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Thursday, August 29, 2013
79 Percent of Mobile Malware Targets Android

79 Percent of Mobile Malware Targets Android

An overwhelming 79 percent of all mobile malware threats target devices running Google's Android operating system, according to a joint unclassified memo from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice.
"Android is the world's most widely used mobile operating system and continues to be a primary target for malware due to its market share and open source architecture," notes the July 23 memo[PDF], which was obtained and published online by the website Public Intelligence.

In comparison, just 0.7 percent of mobile malware is designed to take advantage of Apple's iOS, according to the document, which cites data from 2012. Another 19 percent targets Nokia's aging Symbian platform while 0.3 percent affects Windows Mobile and BlackBerry, and the remaining 0.7 percent takes advantage of other mobile operating systems.


A major part of the problem on Android is that so many users are running old versions riddled with security vulnerabilities. The memo cites industry stats finding that 44 percent of Android users were running Android Gingerbread (version 2.3.3 through 2.3.7), which was released in 2011 and contains a number of flaws that were patched in more recent versions.



Google's Android 4.3: What's New?


The problem isn't quite that extreme anymore, as some users have updated to newer versions since those numbers were released. Even so, as of Google's most recent stats, Gingerbread was running on 33.1 percent of Android devices while the even older Android Froyo, Eclair, and Donut versions together accounted for 3.8 percent.
"The growing use of mobile devices by federal, state, and local authorities makes it more important than ever to keep mobile OS patched and up-to-date," the memo states.


Nearly half of the malicious apps circulating today on older Android OS devices are SMS text message trojans, which send messages to premium-rate numbers without the user's consent, resulting in "exorbitant charges." Other known security threats facing mobile devices include rootkits, which silently log a user's location, keystrokes, and passwords, and fake Google Play domains, which are set up by crybercriminals to trick users into installing malware.



Friday, August 2, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Note 510 Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 510 Review



Samsung has been enabling its tablets with calling functionality ever since the first ever non-Apple tablet released, the company’s own Galaxy Tab. While the original Galaxy Tab didn’t have an ear piece to enable phone-like calling, it did have the support. Tab 2 310, its successor on the other hand had an ear piece to let people use it like a phone. Various other manufacturers then warmed up to this idea and released their own calling tablet much to the critics’ ridicule, but a market was definitely there. On that note, Samsung launched the Note 8.0 at the Mobile World Congress this year, and introduced a WiFi as well as a cellular version with calling.
We had reviewed the WiFi version earlier and now we are going to see how the cellular version is different and what its extra features are. Is the calling version really that useful on a 8 inch tablet? Lets find out.


Perfect Size for on the go

Designed for wherever inspiration strikes. Introducing the new Note 510, made for the thinkers, the dreamers, the movers and shakers. Scribble a thought, sketch out a concept, organise your ideas and express your creativity wherever inspiration may strike. It feels just right in your hand reading on the subway, giving a presentation, or enjoying a movie in bed.


Reading Mode with S Pen

Your books will never know.
Indulge yourself with a good book in any environment with Reading Mode that reads just like paper. By optimising the gorgeous screen to provide perfect illumination and tone, it delivers a comfortable reading experience in all lighting conditions. And with the ability to annotate directly with the S pen, all on a size made easy to hold, reading has never been more enjoyable, even on the go.


Multi Window

 Multitasking during calls made simple.
Give your mobile lifestyle a boost with simultaneous calls and Multi Windows.
Jot down notes, look up directions, check email, search – all the things you need to do during a call at once, all without switching apps. Reposition, expand to full screen, or close any window immediately with smart buttons that adapt to the position of the S Pen for a truly integrated experience.


S Pen / Air View, Easy Clip, Capture, Quick Command 

Make your ideas come to life. One stroke at a time.
The S Pen is no ordinary tool. Use it to tap the hard keys for an even more extensive navigation than before. Air View lets you to take a peek at any file just by hovering over it. Clipping gets done swiftly with an expert’s precision, and Quick Command helps you easily find what you’re looking for. Frankly, you’ll be left wondering how you lived without it.


