BlackBerry 10′s bold new features explained

Brian Bennett, CNET news, 5/2/2012

Here at BlackBerry World 2012, it’s make it or break it time for RIM, but you wouldn’t guess that from all the exited faces roaming the halls and conference rooms. Perhaps I’m exaggerating, but with the unveiling of the Dev Alpha deviceand more details of BlackBerry 10 OS, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins did try to dispel dour moods.

There is, however, an undeniable spring in the step of conference goers this week, which wasn’t present last year. The burning question is what exactly will BlackBerry 10 offer future smartphone users? Though there’s still not a whole lot of info to go on, RIM seems to think its vision is bold and extremely compelling. I won’t go that far, but the company may actually have a real shot at turning things around. Here’s why.

Focus, focus, focus
Many massive technology corporations have stumbled when they’ve grown too big and unwieldy. Some have died spectacular deaths with great drama — Palm is a great example. Others have simply faded away like an old Polaroid. What ever happened to Kodak anyway? In any case, RIM’s plan to focus like a laser beam on its core business customers, the folks still signed on and paying the bills, is a solid way to at least stem the bleeding.

A fresh new look
A huge part of RIM’s woes is that the current phone OS, BlackBerry 7 is an ancient relic, a throwback to the stone age of Java-powered handsets. BlackBerry 10 changes all that. It’s a much more modern, UNIX-based operating system from QNX that has run critical industrial infrastructure and telematic systems in cars for years. Judging from what Heins showcased in his keynote, the look and feel of BB10 will be something like a cross between all three of its major mobile OS competitors.

The Home screen will have big graphical tabs for application shortcuts that will display real-time information, much like Android widgets or Windows Phone Live tiles. It’s still unclear exactly how these tabs will function but you can bet RIM will do its best to gin them up with plenty of fancy eye-candy.

Feel the flow
RIM has talked up its multitasking skills from back when it launched the PlayBook tablet and even with its BlackBerry 7 phones — remember Super Apps? This concept has now morphed into what RIM calls the Flow view. The idea is to have all your apps naturally integrated into the OS, letting you move smoothly from task to task without having to first drop what you’re doing, manually close one app, then fire up another just to check Facebook, Twitter, the weather, or whatever. This sounds a whole lot like what Microsoft is trying to accomplish with its Metro UI and People hub in Windows Phone.

Messaging master
Efficiency and keeping in the loop are mission critical skills for corporate warriors. BlackBerry 10, says RIM, will boast the strong messaging abilities it has traditionally had such as a unified inbox plus new innovations like the advanced virtual keyboard. Similar to many popular third-party options on Android and iOS, the BB10 keyboard will predict your next word and place them right above the letter it expects you to hit next.

You can then flick words upward to form sentences in a flash or swipe a finger horizontally to quickly delete. I’ve tried it personally and can say it’s a freakishly cool sensation, almost like the phone is melding with my mind — in a good way.

A sensual UI
Besides the finger swipes on the keyboard, RIM plans to integrate a whole bunch of gesture controls into BlackBerry 10. For example, you’ll be able to answer or reject calls by performing a long press then swiping up or down. In fact I sat down with Chris Smith, VP of application platform and tools, at the show. Mr. Smith explained the idea is for applications to behave in many new and interesting ways. So once inside, say, a weather app, you’ll be able to drag your finger up, down, left, or right to access many different views.

Another element of RIM’s vision is how BlackBerry 10 will adjust itself to each individual user over time. The keyboard for instance will pay attention to where your fingers fall and become better at adapting to your typing style. Other personalization skills are in the works, too, RIM execs told me, but we’ll have to wait for more details.

It all sounds well and good, and an advanced BlackBerry platform is frankly what RIM needed two years ago. It’s also a key linchpin to attracting users, and, more importantly, developers to the BB platform. I just hope it’ll become a reality ASAP since the longer it takes, the deeper the hole gets.

Android’s new ally against the iPhone: Ubuntu

Jason Hiner, CNET News, 5/1/2012

Strong sales of the iPhone 4S are putting renewed pressure on Android to innovate. Ubuntu for Android could give the platform a key capability iPhone is still missing.

