Mobile forensics improves compliance for Android devices

android_security

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.

Continue reading

Google Play welcomes 100MB APKs

Android logo phone

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.

Continue reading

Silent Circle's Blackphone 2 is the most secure Android phone available

blackphone_2

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.

Continue reading

Internet.org app is dead, Free Basics from Facebook rises from the ashes

free_basics_from_facebook

The Internet.org project from Facebook has not been without controversy. Created with the aim of getting everyone in the world online, the program has been widely criticized and many partners pulled out. Now a rebranding has been unveiled for the mobile app and website.

With the launch of the Internet.org Platform, Facebook has taken the opportunity to rename the portal through which people can access a range of free services. Changing the name to Free Basics by Facebook is described as a way "to better distinguish the Internet.org initiative from the programs and services we’re providing", but it's hard not to think that it is also an attempt to move away from the controversy of Internet.org, and it comes ahead of serious push into India.

Continue reading

Is Android a dangerous monopoly?

Android Collectibles

I can't confirm Bloomberg's report that the the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department allegedly are beginning a joint investigation into Google's Android licensing agreements. But I can explain what it means. Striping to the bones, from an antitrust perspective, there are two pivot points: Monopoly position and exclusive contracts. Then there is the broader regulatory agenda: Correcting (or preventing future) consumer harm.

Globally, Android is unquestionably a monopoly in the market for smartphones. However, its dominance in the United States is comparably muted by competition from iPhone. Based on smartphone subscribers, Android's share was 51.4 percent for the three months ending July 31, 2015, according to comScore. iOS ranked second with 44.2 percent. By cell phone manufacturer, Apple leads the market, with the same share, followed by Samsung (27.3 percent). Android is leading but declining—down 0.8 points, while iOS is up 1.1 points, from April to July.

Continue reading

LG video shows off V10's secondary 'ticker' screen

lg_v10_hair_wedge

Talk may focus on the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and new Nexus devices at the moment but LG also has something in store. Recognizing that phone screens can only use larger dimensions as a selling point for so long, LG has taken a leaf out of Samsung's book and come up with a phone with a secondary display.

While the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge provides a little extra screen space with its curved edges, the upcoming LG V10 takes a different approach. A new video shows that it utilizes 'wasted' space at the top of the handset to house a secondary 'ticker' screen that can display notifications from apps.

Continue reading

OK, Google, make some Apple sauce

Android vs Apple

In my last post, I joke about the other five people who also bought Nexus 6 to make a broader point. Apple laps up positive PR—and rubs Android's nose in stinky sidewalk dog poop—by touting rapid iOS 9 adoption. Based solely on devices accessing the iTunes App Store, the number is 52 percent as of September 19. By the same measure, as of September 7, from Google Play: 20 percent of Androids run the newest version, Lollipop. iOS 9 released last week, and Android 5 arrived last year. Ouch!

Google shouldn't let the comparison stop there. The company should release Lollipop adoption data selectively, for stock Android devices like Nexus 6. That makes the comparisons to iOS more equal, being devices for which both companies control updates. Apples to, ah, Apple is more appropriate and responsive public relations management.

Continue reading

Here are the specs of 2015 Google Nexus 5

nexus_5_contentfullwidth

When Google unveiled its latest Nexus smartphone last year, many were disappointed that the search giant didn't announce a new version of the beloved Nexus 5. Yes, Nexus 6 was there to take its place, topping its predecessor in just about every regard, but the phablet was just too big for plenty of folks. So sales of the aging Nexus 5 continued until mid-March 2015, if only to just keep fans happy.

This year, however, Google will announce the real successor of the Nexus 5 we know and love. And, courtesy of Amazon India, who listed the smartphone ahead of time, we now know its main hardware specifications.