S Planner / Various Sticker, Handwriting, Memo, Search

Your calendar, notes, and diary. All in one place.
Life is full of important events and memorable moments – capture them all effortlessly with S Planner. Handwrite events and notes directly in your calendar, or scribble your thoughts down with the natural feel of a pen. You can even decorate handwritten messages and share them with friends and family.


S Note / 10 Templates + 3 New Templates

Take notes in style for all your idea inspirations. You’re full of great ideas – S Note transforms them, beautifully refined. Easily create stunning presentations with template enhancements that help your ideas stand out from the rest.


Tools of Expression / Paper Artist

Made for all your artistic inspirations.
Get your creative juices flowing with the perfect tools for the modern artist. With Paper Artist, reach a whole new level of artistic expression with beautiful brushes to create stunning drawings, paintings, and illustrations. With Photo Note, scribble memories on the back of your digital photos with S Pen, for that personalised touch of old photographs. And with easy sharing capabilities built-in, your friends and family can enjoy your latest creations instantly.


Powerful Performance

 Blazing performance that keeps up with you.
No matter your demands, the Note is up to the task. Equipped with a powerful quad core processor and 2GB of RAM, all your multitasking, searching, streaming, and gaming just works without a hitch.

Fast Connectivity

 Whenever. Wherever. Faster than ever.
Don’t get bogged down by slow connections. Stay in the loop with the latest versions of WiFi Channel Bonding / GPS + Glonass.


4,600mAh Battery

Performance that doesn’t quit.
Whether you’re at the office, at home, or out on the town, you need a mobile device that’s always ready. Do more longer with an efficient battery that lasts all day and into the night. Using the S Pen means even more time (up to 14 hours) to do what you want wherever you are.


Samsung Galaxy Note 510  Technical Specification




Samsung Galaxy Note 510 Price in India : Rs 30,900.00

Samsung Galaxy Note 510 Price : $ 686.67

 


Thursday, August 1, 2013
What to do before giving away or selling your Android phone or tablet

What to do before giving away or selling your Android phone or tablet

Before parting with any Android device, review this hardware and software checklist


With the ever growing Android market, more and more people are buying and selling Android phones and tablets every day. Some people  like myself  depend on the value of their used devices to purchase the latest and greatest. But before shipping that phone or tablet off to its new owner, it is vital to make sure everything important has been removed.

The top concern for many folks in this position is that of privacy protection. Personal information like phone numbers, emails, and compromising pictures are things nobody wants falling into the wrong hands. It's also a good idea not to send any "extras" along with the device, like any one of the cards (microSD, SIM, etc.) that could be hiding in various nooks and crannies of any Android phone or tablet.

Of course, before removing any hardware or erasing any data, you'll want to backup the important things to keep or transfer to another device. Whether it be applications, music, or family photos, it needs to be correctly copied over to removable storage on the device itself or to a personal computer.

Let's get started.


 Hardware


There are many different Android devices out there, each with a different hardware layout. This article would be much too long to include specific instructions for every phone and tablet, however it shouldn't be hard to spot the following if you look carefully enough.



Remove your SIM card



Most phones and many tablets use one of these to access a cellular network for voice, text, and data -- it will need to be transferred to your new device (unless you got a new SIM card or switched carriers). Devices that don't use a SIM card are non-LTE CDMA devices (older hardware on Sprint and Verizon) and WiFi-only tablets.

If your device has a removable back, chances are the SIM card is visible once the back cover and/or battery are removed. Devices without removable back panels should have a SIM card slot somewhere along the device's outside edge a special tool that came with the device may be needed to pop the SIM card out. (Alternatively a fine needle or paperclip pay do the trick.)



