Kompas.com - Apple mematenkan teknologo isi ulang baterai baru. Dengan teknologi ini, bisa saja baterai iPhone di masa depan bisa diisi ulang lewat koneksi Wi-Fi.
Showing posts with label Cellphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cellphone. Show all posts
Sep 8, 2016
ZTE Rilis Warp 7, Android RAM 2 GB Rp 1 Jutaan
Kompas.com - Vendor ponsel China, ZTE merilis smartphone Android Warp 7 untuk pasar Australia awal September ini. Apa istimewanya perangkat yang satu ini?
Samsung Resmi "Recall" Galaxy Note 7
Kompas.com - Samsung resmi menarik peredaraan (recall) smartphone Galaxy Note 7 yang dirilis awal Agustus lalu. Langkah ini diambil Samsung setelah banyaknya laporan kasus baterai yang meledak atau terbakar di beberapa negara.
Dec 13, 2015
Apple Siapkan iPhone 4 Inci untuk 2016?
Kompas.com - Tahun 2016 mendatang akan ada kejutan baru dari Apple. Raksasa teknologi ini kabarnya sedang menyiapkan sebuah iPhone baru dalam ukuran kecil, yaitu 4 inci.
Aug 19, 2015
Jul 29, 2015
Text Message Could Hijack Your Android Phone
Tomsguide.com - All a hacker needs to get access to most Android phones is the telephone number tied to the device, according to security researcher Joshua Drake. Exploits Drake revealed today (July 27) don't require a user to open a corrupted website or download a malicious attachment; a phone simply needs to be able to accept texts and have Stagefright (Android's default media playback engine) installed.
Drake is the VP of Platform Research and Exploitation at Zimperium, a mobile-security firm based in Tel Aviv and San Francisco. A Zimperium company blog post stated that the Stagefright flaws are "the worst Android vulnerabilities discovered to date," due in part to how widespread Stagefright is. They estimate "95 percent of Android devices, an estimated 950 million devices," are at risk until a patch is applied.
Stagefright, which has been a part of Android the release of Android 2.2 Froyo in 2010, is still present in the current Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Regarding the upcoming version of Android, Drake pointed out on Twitter that "Android M uses Stagefright," though he assured users that they should not worry, continuing by saying "I expect that the release version of Android M will ship with these bugs fixed already."
More recent versions of Android have been engineered to keep application data separated, but the further back one's device is in the platform's history, the more access hackers could gain to one's phone. The turning point for Android security seems to be around Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with Zimperium noting that pre-4.1 devices "(roughly 11 percent of devices) are at the worst risk due to inadequate exploit mitigations."
(The Zimperium post noted that SilentCircle's Blackphone handset, which runs a customized, "hardened" version of Android called PrivatOS, was already protected against Stagefright exploits.)
While Google worked with Drake to deftly create a patch to fix the Stagefright flaws, users now need Android device manufacturers to push the update down to devices. Those who have watched carriers and manufacturers take ages to issue updates may not hold their breath waiting for the fix.
Not only are devices running older software more at risk, but according to Zimperium, "Devices older than 18 months are unlikely to receive an update at all."
Drake is the VP of Platform Research and Exploitation at Zimperium, a mobile-security firm based in Tel Aviv and San Francisco. A Zimperium company blog post stated that the Stagefright flaws are "the worst Android vulnerabilities discovered to date," due in part to how widespread Stagefright is. They estimate "95 percent of Android devices, an estimated 950 million devices," are at risk until a patch is applied.
Stagefright, which has been a part of Android the release of Android 2.2 Froyo in 2010, is still present in the current Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Regarding the upcoming version of Android, Drake pointed out on Twitter that "Android M uses Stagefright," though he assured users that they should not worry, continuing by saying "I expect that the release version of Android M will ship with these bugs fixed already."
More recent versions of Android have been engineered to keep application data separated, but the further back one's device is in the platform's history, the more access hackers could gain to one's phone. The turning point for Android security seems to be around Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with Zimperium noting that pre-4.1 devices "(roughly 11 percent of devices) are at the worst risk due to inadequate exploit mitigations."
(The Zimperium post noted that SilentCircle's Blackphone handset, which runs a customized, "hardened" version of Android called PrivatOS, was already protected against Stagefright exploits.)
While Google worked with Drake to deftly create a patch to fix the Stagefright flaws, users now need Android device manufacturers to push the update down to devices. Those who have watched carriers and manufacturers take ages to issue updates may not hold their breath waiting for the fix.
Not only are devices running older software more at risk, but according to Zimperium, "Devices older than 18 months are unlikely to receive an update at all."
