Apple Files Official Motion to Vacate Court Order, Says FBI Seeks ‘Dangerous Power’

Apple has officially filed a motion (via Re/code) to vacate the court order that would require the company to help the FBI hack into the iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. “This is not a case about one isolated iPhone,” reads the filing, going on to say the FBI is seeking a “dangerous power” that would undermine the security and privacy interests of hundreds of millions of people.

As expected, Apple argues that the All Writs Act, which the FBI is using in the case, does not give the government a pass to “conscript and commandeer” the company. “No law supports such unlimited and sweeping use of the judicial process,” Apple writes. “And the Constitution forbids it.” Apple believes setting a precedent for allowing the All Writs Act to be used in this way could lead to more insidious demands in the future, such as turning on the microphone or camera to aid in surveillance.

Apple says FBI’s demand for new code would violate its First and Fifth Amendment rights, as it is the equivalent of compelled speech and is contrary to Apple’s core principles. Apple also points towards the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, using it as evidence Congress limited the assistance companies must provide to law enforcement.

In addressing the twin needs of law enforcement and privacy, Congress, through CALEA, specified when a company has an obligation to assist the government with decryption of communications, and made clear that a company has no obligation to do so where, as here, the company does not retain a copy of the decryption key.

Apple says the government “sought to cut off debate and circumvent thoughtful analysis” by taking the case to the courts and invoking terrorism instead of pursuing new legislation. Once again, Apple says the FBI’s demand to create new software that would allow it to brute force the passcode on the iPhone in question is “too dangerous to build” because it could fall into the hands of criminals and foreign agents.

In short, the government wants to compel Apple to create a crippled and insecure product. Once the process is created, it provides an avenue for criminals and foreign agents to access millions of iPhones. And once developed for our government, it is only a matter of time before foreign governments demand the same tool.

While the government insists the software would be used for a single phone, Apple points out that there are already multiple applications for similar orders. Assisting the FBI could quickly lead to additional orders using the case as a precedent should Apple be ordered to comply.

According to Apple, creating the software the FBI wants would necessitate between six and 10 Apple engineers dedicating a “substantial portion of their time” for a minimum of two weeks and up to four weeks.

It would require new code, detailed documentation, the development of encryption procedures, and rigorous quality assurance testing with the entire development process carefully logged. If the need should arise to respond to multiple demands, Apple would need to create “full-time positions” in a new “hacking” department.

Apple ends its motion by calling for the decision on security to be made by American citizens through the democratic process rather than through a court order.

Society is still debating the important privacy and security issues posed by this case. The government’s desire to leave no stone unturned, however well intentioned, does not authorize it to cut off debate and impose its views on society.

Now that Apple has filed its official opposition, it will need to wait for a response from the courts. Should the motion to vacate be denied by the district court, Apple has pledged to take its fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Apple Adds Multiple New App Categories to tvOS App Store

Apple today updated the tvOS App Store to add several new app categories to make it easier for Apple TV 4 owners to find content on their devices. As outlined by AfterPad, a site that showcases Apple TV apps, the new categories are rolling out to Apple TV users and may not be available to everyone just yet. Some users may only see the new categories under Purchased Apps until the rollout is complete.

New categories are as follows:

• Business Apps
• Weather Apps
• Utilities
• Travel Apps
• Social Networking Apps
• Reference Apps
• Productivity Apps
• Music Apps
• Finance Apps
• Book Apps
• Medical Apps
• Catalogs

At launch, the tvOS App Store did not include a Categories section like the iOS App Store, making app discovery difficult early on. App Categories were added at the beginning of November. Available categories were initially limited to just Games and Entertainment, but they have expanded since then.

The tvOS App Store now closely mirrors the iOS App Store when it comes to content discovery, with Categories, Top Charts, and featured apps available.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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New ad shows how the Samsung Galaxy S7 is more than just a smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is an impressive handset which was officially announced by the company at MWC. This generation of Galaxy also brought back some features, including water proofing, microSD expansion, as well as applying a stronger emphasis on virtual reality.

Samsung has highlighted this and more in a new ad, showcasing just how the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are more than just smartphones. The video is a neat presentation, but it doesn’t quite do the sheer amount of new features justice. Be sure to check out our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge coverage for more details on both handsets.

Source: YouTube

Samsung Galaxy S7

• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge hands-on
• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge specs
• Where and when you can buy the Galaxy S7
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

Huawei and Leica team up to ‘reinvent’ smartphone photography

Huawei has announced that the company is teaming up with German photography giant Leica to kick of a strategic partnership to “reinvent” smartphone photography. The Chinese manufacturer is currently enjoying success in China, as well as supported markets, but now aims to ramp up development of more advanced experiences.