Last year was a long time ago for Android.  That was when Google’s mobile platform was stealing market share from all the other smartphone platforms — winning even against the iPhone — and beating a path toward market dominance.

But Android is now facing a renewed challenge from its archrival. Android’s vulnerability against the iPhone can be summed up by looking at the two biggest wireless carriers in the U.S. — AT&T and Verizon. At AT&T, the iPhone represented 78% of all smartphone sales in the first three months of 2012. At Verizon, which had been an Android stronghold since the launch of the original Motorola Droid in October 2009, the iPhone has picked up over 50 percent of all smartphone sales for each of the past two quarters (Q4 2011 and Q1 2012).

How’d that happen? Android won over more users than Apple during 2010 and 2011 because Android devices were available on more carriers and there were Android phones that cost a lot less than the $200 base model of the iPhone. But now the iPhone has spread to virtually all of the major carriers and there are now iPhone models available for under $100.

Android badly needs a new advantage against the iPhone in the next stage of the mobile platform fight. It may get it from Canonical’s Ubuntu for Android.

The Ubuntu factor

Ubuntu is a friendly version of Linux aimed at the masses. Unfortunately, the masses have never embraced it on a large scale, but it has proven to be usable enough that even your technophobic uncle can easily use Ubuntu to do things like surf the Web, check e-mail, and download photos from a digital camera.

While the iPhone is winning on simplicity, Android is winning on expanded features (and it’s still expected to have a 50 percent market share this year). One of those expanded features that the iPhone doesn’t have is the ability to dock and act like a computer. Last week we looked at how Motorola Webtop pioneered this concept. However, Ubuntu has an alternative vision for smartphone/PC convergence and it’s teaming with Android hardware makers on devices that will hit the market later in 2012.

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has slowly and quietly evolved the Linux desktop into a legitimate low-cost alternative to Windows and Mac. Ubuntu’s focus on usability with its Unity Desktop and Heads-Up Display (which is like a Google search for all of the menus on your computer) has given Ubuntu the simplicity it needs to compete in an era that’s about to be dominated by touchscreens and cloud computing.

That’s why when Canonical announced and demonstrated Ubuntu for Android at Mobile World Congress in February, it generated a lot of interest across the mobile industry. Users liked the idea of a more full-featured desktop than Motorola’s Webtop. Android phone makers liked the idea of using the software to build high-powered multi-purpose devices and make more money off smartphones accessories like desktop docks. And, wireless carriers loved the idea of powerful smartphones running desktop-level applications that will demand more data than ever.

“The feedback has been great,” Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth said. “People that really got their hands on it have raved about it.”

After the announcement, the Canonical booth at MWC 2012 was flooded with interest from corporate tech managers, consumers, and representatives from telcos and handset makers. All of them wanted to see what Ubuntu for Android could do. Everyone has seen the capabilities of Motorola Webtop – as we talked about last week – but it’s limited to mostly desktop Web browsing and it’s only available on Motorola phones. Ubuntu takes the concept a step further by opening it up to more apps and to all Android phone makers.

Shuttleworth said, “Webtop reminds [me] of ChromeOS. It’s a browser story. We’ve pulled off a very different feeling… The full range of desktop apps are there.”

When Ubuntu is loaded on an Android phone, the two platforms share the same Linux kernel, so it’s not like running two operating systems. The two pieces act like complementary partners. The Android phone functions normally when used as a smartphone or when making calls, but when it docks then the Ubuntu desktop pops up and acts like a standard computer. You can open a desktop Web browser, but you can also install and run standard Ubuntu desktop software for photo editing, word processing, etc.

Because Ubuntu is so lean, the entire Ubuntu software stack only takes up about 2GB, and that includes apps for e-mail, Web browsing, photo editing, music, and other basic stuff. If you install more applications from the large Ubuntu repository of open source apps then that will obviously take up more space, but there’s still plenty of storage on most modern smartphones to handle it. While Ubuntu takes up more storage than Webtop, it’s also giving you a lot more capabilities.

