Sunday, May 12, 2013

Android Community

Android Community


Motorola XFON clears the FCC on way to AT&T

Posted: 11 May 2013 12:12 PM PDT

Things are starting to get interesting regarding Motorola‘s upcoming smartphone lineup. We’ve been waiting to see what Motorola and Google cook up together, and today that may have been revealed in an FCC filing. The device is being listed as the Motorola XT1058 with 4G LTE and headed to AT&T. Most likely this is the X-Phone (or XFON) and more details on why can be found below.

XFON-fcc

After countless reports and rumors of the X-Phone, last week @evleaks posted some additional images of the handset which confirmed the name XFON on the back. This could be one of many stock Android smartphones coming from Motorola now that Google is leading the charge. The FCC filing didn’t reveal much, but confirms the design, carrier, and 4G LTE capability to name a few.

So aside from the model number being the Motorola XT1058, AT&T 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, and NFC there isn’t any additional details at this point. Here’s where things get interesting though. The leakster originally suggested the Motorola X-Phone would be a 5.0-inch smartphone, then other reports claimed it would instead be a 4.7-inch 1080p handset. With today’s filing we now have 3 different Motorola model numbers, and could be seeing a trio of devices announced soon.

The first time we saw this newly designed smartphone from Motorola was in a set of leaked pictures and a video calling it the XT912A. And it looked like a 4.3-inch device when compared t the iPhone, or even 4.0-inches. For a comparison their current RAZR HD is model XT926, so that would give us reason to think the device would not be a flagship, and instead a mid-range smartphone lower than the RAZR HD.

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So here’s where we could be seeing 3 similar smartphones soon. The Motorola XT912A being a 4-inch XFON Mini, then the recently leaked in benchmarks Motorola XT1055 being a top tier 4.7-inch smartphone, then Motorola’s flagship 5-inch 1080p XFON being the XT1058 that cleared the FCC today. Obviously these could all be different devices, but Motorola could be looking to match their RAZR M, RAZR HD, and RAZR MAXX HD trio lineup from last year. Only it will be the XFON and arrive on all major carriers.

We’ll know soon enough, and could even hear more at Google I/O next week.

SOURCE: PhoneScoop

Android Authority

Android Authority


Google to make 2-step verification mandatory; your phone will soon replace your password

Posted: 11 May 2013 05:26 PM PDT

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

(Image credit: Biometrics / Shutterstock)

The rise of mobile devices and persistent connectivity, as well as apps and cloud services, has put us all at potential risk when it comes to online security. Simply put, it’s no longer as basic as using strong passwords and strong encryption on websites and services. According to a recent effort by Google in making its systems more secure, the company is looking into implementing smartphone tagging, life-long tokens, and requiring two-step verification on its services.

This is part of Google’s revolving five-year roadmap for security. The last time Google made an effort to map out its big-picture security plan was in 2008, and it’s now high time to do a revamp. During that time, Google planned an implemented two-step verification, which required both a password and a key before granting access to a user’s account — originally sent as a six-digit code via SMS.

This has only been optional, though, and Google wants to ”rollout a change to our login system in which we will be much more aggressive.” What happened since 2008? A lot, apparently.

Google cites a few things that have pushed the company to become more aggressive in its security stance. First, in 2008, smartphones were not yet as popular as they are today. Eric Sachs, group product manager for identity at Google, says that they did not see it coming. “Five years ago, this level of smartphone adoption was not predicted.” And so with the popularity of smartphones today, Google will weave in security and authentication with mobile devices, as well as back-end improvements.

High friction, but only at the start

According to Sachs, Google does not have qualms with increasing the so-called friction in logging in, if only to improve security. “We don’t mind making it painful for users to sign into their device if they only have to do it once.” The key here is that you only have to be inconvenienced once — such as by keying in both your password and a key, like one sent to your mobile phone via SMS or generated by an authenticator app. The next points of access or login should be token-based. Other apps and services should never have to ask for your credentials again, for as long as you have access to your mobile device.

Instead, Google’s proposed login methods would involve your mobile device of choice — your Android smartphone for instance. In place of keying in your password to access a third-party service, for example, you can simply approve your web login by approving it from an alert on your smartphone.

As alternatives, Google proposes using technologies like NFC to “bootstrap” logins. For example, you can login to a service by tapping your smartphone onto an NFC terminal on your notebook computer or other device. Of course, this assumes both devices support the technology, and Google actually envisions such a login method for Chromebooks. But because the company does not have control over other manufacturers’ hardware, Google is still going to look for acceptable standards that can work across different devices and platforms.

Google knows you

Going beyond unlocking and authentication, though, Google’s plan for security is much more sophisticated. An added factor would be determining behavioral patterns and raising flags when usage deviates from these patterns. “We are beginning to experiment with apps on the phone that display notifications about risky behavior on an account.” For instance, you might usually access web apps and services from a certain location or during a certain time of the day. If you suddenly access it from another place (another country?) and at a strange time, then Google might ask you to approve the action on your mobile device before proceeding.

