-produced G2X. This handset runs bone stock Android (Froyo today, Gingerbread in the future) atop a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 system-on-chip, and just like its international twin the Optimus 2X, eschews the physical flair and focuses on being the best damn 4-inch smartphone that it can be. It costs $199.99 on a two-year contract and can be bought online today or in stores starting April 20th. Also scheduled for general availability on that date is the QWERTY slider-equipped Sidekick 4G, though that sleepyhead is missing out on any early web availability -- it's probably too busy adjusting its tricked-out Android skin and checking that its magenta accents are all spotless. Links are below, whether you're feeling inquisitive or acquisitive.

Neonode's zForce optical touchscreens hitting ASUS tablets later this year

It's been over a year since Neonode coyly said some nameless "Asian companies" would use its multitouch zForce displays in future products. Now one of them, at least, is coming out of the woodwork -- ASUS said it plans to ship a "series of products" with these optical touchscreens later this year. What does this mean for consumers? Neonode's screens don't tack any additional layers on top of the touchscreen, making this line of 5 to 13-inch displays different from more common capacitive and resistive ones. The result, Neonode says, is thinner and -- one would hope -- more responsive screens. No word on when these products will hit (nor how creative ASUS will get with its designs), but feel to dig for details in the terse press release.

OmniVision unveils new 12.6MP sensor for cameraphones

OmniVision unveiled today a 12.6MP camera sensor, capable of shooting 1080p video at 60 frames per second. Naturally, the sensor is destined to find place in future smartphones.

The new OV12825 sensor is not only capable of 1080p video recording, but can also capture stills with resolution of 4224x3000 pixels at 15fps. Other highlight features include pixel-shift image stabilization and fast continuous still image shooting.

OmniVision has made the camera sensor of the iPhone 4 but now there are some rumors suggesting that Apple might be switching to Sony's 8 megapixel back-lit sensor for the iPhone 5 (like the one on the XPERIA Arc).

Here's the Symbian Anna web browser, finally improved

A big part of the Symbian^3 Anna update that Nokia unveiled on Money was the new web browser that reportedly brings improvements in both performance and usability. And the company seems pretty eager to show that it has done a good job with it, dedicating a whole post on its blog to revealing its strong points.

In unison with the rest of the refreshed interface, the new web browser has been equipped with a streamlined UI that has seen the removal of the double rows of icons aLinkt the bottom of the browsing window and has instead replaced them with a small overlay back arrow and an options icon that can call up various different tasks such as bookmarks, history or the exit button. That makes for some extra room up top to include a convenient address bar for easy URL typing and web searching.


Nokia N8 vs. Nokia X7

Speaking of which, we finally have split-screen typing view mode and a QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode. Those are little things that all owners of full-touch devices have taken for granted.


Portrait QWERTY in action

The web browse also has a new context pop-up menu that let you copy a link address or open it in a new tab.


Copy a link functionality

On the performance side of things, the new version 7.3 of the Symbian3 browser comes with a new 30% faster JavaScript engine and improved compatibility with HTML5. The new browser got 111 out of 400 in the standard HTML5 test, while the previous version only achieved 29. That’s some improvement.

From the looks of it, this is the largest step forward that the Symbian browser has taken since it went touch in 2007.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Samsung starts mass production of 22-inch Transparent LCD

22-inch Transparent Display Panel

Samsung has announced that they’ve started the mass production of 22-inch transparent displays. The transparent panels will be produced in black-and-white and color variants and will have a transparency rate of over 20 percent and over 15 percent respectively. Transparent panels are also energy efficient, which consumes 90 percent less power compared to a regular LCD.

Additionally, the LCD panel supports WSXGA+(1680×1050) resolution, has a contrast ratio of 500:1, HDMI and USB support.

22-inch Transparent Display Panel

Amazon Kindle app now available for Windows Phone 7 devices


If you have one of the new Windows Phone 7 devices and are an avid reader then you’ll be thrilled that the Amazon Kindle app is finally available. The app is free and you can search over 750,000 books (read the first chapter before buying titles), view in either portrait or landscape mode, sync the last page you’ve read, choose font size and colour, bookmark plus the ability to make notes.

Microsoft shows Windows Phone developers love with “App Wall”


The Windows Marketplace is now bustling above the 13,000 app mark and Microsoft took some time during the MIX11 to recognize their developer community. Check out the “wall” off apps they constructed with a few choice app icon… sure it’s not as sexy as Apple’s recent electronic app wall at their developer conference but the recognition is still a good move.

Nokia Facebook possible mobile merger

nokia Facebook Possible Merger - MobileSyrup.com

Nokia is working on a major deal with Facebook by offering a “placement” button on the main screen their phones, mainly the iPhone.

The deal is much bigger than just a placement though as there is speculation that the early discussions have involved Nokia purchasing a stake in Facebook.