“The Ubuntu solution is providing a complete PC operating system,” said Richard Collins, the Product Manager for Ubuntu for Android. “Canonical has always seen the opportunity for Ubuntu for Android. It’s something that’s always been discussed, but once the hardware was ready then we realized the timing was good for this. [The software] is mature enough for us to engage with an OEM today.”

Before joining Canonical in December 2011, Collins previously worked on smartphones for Symbian — the operating system that used to power Nokia smartphones before CEO Stephen Elop dumped it for Windows Phone 7 last year.

For Ubuntu for Android, Collins added, “We haven’t touched Android at all.”

But, while the Ubuntu solution doesn’t alter Android, it provides deep integration with Android on the Ubuntu side, and that’s where Canonical is bringing value that goes above and beyond what Motorola accomplished with Webtop.

Going beyond Webtop

Here are some examples of the ways Ubuntu integrates with Android:

• Web pages that you have open on your Android phone are automatically opened in Ubuntu when you dock. It even switches from the mobile site to the desktop version of the site, in many cases.
• View, search, and launch Android applications from within the Ubuntu desktop
• Access and edit photos and videos and then save them back to Android
• Wi-Fi networks and settings are shared between Android and Ubuntu
• View and search phone contacts from the Ubuntu desktop
• Use Dialer app to make calls on the phone while docked in Ubuntu
• Read and respond to text messages with full keyboard in Ubuntu
• Android calendar app is synced with Ubuntu calendar software
• Social networking account credentials are synced between Android and Ubuntu

Again, the other thing that Ubuntu has going for it over Webtop is that Webtop is currently only available on Motorola smartphones. In my Webtop article last week, I suggested that when Google buys Motorola Mobility it could choose to directly integrate Webtop into the next version of Android, which would turn almost every new Android device into a PC replacement.

In the meantime, Ubuntu for Android is bypassing Google and making its pitch directly to Android handset makers. Interestingly enough, once the announcement was made in February, several of the handset makers actually came and sought out Canonical to start the dialog on how to get it on their devices. Canonical said that virtually all of the major Android phone makers are considering Ubuntu for Android.

“We’ve engaged all the handset manufacturers that we feel were relevant to this solution,” said Collins. “They were beating a path to our stand [at MWC].”

Collins said Ubuntu for Android is not something that is meant to be released as a download on the Internet and installed on existing Android phones. It’s going to take close cooperation with the phone makers in order to optimize performance of the hardware for each smartphone and to build in all the hooks that are needed for the deep integration that Ubuntu is doing with Android.

Since Ubuntu for Android runs alongside Android, Collins argued that a handset manufacturer can integrate it with a phone that is currently in development without having to completely reboot the product. He said manufacturers that are planning to launch multi-core smartphones this year can still take this and launch with it before the end of the year. While that sounds a little oversimplified, the key is that Collins thinks we’ll see Ubuntu integrated into high-end Android phones by the end of 2012.

Collins also said that Ubuntu would love to work with some Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core devices. That’s where the possibilities of this type of solution could start to shine through, since performance has been one of the big drawbacks of Motorola Webtop as well as the Motorola Atrix 2 device that Ubuntu of Android was demonstrated on at MWC.

While it’s uncertain what Google is going to do with Motorola Mobility once the acquisition is complete, the search giant has said that it intends to run Motorola as a stand-alone business. If that’s the case, then Shuttleworth said he’s even open to collaborating with the Webtop creator. “I’d love to work with Motorola because I know the courage it took to bring Webtop to market.”

One thing that’s very clear in talking with Shuttleworth is that he has completely bought into the idea that the smartphone is the future of the PC. His only question was the timing. “It’s a very natural step for us to be taking,” he said. “[This is] an upcoming phase change. It might take five years. It might take 10 years.”

Windows Phone 7 ‘not fit for big biz … unlike Android, iOS’

John Leyden, The Register, 4/30/2012

B-Sides Window Phone 7 is not yet fit for enterprise deployments, according to an application security expert.

David Rook, application security lead at Realex Payments, told delegates at the B-Sides conference in London that the youngest of the smartphone operating systems is less mature than either Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS.

However, for enterprise deployment, the most important issues to focus on are authentication, authorisation and secure storage, he said.