Google's planned authentication schemes will enable you to approve or reject sign-ins from your mobile device, without the need to manually key in passwords.

Google’s planned authentication schemes will enable you to approve or reject sign-ins from your mobile device, without the need to manually key in passwords.

Apart from these systems, Google also espouses smarter hardware that will improve security and the platform for accessing apps and services. The company notes that systems like biometrics will be a good addition, although there are still issues with fingerprint or facial recognition, among others.

What Google says is difficult at this point is account recovery. “Account Recovery is our achilles heel,” says the white paper. Google says it should be easy enough for the real user to access, but still difficult for malicious hackers to crack. “Bad guys will try to hijack accounts through account recovery systems, but this poses hard challenges since the recovery systems have to help the real owner who has truly lost access to those other factors,” Sachs writes.

Another big concern is that security risks have grown because malicious hackers have found better ways to monetize hijacked accounts. As such, they are willing to go through lengths to get into these accounts.

Google is confident about the results of its earlier 2008 five-year security plan, and is hopeful that its 2013 plan will also result in better security for both end-users and developers. You can check out the draft report, PUBLIC DRAFT: Stronger Consumer Authentication – 5 year report, from the source links below. Google has also prepared a slide deck for a simpler presentation.

    


Nexus 5, Nexus 8 and Nexus 11 fan-made renders propose reasonable specs

Posted: 11 May 2013 05:10 PM PDT

nexus-5-nexus-8-nexus-11-concept-1

A few images portraying Nexus-branded concept devices show us what some fans may be expecting from future-generation Nexus products.

Since it's the weekend, and we're just a few days away from Google I/O 2013, these concepts are a great pastime while we wait to see what new products Google will unveil. Designer Bob Freking has imagined what future Nexus smartphones and tablets could look like, and in what follows you'll be able to see renders for various devices including the Nexus 5, Nexus 8 and Nexus 11. And their listed specs look rather reasonable.

LG Nexus 5

The Nexus 5 has been recently said to be, like its predecessor, awarded to LG. While that’s not yet a fact, we're not surprised to see Freking offer viewers an LG Nexus 5 design.

nexus-5-nexus-8-nexus-11-concept-4

In addition to the Nexus 5 render, the designer also mentions potential specs and features for the handset. We're looking at a 5-inch smartphone with 1920 x 1080 True IPS+ display, 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 13-megapixel camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camer and the "latest version of Android."

Pricing would start at $299 for the 16GB model.

Asus Nexus 8

Instead of a second-generation Nexus 7, like the one we saw recently in an analyst's report, Freking imagines a slightly bigger tablet: the Asus Nexus 8.

nexus-5-nexus-8-nexus-11-concept-2

The Nexus 8 render also comes with specs and features: 8-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU, Adreno 320 GPU, 3-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel front-facing shooter. The "latest version of Android" will obviously be found on board.

The 8GB model would cost $199, according to the designer.

Samsung Nexus 11

Finally, we have a Samsung Nexus 11 concept – after all, Samsung is rumored to work on such a device. The Nexus 11 would offer us an 11-inch Super PLS display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 1.8GHz quad-core Tegra 4 processor, 72-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU, 5-megapixel camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera and – you’ve guessed it – the "latest version of Android.” We’re looking at a starting price of $399 for the 16GB version.

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While we did say the specs were reasonable for these three imagined products, we’ll also have to say that Tegra 4 doesn’t look like it belongs here, especially considering that Samsung has its own chip for such products. Replace that with an Exynos CPU, maybe the Exynos 5 Octa, and you’d have a device that could be closer to reality – in such a case the GeForce GPU would have to go too.

In case you want to see more concepts while you wait for Google I/O 2013 to kick off, check out the Motorola Nexus+ or the Nexus smartwatch renders we've previously covered.

    


Samsung SM-T310 (Galaxy Tab 3 8.0?) spotted at the FCC

Posted: 11 May 2013 03:44 PM PDT

samsung galaxy tab 3 press

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0

A new FCC filing lists a Samsung SM-T310 device that appears to have the right dimensions to be a potential 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 tablet.

The SM-T310 has been seen in previous reports that claimed this particular model number is Samsung’s first 8-inch Galaxy Tab version, but it only showed up at the FCC now. The same SM-T310 was spotted at the Bluetooth SIG in late March, where it was confirmed to be a tablet, so we kind of expected it to hit the FCC sooner or later.

While the commercial name for the product is not offered, and Samsung is yet to officially announce the tablet, there's more circumstantial evidence suggesting this will indeed be the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0.

First off, the confirmed model number, SM-T310, is awfully similar to the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0's model number, SM-T210. Since the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 tablet has already been unveiled (image above), it makes a lot of sense to assume that the SM-T310 is a different Galaxy Tab 3 family member.

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Samsung SM-T310 tablet (FCC)

But most importantly, the documentation reveals that we're looking at a device that measures 9 inches diagonally (or 228.45mm) which would be just enough to fit an 8-inch screen inside. Aside from dimensions, storage (16GB of memory), Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 4.0 support, other specs and features aren’t available at this time for the upcoming device.