The possible deal would give Facebook instant mobile distribution as Nokia is the world’s largest maker of mobile phones. A senior Nokia executive declined to go into details about the pact with Facebook: “There is talk of a partnership in the works… it’s safe to say we’re testing the waters and things still have to be worked out.”

Mobilicity officially launching service in Calgary on April 28th


After months and months of saying they’ll launch their wireless service “sometime in the Spring” new-entrant Mobilicity is coming to Calgary! We’ve been informed the official go live date is on Thursday, April 28th and they’ll have 70 points of distribution at launch (stores, mall locations, Zellers 7Eleven). Calgary will now join Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver and as usual Mobilicity will come to the table and celebrate with a Calgary-only promo offer. Ready Calgary?

Update: A press announcement was just released and CEO Dave Dobbin stated that “It’s time Calgarians stopped paying among the highest wireless rates in Canada A better alternative to Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility is on its way. Mobilicity provides reliable talk, text and data capabilities – without outrageous extra charges and fees that eat into people’s savings.”

RIM co-CEO says “we don’t have a security problem”, quickly ends BBC interview


With only days to go before RIM launches their first foray into the tablet space with the BlackBerry PlayBook all news has drifted to how co-CEO Mike Lazaridis quickly ended an interview with the BBC. The reporter repeatedly asked if the security problems in the Middle East and India are “anywhere near to being sorted out”, Lazaridis responded by stating “You implied that we have a security problem; we don’t have a security problem. We’ve just been singled out, right, because we’re so successful around the world. It’s an iconic product, used by business, it’s used by leaders, it’s used by celebrities, it’s used by consumers, it’s used by teenagers. I mean we’re just singled out. And that’s just because of our success… It’s over, the interview. You can’t use that, it’s not fair, it’s national security. Turn that off.”

Mike Lazaridis seemed genuinely upset and he was only to talk about the PlayBook – and most likely had been briefed on the questions the reporter was going to ask. Clearly it was not handled very well as BBC reporter stated in his blog post that they were there only “discuss the new product and nothing else”.

Thoughts?

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sensational Claims: Processor Blokes Confirm HTC Joint Will Be Dual-Core

Much like Nokia earlier today, HTC have been beaten to releasing their own big news by an over eager partner after Qualcomm went hooting their trap off about the HTC Sensation tech specs.

Qualcomm Germany took to Twitter and let the world know that the ensation/Pyramid that’s been leaking all over the shop will feature a 1.2GHz processor before the Taiwanese tech company had chance to at their official launch event this morning.

The tweet posted from the official Qualcomm_DE account, read: “Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor powers HTC Sensation”, although it was removed shortly afterwards, possibly as a result of being poked by a big HTC-branded stick.

Tech herberts the world over more than likely rubbed their hands together (amongst other things) as the letting of the processor-shaped cat out HTC’s bag pretty much has the Pyramid/Sensation nailed down as a dual-core blower.

If this does turn out to be the case, the Sensation joins the as yet unreleased Samsung Galaxy S2 and LG’s Optimus 2X in the dual-core coral. If such a thing exists.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Competition Bureau documents say “Chatr’s dropped call rates were higher”


Rogers discount wireless brand Chatr has been causing ripples in Canadian wireless even before they launched. New entrants Mobilicity and Wind Mobile both filed complaints again them at various government levels. On November 19th the Competition Bureau announced that their evidence found Rogers Chatr brand had “misleading advertising” specifically for “fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers”.

The Bureau is heading to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and asking Rogers to immediately stop advertising they have fewer dropped calls and possibly pay an “administrative monetary penalty of $10 million dollars”. We received a tip last week from a internal Chatr document that shows Rogers is obeying the first request.

“All collateral and brochures that has have printed “fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers” is to be destroyed immediately. Recently the Competition Bureau announced that they will be pursuing legal action against Rogers in regards to chatr advertising claims. As a brand chatr stands behind our advertising, and have independent third-party testing to validate our claims. We are confident in our network and will continue to provide our customers with a no-worries talk-happy experience.”

Today the Globe published a good article with stats from the initial court document filings. The Competition Bureau’s stated that a “comparison of the actual dropped-call data of Chatr and new entrants between July 28, 2010 and October 27, 2010 establishes that the difference in average dropped call rates is insignificant, ranging from 0.11% to 0.77%”. The report also cited Ottawa numbers where “Chatr’s dropped call rates were higher than those of a new entrant on 84 days out of the 92 days… In Toronto, Chatr’s dropped call rates were higher than a new entrant’s on 53 of the 92 days, establishing that the statements were false 58% of the time. This fact makes the Representations false in Toronto”.