Speaking to The Reg after the event, Rook explained: “The main three things that would stop me personally deploying WP7 in the enterprise would be the lack of native disk encryption, no support for client side SSL certificates and the lack of in built VPN functionality.

“In addition to those features being missing Microsoft have specifically targeted the consumer market with WP7 which to me says a lot about it being the right solution for the enterprise. I believe WP8 will include native bitlock disk encryption but this isn’t in WP7.”

He added that he would personally prefer iOS devices in enterprise scenarios, but said “Android can be securely deployed, of course, as a friend of mine pointed out recently”.

Rook told delegates at B-Sides that other issues in application security such as input validation ought not to be neglected but are less important in practice than the three top areas he outlined.

“We need input validation but most problems in practice are caused by top three risk areas,” Rook explained.

The current Windows Phone 7 framework doesn’t allow app to access data held by other apps. Microsoft is likely to reverse this, according to Rook. Examples of possible problem areas include flaws in mobile ad libraries and the like from third-party suppliers.

Window Phone 7 is based on the .Net developer framework and many of the same security principles apply. “There are no new issues in app security here that we don’t now how to review and test,” Rook explained.

The smartphone OS has various in-built security features but “like any security system it’s only a matter of time before these get broken,” Rook warned.

Rook has developed a utility called Windows Phone App Analyser to assist software creators in uncovering possible problems. ®

Google unveils Google Drive, offers 5GB of free storage

John P. Mello Jr., PCWorld, 4/24/2012

Google has officially unveiled Google Drive, its foray into free online storage.

Consumers can get 5GB of free storage to stash anything they want, from photos to videos to documents. They’ll also be able to use the space to collaborate with others.

If 5GB isn’t enough space, you can buy more—from 20GB for $4.99 a month up to 1TB for $49.99 a month. Paid Google Drive subscribers automatically get a Gmail upgrade to 25GB of storage.

Competitors such as Box charges $240 per year for 50GB of storage. The new SkyDrive charges $50 per year for 100GB, and Dropbox will cost you $100 per year for 50GB.

According to Google, its new storage offering allows you to:

• Work with others on projects involving Google Docs, which is integrated into Google Drive. Once you share a file stored on Google Drive, you will be automatically notified when someone comments on the shared material.
• Access your files from any web browser. There’s also an Android app for accessing the drive, and an iOS application is in the works.
• Search your documents, including text in scanned documents. Image recognition is also supported so you can search for photos, too.

Google Drive is designed to work seamlessly with other Google apps. For example, you can attach a photo stored on the drive to a Google+ posting. You’ll soon also be able to do the same thing with Gmail, Google promised.

What’s more, Google said that it’s making the drive an open platform in order to encourage third-party apps for the product so you’ll be able to do things such as send faxes and edit video directly from the drive.

Google Cloud Print can now “print” to an Android device or local FedEx store

Ryan Pau, Ars Technica, 4/18/2012

Although modern computing devices and software offer much richer ways to consume, manipulate, and share content, there are still people who prefer to put their documents and images on slices of dead tree. Google introduced a service called Cloud Print in 2010 with the aim of helping said people print physical copies of their files from smartphones and Chromebooks.

Google Cloud Print got an update today with several new features, including improved Android integration and the ability to print a file to a local FedEx office. Google also announced that Canon has joined the lineup of hardware vendors who natively support the service.

Google Cloud Print allows users to associate their Google account with a printer, making it remotely accessible over the Internet. This feature works out of the box with “cloud-aware” printers that support Google’s protocol. It can also be used with “legacy” printers by using a software intermediary that runs on a computer. Canon, Epson, Kodak, and HP support the feature on some models.

Google has introduced a new “Print to FedEx Office” option in Google Cloud Print. This feature will relay the specified file to FedEx and give the user a retrieval code they can tap into a Print & Go machine at a local FedEx Office store. The machine will print the user’s file on the spot. This feature has been available for about a year with HP’s ePrint service, but FedEx is now extending it to support Google Cloud Print.

In addition to adding the FedEx printing option, Google has also added support for “printing” to an Android 4 device that has Chrome for Android installed. When the user associates such a device with their Google account, it will show up in the Google Cloud Print list as a printing destination. Printing to an Android device will generate a PDF that automatically opens in Chrome for Android.