Jun 28, 2015
Pre-installed keyboard leaves 600 million Samsung smartphones vulnerable to hackers
Foxnews.com - If you're rocking a Samsung smartphone, you could be vulnerable to hackers, thanks to a preinstalled keyboard on your device.
The vulnerability was discovered by Ryan Welton from mobile security specialists NowSecure. The issue is with the preinstalled SwiftKey keyboard which looks for language pack updates over an unencrypted line. Welton found that a hacker could create a spoof proxy server and send a fake update to the device with malicious code. The hacker could then exploit the device by eavesdropping on incoming and outgoing messages or voice calls, access personal data such as pictures or text messages, tamper with apps, and even install other malicious apps.
Welton first discovered the flaw last year and subsequently notified Samsung in December 2014. Samsung immediately worked on a patch and sent updates to various carriers for devices running Android 4.2 or higher in March 2015. However, it's unknown whether these patches have made their way to devices. Carriers are notorious for taking their time with updates due to their so-called rigorous testing for bugs.
Unfortunately, there is no other fix because users can't simply uninstall the SwiftKey app -- one of the not so joyous benefits of carrier bloatware. Users are still vulnerable even when SwiftKey isn't set as the default keyboard.
What's even scarier about this vulnerability is it even affects the Galaxy S6, which was released in April. Welton detailed this security flaw earlier today at the Blackhat Security Summit in London. He stated that he was able to hack into a Galaxy S6 running on Verizon Wireless. "We can confirm that we have found the flaw still unpatched on the Galaxy S6 for the Verizon and Sprint networks, in off the shelf tests we did over the past couple of days," a NowSecure spokesperson confirmed.
According to the NowSecure website, it's likely that the Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, and Galaxy S6 are all affected, but it's unclear which carrier-specific models received updates. The site only mentions U.S. carriers, so we aren't sure if owners of international variants need to be worried.
Now before everyone with a Samsung phone goes into a panic attack, we need to point out that chances are rare that your device will be attacked through this vulnerability. A hacker can only use this method via a public Wi-Fi network, like those found at a coffee shop, hotel, or other public spaces. More importantly, a hacker has to have knowledge of this exploit and has to be on the same network as you. Chances are very slim that a hacker who knows about this security flaw will be at your local Starbucks at the same exact time as you.
Nevertheless, a security flaw should never be taken lightly, so NowSecure recommends staying away from public Wi-Fi networks if you have one of these Samsung devices. That might be easier said then done, though, especially for those who are on capped data plans and don't want to use their carrier's mobile network all day. The other thing you can do is contact your carrier and demand that your phone gets updated with the patch if it hasn't already.
The vulnerability was discovered by Ryan Welton from mobile security specialists NowSecure. The issue is with the preinstalled SwiftKey keyboard which looks for language pack updates over an unencrypted line. Welton found that a hacker could create a spoof proxy server and send a fake update to the device with malicious code. The hacker could then exploit the device by eavesdropping on incoming and outgoing messages or voice calls, access personal data such as pictures or text messages, tamper with apps, and even install other malicious apps.
Welton first discovered the flaw last year and subsequently notified Samsung in December 2014. Samsung immediately worked on a patch and sent updates to various carriers for devices running Android 4.2 or higher in March 2015. However, it's unknown whether these patches have made their way to devices. Carriers are notorious for taking their time with updates due to their so-called rigorous testing for bugs.
Unfortunately, there is no other fix because users can't simply uninstall the SwiftKey app -- one of the not so joyous benefits of carrier bloatware. Users are still vulnerable even when SwiftKey isn't set as the default keyboard.
What's even scarier about this vulnerability is it even affects the Galaxy S6, which was released in April. Welton detailed this security flaw earlier today at the Blackhat Security Summit in London. He stated that he was able to hack into a Galaxy S6 running on Verizon Wireless. "We can confirm that we have found the flaw still unpatched on the Galaxy S6 for the Verizon and Sprint networks, in off the shelf tests we did over the past couple of days," a NowSecure spokesperson confirmed.
According to the NowSecure website, it's likely that the Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, and Galaxy S6 are all affected, but it's unclear which carrier-specific models received updates. The site only mentions U.S. carriers, so we aren't sure if owners of international variants need to be worried.
Now before everyone with a Samsung phone goes into a panic attack, we need to point out that chances are rare that your device will be attacked through this vulnerability. A hacker can only use this method via a public Wi-Fi network, like those found at a coffee shop, hotel, or other public spaces. More importantly, a hacker has to have knowledge of this exploit and has to be on the same network as you. Chances are very slim that a hacker who knows about this security flaw will be at your local Starbucks at the same exact time as you.
