Articles about Android

Holy cow, Google, what the heck is going on here? Android should have been a Utopian-like Linux-based operating system that was secure and available to all. Unfortunately, the only things being made available to the masses are vulnerabilities. Quite frankly, the search giant is giving Linux a bad name.

When the Stagefright vulnerabilities were made public, it really underscored how broken the Android update problem is. Hell, people like me -- longtime Android users -- switched to iOS as a result. A lack of operating system updates from both manufacturers and cell providers means many users are forced to live with vulnerable devices -- not acceptable. Today, new vulnerabilities dubbed Stagefright 2.0 are revealed, and most Android devices -- since 1.0 of the operating system -- are now at risk.

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Google has said that the new version of its mobile operating system, Android Marshmallow, will begin rolling out next week.

In fact the rollout of Android 6.0 will begin on Monday October 5, the Inquirer reports, when Nexus device owners will be able to snag the new OS.

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In addition to the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, today LG also announces its V10 Android phone with a secondary display. This is the device we got a sneak peek at a few days ago and, like the Huawei-made Nexus 6P, this is a premium level handset with a full metal body which builds on the specifications of the G4.

But the LG V10's standout feature is its secondary screen. In addition to the main 5.7-inch display, there is a second, narrow screen at the top of the handset that can be used not only to display notifications, but also to house shortcuts. This is not the only surprise on the front of the phone -- there are also two cameras.

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The smartwatch wars are heating up, and LG is sending out new troops. Today the company announces the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition -- the first Android Wear smartwatch that offers LTE/3G connectivity.

LG describes the latest wearable as 'breaking the limits of a watch', and with the prospect of making phone-free calls with the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, this would seem to be a fair description. The watch is compatible with iOS and Android, but it is the fact that it can be used on its own that is its real selling point.

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As our mobile phones become increasingly central to both our personal and working lives, securing them and the data they hold has become paramount. The nature of the mobile space means that threats are more dispersed and change fast, so traditional security solutions are struggling to cope.

How does this change in the security landscape affect businesses who may be faced with supporting a range of different devices and operating systems thanks to BYOD policies? We spoke to Gert-Jan Schenk, VP for EMEA at mobile security specialist Lookout, to get his view.

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Call me a smartphone agnostic. Thanks to a quirk of geography and a period of deliberate disengagement from the tech industry, I missed out on the initial wave of the mobile device revolution. By the time I bought my first Android phone, KitKat was already the dominant platform, iOS 8 had just been released, and both BlackBerry and Microsoft had been relegated to the obituary section.

So when I finally did go smartphone shopping on a trip back to the States, my requirements were as modest (I mostly wanted a mobile hotspot for my laptops/tablets) as my budget. All of which led me to my local Metro PCS shop and my first taste of budget Android telephony: A Samsung Galaxy Avant. For the ridiculously low price of $119, I got an unlocked Avant with a 4.5" qHD (960 x 540 pixel) screen, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a quad-core CPU, all tied to an unlimited data plan (another $60) that delivered 50Mbps LTE speeds to my condo in FL.

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If you want a tablet that can double up as a laptop replacement, there really is no better option than Microsoft's venerable Surface Pro 3. It has been the undisputed king in this segment for well over a year now, and it is easy to see why: it has a big, high-resolution screen, it comes with a stylus, it can take a decent keyboard, its battery life is good, it is extremely fast, and, on top of all this, it can run every Windows program that you want. Nothing comes close, really.

But now that Google has announced Pixel C, its own productivity-oriented tablet, you may be wondering how it fares up against Surface Pro 3. So, let's take a look at the two and see which one is best.

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Now that Google has shown its forthcoming Pixel C tablet, the question on the minds of many IT decision makers is: Can Android really become a viable competitor to Microsoft Windows on the desktop?