MokaFive debuts iOS version of enterprise admin software

MacNN, 4/18/2012

Offers data security for Macs and iOS

Enterprise data management company MokaFive has released an iOS version of its self-titled Mac and Windows software for corporate and enterprise use, allowing mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads to protect business data and enforce corporate use and rights policies remotely with the same console used to provide business data protection for desktops. Popular in the healthcare sector, the software now provides access to HIPAA-compliant health information over Wi-Fi, 3G or LTE.

Having a consistent management of business data across multiple types of devices will make it easier for employees to move from desktops to mobile devices. MokaFive’s approach allows users to cache secure data for access even when users are offline, enabling security while still letting users be productive. It’s now estimated that 64 percent of mobile workers are carrying a tablet computer, the overwhelming majority of which are iPads, so the software is targeted at iPad users.

The software uses an encrypted “container” model to isolate corporate data from other content, and lets administrators set policies and security settings regardless of device, even down to prohibiting copy and paste from corporate to personal files. By keeping the two sets of data separate, companies can relax overly-restrictive rules about personal use of mobile devices without worrying that business data will be used outside of approved business apps. IT admins can also remotely wipe any lost or stolen devices with a single click, or limit the secure wiping to just the isolated corporate data.

The software also provides administrators with a single set of tools across Mac, Windows and now iOS, making the standard more attractive. The cost of the service is $50 per user per year.

Private WiFi

Fahmida Y. Rashid, PCMag, 4/17/2012

Private WiFi ($9.95/month) makes it possible for privacy and security-conscious individuals take advantage of VPN technology without having to set up a dedicated VPN server. The service, from Private Communications, simplifies the process of setting up a virtual private network (VPN) on a computer and automatically routes all network traffic through the company’s servers. Private WiFi encrypts the data and handles DNS queries to secure your Web surfing.

While there are plenty of software and router options available for small and mid-sized businesses that will protect employees remotely accessing company servers and applications, Private WiFi focuses on encrypting all network traffic to prevent anyone from intercepting login credentials or tracking online activity. The tool is useful for end-users interested in securing their personal activity as well as for employees on the go who don’t have work-issued VPN software.  Private WiFi is based on OpenVPN and provides users with 128-bit SSL encryption.

Private WiFi is a subscription-based service and is available $9.95 a month, or with an $84.95 annual subscription. There are no bandwidth restrictions or caps on the service. Users can download a trial and try it out for three days, after which they are locked out of the software unless they purchase a license. I tried re-downloading the software every three days, but the software was able to detect that I had previously installed a trial version on the same computer.

The lack of a free or ad-supported versions means occasional users would not be able to take advantage of the tools. Users who don’t anticipate getting onto a public hotspot on a regular basis would not want to pay for a monthly subscription. For those users, the free version of our Editors’ Choice Hotspot Shield from AnchorFree is a better fit. For users who are regularly taking advantage of open wireless networks, it may be worth paying for the Private WiFi subscription because it is practically invisible on the machine.

Private WiFi VPN service works on Windows XP, Vista and 7, as well as Mac OS X Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Lion. Mobile clients are not yet available to use on smartphones or tablets.

It’s important to remember, though, that while malicious individuals can’t view your online activity, you are still trusting Private Communications with that information. The company promises that its systems are secure and that they won’t abuse that trust, but if that still makes you leery, then you should be considering your own VPN server instead of relying on these kinds of services.

Getting Started
The installation wizard steps through six panels, and it takes just a few minutes to get the software up and running. During the installation process on Windows machines, Private WiFi installs a network adapter provided by OpenVPN (TAP-Win32 Provider V9). This replaces your actual network adapter for Internet communications.

The adapter is the only thing Private WiFi adds to the operating system or the Web browser—no additional services or plugins.

If all goes well, there is a green cone-shaped icon in the system tray indicating the software is running. This is where I first encountered the software’s erratic behavior: The installer launched the tool, and it appeared to be active. Yet when I checked on WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, my machine still had my own IP address and not one from Private Communications. I had to deactivate the software and re-activate it manually before WhatIsMyIPAddress.com displayed an address belonging to Private Communications.