Nevertheless, a security flaw should never be taken lightly, so NowSecure recommends staying away from public Wi-Fi networks if you have one of these Samsung devices. That might be easier said then done, though, especially for those who are on capped data plans and don't want to use their carrier's mobile network all day. The other thing you can do is contact your carrier and demand that your phone gets updated with the patch if it hasn't already.
Mar 4, 2015
This tiny card will give your smartphone 200 GB of storage
Cnn.com - The days of deleting apps and photos from your phone to free up storage may soon be history.
SanDisk (SNDK) has unveiled the world's most spacious storage card for smartphones. The catchy-named "SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition," comes with 200 gigabytes of storage. That's 72 GB more storage than the next-largest option on the market.
But before you get too excited, cramming all that capacity on a tiny microSD card the size of your fingernail isn't for everyone.
High-capacity storage is extremely expensive stuff. SanDisk said it will go on sale sometime in the spring -- and cost $400.
Also, many newer phones also don't come with expandable storage. The Apple (AAPL, Tech30) iPhone has never allowed customers to insert SD cards to grow its storage capacity, and Samsung (SSNLF) just eliminated that option from its new Galaxy S6 smartphone.
If you want all that storage in your phone but can't get it, don't despair. SanDisk also makes internal storage for smartphones, and you could one day see a 200 GB iPhone or Android phone hit store shelves.
Storage prices also tend to come down over time. Apple just increased the capacity of its two larger-capacity iPhones this past year, doubling customers' storage without raising the price of the iPhone.
As smartphones become our primary cameras, those huge photo and video files tend to eat up space pretty quickly. A growing number of cloud storage options, including Google+ (GOOGL, Tech30) Photos, Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud and Dropbox are making photo backup much easier -- but you still have to erase the photos from your phone when your on-board storage space fills up.
SanDisk's 200 GB of extra storage would pretty much eliminate the need to methodically erase stuff from your phone.
The company also says that the SD card will allow super-fast transfer rates, allowing customers to move 1,200 photos per minute from a phone to a computer.
SanDisk (SNDK) has unveiled the world's most spacious storage card for smartphones. The catchy-named "SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition," comes with 200 gigabytes of storage. That's 72 GB more storage than the next-largest option on the market.
But before you get too excited, cramming all that capacity on a tiny microSD card the size of your fingernail isn't for everyone.
High-capacity storage is extremely expensive stuff. SanDisk said it will go on sale sometime in the spring -- and cost $400.
Also, many newer phones also don't come with expandable storage. The Apple (AAPL, Tech30) iPhone has never allowed customers to insert SD cards to grow its storage capacity, and Samsung (SSNLF) just eliminated that option from its new Galaxy S6 smartphone.
If you want all that storage in your phone but can't get it, don't despair. SanDisk also makes internal storage for smartphones, and you could one day see a 200 GB iPhone or Android phone hit store shelves.
Storage prices also tend to come down over time. Apple just increased the capacity of its two larger-capacity iPhones this past year, doubling customers' storage without raising the price of the iPhone.
As smartphones become our primary cameras, those huge photo and video files tend to eat up space pretty quickly. A growing number of cloud storage options, including Google+ (GOOGL, Tech30) Photos, Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud and Dropbox are making photo backup much easier -- but you still have to erase the photos from your phone when your on-board storage space fills up.
SanDisk's 200 GB of extra storage would pretty much eliminate the need to methodically erase stuff from your phone.
The company also says that the SD card will allow super-fast transfer rates, allowing customers to move 1,200 photos per minute from a phone to a computer.
Jan 9, 2015
Android app stops smartphone spies
 |
| They won't know that you know that they know. |
Foxnews.com - You're not paranoid if they really are listening. A new Android app can detect surveillance attempts on your smartphone, including IMSI catchers (also called "stingrays"), hidden text messages and attacks exploiting the telephone-signal protocol known as Signaling System 7 (SS7).
Called SnoopSnitch, the app launched for free on the Google Play store Dec. 29. It can't protect your phone from snooping, but it can tell you that the snooping is happening.
IMSI catchers disguise themselves as legitimate cell towers, tricking GSM mobile phones into connecting to them and forwarding outgoing calls to the legitimate phone network. IMSI catchers can eavesdrop on calls and texts, extract personal data from connected phones and track phones' physical locations.
Law-enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, use stingrays in investigations, and a recent informal survey revealed more than a dozen IMSI catchers spread across the United States. The devices are so frequently used that the StingRay brand name used by a top manufacturer of IMSI catchers already applies generically.
