The phone designed to protect your information had a big hole
Folks buy the highly secure Blackphone handset for the warm and fuzzy feeling that nobody can see their stuff, but that trust was misplaced until recently, according to security expert Mark Dowd. He found a vulnerability in the text message application of the phone that let attackers steal messages, contacts and location info, and even execute malicious code to gain full control. All a bad guy needed to know was the device’s “SilentCircle” account info or phone number.
According to his blog, the instant messaging application (included with the Blackphone or available on Google Play) had a so-called type confusion vulnerability flaw. That means the app could mistake one type of data for another, and allow hackers to overwrite memory and replace it with malicious code. Luckily, Dowd had been probing his recently purchased Blackphone and discretely reported the bug to the company, which has now patched it. Considering the way Blackphone markets itself “to address modern privacy concerns,” however, we’d expect hackers — both black and white hat — to keep on testing it.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Azimuth Security
ZTE debuts Blade S6 with $250 off-contract price
ZTE this morning unveiled its latest Android smartphone, the mid-range Blade S6. Carrying a $250 price tag, it’s a 5-inch handset with Android 5.0 Lollipop running the show.
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, specs include a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing shooter, and 2GB RAM. Nothing to knock your socks off, no, but that sticker has mass appeal. Additional specification include 16GB storage, microSD expansion, 4G LTE connectivity, and a 2400mAh battery.
ZTE doesn’t make reference to the resolution of the display so we’re assuming it is on the lower side of things. But, on a positive note, this potentially means longer life out of the battery. Listed as “HD” we’ll assume it’s along the lines of 1280×720.
In terms of software, ZTE has loaded version 3.0 of its MiFlavor OS and features Smart Sense.
…Includes an intuitive and practical sets of gesture and motion controls, such as with a flick of the wrist that allows users to shine the Blade S6’s flashlight, activate its built-in mirror application, take rapid succession of photographs, play music, and much more.
The ZTE Blade S6 will be offered in silver or pink matte finish when it launches. No hard dates were announced though we should expect it in retailers such as AliExpress, Amazon, and eBay.
The post ZTE debuts Blade S6 with $250 off-contract price appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Snapchat introduces Discover
Snapchat announced yesterday on their Tumblr blog a new service called Discover.
The way the blog post describes it is that a user would be able to view a gallery of posts selected every 24 hours. This galleries would contain snaps that editors and artists deem worthy.
Team Snapchat makes it very clear that this is NOT a social media service. They claim that social media is marked by showing the user what is popular based on likes and reshares.
Discover will be different in that it will display photos like a curated gallery. Here is a quick preview:
The post Snapchat introduces Discover appeared first on AndroidGuys.
New leaked images offer up a look at what the HTC One M9’s apparently really look like
HTC and Samsung have both been hot topics of leaked images. We know the next two flag ships from each of the OEM’s will be the Galaxy S6 and the HTC One M9. On the HTC side of things there have been talks of two models, code-named Hima and Hima_Ultra. There have been a number […]
The post New leaked images offer up a look at what the HTC One M9’s apparently really look like appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
24 more live chanels added to the Verizon FiOS Mobile app from Viacom Networks such as MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon
Verizon has announced today that 24 new live channels have been added the the FiOS mobile app, bringing the official count of channel access on-the-go to 88. The new channels aren’t your off shoot unknowns either. Verizons FiOS Mobile App now offers the following: BET Gospel, BET HD, Centric, CMT HD, CMT Pure Country, Comedy […]
The post 24 more live chanels added to the Verizon FiOS Mobile app from Viacom Networks such as MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
European HTC One M8’s seeing Android 5.0 Lollipop updates
Manufacturers and consumers have a long road ahead of them when it comes to getting Android 5.0 Lollipop on their devices. The process is underway around the world for various devices and now we have word that the HTC One M8 in Europe is starting to see its tasty little treat. The news came from […]
The post European HTC One M8’s seeing Android 5.0 Lollipop updates appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Sony announces partnership with Spotify to replace Music Unlimited service
Sony has teamed up with Spotify to create PlayStation Music, a Spotify-centric streaming service set to replace Sony’s Music Unlimited service. PlayStation Music will house Spotify as its exclusive partner, and will launch in February in 41 different markets including the US, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
As for Music Unlimited? That service will cease to exist come March 29th, 2015, though Music Unlimited subscribers will get their last month for free beginning February 28th. Music Unlimited will shut down in all 19 countries, though most of them will be included in the 41 markets where PlayStation Music will be featured at launch.