Oliver Kaltner, CEO of Leica Camera AG, commented on today’s announcement:

“The strategic alliance between Huawei and Leica Camera demonstrates the desire of two rapidly growing and globally active brands to continuously push the envelope of the technologically possible. In addition to innovative strength and premium standards, our two companies are united by the commitment to uncompromising quality. The technology partnership with Huawei offers Leica Camera an excellent opportunity to introduce its proven optical expertise into a new product segment and to unlock exciting business areas in the field of mobile devices. Smartphones make a very important contribution to the world of photography and open an important door for Leica to new target groups and fields of application.”

It’s stated that the partnership between Huawei and camera maker Leica will span research and development, design, co-engineering, user experience, marketing and retail distribution. More details will be shared at a later date, but we’re excited to see what the pair can come up with.

Press Release

HUAWEI AND LEICA CAMERA ANNOUNCE LONG-TERM TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP FOR THE REINVENTION OF SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY

Leaders in the smartphone and photographic worlds come together to create a premium visual world renaissance

[London, 25th February, 2016] Today Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) and Leica Camera AG are delighted to announce the start of a strategic partnership, a co-operation with shared premium ambitions and spirit, which will see both technology and photography brands combining their shared ethos in a long-term commitment to the art of craftsmanship, meticulous engineering and the spirit of winning collaboration, to create a powerhouse in the reinvention of smartphone photography.

In 2012, Huawei became the world’s third-largest smartphone manufacturer and was the first Chinese company to sell more than 100 million mobile phones in one year in 2015. The first Chinese brand to appear on the prestigious Interbrand Best Global Brands list in 2014, Huawei soared to number 88 in 2015 whilst launching the globally critically acclaimed Huawei Watch and Huawei P8. In 2016, Huawei looks to build on its success with Leica Camera: a mutually beneficial collaboration with the most iconic name in the photographic world to bring joint superior excellence to consumers.

For over 100 years, premium iconic camera manufacturer Leica Camera has been creating lightweight cameras favoured by street photographer pioneers and world-class optical lenses, fulfilling the passions of its community. With ingenious optical engineering and formidable craftsmanship, Leica cameras, recognisable by their ‘red dot’ branding, are German engineering at its best, and continue to attract new generations of consumers who aspire to achieve “the Leica look” and own these masterpieces of design. In addition to making precision-crafted masterpieces, Leica supports prominent photographers and emerging new talent around the world.

Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei Consumer BG said: “We choose our partners carefully, and with this extraordinary collaboration we are offering our wide customer base and consumers the best elements of two expert brands in harmony: combining innovation and design, enhancing the user experience and continuing to inspire amazing advancement in human technology through exceptional premium imaging quality. Leica is a legend in the world of photography; we believe no other manufacturer has revolutionised the industry as much as them. We, Huawei, take the utmost pride in exceptional quality and Leica is in a class of its own in its sector.”

Oliver Kaltner, CEO of Leica Camera AG said: “The strategic alliance between Huawei and Leica Camera demonstrates the desire of two rapidly growing and globally active brands to continuously push the envelope of the technologically possible. In addition to innovative strength and premium standards, our two companies are united by the commitment to uncompromising quality. The technology partnership with Huawei offers Leica Camera an excellent opportunity to introduce its proven optical expertise into a new product segment and to unlock exciting business areas in the field of mobile devices. Smartphones make a very important contribution to the world of photography and open an important door for Leica to new target groups and fields of application.”

“The legendary status of the Leica brand is founded on a long tradition of innovation, highest precision and craftsmanship. I’m pleased and convinced that the traditional German medium-sized company Leica Camera will bring its values and comprehensive expertise in optical engineering to the long-term partnership with Huawei in order to achieve the best possible imaging results in the field of smartphone photography – and to take it to the next level of quality”, emphasizes Dr Andreas Kaufmann, majority shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board of Leica Camera AG.

More details on the culmination of Huawei and Leica’s partnership, which will span research and development, design, co-engineering, user experience, marketing and retail distribution, will be shared as the partnership continues.

Are you upgrading to an LG G5 this year?

LG made a lot of changes this year — were they enough to make you move to the G5?

Every time a new leading phone comes out, we end up asking ourselves the question of whether now is the time to make the jump from our current phone to the new hotness. MWC 2016 brought a lot of enticing options, but of course a large portion of the talk was around the LG G5.