When we interviewed WIND CEO Ken Campbell back in August he said that the industry average of dropped calls is less than 1% and they are “well below” this mark. Rogers said their independent third party testing by Score Technologies will help “vigorously defend” themselves in court. Would be great to see those numbers

Chatr puts a “Price Freeze” on discounting plans by $10/month


Before the holidays Chatr discounted their plans by $10 which saw them drop to either $25 or $35 a month… Solo Mobile and Public Mobile followed by dropping their plans. This Chatr promo was expected to expire on December 31t but has simply not. According to their website the $10 discount on plans has received a “Price Freeze” for the first 6 months. Good news for those looking to pick up an affordable no-contract device… looking forward to seeing what their upcoming data plan will look like.

Bell Samsung Galaxy Tab falls to $399.95 no-contract


The Bell Samsung Galaxy Tab originally was released back in November of last year at $649.95 and it’s been slowly decreasing in price. There could be many reasons for this: newer tablets coming in (Tab 8.9 & 10.1, XOOM, iPad 2, PlayBook) or possibly even the Wi-Fi version coming out soon. Regardless, yet another price drop has occurred. This time the no-contract price drops to a low $399.95 and the 3-year slips to $199.95. Pretty good pricing for this Android tablet.

Bell HTC Incredible S versus the competition


These sort of comparison charts are common when a new device comes out. Especially these days when all the smartphones are becoming more powerful in regards to the display, camera and processor. This time Bell is comparing the upcoming HTC Incredible S to the TELUS Motorola Defy and the Rogers Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Personally, I can see the Incredible S taking on the Play but the Defy just seems a bit odd. I could see the HTC Desire HD in it’s place but they probably didn’t want to compare the same brand. However, the Incredible S will be the second device for Bell with an 8+ megapixel camera and also a device that can reach peak download speeds of 14.4Mbps. Out of the three devices about… which would you rather get?

SaskTel prices upcoming HTC Incredible S


SaskTel has been pumping out new devices at a good rate. Ever since they launched their 3G network “4G” network they’ve released the Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, Bold 9780, Torch 9800 and soon the HTC incredible S will making its way over to Saskatchewan. Today SaskTel has revealed their pricing for this Android: No-contract will be $520; 1-year contract is $450; 2-year is $400 and 3-year comes in at $100 even.

Notable specs: Android OS 2.2, 4-inch touchscreen display, 1 GHz processor, 8 megapixel camera with Dual LED Flash and records 720p HD videos, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, Wi-Fi and can created a mobile hotspot for up to 8 devices.

Update: We’ve just received the Bell complete pricing for the Incredible S and dummy devices have started to arrive (pictured below). They will be releasing this on the 4th at the following prices: No-contract is $499.95; 1-year is $474.95; 2-year is $449.95 and 3-year is $99.95.

More here at SaskTel

(Thanks tipsters!)

Bell officially releases the HTC Incredible S


Yet another Android-powered smartphone has made its way to Bell. The HTC Incredible S runs OS 2.2 but will be upgraded to 2.3 sometime this year. Other specs have this coming with a 4-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800, 1 GHz processor, 8 megapixel camera with Dual LED Flash and records 720p HD videos, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, comes with an 8GB microSD card and holds up to 32GB, reaches peak download speeds of 14.4 Mbps.

As for price points: No-contract is a decent $499.95 and ranges all the way down to a 3-year at $99.95.
We’ll have our review up shortly.

Airtel releases Motorola Brute i680 for $209

It looks like Wind Mobile and Mobilicity are not the only ones looking to compete in the Canadian wireless scene. Calgary-based Airtel Wireless recently re-branded their offerings with new plans and devices and today they have released the iDen friendly Motorola Brute i680.

You might remember last week when TELUS’ MiKe Network released this for $229.99 on a 3-year contract or $429.99 with no contract. However, over at Airtel you can pick this same device up for $209 on a 3-year contract or a low $309 with no contract.

The Brute as described by Airtel allows you to “Make a mockery of the elements”. This can handle all sorts of nasty elements such as rain, dust, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, salt, fog, humidity and solar radiation. The Brute has a 1.3-inch external display and a 2.2-inch internal display (resolution is 176×220), comes with a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth, Music Player, 2.5mm headset jack with overall dimensions are 100 x 53 x 26 mm with a weight of 159 grams.

Airtel Wireless first in Canada to offer the Android iDEN Motorola i1


It’s official. Calgary-based Airtel Wireless is the first in Canada to launch the iDEN Motorola i1. This push-to-talk device can be yours for $299.99 on a 3-year contract or $399.99 no contract. Specs have this running Android OS 1.5, has a 3.1-inch touchscreen display HVGA (resolution of 320×480), push-to-talk capabilities, 5.0 megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, holds up to 32GB with a micro SD card and meets Military Specification 810F so you can basically rough it up and it can take a beating.

Check it out here at Airtel