• android,  android market,  app store,  apple,  google,  ios

    Google Uses Remote Kill Switch, Secures Compromised Handsets [Updated]

    March 7, 2011 /

    According to a new report from Boy Genius Report, Google has used the remote kill switch feature in the Android operating system to kill and remove malware installed on Android phones.

    “To try and fix the problem, Google has started using a remote kill switch feature in Android to wirelessly nuke those installed apps on user’s handsets. That’s not the entire story, though, as Google is actually installing new code in the process. The new code undoes the exploit and prevents your data from being shared, and it’s kind of creepy to plainly see how much control Google has over your Android phone from afar. “

    I’m glad to see that Google is using their powers for good.  Earlier uses of the kill switch angered users, if not make them a bit paranoid that Google has a back door into their devices.  But I have to wonder, shouldn’t Google have done a better job of curating their Android Market and have prevented these apps from becoming available for download in the first place.

    Regardless of whether or not you believe the Android platform and the Android Market is any more or less “open” and the Apple iOS platform and the App Store, it is up to us, the consumer, to make sure we know and understand what software we are installing on our devices.

    Update

    ComputerWorld has posted an article covering this issue online, stating:

    “Last Wednesday, Google removed more than 50 infected apps published by three different developers from its marketplace, but didn’t trigger automatic uninstalls until several days later.”

    You can read the full article on the ComputerWorld website.
    [Via BGR.com…]

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  • android,  blogger,  google,  motorola

    Blogging From Your Droid

    March 6, 2011 /
    I guess that I shouldn’t really be surprised by this, but Google has a Blogger app for Android phones.

    I recently had to replace my company issued RIM Blackberry Storm2 with a Motorola Droid Pro.

    I still miss my “CrackBerry” but the Droid Pro and I are getting along well.  As cool as this is, I don’t see myself posting a blog entry much longer than this from this tiny keyboard.

    Tap or click the Blogger icon below to download the app to your Android device from the Android Market website. (Link)

    Update

    I noticed a typo in the above post, “has” rather than “had”.  So I jumped on the blog with my Mac and after I made the update, it looks like the formatting from the Blogger app on the Droid was lost. Interesting.  I’ll have to keep an eye on that.

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  • apple,  ipad,  playbook,  rim,  touchpad

    iPad Competitor “Cat Fight”

    March 3, 2011 /

    I just finished reading John Paczkowki’s Digital Daily post titled “HP to RIM: Our iPad Challenger Is More Original Than Your iPad Challenger”, in which HP and RIM fight over who’s Apple iPad clone is more original.

    Mr. Paczkowski writes:

    “Isn’t this ironic. Hewlett-Packard and Research in Motion, two companies that haven’t officially launched their first tablets yet, talking smack to one another the day before Apple debuts its second.”

    Read the full article on Digital Daily.com.
    [Editor’s Note: I’m sorry, but I had to replace the original article’s Dr. Seuss art with the two women locked in a “cat fight” because that was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the headline.  My apologies for my sense of humor.]
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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  touch

    iOS 4.3 Coming Soon, iTunes 10.2 Available Now

    March 3, 2011 /

    Along side of today’s iPad 2 event, Apple released iTunes 10.2 for Mac OS X and Windows PC, and previewed iOS 4.3, which will be released on March 11 also.

    iOS 4.3 Update

    In iOS 4.3, Apple has added incremental improvements to Safari and AirPlay.  Apple also baked in iTunes Home Sharing, iPad Side Switch (formerly known as the orientation lock switch and mute switch) preference setting, and, for the iPhone 4, the Personal Hotspot.

    iOS 4.3 will be available for current model iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models.  While reading the Apple website for details on iOS 4.3, the second generation AppleTV was not mentioned, however, I expect that device to also receive an update before too long.

    iTunes 10.2 Update

    iTunes was updated to 10.2 today to bring support to Macs and Windows PCs for the new iOS 4.3 features, and probably support for the iPad 2, however, the iPad 2 was not specifically mentioned in the update description.

    iTunes 10.2 can be downloaded now via the Software Update control panel on your Mac or PC.

    Check out all the details over at Apple.com.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad

    Apple Unveils iPad 2, Ships March 11

    March 3, 2011 /

    Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 today.  Bask in it’s coolness, now in two colors: Black and White.

    The new iPad features a new lighter design, a dual-core Apple A5 processor, FaceTime cameras, and all for the same $499 price point as the original.

    iPad 2 will go on sale at 5pm on March 11, 2011.  For more details, check the Apple website.

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  • apple,  ipad,  newspapers,  tablet

    What Would Change on the Apple iPad

    February 27, 2011 /

    On Feb 24, The Daily, the iPad daily newspaper, asked readers what feature would they change for iPad 2 and whether or not they would upgrade or defect to another tablet platform.  The responses where interesting.

    39% of the people who responded by the time I got around to reading the article had stated that the feature they are most interested in is a front facing FaceTime camera.  And with rumors of the iPad 3 possibly shipping in September along side new iPod touch models, 55% of the people who responded, again at the time I had voted, said that they would wait until the third generation Apple tablet to upgrade.

    [Via The Daily…]

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  • blackberry,  rim

    RIM: BlackBerry Play Book App Development Too Difficult

    February 26, 2011 /

    BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion, is clearly fighting an up hill battle for “mindshare” among customers and potential customers.

    The latest problem for the company, whose handsets are in decline due to strong sales of the Apple iPhone and phones based on Google’s Android OS, could be coming from the very people RIM needs the most: application developers.

    Jamie Murai, a small BlackBerry application developer has recently posted an open letter to RIM stating his displeasure with the tools for BlackBerry PlayBook application development. Mr. Murai writes:

    “On a more serious note, being the underdog, you need to make your process AT LEAST as simple as Apple’s or Google’s, if not more so. You need to make your tools AT LEAST as good as Apple’s or Google’s, if not more so. You have failed at both.”

    Ouch!  I encourage you to read the full open letter to get the full context of what Mr. Murai is talking about, but the bottom line gets summarized nicely with the quote above.
    At least you don’t need to have a BlackBerry smartphone to use all the features of the new PlayBook, like Palm was planning to do with the Treo and the Foleo.  Oh, wait – you do need to pair a PlayBook with a BlackBerry.  Nevermind.
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  • apple,  ipad,  newspapers,  subscriptions. rumors

    The Daily Gets Another Free Preview Extension

    February 26, 2011 /

    The Daily, the iPad only digital newspaper, has received another extension to it’s free preview period.  The preview period continues to be sponsored by Verizon and will be free to iPad users until March 21, 2011.

    Once the preview period for The Daily expires, subscriptions to the new digital newspaper can be subscribed to as an in app purchase of $0.99 per week or $39.99 per year.  The Daily, as the name implies, is published 365 days a year.

    For more information about The Daily, check out The Daily website.

    Rumor: Hmmm….I wonder when the iPad 2 will begin shipping?  The week before, perhaps?

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