Enter SnoopSnitch. The app was developed by German mobile-phone security researchers Karsten Nohl, Tobias Engel and Alex Senier, all of Berlin-based security company SRLabs, and was introduced in their presentation at the Chaos Computer Congress security conference in Hamburg Dec. 27.
SnoopSnitch can tell when a mobile device is switching from a legitimate cell tower to IMSI catcher, the researchers explained in their talk entitled "Mobile Self-Defense (SnoopSnitch)." Nohl also described SnoopSnitch as a "catcher catcher" in an interview with tech news site Motherboard.
Though it is free on the Google Play Store, not all Android devices will work with SnoopSnitch, as the app requires a Qualcomm chipset such a Snapdragon system-on-a-chip. A list of tested SnoopSnitch compatible devices is on the SRLabs website.
Many Sony and Samsung smartphones have Qualcomm chipsets, including the Samsung Galaxy S5, although SRLabs hasn't tested most of them for compatibility. Compatible devices also need to be rooted, run stock Android 4.1 or later rather than manufacturer or carrier builds, and, naturally, use the GSM carrier protocol (AT&T and T-Mobile) instead of CDMA (Sprint and Verizon Wireless).
Called SnoopSnitch, the app launched for free on the Google Play store Dec. 29. It can't protect your phone from snooping, but it can tell you that the snooping is happening.
IMSI catchers disguise themselves as legitimate cell towers, tricking GSM mobile phones into connecting to them and forwarding outgoing calls to the legitimate phone network. IMSI catchers can eavesdrop on calls and texts, extract personal data from connected phones and track phones' physical locations.
Law-enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, use stingrays in investigations, and a recent informal survey revealed more than a dozen IMSI catchers spread across the United States. The devices are so frequently used that the StingRay brand name used by a top manufacturer of IMSI catchers already applies generically.
Enter SnoopSnitch. The app was developed by German mobile-phone security researchers Karsten Nohl, Tobias Engel and Alex Senier, all of Berlin-based security company SRLabs, and was introduced in their presentation at the Chaos Computer Congress security conference in Hamburg Dec. 27.
SnoopSnitch can tell when a mobile device is switching from a legitimate cell tower to IMSI catcher, the researchers explained in their talk entitled "Mobile Self-Defense (SnoopSnitch)." Nohl also described SnoopSnitch as a "catcher catcher" in an interview with tech news site Motherboard.
Though it is free on the Google Play Store, not all Android devices will work with SnoopSnitch, as the app requires a Qualcomm chipset such a Snapdragon system-on-a-chip. A list of tested SnoopSnitch compatible devices is on the SRLabs website.
Many Sony and Samsung smartphones have Qualcomm chipsets, including the Samsung Galaxy S5, although SRLabs hasn't tested most of them for compatibility. Compatible devices also need to be rooted, run stock Android 4.1 or later rather than manufacturer or carrier builds, and, naturally, use the GSM carrier protocol (AT&T and T-Mobile) instead of CDMA (Sprint and Verizon Wireless).
Oct 30, 2014
Windows Phone Flashlight apps are spying on users Android, iOS, Windows Phone smartphones, is yours on the list?
Techtimes.com - That innocent Flashlight App you installed on your device to shed light on certain situations is also spying on you, and potentially selling or using your personal data. Especially vulnerable are Android devices.
Gary Miliefsky of cyber security firm Snoopbit, says, "'We've all become victims of installing many apps on our smartphones and tablets that do much more than the service they should provide. We have opened a Pandora's Box to online predators, cyber criminals and spies - all through these apps we foolishly trust."
The firm did a study of the top ten Android flashlight apps and found that when downloaded they are given permission to access sensitive user information that clearly has nothing to do with their function as a simple flashlight for their users.
The company tested the top ten flashlight apps on Android and determined that each and every one of them collects unnecessary user data and accesses areas of the device wholly unrelated to the function of the app. The offending apps include: Super Bright LED flashlight, Brightest Flashlight Free, Tiny Flashlight + LED, Flashlight, Brightest LED Flashlight, Color Flashlight, High Powered Flashlight, Flashlight HD LED and Flashlight: LED Torchlight. A chart on the company's website specifically breaks down the areas to which the app is permitted access.
Regarding the flashlight apps, the firm warns, "Some appear specifically designed to collect and expose your personal information to cybercriminals or other nation states. In addition, you are at significant risk if you are doing Mobile Banking on the same device as one of these free Flashlight Apps."
Many of the apps have the ability to read phone status and identity, view Wi-Fi connections, modify system settings, obtain full network access, and determine your precise location via your phone's GPS, among other permissions. The company recommends you uninstall your flashlight app immediately in order to protect your device's data and info.