There’s no disputing Google’s success in the mobile space. The billions and billions of Android handset users attest to its dominance. But the desktop is an entirely different animal, a fact the company itself seemed to recognize when it debuted Chrome OS a few years back. That platform gained substantial traction in the education and low priced consumer spaces but received a much cooler reception in the enterprise, ostensibly because of its web-only focus and limited offline capabilities.

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Google packed today's big annual autumn product launch with loads of news: Nexus 5X and 6P (available for preorder now); Chromecast 2 and Chromecast Audio (for sale today); Google Photo enhancements (rolling out soon); Android 6 "Marshmallow" (arriving on existing Nexus devices next week); and Pixel C tablet (coming sometime before the holidays). Jamming in so much, some things might get overlooked. One seeming tidbit rapped my attention.

Soon after discussing how Marshmallow uses a new permissions scheme for apps, Google veep Dave Burke said: "With the new Nexus devices, we've reduced the number of preloaded apps on the phone, to make the out-of-box experience cleaner and simpler. We've also developed a new system that moves over a quarter of our apps to a post-setup installation phase, which means they can be uninstalled just like any other apps". The implications are interesting.

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While much of the attention was focused on the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P at Google's event today, these were far from being the only announcements. Last year, the original Chromecast took the world of media streaming by storm, introducing a low-cost entry point into streaming, and now Google has two new Chromecast devices to show off.

The new-look Chromecast has something of a different appearance to the first generation. This time around, the device is circular and features a short, flexible HDMI cable rather than the rigid design from last year -- this should make the dongle easier to plug into TVs with restricted space. There's also a new product in the form of Chromecast Audio which can be used to stream music to just about any set of speakers.

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At a media event in San Francisco, Google launches the new Nexus smartphones. Called the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X, both handsets come with high-end specifications and several enticing features. While the handsets aren't going to be available in India until later this year, we now know how much money you need if you want to purchase either of the devices.

Google India has -- interestingly -- published the price information of the Huawei-made Nexus 6P, as well as the LG-made Nexus 5X. This is interesting because Google doesn't usually offer this kind of information until it is ready to launch the handset in the country -- at least that was the case with previous Nexus smartphones in India.

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PayPal Here users will be able to use the new PayPal Chip Card Reader to accept payments via Apple Pay and Android Pay, in addition to the more familiar credit and debit card options. The new reader launches in the US on 30 September, before spreading to the UK and Australia further down the line.

The updated card reader features a display to guide users through the process of making a payment, but it is the addition of contactless payment that is the key new feature. The PayPal Chip Card Reader has a price tag of $149, but some people will be able to get hold of it for $49.

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In the modern world information is no longer centralized in a company's data center, thanks to mobility and the cloud it’s become decentralized and this makes it difficult to manage, collect and protect corporate data.

To address this data protection specialist Druva is launching Druva Mobile Forensics for Android. This is a new capability that automatically and transparently collects data from an organization’s Android devices, allowing enterprise IT, information security and legal teams to easily deal with compliance and eDiscovery requests.

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Google is increasing the maximum APK size in Google Play from 50MB to 100MB. The move comes in response to developers creating apps which offer richer experiences, and helps to avoid the need to download additional data after the initial APK download.

Expansion Files can still be used to allow for apps that exceed the 100MB barrier, but the aim in increasing the base limit is to speed up the installation for users. Now, rather than downloading an app followed by additional updates once the installation is complete, larger apps can now be downloaded and installed in one fell swoop.

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With all of the talk about the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, it's easy to forget that there are some genuine alternatives out there. One such smartphone is the Blackphone from the privacy-centric Silent Circle. The original Blackphone caused great excitement, and now the Blackphone 2 is available.

This is a phone that has been built from the ground up with security and privacy in mind. While the Blackphone 2 will appeal to anyone who is concerned about privacy, this time around there is a greater push to appeal to businesses and enterprise, including joining Google's Android for Work program. In terms of specs, opting for the most secure handset on the market does not mean making compromises: this phone is a beast.

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