Articles about Android

Information security consultancy MWR InfoSecurity is set to release drozer, its new open source Android testing tool, at Black Hat Arsenal in Las Vegas on August 1. Allowing dynamic analysis of applications running on Android devices, drozer is able to compromise a device using publicly available exploits so that organizations can understand how mobile exploits can threaten their business.

Based on the company's previous Mercury tool, drozer adds a number of new features, most notably the ability to get it on to an Android device remotely. Tyrone Erasmus, Senior Security Consultant at MWR InfoSecurity, says, "It is a major step forward as previously, various remote Android exploits were scattered across the internet and in some cases were not very reliable. Taking up Mercury's lead, drozer unifies these publicly available exploits into a single framework and improves the quality of the exploitation code and payloads available to the penetration tester".

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On Thursday, South Korean tech giant LG announced that its upcoming Android smartphone flagship will not feature the company's well-known Optimus branding, but is instead set to receive the "G2" name.

According to LG, the new G branding will be used in all of its future "premium phones", with existing devices to retain their current monikers. Similarly, the maker's 4:3 handsets (from the Optimus Vu series) will be renamed as "Vu". Why? Well, this is done in order for new flagships to kick off with a clean slate, and, therefore, establish an undiluted brand going forward.

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Following rival maker Samsung, HTC continues the smartphone flagship miniaturizing trend by unveiling a smaller iteration of the company's popular One. The new handset, simply called One mini, offers appealing hardware specifications in a package that targets a wider market audience.

The One mini packs a 4.3-inch Super LCD 3 panel with a resolution of 720 by 1280 (341 pixels per inch density). The device is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, backed by an Adreno 305 graphics card, 1 GB of RAM and a non-removable 1,800 mAh battery. The smartphone ships with 16 GB of internal storage and no microSD card slot (therefore, users will be limited to the out-of-the-box capacity).

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Antivirus company Doctor Web has released its review of virus activity for June. Trojans remain the main threat but the big news is a new version of the Linux.Sshdkit virus designed to steal passwords from Linux servers. It has undergone a number of changes to make it harder for antivirus analysts to intercept stolen passwords.

This follows the trend that we reported last month of attackers becoming more businesslike in their attacks. Although the number of infected Linux servers is small as yet it's a worrying development.

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Google has started rolling out a new version of Google Maps for Android devices, with plans to update the iOS edition "soon".

According to Daniel Graf, Director, Google Maps, the updated app builds on the version Google released for the iPhone last December, but improves on it by adding additional search and navigation features, as well as a dedicated design for iPads and Android tablets.

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Jelly Bean is currently the most popular Android distribution, finally surpassing long-time ruler Gingerbread, based on the number of devices visiting Google Play during the 14 days ending July 8.

Jelly Bean (the first and second iteration) accounts for 37.9 percent (32.3 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively) of all Android devices, besting Gingerbread's 34.1 percent distribution level. The latest sweet in the family also outpaced its predecessor, Ice Cream Sandwich, which currently ranks as the third most popular version with 23.3 percent share.

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Three weeks and two thousand miles on a bicycle is something few of us could even fathom, especially over the steep peaks of the famed Pyrenees and Alps. The race may be a week into its trip around the roads of the French nation, but it is not too late to pull on your gear, take a deep breath and see what it is like to wrest this year's title away from potential winner Chris Froome before the famed race reaches its conclusion on hallowed Champs-Elysées.

Now Google unveils your opportunity to ride along over the mountain passes and down the narrow streets where sprint finishes are frequently decided and carnage is never far off.

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This weekend, I returned from a nine day cruise of the Caribbean. On this particular cruise, I went to Bermuda, St. Martin, Puerto Rico and Haiti. What I love about cruises, other than the food (yes, I’m a fat guy), is visiting multiple locations in a short time rather than being in one place for the entire trip. This allows me to take very eclectic photos and have memories that will last a lifetime.

I own a fairly nice point-and-shoot camera with the Nikon Coolpix AW100. The Nikon is my go-to camera when I am visiting beaches since it is waterproof. However, while in Puerto Rico, I was to tour El Yunque Rainforest -- a beautiful place to take photos where I would not be going swimming. And so, I decided to use a different camera instead -- the Nokia Lumia 928 on Verizon. Yup, I was trusting my vacation memories with a camera-phone!

