Smartphone manufacturers told to introduce 'kill switch'

Manufacturers of smartphones are being asked to incorporate “kill switch” technology in their mobiles to tackle a rise in thefts.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has told firms that it should be possible to make stolen handsets “inoperable” to prevent them being used or sold once taken.

In a letter to eight companies, including Apple, Samsung and Google, he said manufacturers had a “corporate responsibility” to help tackle thefts,the Financial Times reported.

The mayor’s intervention formed part of a coordinated attempt between senior politicians in London, New York and San Francisco to apply pressure on mobile phone companies.

While overall crime in Britain and the US is falling, pickpocketing and snatch thefts continue to rise because of the attraction of high value, portable belongings such as smartphones and tablet computers.

Figures released last week showed that such thefts had gone up 9 per cent in Britain since last year. About 10,000 handsets are stolen every month in London.

Mr Johnson told manufacturers: “If we are to deter theft and help prevent crimes that victimise your customers and the residents and visitors to our city, we need meaningful engagement from business and a clear demonstration that your company is serious about your corporate responsibility to help solve this problem.”

He added: “Each of your companies promote the security of your devices, their software and information they hold, but we expect the same effort to go into hardware security so that we can make a stolen handset inoperable and so eliminate the illicit second-hand market in these products.

“We hope you would support this objective. Customers and shareholders surely deserve to know that business cannot and must not benefit directly from smartphone theft through sales of replacement devices.”

Mobile phone theft was discussed at an international policing conference convened by Mr Johnson earlier this month and his officials met counterparts in New York last week for further talks.

Anti-theft measures offered by Apple and Samsung were tested last week by US security experts as prosecutors called for a universal “kill switch” – a method of shutting down or disabling a stolen device.

Source: Telegraph

Massive Tumblr Security Flaw Requires Everyone On iPhone, iPad To Change Their Password

Tumblr has asked all users of its app on iPhone and iPad to change their password and download an update of the social blogging software in order to cure a security flaw. The news came in a very brief blog post by the company that did not explain the extent of the security breach.

Tumblr did say in a footnote that passwords could be "'Sniffed' in transit on certain versions of the app."

The flaw was reportedly discovered by a reader of The Register, who had been asked to screen apps for his corporate employer. The unnamed employee tested popular apps on the company's wifi network, and found that password logins were being transmitted in a plain-text, non-encrypted way — and therefore were entirely visible to anyone clever enough who wanted to see them.

The Register claims Tumblr was slow to resolve the problem:

Our source only came to El Reg with the issue after failing to get it resolved by simply reporting it to Tumblr's support team.

Here's a screengrab of the flaw in action.

Below, the full text of Tumblr's warning to its users:

Important security update for iPhone/iPad users

We have just released a very important security update for our iPhone and iPad apps addressing an issue that allowed passwords to be compromised in certain circumstances¹. Please download the update now.

If you’ve been using these apps, you should also update your password on Tumblr and anywhere else you may have been using the same password. It’s also good practice to use different passwords across different services by using an app like 1Password or LastPass.

Please know that we take your security very seriously and are tremendously sorry for this lapse and inconvenience.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tumblr-security-flaw-requires-password-change-2013-7#ixzz2ZPzWfzFy

Which?: iPhone 5 is 'slowest smartphone'

Tests of the seven most popular smartphones found that iPhone 5 came last, processing requests at half the speed of the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The iPhone 5 came last for speed in a test of seven popular smartphones. Photo: Getty

The phones were put through a series of benchmark tests by Which? to measure processor and memory performance, which show how quickly the phone will allow photo editing, running graphic-intensive games, and using several apps at once.

Samsung Galaxy S4, the fastest phone of those tested, has a 1.9GHz quad-core processor which helped generate its impressive score. The phone received a mark of 3188 on the industry recognised test, compared to Apple iPhone 5's 1664 score.

Which? consumer watchdog said: “We put all the handsets through the same tests. Undoubtedly, Apple will upgrade its next iPhone when it launches this autumn.

