Articles about Android

Although you may not have heard of it, Stagefright is at the heart of the Android operating system. It's a media library that processes several popular media formats. Since media processing is often time-sensitive, the library is implemented using native code (C++) that is more prone to memory corruption than memory-safe languages like Java.

Researchers at mobile security company Zimperium have uncovered an issue in the Stagefright code that they believe to be one of the worst Android vulnerabilities to date.

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The Apple Watch has only been available a few months, but it has already captured a sizable portion of the wearable market. Selling 4.2 million units throughout the second quarter of 2015, it has stolen an early march on its rivals, particularly the many wearables that use Android Wear as their primary operating system.

The question remains, however: how much longer can Apple continue to dominate the market with its self-imposed restrictions? The Apple Watch is only compatible with the iPhone 5 and later models running at least iOS 8.2, cutting off a huge proportion of consumers who use Android handsets. If Apple wants its new smartwatch to have genuine mass appeal, it will struggle under these terms.

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Wielding its axe above its head, Google today prepares to sever another limb from Google+. It's only a couple of months since Google Photos launched, and we knew back then that the writing was on the wall for the Photos component of Google+. Now we know that the axe drops on August 1.

From this date Google+ Photos will be no more. The service will shut down first for Android users, followed quickly by the web and iOS versions. If you want to continue to take advantage of cloud photo storage, editing, and sharing, you'll need to make the switch to Google Photos.

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The tablet market has felt a bit stale lately. Apple's iPads are in need of a refresh, while the Android options have been yawn-worthy too. Other than the Nexus 9, there really hasn't been anything to fire up the Android community.

Today, Samsung hopes to change this with the all new Galaxy Tab S2 tablets. Consumers can choose between a 9.7 inch screen or an 8 inch variant. In other words, Samsung is offering options with its tablets -- much like Apple with the Air and mini -- which is rather smart. After all, one size does not fit all when it comes to tablets.

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Italian security and surveillance company Hacking Team was most famed for supplying monitoring tools to governments around the world, but a recent security breach revealed the inner workings of the outfit. Sifting through the leaked data revealed not only spying tools and Flash vulnerabilities, but also Android apps with backdoors.

Security experts from Trend Micro found that spyware from Hacking Team was released to Google Play, bypassing checks that are usually performed. BeNews was a fake news apps -- now removed from the store -- that could be used to download remote access software to Android devices running anything from Froyo to KitKat.

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Microsoft announced earlier this year that it will be bringing Windows Phone's digital voice assistant, Cortana to the desktop as well as rival mobile platforms. We've already seen Cortana -- the rival of Apple's Siri, and Google's Google Now -- on Windows 10 technical preview, and now we're getting our first look at Cortana on Android.

While the company is yet to officially release Cortana on Android, the APK file of the digital voice assistant got leaked a few minutes ago. We tested the APK and did the signature verification, and can report and confirm that it is all legit. You can download it from here (though; it is advised you always snag things from official channels).

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Originally announced in April, One M9+ is HTC's most-impressive Android smartphone of the year so far, besting the One M9 global flagship. However, for some reason, HTC decided that it would only sell the device in a couple of Asian markets, forcing interested buyers in other parts of the globe to, basically, import the device.

Fortunately for those looking to get One M9+, HTC just announced that it is also making the Android device available in European markets. It looks like those in US will have to wait a bit longer for its official debut -- if it ever happens.

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Chinese technology conglomerate Xiaomi, best known for its low-priced and durable smartphones, has been aggressively working lately to increase its other product portfolios. The company today announces that it is refreshing its TV lineup by launching the Mi TV 2S.

As for the specifications, the Mi TV 2S sports a 48-inch display with 4K capability. With a waistline of 9.9mm and aluminum body, the television set is impressively thin too. But the company is not making any compromises on the internal components.

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Samsung has announced the Galaxy A8, a continuation on the A series of smartphones, in China.

The Galaxy A8 features a super-thin design, measuring at 5.9mm, alongside a 5.7-inch 1920 x 1080 display. Like other devices in the A series, Samsung has added a metallic frame to the device.

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To get more consumer attention, a smartphone vendor has to cover all major segments well. It has to have solid low-end handsets, balanced mid-rangers, and, of course, cutting-edge flagships in its lineup. HTC does the last part well in US, with One M9, but, outside of this segment, its presence is not as strong.

HTC wants to change this, announcing four new Desire Android smartphones for the US market, which it hopes will get the attention of consumers on increasingly popular prepaid plans. Desire 520, Desire 526, Desire 626s and Desire 626 borrow design elements from the One M9 flagship, but at much lower price levels.

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Google has partnered with Indian smartphone vendor Lava Mobiles to work on a new Android One handset. The companies will be launching the phone in a few days, a spokesperson for Lava Mobiles confirms to BetaNews. The mobile maker hasn’t finalized the launch date yet, but notes that it will be sending out the press invites in a couple of days.

The companies have been working on version 2.0 of the Android One program, as per an earlier report on The Economic Times. The report noted that the two companies will be launching the phone at a media invite on July 14. A spokesperson of Lava Mobiles tells us that they had to postpone the event.

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Google's decision to break up Google+ into a number of separate apps and services led to the launch of Google Photos. Just like with Apple's iCloud, the app can automatically upload your images to the cloud ready for sharing, viewing, or just as a backup. You might decide that this automatic uploading isn't for you and opt to uninstall the Google Photos app... but your photos will probably continue to upload in the background.

This is the discovery that many Android users have made; what gives? Is Google being sneaky? The answer's not quite that simple. Before you start freaking out, proclaiming that Google is indeed evil, and wondering how on earth the company thinks it can get away with it, consider this: it's actually your fault.

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Although the majority of consumers are well aware of potential malware attacks on the Android platform, and they overwhelmingly understand the importance of mobile security, they're still not taking the steps needed to safeguard their devices and they’re reluctant to pay for protection.

This is among the findings of a new survey of more than 100 Android users from Chinese company 360 Security. It shows that Android mobile users worry most about untrustworthy apps (27 percent), online payments (20 percent), and hackers (13 percent).

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The smartphone market is becoming increasingly competitive in India. Over the past few months, we have seen a number of Indian and international companies launch some of the most exciting phones in the country. Today, Indian smartphone vendor Xolo is taking the opportunity to launch its latest flagship, the Xolo Black.

Competing with the likes of Xiaomi’s Mi 4i, Meizu’s M1 Note, and Lenovo’s K3 Note, the Xolo Black is not only putting up a fight on paper (specs sheet), but also trying to beat rival phones in the looks department. With a waistline of 7.3mm, both sides of the phone come protected by Gorilla Glass 3, a feature Xolo has seemingly picked from Samsung’s Galaxy S6. In addition, the back of the phone also has an oleophobic coating, which the company says, makes the handset resilient against smudges and stains.

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It's not long since we first learned about Android M at Google I/O and today Google launches Android M Developer Preview 2. As the name would suggest, this is a build aimed primarily at developers, giving them an opportunity to ensure their apps are ready to take full advantage of everything the latest version of the operating system has to offer.

Two key changes between Lollipop and Android M are improvements to security and battery life. The second developer preview includes more improvements to permission settings such as how fingerprint authentication works and changes to the way permissions are handled for external storage.

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