Remove your SD card (if the phone has one)



This is something you definitely do not want to accidentally leave in a device before giving it away. Larger capacity microSD cards can cost upwards of $50. While not as common today, many older phones had SD card slots. Examples of newer devices that have them are the Samsung Galaxy S4 and many tablets. Like the SIM card slot, the SD card slot is usually behind the removable back plate or somewhere along the device's edge. The slot may be spring loaded, so try pushing before pulling.


Accessories

 


These items are commonly sold or given away with a device, however in the case of selling the accessories separately or using them for a second device in your possession, they should not be overlooked.

If your device has a removable battery (many newer phones and most tablets do not), make sure no aftermarket/extended battery is in the device. It should be easy to tell the original battery since it probably has the original equipment manufacturer's name on it. (If in doubt, try Googling the part number printed on the battery.)

Was your device's case part of the sale? If not, and you want it, take it off  especially if it's one of those expensive battery cases. While this would seem like a no-brainer, some cases  like the official Nexus 4 bumper  are easily missed.

Since most screen protectors are not reusable, and even the ones that are are probably scratched, used protectors are of little value. If the screen protector currently on your device is in bad shape, however, do the courteous thing and remove it for the next owner.



Software


Data handling is probably the most important thing when selling or giving away a device. Not only do you not want to lose all those family photos and your Bieber song collection, but you don't want the next owner to have access to your Google accounts, data, and media.



Back up personal data


Most folks' biggest concern when backing up data is saving their photos and videos. If your device has an SD card, it may be as easy as removing the card and connecting it to a computer (or first copying to the SD card, then onto a computer). If the multimedia is stored on internal memory, you'll need to connect the device to a computer via USB cable. Once connected, you'll be able to drag and drop any files you want to keep (including photos and videos) onto your computer.

Nexus devices and many tablets tablet store photos and videos in a folder called "DCIM." If you use both the camera app that came with your device and a 3rd party camera app (e.g. Shot Control), be careful  there may be a separate photo/video folder for the 3rd party camera app.

The other common concern when backing up is transferring apps and their data to another device. Those with rooted devices probably already have a backup app like Titanium Backup installed. For the rest of us, Koush's Carbon Backup should do the trick.

Remember that as long as your contacts, email, etc. are linked to your Google account, they are already backed up in the cloud and will restore themselves automatically once you sign in on another device. If they aren't linked, make sure to use a carrier service or a 3rd party app to back anything you need up.



Wipe data (factory reset)



Once you're absolutely, positively, 100% sure you have everything you need backed up, you can wipe your device squeaky clean. There are a couple ways to do this. You can boot into recovery and use the factory reset/wipe data command, or go the more user-friendly route and go to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset (if you don't have menu options exactly like this, you should have something very similar). This will erase everything on your device. If you're presented with checkboxes asking if you want to wipe external or internal storage, be sure to check these too.

When the device restarts, it should boot into some kind of welcome screen  just like when it was booted up out of the box. After the reset, you can reboot to check and make sure everything is gone, if you so choose. If you're leaving an SD card in the device for the next owner, be sure to delete all its contents too. A factory reset does not always wipe removable SD cards.

If you've rooted and ROM'd your device, it would be a good idea to go back to the place where you got the tools to do so and find a guide to completely restore your device to its factory state. For Nexus devices, this includes flashing a factory image and relocking the bootloader. If you have no idea what any of this means, this probably doesn't apply to you  unless you let someone else monkey with your phone or tablet. If you need to do this and forgot how, there are lots of helpful guides and information in your device's specific forum.



The bottom line


While the above are all simple things, they are very important things  which is why we're mentioning them here. The used Android market is very large and important to people who don't want to or can't afford $600+ for a brand new device. While I'd like to give Android users  especially those savvy enough to read Android Central  the benefit of the doubt, it's better to remove what you need or don't want the next user to have, before it gets into their hands. That way we can spent more time on the fun things, and less on worrying about whether or not the people that got our private data are dishonest.
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