After chatting with a product engineer at Private Communications, I learned that this perplexing behavior was unique to the installer file I was using. Users who download the normal 3-day trial, and then upgrade after purchasing a paid version, shouldn’t encounter this startup issue. The bug is only in the trial software and is being fixed, so other users should not have this problem.

Features
Private WiFi has to be “activated” in order to protect users. After activation, all Internet traffic leaving or entering the computer is encrypted and routed through one of Private WiFi’s 13 servers located in the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, and Singapore. The user can manually connect to U.S. servers in Los Angeles, Missouri, New York, and Virginia, or let the software pick the nearest one that’s available. Private WiFi also has three international servers in Singapore, Amsterdam and Toronto. When deactivated, the privacy options are all turned off, and the user browses the Web normally.

It’s pretty easy to tell by looking at the connection icon in the system tray whether the VPN protection is active or not. The cone-shaped icon is red when off and green when on. Hovering over the icon expands the icon to actually display, “Activated” or “Deactivated.”

When running Private WiFi, the user receives an IP address from the Private Communications network, effectively preventing anyone else from discovering the user’s actual address or geographic location. Looking up the IP address reveals the location of the company servers, instead.

Private WiFi also automatically provides users with Netfilter firewall and ClamAV antivirus protection when active. Netfilter blacklists malicious Websites and ClamAV scans all files that try to get downloaded on the computer. When Private WiFi is not active, the firewall and antivirus are both turned off.

Ready, Set, VPN!
When I launched the software, it defaulted to the state it was before it was shut down. If it was active, it would automatically try to connect to a server and activate when starting up. I had the option to always connect to the nearest server, or manually select one of the servers to connect. If that server is not available for whatever reason, Private WiFi moves to the next one on the list.

The actual status window is very clear. It tells you what the IP address is, whether it’s active or not, what kind of encryption is in place, and the number of packets received and sent. Even though Private WiFi doesn’t impose any bandwidth restrictions on users, if you have a data cap, the information in this panel can be useful.

Right-clicking on the system tray icon opens up a menu with the option to modify software settings. You can set server options here, as well as whether or not to have the software launch automatically when the computer boots up, and whether or not to have the software activate immediately when the Internet connective is active.

This is where I encountered another unexpected behavior. I selected the option to have the software launch automatically when the computer boots up, but when I restarted the computer, it didn’t launch. As far as I could tell, nothing happened. There were no error messages logged anywhere that I could find. Once I manually launched the software, everything was fine.

The product engineer at Private Communications has confirmded this bug has been fixed for the next version, to be released shortly.

Users have access to technical support via phone, live chat, or email. There’s a decent FAQ on the Website, and the online manual is pretty thorough, as well.

Impact on Connection Speed
I often disconnect from my work VPN whenever I want to view streaming video or listen to music, because the VPN slows down the connection speed a bit. I was, however, able to watch videos on YouTube and listen to music on Pandora while connected to Private WiFi.

To measure I speed, I used the speed tests available on SpeedTest.net and DSLReports.com. The tests are designed to measure download and upload speeds when connecting to servers in different cities. I ran the test on a total of eight different cities with the VPN connection turned off, and again when turned on. I manually connected to the nearest server to the city being tested to get the best possible performance. I repeated the test twice and picked the best measurements.

I ran the tests again for cities while connected to the Missouri server just to see what the performance was like if the servers weren’t the “nearest” and found that the hit was not that noticeable. While there was no boost that I saw with AnchorFree’s HotSpot Shield, the decline wasn’t all that dramatic. Getting on VPN using Private WiFi won’t disrupt user activity all that much.

Is PrivateWiFi for You?
Private WiFi does the job it is designed to, which is encrypting all traffic using 128-bit SSL and keeping users on public wireless hotspots secure from anyone trying to sniff out their online activity. I was able to look at the status window and know where I was connected and how much data was being transmitted. The speed was pretty good, regardless of which server I was connected to, and I was pleased at how easy it was to use.