With a new metal design, intriguing modular features and a double rear camera setup, there’s a lot to like in the LG G5. Whether you’re considering an upgrade from a G4, coming from another manufacturer or are still on the fence at this point (perhaps our hands-on will help), we want to know what your initial thoughts are.

Drop a vote in the poll, then let us know why you voted how you did in the comments!

Are you upgrading to an LG G5?

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

Samsung can bump the storage of your next phone to 256GB with its latest chips

Samsung has announced that the company has commenced production of the industry’s first 256GB embedded memory module for smartphones. This latest advancement in internal storage is based on Universal Flash Storage 2.0 for next-gen smartphones, just in case 128GB wasn’t enough.

What’s more is the embedded modules can even exceed speeds that of typical SATA-connected SSD inside a desktop PC. Samsung has built the chips on the company’s advanced V-NAND technology with a combined high-performance controller, handling up to 45,000 input and 40,000 output operations per second.

“The new 256GB UFS memory is capable of supporting seamless Ultra HD video playback and multitasking functionality on large-screen mobile devices, such as watching 4K Ultra HD movies on a split screen, while searching image files or downloading video clips. Its 256GB capacity also allows an unmatched amount of data storage on the mobile device itself. For example, one 256GB UFS chip can store about 47 full HD movies, therefore enabling much greater flexibility in handheld consumer electronics.”

It was only last year when Samsung announced availability of 128GB UFS memory, doubling capacity in just one a year. Will you be looking forward to even more storage available inside your next smartphone?

Source: Samsung

Here is the winner of the Galaxy S7 IOU and another chance to win!

Leading up to Mobile World Congress, we were all anticipating Samsung’s event and the inevitable announcement of the Galaxy S7. To pass the time we ran a little contest to give you all a chance at winning whatever phone they ended up announcing. Of course, it was the S7, and now it’s time to announce who the winner of the contest is! There can only be one winner, but don’t fret if it’s not you. We have another contest underway!

First things first, let’s all congratulate the winner of the first contest, Boris R from Switzerland! Boris you’ve won a Galaxy S7 in the color of your choosing. We’ll be in touch soon to get that prize sent out to you.

Everyone else, as I mentioned we’re running a second contest right now!

How to Enter: PLEASE NOTE, LEAVING A COMMENT DOES NOT ENTER YOU INTO THE CONTEST. Head down to the widget at the bottom of this article. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. For example, you can submit a photo to show us how excited you are for the S7 to gain 20 entries instantly! It’s easy, just hit the option then upload from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or your computer. You can also answer a simple question for 10 entries, comment on a specific thread in the forums for 10 entries, and follow us on various social media channels for even more entries. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning!

The giveaway is open until March 8th, and winners will be announced on the blog shortly after the close date.

The Prize: One super lucky Android Central reader will take home a brand new Samsung Galaxy S7!

Please note that service is not included with the phone. Also, in the event that the winner resides outside of the United States, the prize maybe be subject to duties and taxes, which are the responsibility of the winner.

Win a brand new Samsung Galaxy S7 from Android Central!

Unlocked Mobiles begins Galaxy S7, S7 edge pre-orders with free speaker offer in UK

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are both available to pre-order from Unlocked Mobiles in the UK. Buyers will get a free speaker and case with their purchase.

Unlocked Mobiles has priced the Galaxy S7 at £549.98, while the Galaxy S7 edge will cost £619.98. Both phones are of the 32GB version and come in the choice of black or gold colors. Buyers will also get a free silver Samsung EO-SG900 speaker that’s normally worth £90, along with a black Redneck Prima Wallet Folio Case that’s worth £15.99.

• See Galaxy S7 at Unlocked Mobiles
• See Galaxy S7 edge at Unlocked Mobiles

Samsung Galaxy S7

• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge hands-on
• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge specs
• Where and when you can buy the Galaxy S7
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

Be extremely careful with stickers on the Nexus 6P

Some folks like their phone to be as naked as the day it came out of the box, while others move their expensive communications device from its box to a sturdy case immediately and never take it out again. There’s nothing wrong with either of these options, but I think the people who live somewhere in the middle have the most fun. whether they’re called covers, skins, or stickers, these accessories aren’t much for protection but often add a whole lot of personal flair to your phone.

Having recently pulled a Toast cover off of a Nexus 6P, I have a warning for anyone who would rapidly switch between skins on their phone. Be extremely careful when removing adhesive from the Nexus 6P, or you will deeply regret it.