While the firm concludes that the pre-installed iPhone flashlight app seems safe, third-party apps on Windows Phone and at the iTunes store are also accessing unnecessary sensitive user data and location information, and unnecessarily using the internet, collecting data and building user profiles. Apps using iOS and Windows Phone OS are not as dangerous as those running Android, however, and cannot "hide in the background", according to Snoopbit.
Gary Miliefsky of cyber security firm Snoopbit, says, "'We've all become victims of installing many apps on our smartphones and tablets that do much more than the service they should provide. We have opened a Pandora's Box to online predators, cyber criminals and spies - all through these apps we foolishly trust."
The firm did a study of the top ten Android flashlight apps and found that when downloaded they are given permission to access sensitive user information that clearly has nothing to do with their function as a simple flashlight for their users.
The company tested the top ten flashlight apps on Android and determined that each and every one of them collects unnecessary user data and accesses areas of the device wholly unrelated to the function of the app. The offending apps include: Super Bright LED flashlight, Brightest Flashlight Free, Tiny Flashlight + LED, Flashlight, Brightest LED Flashlight, Color Flashlight, High Powered Flashlight, Flashlight HD LED and Flashlight: LED Torchlight. A chart on the company's website specifically breaks down the areas to which the app is permitted access.
Regarding the flashlight apps, the firm warns, "Some appear specifically designed to collect and expose your personal information to cybercriminals or other nation states. In addition, you are at significant risk if you are doing Mobile Banking on the same device as one of these free Flashlight Apps."
Many of the apps have the ability to read phone status and identity, view Wi-Fi connections, modify system settings, obtain full network access, and determine your precise location via your phone's GPS, among other permissions. The company recommends you uninstall your flashlight app immediately in order to protect your device's data and info.
While the firm concludes that the pre-installed iPhone flashlight app seems safe, third-party apps on Windows Phone and at the iTunes store are also accessing unnecessary sensitive user data and location information, and unnecessarily using the internet, collecting data and building user profiles. Apps using iOS and Windows Phone OS are not as dangerous as those running Android, however, and cannot "hide in the background", according to Snoopbit.
Oct 19, 2014
Oct 14, 2014
Mar 7, 2014
Wal-Mart slashes iPhone prices
Cnn.com - Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Smartphone prices are coming down.
Wal-Mart announced price cuts Wednesday on the Samsung Galaxy S4, as well as for Apple's 16-gigabyte iPhone 5s and 5c, for customers signing two-year contracts with AT&T (T, Fortune 500) and Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500).
A Galaxy S4 with a two-year contract is now $49, down from $99. The 16-gigabyte 5s is dropping from $145 to $119, while the 5c is now $29, down from $45. In addition, customers who purchase any Samsung phone with a two-year contract between March 9 and March 22 will receive a free $50 Wal-Mart gift card.
The move will likely fuel speculation that Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) is planning a new iPhone release for this spring, rather than its usual fall launch. Retailers often slash prices to clear out inventory ahead of a new product launch.
Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy S5, successor to the S4, last week. The phone will hit stores in April.
Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) is also offering sales on smartphones with two-year contracts. It's selling the S4 for $50, the 5s for $150 and the 5c for $50.
The sales may simply indicate that the smartphone market is approaching saturation, which makes it harder for new products to replicate the success of previous offerings.
As of January, 90% of American adults had cell phones, and 58% had smartphones, according to the Pew Research Center.
The adoption of smartphones is expected to taper off in late 2015, according to Asymco industry analyst Horace Dediu.
Wal-Mart announced price cuts Wednesday on the Samsung Galaxy S4, as well as for Apple's 16-gigabyte iPhone 5s and 5c, for customers signing two-year contracts with AT&T (T, Fortune 500) and Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500).
A Galaxy S4 with a two-year contract is now $49, down from $99. The 16-gigabyte 5s is dropping from $145 to $119, while the 5c is now $29, down from $45. In addition, customers who purchase any Samsung phone with a two-year contract between March 9 and March 22 will receive a free $50 Wal-Mart gift card.
The move will likely fuel speculation that Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) is planning a new iPhone release for this spring, rather than its usual fall launch. Retailers often slash prices to clear out inventory ahead of a new product launch.
Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy S5, successor to the S4, last week. The phone will hit stores in April.
Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) is also offering sales on smartphones with two-year contracts. It's selling the S4 for $50, the 5s for $150 and the 5c for $50.
The sales may simply indicate that the smartphone market is approaching saturation, which makes it harder for new products to replicate the success of previous offerings.
As of January, 90% of American adults had cell phones, and 58% had smartphones, according to the Pew Research Center.
