domingo, 27 de novembro de 2011

China overtakes US as world's largest smartphone market


In BBC

Smartphone shipments to China rose to a record 24m during the period, compared with 23m for the US, according to research done by Strategy Analytics.

The consultancy said shipments to China were boosted by "a wave of low-cost Android models from local Chinese brands".

This is the first time that China has overtaken the US in smartphone market.

"China's rapid growth has been driven by an increasing availability of smartphones in the retail channels," said Tom Kang, of Strategy Analytics.

The company said that while shipments to China grew by 58% sequentially during the period, those to the US fell by 7%.

'Mobile computing boom'

China is the world's biggest market for mobile phones with almost 952m users, and continues to grow at a fast pace.

At the same time, there has been a push by mobile phone operators to get more users to sign up for 3G services.

Analysts said that as consumers take up these services, the demand for gadgets such as smartphones is likely to rise further.

"China is now at the forefront of the worldwide mobile computing boom," said Neil Mawston, Executive Director of Strategy Analytics.

"China has become a large and growing smartphone market that no hardware vendor, component maker or content developer can afford to ignore," he added.

‘Black Friday’ iTunes credit scam


In The Telegraph

An email claiming to be from Apple’s iTunes store contains a compressed ZIP file, which security experts say could allow hackers to gain access to computers.

The German Eleven security blog suggests that the attack is timed to coincide with the start of the American holiday shopping season, called Black Friday.

The email offers credit for iTunes music, games and video, and is just one of a huge number of scams that try to lure people in with offers that seem plausible in the context of other Black Friday discounts.

The email apparently offers recipients $50 (£32) and claims they need to open an attached file to access their certificate code. In fact the attachment is a file called Mal/BredoZp-B. It opens a security loophole on Windows PCs and allows hackers to remotely capture passwords and other information. It also slows down the computer and hides some files.

Although such malware can be removed with the use of widely available anti-malware tools, damage can be done in the meantime.

Motorola to launch Droid 4 in December?


In Cnet

Less than six months after launching the Droid 3, Motorola is apparently ready to give us its successor.

The Droid 4 will launch December 8, according to purported promotional materials obtained by Droid Life, which reports it has confirmed that employee training is already in progress at some Verizon Wireless stores.

The Droid 4 will reportedly have Droid Razr styling and run on Verizon's 4G LTE network, but like the previous Droids, it will feature a five-row, slide-out keyboard. It will also sport a four-inch touch screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, a front-facing camera for video chatting, and an 8MP back-facing camera.

There's no indication in the materials which Android version it will run, but if Droid Life's report is accurate, the new smartphone will launch the same day as Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the new flagship phone for Google's Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.

A Motorola representative declined to comment, and Verizon representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

sábado, 19 de novembro de 2011

Apple's Siri 'hacked'


In The Telegraph

Apple's new voice-controlled personal assistant software, Siri, could be adapted to run on Android handsets after developers discovered a way around restrictions designed to limit it to iPhone 4S users.

The hack means that the servers that process the questions users ask Siri could be accessed by devices other than the iPhone 4S.

It was discovered by Applidium, a French mobile software company that reverse-engineered the protocol Siri uses to communicate with its servers. The firm found a way to intercept and decrypt the data by forging security certificates, allowing a detailed examination of the data format.

However, the requests include a unique "key" for each iPhone 4S. To exploit the flaw, each Android device would have to find a way to to impersonate Apple's new smartphone, Applidium said.

So any third party app offering unauthorised access to the Siri server could be quite easily blocked by Apple because all its users would probably have to use the same key.

Apple has restricted Siri to the iPhone 4S. Technical analysis has indicated that older versions are equally capable of running the service, since the hardest computing is carried out by the servers, but it seems Siri is being used to differentiate the latest iPhone.


sexta-feira, 11 de novembro de 2011

Taste the future with Windows 8 simulator


In betanews

you’re keen to try out Windows 8 before it officially hits the shops, your craving can be satiated by turning to the Developer Preview. While this is handy, the process of setting up a dual boot system, configuring a virtual machine or setting aside a dedicated computer to run the operating system is enough to put most people off. If you’d prefer not to go to these lengths, Windows 8 Simulator may be just what you have been looking for.

As the name suggests, this is a simulation tool rather than a replacement for your existing operating system, and it can be used without there being any danger of damaging the copy of Windows you work with. Windows 8 Simulator is not even a transformation pack as it runs in its own sandboxed window that cannot affect any other part of your system.

Realistically, this is not a tool that will enable you to explore Windows 8 to its fullest extent, but if you are yet to take a look at the next version of Microsoft’s operating system, it provides a quick and easy way to not only see how things are going to look, but also to get hands on so you can test drive how things are going to work.

For Windows 8 virgins, the simulator gives the opportunity to try out the Metro interface to see how the new desktop is going to look and feel. Restricted to a small, non-resizable window, the simulator is more a curiosity than a serious preview of Windows 8, but it is interesting nonetheless.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the application by paying a visit to the Windows 8 Simulator review page.

Android dock unveiled by Philips


In Techradar

Philips has introduced a new Android dock, using Bluetooth pairing and an app to come up with an elegant speaker solution.

Android docks are a more difficult proposition than iOS devices because the devices do not conform to a standard setup.

Usefully, Philips has come up with a dock that allows you to charge your phone and take advantage of Bluetooth pairing, rather than relying on a line in method.

Launching with three different versions, the flagship £200 Philips Fidelio AS851 boasts a 30-watt output and Philips' proprietary digital sound processing.

Google Music event to reveal MP3 download store?


In Techradar

Google has issued an invite to the media for an event on 16 November, which may see the company finally introduce a Google Music MP3 download store.

The company has channelled legendary British rock band Spinal Tap with a tag-line teasing "These go up to eleven." for the event, which will be streamed live on YouTube.

The reference is, of course, an homage to the guitar amps of Nigel Tufnel that were "one louder" than ten, but aside from a possible Spinal Tap concert at the event, we're not really sure what it means.

Google has been teasing "a twist" from the normal music download stores for a while now, so it's entirely possible that this will be revealed at Wednesday's event.

Primitive

Google Music currently exists in a rather primitive form, with account holders able to upload their music to the cloud and then access it from a range of devices.

It is presently a free service, but uploading music to the platform takes an absolute age, and Apple's $24.99 iTunes Match service looks a better alternative at present.

Whatever happens at Google's event, it's likely that the service will, at least, come out of Beta.

The "These go to eleven" event at 10pm UK time on Wednesday and we'll be on-hand to bring you all of the news. You can also follow the event at YouYube.com/Android

Apple releases iPhone battery drain software fix


Apple Inc on Thursday released a software update for its iOS 5 operating system to fix complaints on the performance of the new iPhone 4S battery.

Apple, after facing a rash of complaints on the new phone's short battery life, had promised earlier to release an update to address the issue.

The software update also addresses some security issues, including a flaw in the operating system that may allow hackers to build apps that secretly install programs to steal data. (Reporting by Poornima Gupta in San Francisco)