I’ve been a big fan of the Toast cover for the Nexus 6P, but it was time for the skin to come off so I could do some other things with this phone. In a perfect world I’d have kept the cover on, as it hadn’t shown any signs of wear or anything, but I only have the one phone and needed to do something else with it. That meant slowly and carefully removing the thin wooden layer that had basically been glued to the Nexus 6P a couple of months ago. If you’ve never had to remove a Toast cover from something, count yourself among the lucky. As amazing as these skins look on your phone or laptop, removing the wood and cleaning off the adhesive is a nightmare. I knew this going in, but with the Nexus 6P found myself with an all new adventure as I removed the cover from the volume rocker.

Huawei’s design team didn’t feel it necessary to anchor the top and bottom of their volume rocker to the casing, so the only thing keeping that button secured to the phone is the central mechanism holding the button in place. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a big deal, but when trying to pull the cover off of the volume rocker I peeled back with just enough force to see the inside of the phone as the volume rocker lifted off the body. I was fortunate enough to have avoided using enough force to break the central connection to the phone, but it’s really not that hard to do when dealing with this removal process.

It’s not a big deal, and most skins aren’t as difficult to remove as a Toast cover, but it’s worth putting the word of caution out there either way. Pay close attention when dealing with adhesive around the volume rocker, use as little force as possible on the outer edges of this button, and everything should be fine. Do the opposite, and there’s a good chance you’ll be leaning on that Nexus Protect service to get yourself a new phone.

Nexus 6P

• Nexus 6P review
• 5 things to know about the Nexus 6P
• Read the latest Nexus 6P news
• Learn about Project Fi
• Join our Nexus 6P forums
• Nexus 6P specs

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These are Android Central’s Top Picks for MWC 2016!

Our favorites from Mobile World Congress 2016.

The time has come once again to leave beautiful Barcelona and all of the amazing things we’ve seen behind. Mobile World Congress is always an incredible place to look at what we can expect from the entire mobile landscape over the next couple of months, but as is often the case there’s a few things that truly stood out as exceptional. With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of our top picks for this year’s Mobile World Congress.

If you want to see all of our MWC coverage — lets face it, you probably missed a couple of things — be sure to check out our MWC 2016 page and then continue on to see our top picks for this year.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

Do words even need to go here? Samsung’s next pair of phones are equal parts style and power, with no clear competition in sight. The company is as focused as ever on delivering their own ecosystem on top of Android, and as a result we’re getting hardware in 2016 from the biggest smartphone manufacturer on the planet with waterproofing, removable storage, and what looks like an impossibly good camera. Sure, Samsung stuck with the microUSB port so they could push forward at full speed with the Gear VR and that removable storage isn’t part of the adoptable storage system Google introduced, but for a ton of people out there neither of those things matter.

It’s going to be a lot of fun exploring everything these phones are capable of, and it couldn’t be more clear by the reaction so far that Samsung did right by their audience with this release.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

LG G5

The company with a long history of breaking the mold ditched leather backplates and a unique volume and power combo on the back for a metal unibody design with a fingerprint sensor on the back. If it weren’t for the whole bottom of this phone coming off to expose the removable battery and make room for some modular accessories to make photography and audio consumption more fun on a phone, you might have been able to call the G5 boring. Fortunately for LG fans, it looks like this phone is going to go well above and beyond what we expect a phone to be capable of.

Pour one out for the Rear Key, but get excited for everything LG is bringing to the table with the G5.

Here’s everything you need to know about the LG G5

Sony Xperia X and X Performance

Folks in the U.S. might still be surprised to hear that Sony makes Android phones that are, on occasion, a genuine pleasure to use. With any luck that will change with the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance, a pair of mid-range phones that target a market we’ve seen grow tremendously over the last year. If Sony can actually get phones to the US in a reasonable timeframe doing something interesting like these two phones seem to be doing, we’re going to see even more curiosity in the that mid range this year.

Check out our hands on for more details!

Xiaomi Mi 5

Xiaomi is the only massively successful smartphone in the world without a US or European presence, and there’s a reasonable chance that could change this year. The new Mi 5 is packing a Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM under a 5.15-inch display powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. It’s also packing a 16MP Sony sensor with a unique 4-axis OIS that we can’t wait to spend some time with. That alone is enough to capture the attention of Android specs geeks around the world, but when that hardware is coupled with a $306 price tag for the 32GB model, it’s a phone that simply can’t be ignored.

You can expect us to be spending a lot more time with this phone as soon as possible, as it’s likely to cause even more excitement in an already explosive mid-range market.