"For the moment, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is the phone to beat when it comes to speed."

The second fastest phone was ranked as HTC One, which has a quad-core 1.7-inch processor and 2GB Ram.

Which? said the phone "will provide plenty of punch for phone owners who use Gmail, Facebook, Instagram and Angry Birds all at the same time."

Sony's Xperia Z came in a close third, followed by Google's Nexus 4 which had just 39 fewer points. But the fourth place phone is more than £200 cheaper than any of those in the top three.

The final phones to complete the set were Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 and the BlackBerry Z10, which came in fifth and sixth respectively.

Source: Telegraph

Android 5.0 “Key Lime Pie” UI Concepts Hitting the Web, Give Us Very High Hopes

As we approach the rumored date for Android 4.3′s launch on June 20 (at least, that’s what our sources say), many have already come to the realization that we should not expect Google to introduce a new interface for the OS. It will still be called Jelly Bean and nothing too crazy will happen. What most in the business have their money on is that we can expect to see Google change up Android’s look in the iteration after next, being Android 5.0 “Key Lime Pie.” That’s when we will see some new colors, icons, wallpapers, etc. take place. 

Graphic designers appear to be already creating their very own concepts for what they would like to see in Android 5.0, playing more with lockscreen widgets and revising the Android homescreen look. Artist Jinesh Shahtook to his Google+ page recently to post up a few pictures of his own ideas, some of which we have become big fans of. While it comes off as minimal and clean, there is enough information on any given homescreen and the lockscreen to give off the sense that this concept would be highly functional and practical for users.

The lockscreen widget shows a comprehensive look at this user’s upcoming meeting, even showing a map preview of its location. Below that, we can see upcoming flight details, all of which would be able to be customized under new settings that would come with KLP. As for the homescreen changes, what sets this concept apart from others is the idea of “hidden” widgets. With swipes and other gestures, you could reveal other widgets that don’t necessarily have to be on your homescreen when not being used. It’s a fantastic concept, one that we probably wouldn’t mind seeing implemented.

Source: Droid-life

ITunes Hits 50 Billion App Downloads, But Google Is Catching Up

Last week Apple’s App Store hit yet another milestone, and this time its a big one: as of last Wednesday, more than 50 billion apps have been downloaded from iTunes.

The unknown, lucky user who downloaded the 50 billionth app stands to gain a US$10,000 gift card from Apple, that can be used in iTunes to purchase apps, songs, media, and more. This is  in keeping with Apple’s tradition of handing out gift cards for major download milestones, and what’s more, the next 50 people to download something will receive a US$50 gift card for their good timing.

Good timing is critical if you wanted to get the gift card, as there are about 1000 app installs on iOS devices… every second. Nevertheless, the 50 billion mark looks like it will be iTunes’ last big threshold for some time to come, as Google’s Play Store is not only racking up the install numbers, but with over 900 million Android devices already activated worldwide, it looks set to crush Apple’s current record.

At last week’s Google I/O developer conference, Google’s Hugo Barra announced that Google Play has just passed 48 billion app installs, a ‘mere’ 2 billion less than the App Store. Last month alone, Google Play had a massive 2.5 billion downloads- so iTunes’ record breaking mark could be surpassed as early as next month by Android.

Source: Mobile88

Galaxy S4 review: Samsung’s superphone

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the best phone Samsung have ever made. But can it stand up to the iPhone 5 and the HTC One? Matt Warman says yes.

By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor

Just nine months ago, Samsung released the Galaxy S3 – it was the first phone to really claim that it could rival Apple’s iPhone. With the S4, now Samsung hopes to say it has overtaken its rivals.

The Korean giant is certainly throwing everything at it: the S4 is so packed full of new features that some have said it forms an incoherent mass rather than a unified product. There’s a 13MP camera and a 5” screen packed into a smaller, lighter, thinner body than the S3, and there’s new eye-tracking technology that simply means you have to tilt your head to scroll on the screen. It’s not perfect but it works. Hovering your finger above a photo or email lets you preview more of it, which works rather more consistently. And there are health features that track how far you’ve walked, a built-in remote control and a deal to print out your photographs. Just in case you feel the need, you can now even take pictures with both the front and the rear cameras at the same time.