While the fact that it has such a small footprint should be a plus, it may be too invisible. If the status window is closed, it’s really easy to forget to check the system tray whether or not it is on or not. Combined with the fact that the “launch on startup” doesn’t seem to always work, this might be just one time when the tool should be a bit more obvious. Not having a day-to-day subscription also makes this an expensive tool for occasional users.

Free hotspots in public places such as airports, coffee shops, and hotels may be convenient for getting online while you’re on-the-go, but they are also open invitation for malicious snoops from eavesdropping on what people are doing. Private WiFi makes it easier to be safe. Private WiFi is easy to use and does the job just as well as our current Editors’ Choice, AnchorFree’s HotSpot Shield. Its rating scores suffered a bit because of the odd behavior, but those should be fixed by the next version. Hotspot Shield edges out Private WiFi solely because it can sometimes boost connection speeds better than what you are getting without using the tunnel.

New Security Flaws Detected in Mobile Devices

Byron Acohid, Mobile Tech Today, 4/10/2012

Two recent examinations of mobile devices reveal gaping security flaws. In one study, Cryptography Research showed how it’s possible to eavesdrop on any smartphone or tablet as it is being used to make a purchase, conduct online banking or access a company’s virtual private network. McAfee showed ways to remotely hack into Apple iOS.

Those cool mobile devices beloved by consumers carry deep-rooted security flaws that are only now being discovered and addressed.

Findings of two recent examinations of mobile devices highlight how designers of smartphones and tablet PCs failed to fully account for security and privacy implications.

“Today’s smartphones and tablet devices perform the same functions as a PC ,” says Dan Hoffman, chief of mobile security at Juniper Networks. “However, the vast majority of devices lack security software and mistakenly rely upon the operating system to keep people safe.”

In one study, security firm Cryptography Research showed how it’s possible to eavesdrop on any smartphone or tablet PC as it is being used to make a purchase, conduct online banking or access a company’s virtual  private network.

The process used to encrypt data  can be deciphered, enabling a criminal to use them to access a financial account or a company network, says Benjamin Jun, Cryptography Research’s chief technology officer. “These type of attacks do not require the device to be modified, and there is usually no observable sign that an attack is in progress,” Jun says.

Cryptography Research is “working with one of the major smartphone and tablet companies right now to put countermeasures in,” Jun says. No known actual attacks have occurred, he says.

In another demonstration, researchers at security firm McAfee, a division of chipmaker Intel, highlighted several ways to remotely hack into Apple iOS, the operating system for iPads and iPhones.

McAfee’s research team remotely activated microphones on a variety of test devices and recorded conversations taking place nearby. They also showed that it’s possible to steal secret keys and passwords, and pilfer sensitive data, including call histories, e-mail and text messages.

“This can be done with absolutely no indication to the device user,” says Ryan Permeh, McAfee’s principal security architect.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined comment.

Security experts and law enforcement officials anticipate that cybergangs will accelerate attacks as consumers and companies begin to rely more heavily on mobile devices for shopping, banking and working. “The broader security community needs to assist in providing all users the highest level of protection,” Hoffman says.

Google Play Music adds HTML5 audio, replacing Flash

iPodnn, 4/10/2012

Also adds star ratings and Chrome enhancement

Google has updated its Google Play (formerly Android Market) Music subsection with some new, “experimental” controls that include a toggle for using HTML5 rather than Flash for desktops, along with the replacement of the “thumbs up/down” rating system with a five-star rating, the iTunes standard. For Chrome users, the service can now provide desktop notifications. The changes mark the continuation of efforts to improve the service, which officially launched in November.

The HTML5 feature for streaming audio works in all browsers that support MP3 file playing over HTML5, including Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer. Noticeably absent from the list is Firefox and Opera, which curiously do not support HTML5 MP3 audio. The iOS web app of the storefront already supports HTML5 streaming.

The service has add some teething issues, in particular an unpublished limit on the amount of daily streaming allowed per user, even though users are listening to their own music that they manually uploaded to Google. The company continues to imply in its marketing that the service offers unlimited streaming.

The Music section has also been revealed to have had disappointing sales figures, fizzling some music industry hopes that it would offer a serious challenge to the dominant iTunes Store.

HTML5 Features Can Drive Up Mobile Websites’ Usage By Up To 28%

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