The adoption of smartphones is expected to taper off in late 2015, according to Asymco industry analyst Horace Dediu.
Feb 25, 2014
Oct 14, 2013
3 Apps to Keep You and Your Family Safe
Time.com - Your smartphone is an incredible wonder. Not only can you use it to talk, text, e-mail and connect with people on social networks, you can use all sorts of helpful apps that do things like tell you where to get the cheapest fuel, keep track of your money, and even turn your phone into a flashlight. In fact, the list of what your smartphone can do seems endless.
But there’s one thing you may not think about using your phone for: Keeping your family safe. In the case of these smart apps, you’ll be armed with the tools you need get help and information for yourself and loved ones.
React Mobile
If you ever worry about stalkers, kidnappers, robbers and other malefactors hurting you or your family, React Mobile can bring you peace of mind.
Ideal for runners, students or salespeople working with strangers in unfamiliar settings, the app lets
You can even broadcast your GPS coordinates to your Facebook friends or followers on Twitter, so as to get help from anyone who might be nearby. Once you send out an alert, the app asks you if you want to call 911.
Currently React Mobile is available for iOS devices. The developer says later this year it will support Android devices and will be introducing several new features, including geofencing, which alerts chosen contacts if a phone moves outside of a particular area.
Price: Free at iTunes and Google Play, although the “Follow Me” feature is available as an in-app purchase for $1.99 a month or $19.99 for a year.
Life360 Family Locator
Family Locator by Life360 uses GPS to show you on a map where your family members are located as well as where sex offenders are registered in your area.
You can identify places such as home or school and receive alerts when family members arrive or leave there. You can also send family members messages with one tap such as “running late” or “on my way.”
There’s also a Panic feature which family members can use to send a phone call, e-mail and text message that includes his or her GPS coordinates to everyone linked by the app.
But what’s especially endearing about Family Locator is not only can it locate lost or stolen smartphones, it can track and find up to five non-smartphones, as well.
Price: Free on iTunes and Google Play, although tracking non-smartphone users costs $4.99 a month.
Scanner Radio
Want the low-down on real-time criminal activity and car accidents in your neighborhood? This popular and highly rated Android app lets you listen in on police, fire, EMT and weather scanners.
You can sort by the ones closest to you, those that have the most listeners or by genre, such as those pertaining to public safety, air traffic or weather. To find out when something big is happening, you can also configure the app to notify you when a scanner near you has more than a certain amount of listeners.
The audio for Scanner Radio comes from volunteers, most of whom are streaming audio of their scanners through Broadcastify—another great way to listen to public safety scanners from all around the country using your PC.
The paid version can be configured to start or stop playing a favorite scanner when certain conditions are met.
Price: Free at Google Play, although an ad-free Pro version is $2.99
Sep 4, 2013
5 ways Nokia helped create the modern cell phone
Cnn.com - With its purchase of Nokia's mobile phone business, Microsoft has brought a longtime partner into the fold to help fight a battle that has been tough for both companies.
Microsoft, which was late to the smartphone game with its Windows mobile operating system, badly trails Android and Apple's iOS. And while Nokia is still a force selling feature phones worldwide, it's barely made a dent in the smartphone market.
But if the Finnish company is struggling today, it can still take pride in its history at the forefront of the mobile movement.
Here are five ways the once-dominant phonemaker has helped shape the world of mobile electronics as we know it today:
First to move
It's not the sort of thing that smartphone owners today probably remember -- if they're even old enough. But the Nokia 1011, released in 1992, was the first commercially available mobile phone that operated on what's called the GSM network.
The letters stand for Global System for Mobile. And what that meant was that unlike earlier phones, the Nokia could be used to make a phone call from almost anywhere in the world. GSM is still the world's most widely used mobile system, although 4G is expected eventually to replace it.
Phone as fashion statement
A phone is just a phone, right? Of course not.
Today, there are plenty of folks who, admit it or not, wrap at least a small part of their identity up in what kind of phone is in their pocket.
That was a pretty alien concept up until the early 2000s when, if you owned a cell phone, there was a pretty good chance it was a Nokia. Remember those chunky, rounded models with the tiny gray screens and the nubby antennas?
The Nokia 5110 was one of the most popular. And it also was one of the market's first phones that had a replaceable face plate. The plates came in a wide variety of colors, offering one of the first chances to personalize your phone's look.
The 'slider'
The popularity of early Nokia phones meant the company's designs often became the standard for cell phones.
It didn't create the first flip phone (that honor belongs to Motorola), but the "slider" was all Nokia. The first was the company's 8110 model, which debuted in 1998. How cutting edge was the design at the time? It was the phone of choice in the futuristic 1999 sci-fi film "The Matrix."