PlayStation users can link their PlayStation IDs to Spotify to ensure the setup process is as easy as possible. The service will launch on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and a number of Xperia smartphones and tablets. If you’d like more information on PlayStation Music’s release, head to the Spotify link below to sign up for updates.
If you don’t yet have a Spotify Premium account, now may be a good time to try it. Spotify is currently offering a free 60-day Premium trial if you sign up now. This is a great way to test out the service at no cost before you replace your Music Unlimited subscription.
Samsung releases new promo video for the Gear VR
Apparently not content to watch Microsoft get all the press for virtual reality solutions with their recently announced HoloLens device, Samsung has released a new video promoting their Samsung Gear VR device. You may recall the Gear VR is powered by the same technology developed by Oculus for their Oculus Rift device. Currently the Gear VR only works with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but that should change over time. Probably one of the biggest points Samsung would make though is that the Gear VR is available now, at least the Innovator Edition, for people who are excited about the world of virtual reality.
You can check out the full promo video from Samsung after the break.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Samsung releases new promo video for the Gear VR
Slack acquisition will see video chat and screen sharing integration
Slack, the current darling of organizations in need of a flexible individual-and-group messaging service, has bought a small video conferencing company named Screenhero. The acquisition will lead to an eventual integration of Screenhero’s voice and video conferencing features and screensharing support to Slack’s 365,000-and-growing daily users.
Both Slack and Screenhero are small organizations — with the latter’s 6 employees are all joining Slack, which will bump up their total headcount to just over 100. The addition of voice and video greatly expands Slack’s capability, which heretofore has been limited to just text chat and file sharing.
Understandably, the folks at Slack are excited:
Basically, the integrated Slack + Screenhero experience is going to be incredible. We are giddy with excitement about the possibilities and positive you will love it.
We use Slack at Mobile Nations and it’s proven to be an incredibly useful tool for us, with full mobile support, apps for our computers, guest accounts, and at least integration into Skype. Adding voice and video might just change up our workflow a bit and put other companies like Microsoft and GoToMeeting — maybe we won’t have to have so many running at once after the integration’s complete.
Slack’s offered no distinct timetable for when we can expect to see Screenhero’s features integrated, saying only that we can expect to see it happening over “the coming months” and that all of Screenhero’s features will make the jump, “along with many new ones.”
Source: Slack
Sony’s ‘Music Unlimited’ Service Shutting Down After Failing to Emerge as Viable iTunes Alternative
Sony announced on Wednesday that it will be shutting down its Music Unlimited on-demand streaming music service ahead of launching Spotify on PlayStation Music. Music Unlimited will shut down in all 19 countries it operated on March 29, 2015, with nearly all of the countries among the 41 regions that Spotify for PlayStation Music will be available upon launch, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Music Unlimited launched in December 2010 on PlayStation Network in several countries worldwide, and the service was later extended to iPhone [Direct Link], Android, PlayStation Vita and other devices and platforms. In February 2011, it was reported that Sony viewed Music Unlimited as a potential iTunes Store alternative and that it was considering pulling music from Apple’s platform if its own service became successful.
“If we do [get mass take up] then does Sony Music need to provide content to iTunes?” Mr Ephraim asked. “Currently we do. We have to provide it to iTunes as that’s the format right now.”
“Publishers are being held to ransom by Apple and they are looking for other delivery systems, and we are waiting to see what the next three to five years will hold.”
The on-demand streaming music landscape has gone through significant change in the past three years, however, and Music Unlimited failed to remain competitive with industry leaders such as Spotify, Rdio, Pandora and Beats Music. Music Unlimited users with active subscriptions will continue to have free access to the service through the March 29 closing date.
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