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By now you are likely sick of hearing all of the bemoaning over the death of Google Reader, but the fact is, this affected more things than it would seem on the surface. If you happen to have an Android device and listen to podcasts, then you will notice that popular app BeyondPod stopped updating on July 1.

BeyondPod used Google Listen for its backend, which, in turn, relied on Reader. When the latter died, it dragged the former down into the grave with it. Sadly BeyondPod was not able to get its update together in time for the RSS aggregator's demise. However, the company is testing the new version, and has elected to migrate to Feedly for its backend.

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Cloud storage locker Mega has turned a blind eye to the ever increasing popularity of mobile devices, offering no official app for Android or iOS (let alone BlackBerry or Windows Phone) to complement its security-oriented service. Now, though, Mega looks to finally fix the oversight.

The cloud storage locker just introduced its first mobile app called Mega which, at least at the moment, is only available for Android devices. The offering, according to the changelog, was "acquired by MEGA and is now being maintainted [sic] by MEGA contractors". Let's take a look at the features.

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With privacy higher than ever on the news agenda, it is not surprising people are starting to wake up to the fact they have happily allowed all kinds of personal information about themselves to appear online. It might be too late to stem the tide, but if you are thinking about reviewing your personal privacy, one place to start might be with the apps added to various social networks.

If this idea appeals, then desktop users should install one of MyPermissions Cleaner for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, while iPhone and Android users can go with Online Privacy Shield -- once done, you are ready to start taking action to tighten privacy settings.

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The war for your dollars escalates as more services vie for control of the wallet, enabling customers to watch movies and TV shows without need of running to the local store or kiosk to fill the video habit. Netflix and Amazon compete for the prized crown, but Redbox has launched Instant to get into the market as well. Blockbuster? Bueller? Bueller? Oh, that's right it tried too.

Redbox Instant by Verizon (yes, that is the whole official name) aims to up the ante in this war with its latest Android update. Finally bringing the streaming service to rooted Android devices.

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"You give us those nice bright colors. You give us the greens of summers". Sorry, wrong camera, but these trips down memory lane can get confusing as we grow older. No, the old Kodachrome may be dead, but Polaroid looms large in our nostalgic history and memories. It was a must have in its day, and remains today as an image (pun intended) of those bygone days of our youth -- okay, my youth, you may plead the fifth if you wish.

Now Appadana wants to confuse us old geezers by bringing back those days of yore with a Polaroid app for Android devices. Polamatic aims to recapture the good old days when muscle cars ruled the roads and disco took over the airwaves. Queue up your Donna Summer -- or Cheap Trick if your prefer -- and head over to Google Play for the opportunity of doing something you could have easily done years ago -- though for much more cost.

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Microsoft has announced that it is releasing an updated version of its Dynamics CRM package in the fall of 2013. The new package is designed to help enterprises engage with their customers and will be available as both cloud and installed systems.

The refreshed version is designed to deliver a fast and fluid user experience, enabling people to access information that’s relevant to their jobs and have deeper insight into customer requirements. It also offers improved social collaboration features as well as the ability to access information on a variety of devices including Windows 8 tablets and iPads. Android, iPhone and Windows Phone 8 versions will be available shortly after the package's release.

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Hope is not yet lost. Though I pre-ordered, and paid, on day one, my Ouya console languished in Never-Never Land, perhaps cavorting with its brethren, the Lost Boys. This was a point of pain for more than just me, as other early backers of the little Android game box also failed to receive promised deliveries, despite the console becoming available in the local big-box store.

The anticipation, and mounting frustration, came to a close as my console came knocking on my door in the guise of a delivery man. It is here and sitting in my living room, still housed in its cozy little box, though that will be changing when I get a few spare minutes later today. At that point the review begins, and I will give it a few days before taking to this mini-series again to give impressions -- fairness is in order for any bit of technology and judgement should not be rushed, despite frustration caused by overdue deliveries and unkept promises.

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