Mobile gaming
Remember "Snake"?
It seems laughably simple compared with the range of gaming possible on today's smartphones. But plenty got addicted to this game.
Even though it had already been in arcades, Nokia began preloading "Snake" on its phones in 1998.
Don't hit your own tail. Don't hit the walls. And what the heck were those things you were eating, anyway? Who knows -- but "Angry Birds," "Candy Crush" and their app-store brethren owe a tip of the digital cap to Nokia's vision of telephone-as-gaming-device.
Windows warrior
Phones running the Windows operating system haven't exactly set the marketplace on fire. In the second quarter of this year, 7.4 million phones running Windows were sold, according to Gartner Research. That's a long way behind the No. 2 system, Apple's iOS, with 31.9 million phones sold in that time.
But Nokia has squarely positioned itself as the leading vendor of those Windows phones, making 82% of the devices sold last year. In 2011, Windows and Nokia announced a partnership in which Nokia switched to the Windows OS as the default system running all of its handsets.
That hasn't been enough to put Nokia on super-solid ground, at least not yet. But the longstanding partnership is what led to Monday's purchase, and if having in-house hardware gives Windows Phone a boost, Microsoft and Nokia will reap the rewards.
Microsoft, which was late to the smartphone game with its Windows mobile operating system, badly trails Android and Apple's iOS. And while Nokia is still a force selling feature phones worldwide, it's barely made a dent in the smartphone market.
But if the Finnish company is struggling today, it can still take pride in its history at the forefront of the mobile movement.
Here are five ways the once-dominant phonemaker has helped shape the world of mobile electronics as we know it today:
First to move
It's not the sort of thing that smartphone owners today probably remember -- if they're even old enough. But the Nokia 1011, released in 1992, was the first commercially available mobile phone that operated on what's called the GSM network.
The letters stand for Global System for Mobile. And what that meant was that unlike earlier phones, the Nokia could be used to make a phone call from almost anywhere in the world. GSM is still the world's most widely used mobile system, although 4G is expected eventually to replace it.
Phone as fashion statement
A phone is just a phone, right? Of course not.
Today, there are plenty of folks who, admit it or not, wrap at least a small part of their identity up in what kind of phone is in their pocket.
That was a pretty alien concept up until the early 2000s when, if you owned a cell phone, there was a pretty good chance it was a Nokia. Remember those chunky, rounded models with the tiny gray screens and the nubby antennas?
The Nokia 5110 was one of the most popular. And it also was one of the market's first phones that had a replaceable face plate. The plates came in a wide variety of colors, offering one of the first chances to personalize your phone's look.
The 'slider'
The popularity of early Nokia phones meant the company's designs often became the standard for cell phones.
It didn't create the first flip phone (that honor belongs to Motorola), but the "slider" was all Nokia. The first was the company's 8110 model, which debuted in 1998. How cutting edge was the design at the time? It was the phone of choice in the futuristic 1999 sci-fi film "The Matrix."
Mobile gaming
Remember "Snake"?
It seems laughably simple compared with the range of gaming possible on today's smartphones. But plenty got addicted to this game.
Even though it had already been in arcades, Nokia began preloading "Snake" on its phones in 1998.
Don't hit your own tail. Don't hit the walls. And what the heck were those things you were eating, anyway? Who knows -- but "Angry Birds," "Candy Crush" and their app-store brethren owe a tip of the digital cap to Nokia's vision of telephone-as-gaming-device.
Windows warrior
Phones running the Windows operating system haven't exactly set the marketplace on fire. In the second quarter of this year, 7.4 million phones running Windows were sold, according to Gartner Research. That's a long way behind the No. 2 system, Apple's iOS, with 31.9 million phones sold in that time.
But Nokia has squarely positioned itself as the leading vendor of those Windows phones, making 82% of the devices sold last year. In 2011, Windows and Nokia announced a partnership in which Nokia switched to the Windows OS as the default system running all of its handsets.
That hasn't been enough to put Nokia on super-solid ground, at least not yet. But the longstanding partnership is what led to Monday's purchase, and if having in-house hardware gives Windows Phone a boost, Microsoft and Nokia will reap the rewards.
Jul 3, 2013
End may be near for BlackBerry
Cnn.com - "It is not the end / of the road for BlackBerry / but it may be close," wrote BGC analyst Colin Gilllis in a haiku to investors.
BlackBerry (BBRY) continues to struggle to sell phones. The former smartphone giant said Friday it shipped just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in its fiscal first quarter, and the company reported a surprise loss. Shares promptly lost nearly 30% of their value.