As you can see, unlike yesterday's Motorola XT1058 FCC filing, a device which we can't say for sure whether it's the rumored Google X Phone or not, the case for the SM-T310 being the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 seems to be a lot simpler to solve.

Samsung already has an 8-inch tablet, the Galaxy Note 8.0, which is selling in various markets, but which is also criticized for its higher-than-anticipated price. The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 could be a more affordable 8-inch tablet, although we'll have to cross that bridge a later date. At this time, we have no idea when Samsung will officially announce the product.

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Samsung SM-T310 tablet (FCC)

Is anyone looking forward to this new Samsung-made Android tablet?

    


Trojan horse apps found disguised as legit Google Play Store apps, security company reveals

Posted: 11 May 2013 02:20 PM PDT

Android malware

Google Play is usually regarded as a safe place from where Android users can download applications without having to worry about malicious code or other security threats. Even when the app in question asks for some strange-looking permission, we tend to stray away any bad thoughts because theoretically, there is no way an official market overseen by experienced developers could be infected. But that’s not always so.

Webroot, a security company well-known for its mobile and business protection solutions, has discovered a rather new kind of Android malware hidden in plain-sight. Officially named Android.TechnoReaper, the threat hides under several "legit" Android apps, which supposedly allow users to deploy several font types not usually found on their smartphones. As it turns out, users would get a lot more than they bargained for.

How do users get infected?

The whole concept is rather simple actually. When the malware was discovered, there were two Android applications that supplied fonts as a cover-up. While users agreed to download and install a simple font right from the menu of the software, the actual download would redirect the link towards a spyware app, hosted on a private server. Thus, without their explicit permission, users would indeed install the desired font but also, a dangerous program.

galaxy-fonts-app-3

The malicious file in question is called ikno.apk and it's a package apparently containing the iKno Android Spy as The Next Web says. iKno Android Spy cannot be found on Google Play but can be installed from Amazon. Officially, people could use this type of software to monitor another Android remotely. In short, here's what the spyware is capable of pulling:

  • Write and send SMS texts, as well as monitor or modify incoming messages. The same applies for inbound messages or MMS.
  • Write data on the external storage card
  • Monitor and modify in any way outgoing calls or even initiate a call without actually going through the UI
  • Track location using the cellular network / Wi-Fi / GPS or initiate network activity
  • Access and modify contact data, audio settings and even record audio events

Now imagine all of this happening without your knowledge. Once the spyware is installed, administrator access is probably granted to another supervisor and sensitive data of any nature may be re-directed to an online server. As paranoid as it sounds, this kind of application can squeeze almost any password or private information users wish to keep secret.

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The worst part is that the entire process happens without the user suspecting anything. Once the application posing as the Trojan horse is installed and one font is applied, it takes around 10 seconds for the spyware to arrive and take advantage of the host.

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At the moment of writing, the two infected applications were removed from Google Play but we managed to learn that the number of infected users were between 10,000 and 50,000, while the other one got under 100 downloads.

The malware situation seems to be getting worse each year, with more Android devices being targeted than any other platform. New kinds of infections appear frequently and even when the original app gets demolished, its idea can be transferred and implemented into newer software. As always, the only barrier standing between devices and malicious threats is a good antivirus.

    


Jelly Bean soak test dropping for Verizon Motorola XOOM 4G LTE users

Posted: 11 May 2013 09:56 AM PDT

motorola-xoom-tablet

Jelly Bean is on its way to the Verizon Motorola XOOM 4G LTE, as Motorola is currently in the process of sending out soak test invites to members part of Motorola’s feedback program. These soak tests don’t usually take a lot of time, so it shouldn’t be long before the update is publicly available.

Something to keep in mind is that this new update probably isn’t going to be Android 4.2, as Google itself has said in the past that the Motorola XOOM will not support that higher version of Jelly Bean. That said, we can expect to see some Android 4.1.2 action. Of course, that’s not to say Android 4.2 and beyond won’t be unofficially supported by developers.

It’s really exciting that this tablet is getting Jelly Bean. The Xoom is great device, and it’ll no doubt get a whole lot better with the addition of Project Butter and Google Now when Jelly Bean arrives. Here’s the invitation that Droid-Life received from a tipster:

Hi,

Thanks for joining the Motorola Feedback Network. We are inviting owners of the Motorola Xoom on Verizon to participate in an early preview of a new Jelly Bean software release, and provide feedback.  If you are not currently using a Verizon Xoom, please excuse and ignore this email.

Click this link "link retracted" to take the enrollment survey if you wish to take part. Note that you must be a member in good standing of the Motorola Owners' Forums to be included. The registration window could close without notice so please respond as quickly as possible.

This is a confidential test under the terms of the Motorola Feedback Network. Do not post any details or information about this on any public sites.

Thanks — please understand that start times are always fluid. We ask for your patience if you register but don't hear from us right away.

Matt
Motorola Owners' Forums
Motorola Feedback Network

Do you still use the Motorola Xoom 4G LTE? Excited for the update? Let us know in the comments!