Check out our Xiaomi Mi 5 hands on for more!

Alcatel Idol 4 and Idol 4S

It would be enough to say that Alcatel won an award from us for being clever and turning a Google Cardboard kit into their retail packaging, but that takes away from just how nice the Idol 4 and 4S look and feel. Alcatel started showing signs of a mid-range experience with a premium feel last year, and it looks like this year the transformation has been completed. The sleek glass and metal in multiple colors is matched only by the unique, clever software that Alcatel has been rocking for a little while now.

Check out what we know so far about the Alcatel Idol 4 and 4S

LG Rolling Bot

Of the accessories LG announced for their shiny new smartphone, a rolling robot with a camera and IR sensor is by far the most impressive. LG is selling this as a security camera, cat toy, remote control for your TV, and smart home hub all in one rolling white orb. As we’ve seen with BB-8 by Sphero, it’s enough to have something that rolls around and crashes into things. Not we have something that rolls around and crashes into things and actually does stuff. As long as the price is right, you can bet we’ll be chasing cats and interrupting the evening news with this little bugger as soon as it is available for purchase.

Read more on the LG Rolling Bot

Samsung Gear 360 camera

We’ve known for a year now that Samsung was aware of the need to give users the ability to power their own VR experiences with a 360 camera. The next challenge is making something easy enough to use at a price point that makes it so Gear VR users actually take the plunge and have some fun with it. That’s where the Gear 360 comes in, and with any luck it will be the first step for a lot of people in capturing 360 videos that can be experienced just about anywhere.

If for no other reason than to compare it to the impressive lineup of 360 cameras we’ve seen announced this year, the Gear 360 cam is high on our list of things to play with some more.

Here’s what we know about the Gear 360 camera so far

LG 360 VR

Someone at LG agrees that having a phone in a box half an inch from your face is a recipe for awkwardness, and decided to make a Google Cardboard kit that is way more complicated than just a cardboard box. The LG 360 VR is a VR headset with its own display and sensors, which means it can be lighter, thinner, and sleeker. All you have to do is plug the headset into your LG G5, and you should be good to explore all of the Cardboard apps you like.

We’ve still got a lot of questions that need answering about this one, but it’s hard to not be impressed with the effort here.

Check out our LG 360 VR hands-on for more!

HTC One X9

It may surprise you to know that HTC’s precense at MWC this year was for more than just showing off the consumer version of the HTC Vive that will be available for pre-order soon. The HTC One X9 is not a return to form for the One X series, but instead is bigger version of the HTC One A9 with no fingerprint sensor that had previously only been available in Asia. With a 3,000 mAh battery and the MediaTek Helio X10 processor it’s unlikely we’ll see this dual-SIM phone in the US, but it does offer up an idea of what a larger A9 would look like. You know, just in case there happens to be an M9 with a similar form right around the corner.

Check out our hands-on with this and several other new HTC phones for more details

ZTE Blade V7

If you’re looking for an all-metal phone running Marshmallow that doesn’t leave the $250 price bracket, ZTE might have something to show you. The Blade V7 is running a highly stylized version of Android, but with a 1080p display and 2GB of RAM the phone is certainly one of the better options in this price bracket. Toss in an 8MP selfie camera with front-facing flash and you’ve got everything you’ve got a great recipe for low-to-mid range competition.

We’ve got a hands-on with the Blade V7 and it’s $189 cousin the V7 Lite for anyone interested in more details.

Here’s what we know about the ZTE Blade V7 and V7 Lite

Lenovo Tab3 7 tablet

Lenovo has a decent presence in the U.S. when it comes to tablets, and it gains traction by targeting the lower end of the market with better hardware and specs than you expect. The Tab3 series comes in three different sizes, but the smallest of the three is the most interesting.

The Tab3 7 is thin and light enough to use in one hand, and considering that it’s positioned towards families with children that makes even more sense. The software matches up with that idea, leveraging Android 6.0 with multi-user capabilities to put restrictions on children’s profiles so they can’t get themselves into too much trouble. There are parental controls over apps, data usage, websites and even just time logged into the device, which is a huge bonus for those who need it.

Considering it has a MediaTek processor and 1GB of RAM you won’t be flying around every app on the Tab3 7, but that’s not what it’s about. At $129 you can deal with a few slowdowns (and really, this’ll handle most basic tasks you’ll throw at it), particularly if you’re planning to handle this to a kid who may not know the value of such electronics just yet.

Read our hands-on with the latest little tablet