Galaxy Nexus LTE custom ROM users: flash 4.0.4 radios here
On the day past, the Android 4.0.4 software update for Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus leaked, and lo, there was much rejoicing across the Android nation! And yet, those users running custom ROMs did cry verily, “Well crap, now I gotta wait for the dev to update before I can get better reception.” Then a voice spake: “Nay, Android power user! I have for you a flashable ZIP file, which does include both new radio basebands and a bootloader besides. Go forth and spread the good word: adrynalyne of XDA hath delivered you mildly better 3G and 4G data performance! Huzzah!”
In case you weren’t following along: a kind XDA member has posted just the radio and bootloader updates for the CDMA Galaxy Nexus, bringing the baseband up to date without affecting your current ROM. This is especially useful for users of heavily modded Nexus ROMs, like the popular Android Open Kang Project. Just download the file in the source link to your 4.02 or 4.03 CDMA ROM, reboot into your recovery, and flash the ZIP file. There have been no issues reported thus far, but it’s always a good idea to make a Nandroid backup just in case. NOTE: The radio in the XDA thread DOES NOT work with the international GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus.
Users are reporting improved signal by about 10% in previously spotty areas, and the hand-off between 3G and LTE connections seems to be smoother as well. Of course, you won’t get access to some of the more flashy tweaks in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4, but if you’re reading this, odds are pretty good that you keep your custom ROM up to date. Developers have already started updating their ROMs, and the nightlies and betas should all be ready by the end of the week. Happy flashing!
Samsung’s March 22nd event is not, repeat NOT the Galaxy S III
After the disappointing news that Samsung is electing not to grace Mobile World Congress with the presence of its much-anticipated Galaxy S III, many jumped on its French event slated for March 22nd as the possible stage for the phone’s unveiling. Alas, this is not the case: The Next Web heard it straight from the source that the March 22nd event will be more of a showcase for those devices that are displayed at MWC. Also, not to be the person that goes “I told you so”, but.. I told you so.
The French event will serve as a second showing for whatever Samsung shows off in Barcelona in late February and early March, essentially giving local and regional press a second chance at hands-ons for… whatever. But what will that be? Certainly the latest announced phones, like the Galaxy S Advance, will make a showing. There’s been a lot of talk about Samsung’s upcoming 11.6-inch Galaxy Tab, expected to have a high-resolution display and a next-generation Exynos processor. We’ll find out more about a whole range of devices in Spain, except, you know, that one.
Despite months of rumor mongering, there’s still very little that can be said about the Galaxy S III. it will almost certainly have a Super AMOLED display that meets or beats the Galaxy Nexus, and will likely be faster and more capacious that the Galaxy S II. Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung’s TouchWiz is a possibility that becomes more and more likely as its announcement is pushed back. We’ll probably see the phone released internationally sometime in the summer, but past that, we’re chasing after the wind.
Story Timeline
- Samsung Galaxy S III camera sample leaks, tagged GT-I9500 on Dec 28th 2011
- Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note S rumors continue, aiming for March release on Jan 31st 2012
- Samsung: no Galaxy S III at MWC, separate event to come later on Feb 1st 2012
- Rumor: Galaxy S III to include waterproof seal on Feb 3rd 2012
- Samsung Galaxy S III rumored to be a mere 7mm thin on Feb 6th 2012
[via SlashGear]
Mutating Trojans could pose a threat to Android users
From social networks to banks accounts, smartphones carry our most private and delicate information. For this very reason, security is one of the hottest topics in the Android ecosystem, andthe newest threat reported is marking the beginning of a new malicious era – mutating Trojans.
There are different opinions regarding mobile security. Some believe that it is not a significant issue, including a Google employee that went as far as to call mobile anti-virus companies “charlatans and scammers” that play with your fears for profit. Google has recently announced Bouncer, which has lowered malicious app downloads by 40%.
There is also those who believe it is not very relevant right now, but might feel differently in the near future. Hackers and virus programmers focus on market share. They target the OS that has the most users, hence the fact that most viruses developed are aimed towards Windows computers. Android is growing rapidly, and it is the most popular mobile operating system in the world (comScore reports almost 50% market share in the U.S.). Undoubtedly, security will become a bigger issue in the future.
The newest member to the Trojan family has just been reported by Symantec. It is called Android.Opfake, and it mutates every time it gets downloaded. This allows for the Trojan to bypass anti-virus detection, and according to Symantec, all of them are distributed by Russian websites. Vikram Thakur from Symantec had this to say:
As with malware that affects traditional computing devices, the level of sophistication of the polymorphism used can affect how easy or difficult the threat is to detect. More complicated polymorphism requires more intelligent countermeasures.
This Trojan is not as advanced yet, as only certain parts of the app are modified every time it gets downloaded (server side polymorphism). But future threats could be designed around local polymorphism, which would modify the app’s very code every time it gets executed.