Continue reading

Griffin Guide Cable Management System stops wires from falling behind furniture

griffin0

Has this ever happened to you? You go to charge your iPhone or Android device and your cable has fallen behind your desk or dresser. You then have to get on your knees and reach behind the furniture to try and fish it out. It is totally annoying and inconvenient -- especially when you just want to get to bed.

Well, Griffin wants to end this maddening experience. Its Guide Cable Management System will keep everything in place, meaning you never have to search behind your furniture for a fallen cable again. Hallelujah.

Continue reading

Ingenious design: iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard [Review]

iclever_foldable_bluetooth_keyboard_half_open

You might think it would be hard to get overly excited about a keyboard. I understand, I felt the same. But then I tried out the iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard and my opinion changed. I've used various portable/mini keyboards before and they have been -- almost without exception -- utterly awful.

The iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard gets off to a great start; it has a lot of things in its favor. The metal construction gives it a solid, robust feel and a great semi-industrial look. The aluminum has neatly curved edges, but at the same time it feels wonderfully brutalist. The real killer feature, however, is the foldability of the peripheral which means beautifully sizable keys are available for typing on.

Continue reading

This is BlackBerry's first Android smartphone

blackberry-venice

If you were wondering how BlackBerry’s first Android phone, Venice, will behave in action, wonder no more.

First video footage of the smartphone has been released online, and on it we can see its sliding QWERTY keyboard in action. The keyboard can also be used as a touchpad by sliding your fingers across the keys. This interesting feature is not unique though, it was already seen on the BlackBerry Passport.

Continue reading

Who you gonna call? Ghost Push Android virus infects 600,000 people a day

silhouette smoke ghost hand

If you frequent Android forums you'll probably have seen references to 'Monkey Test' and 'Time Service' as users report that it's hard to get rid of these apps.

Researchers at Cheetah Mobile's CM Security Research Lab have discovered that the source of these apps is a virus called 'Ghost Push'. This installs unwanted and annoying apps on the device and can't be removed easily even by doing a factory reset or using normal antivirus software.

Continue reading

At $300, Elephone Vowney flagship smartphone dual-boots Android 5.0 and Windows 10 Mobile

elephone_vowney

Back in April, we reported that Chinese smartphone manufacturer Elephone planned to launch a handset which would dual-boot Windows 10 Mobile and Android 5.0 Lollipop mobile operating systems. Five months later, that phone has been officially launched. Called the Elephone Vowney, the smartphone is priced at $299.99 and goes on sale from September 30.

As for the specifications, the Elephone Vowney sports a 5.5-inch QHD display (2560 x 1440) with a pixel density of 535ppi. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6795 processor clocked at 2.2GHz coupled with 3GB of RAM. It comes with 64GB of inbuilt storage with support for a microSD card should you want more.

Continue reading

Apple's first Android app makes it easy to move to iOS 9

android_to_ios

Apple has released its first ever Android app. No, there's not an Android version of Safari or anything like that, but a tool designed to simplify the process of switching to iOS. The predictably named Move to iOS will appeal to anyone who was persuaded to switch allegiances by the release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, or indeed iOS 9.

The app can be used to move contacts, messages, photos and more to a new iPhone or iPad, and is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 4.0 and newer. It works slightly differently to what you may have expected. Rather than uploading data to the cloud, it instead creates a private Wi-Fi network between an Android and iOS device and securely transfers it.

Continue reading

Bypass the Android Lollipop lockscreen by entering a really long password

LG G3 Lollipop 1

A lengthy password is a good thing, right? For some Android users running Lollipop, however, it may be possible to bypass the lockscreen simply by entering a password that is incredibly long. Copy and paste a lengthy string into the password field, and it is possible to crash the lockscreen and gain access to the phone or tablet.

While the vulnerability is worrying, it is not something that can be exploited remotely -- it is necessary to have physical access to the phone. The bug was discovered by security researchers at Texas University and while a patch has been issued for Nexus devices, other handsets remain vulnerable.

Continue reading

Load More Articles