If the next few quarters echo this one, BlackBerry's dreams of once again becoming relevant in a market it once dominated will be destroyed. Over the past several years, BlackBerry's smartphone platform market share has been surpassed by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and even Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500).
"The [stock] drop of 30% after that report shows how desperate the situation has become," said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors. "The market is telling you there is something fundamentally wrong with the company and you need a major fix."
Sozzi thinks that move should be a sale of BlackBerry, or at least some of its assets.
Despite its struggles in hardware, BlackBerry does possess other valuable resources that could make it attractive to potential buyers.
BlackBerry owns a trove of lucrative patents, which is a huge advantage in the competitive -- and litigious -- smartphone field. The company's several enterprise software solutions, including a newly announced security platform for iOS and Android, could be another strong source of revenue. And BlackBerry's reputation endures as a company that specializes in that strong mobile security.
It also has an impressive $3.1 billion in cash on hand.
That portfolio could be attractive to a big rival like Microsoft, Apple or Samsung.
"We believe BlackBerry's biggest assets remain in its patents and its cash," wrote Kevin Smithen, an analysts at Macquarie Capital, in a research note on Friday. "We think the likely end game for BlackBerry is a break-up for liquidation at a lower price."
BlackBerry declined to comment for this story, though CEO Thorsten Heins has repeatedly said that the company is constantly considering all of its strategic options -- even as it continues to pin hopes on its current strategy of wooing back customers with its improved smartphone lineup.
Yet some believe the end isn't quite as near as you'd think for BlackBerry.
The company as it stands now isn't a great fit for any one suitor, says Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. That could complicate a potential sale.
"I don't think owning the brand, or even owning the whole company, is something anyone would consider," said Milanesi. "I can see them picking and choosing. The BlackBerry brand itself isn't compelling at this point."
Even if BlackBerry tried and failed to find a buyer -- or refused to consider that option -- and the downward spiral continued, the company wouldn't disappear overnight. BlackBerry will certainly tap into its big cash hoard to continue marketing BlackBerry 10 devices.
"No matter what they do, the wrong move won't kill you overnight, and the right move won't save you overnight," Milanesi said. "It's going to be a long, drawn-out process."
BlackBerry (BBRY) continues to struggle to sell phones. The former smartphone giant said Friday it shipped just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in its fiscal first quarter, and the company reported a surprise loss. Shares promptly lost nearly 30% of their value.
If the next few quarters echo this one, BlackBerry's dreams of once again becoming relevant in a market it once dominated will be destroyed. Over the past several years, BlackBerry's smartphone platform market share has been surpassed by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and even Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500).
"The [stock] drop of 30% after that report shows how desperate the situation has become," said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors. "The market is telling you there is something fundamentally wrong with the company and you need a major fix."
Sozzi thinks that move should be a sale of BlackBerry, or at least some of its assets.
Despite its struggles in hardware, BlackBerry does possess other valuable resources that could make it attractive to potential buyers.
BlackBerry owns a trove of lucrative patents, which is a huge advantage in the competitive -- and litigious -- smartphone field. The company's several enterprise software solutions, including a newly announced security platform for iOS and Android, could be another strong source of revenue. And BlackBerry's reputation endures as a company that specializes in that strong mobile security.
It also has an impressive $3.1 billion in cash on hand.
That portfolio could be attractive to a big rival like Microsoft, Apple or Samsung.
"We believe BlackBerry's biggest assets remain in its patents and its cash," wrote Kevin Smithen, an analysts at Macquarie Capital, in a research note on Friday. "We think the likely end game for BlackBerry is a break-up for liquidation at a lower price."
BlackBerry declined to comment for this story, though CEO Thorsten Heins has repeatedly said that the company is constantly considering all of its strategic options -- even as it continues to pin hopes on its current strategy of wooing back customers with its improved smartphone lineup.
Yet some believe the end isn't quite as near as you'd think for BlackBerry.
The company as it stands now isn't a great fit for any one suitor, says Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. That could complicate a potential sale.
"I don't think owning the brand, or even owning the whole company, is something anyone would consider," said Milanesi. "I can see them picking and choosing. The BlackBerry brand itself isn't compelling at this point."
Even if BlackBerry tried and failed to find a buyer -- or refused to consider that option -- and the downward spiral continued, the company wouldn't disappear overnight. BlackBerry will certainly tap into its big cash hoard to continue marketing BlackBerry 10 devices.
"No matter what they do, the wrong move won't kill you overnight, and the right move won't save you overnight," Milanesi said. "It's going to be a long, drawn-out process."
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