So does the S4 feel like the ultimate superphone or like a flabby mess? Is Samsung trying to do everything and succeeding at nothing?

The short answer is no. The S4 is a superb device that does more than any previous mobile phone, but doesn’t force any of its features upon its users. It is rivalled only by the HTC One.

So it packs more screen into the hand than has ever been possible before, and that 5” display offers more pixels per inch than any previous device, and more than the eye can see anyway. It’s compelling in a way that is becoming standard on top of the range mobiles, regardless of the specifications.

There are, however, features where its chief Android rival beats it – such as on sound quality, because the HTC One has dual speakers on the front rather than the S4’s single one on the back. Personally, however, I value sound quality through headphones far higher than volume out loud.

But where the S4 is challenged by both the HTC One and the iPhone 5 is in the most obvious department – the overall design. The argument, however, is simple: metal, from HTC and Apple versus plastic from Samsung. Put so baldly, who would go for plastic? And Samsung clearly know the issue is a fraught one because they have seriously beefed up the build-quality from the S3. The S4, therefore, is among the most premium pieces of plastic you’ll ever hold, but if you’re hung up on the idea that only metal can feel really luxurious, and a luxurious feel is what you want from a mobile phone, then you may simply not be able to get over that plastic.

For myself, I had no problem with the plastic of the S3 and the S4 feels a lot better. The design of devices we have with us for almost every minute of the waking day clearly matters enormously – but I think Samsung’s design is excellent, and focusing purely on plastic is to value style over the substance of features, camera, battery life and more. Some of Samsung's own software, such as the enhanced calendar and email, are useful, but the S4 is a piece of hardware first and foremost.

The camera, indeed, is possibly the single greatest improvement over the S3. Most improvements are incremental, but this isn’t: at 13MP the pictures are more detailed than on any other Android phone. I disliked the HTC One in part because of the marketing hype over its ‘ultrapixel’ camera – it felt almost dishonest to claim it was a step-change – but the One outclasses the S4 only in low light. In all other conditions it’s equalled if not bettered by the S4, and Samsung has borrowed the interface from its range of cameras to provide an easy to use way to get to filters that can erase people, take burst shots and more. They even encourage users to tinker with at least some of the settings. The chance to use both those front and back cameras, or to see automatically created albums, are nice touches that I doubt many will use. But they will be appreciated when they are.

The Samsung’s battery life is the best I’ve ever encountered on an Android phone, but its performance again is an improvement rather than enough to get me through a day from 6am to 1am without getting nervous.

That vast library of exotic features, however, doesn’t help Samsung on the battery front: some I found I used a lot because they worked, such as waving my hand over the screen to change music tracks or move through a picture gallery. Similarly I hovered my finger over the screen to preview photos too. But the smart scroll, which tracks your eyes to browse websites, didn’t work often enough to feel compelling. But it does feel like a feature that will become a standard, as does the ‘Smart Pause’ feature that pauses video if you look away from the screen.

The S4 is an incremental improvement on the excellent S3, and it does more than either the HTC One or the iPhone 5. Will you instantly use all its whizzy features if you buy one? No. Will you have the option to? Yes. It’s the best looking, most capable, fastest phone Samsung has ever made. As I’ve spent more time with the HTC One I like it more and more, but I think choosing between the two is now a matter of personal preference rather than a straightforward choice between good and best. Both have to be seen to be believed.

Manufacturer's sepcifications
Dimensions: 69.8 x 136.6 x 7.9mm
Weight: 130g
Screen: 5” Full HD Super Amoled Display; 441ppi

Battery: 2,600mAh (v2,100mAh for the S3)
Memory: 2GB RAM
Camera: 13mp autofocus 1080p/2mp rear camera
Colours: White frost/black mist
Storage: 16/32/64GB + microSD
OS: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

Source: Telegraph

Microsoft makes fun of Android vs iOS war – but still in last place