Articles about Android

Security specialist Symantec is reporting the first malicious use of the Android 'Master Key' vulnerability that allows hackers to inject malicious code into apps without invalidating the digital signature.

The vulnerability was discovered earlier this month but Norton Mobile Insight has now detected its first use in the wild. Mobile Insight harvests and analyzes Android apps from marketplaces around the world and has discovered the infection labelled Android.Skullkey in two applications from China. These are legitimate apps used to make appointments with doctors.

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The next-generation Google Nexus 7 surfaced at Best Buy, with complete specifications, price and photos. Interested buyers can pre-order the new tablet, which is available in both 16 GB and 32 GB storage trims, and, presumably, receive it after the search giant officially unveils its latest slate (which should not be too far away).

According to the details revealed by the US retailer, the new Nexus 7 arrives with some pretty impressive hardware under its dark-colored shell, and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (which, like the slate, has yet to be officially announced by Google). The price? Well, the 16 GB version runs for $229.99, while its 32 GB counterpart goes for $269.99.

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Typing is just so passé; swiping is very much where it's at these days. SwiftKey's latest Android beta adds interesting new cloud features that can be tested for free during the beta phase. What’s new? Backup and sync options mean that dictionaries can be synchronized between multiple devices, and upgrading your phone need not result in having to start from scratch.

But perhaps the most interesting feature is the introduction of trending phrases. Whether you're writing in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Brazilian Portuguese, SwiftKey analyzes trending topics on the likes of Twitter to help bolster its dictionary and provide better suggestions.

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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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