It would be harder to for any anti-virus app to detect it, and such companies would need to exercise more complicated processes in order to stop them. After attending a presentation from avast! Free Mobile Security, I learned that their app works differently, compared to many other security applications. Their system is not a simple black-list. Rather, it actually looks at the coding within the analyzed applications. Such practices could be a better option for the future of morphing Trojans. Here’s some sound advice from Tim Armstrong, a malware researcher at Kasperky Lab:
If antivirus vendors place their detection on the executable and non-changing sections, all files would be successfully detected. However, if the Trojan’s executable code were also polymorphic, the challenge of detecting it would be more difficult.
This, along with many other advancements in malicious apps, should keep Android users on their toes. The future for the little green robot looks very bright, but also more dangerous. So what should you as a user do to protect yourself from these Trojans? Well, make sure to stick to good practices – only use trusted application stores, read reviews, and take a look at the ratings. Be a careful consumer, and things should be fine for now. But we may soon have the necessity to download anti-virus apps. Right now, they are only an extra layer of protections, and are mostly used for their anti-theft or loss features.
Source TechWorld
Mutating Trojans could pose a threat to Android users originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
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Adobe: Chrome for Android will not get Flash support
When Google today launched Chrome for Android in beta they did so without support for Adobe Flash. For many users this seemed surprising given the strong push for Flash on Google’s mobile OS after Steve Jobs and Apple refused to allow Adobe’s platform on their iOS devices. The writing, however, was on the wall. Last November Adobe announced that they would discontinue the development of Flash for mobile — save for a few security and bug updates that have trickled out since — and today they are reiterating their stance. Plainly, there is no chance of seeing Flash support in the mobile version of Chrome. They suggest users looking for Flash content in a mobile browser crafted by Google use the stock Android browser.
Adobe will continue to work on their Flash platform, but mostly as it relates to their AIR technology. For interactive and immersive web content the company is focusing their efforts on HTML5. That should make things pretty clear: there won’t be Flash in Chrome for Android. Sorry, folks.
[via Adobe | Thanks to all who sent this in!]
Motorola keeping active, teases March software update for MOTOACTV
Motorola is working on an update that will bring even more functionality to their MOTOACTV fitness tracker and music player. After providing a few minor software tweaks over previous months, the update planned for March will expand the MOTOACTV’s tracking abilities from biking, running, and walking to a range of other sports including yoga, dancing, Pilates, and martial arts. That’s big news for many owners of the device who have been requesting a greater range of activity support since the Android-based smart watch launched.
Other enhancements will include the ability to activate the device’s display with the flick of the wrist, set WiFi networks directly from the MOTOACTV, and compete against other users through the MOTOACTV online portal. It’s great to see Motorola expand the device’s capabilities rather than let it fall into obscurity, something other smartwatch makers have been more than happy to let happen. If Moto keeps pushing quality updates to the MOTOACTV it has plenty of life left in it.
[via Motorola]
Sony gives us an inside look at the development of the Tablet P
It may be hard to imagine, but the seeds of what eventually grew to be the Sony Tablet P were planted long before the iPad made tablets cool. The initial idea for a dual-screened clamshell device actually came to fruition shortly after the PDA boom of the late 90s and was first mocked up using a $4 wallet to illustrate the folding concept. Sony’s Takeshi Goto, head of VAIO and mobile products, spoke with Engadget Chinese about the development of the Tablet P from concept to final product, revealing the many alterations made to the design over the years. Designers debated among several screen sizes from 5-inches to 7-inches and evaluated Windows as an operating system on an x86 platform before settling on a two 5.5-inch displays and Android running on an ARM CPU. At one point a prototype more closely resembled the Nintendo DS than the tablet we know today. It’s a design unique from the majority of the tablet field and speaks to Sony’s commitment to innovative design. The full (translated) story and more images can be found at the link below.
[via Engadget Chinese]
Motorola wants to keep us moving, new MOTOACTV update March 7
Not only does Motorola want to keep us active, but they are staying plenty active themselves and today have just announced another update for their MOTO ACTV device. Announcing that it will be released worldwide and free starting March 7th bringing tons of new features to the Android-powered smartwatch.
The MOTO ACTV is more than just a smart wristwatch. From the image above you can see it’s also mountable on bikes and can do tons of different tasks. The update set to hit March 7th will bring even more features and functionality. According to the blog post from Motorola we can expect to be able to track performances and stats across over 40 new activities including yoga, Pilates, dancing and martial arts to name a few.
The update back in December brought new clock faces, stopwatch support, and increased battery life severely. We can expect a few more improvements to overall performance and battery life with this upcoming update as well. With the option to track yoga, Pilates and all these other new activities we’ll need all the battery life we can get.
Other changes include being able to activate the display by the flick of your wrist, and even enable and change WiFi right on the device. Stay tuned for more details on the impending update.
Story Timeline
- Motorola unveils MotoACTV “the ultimate fitness device” on Oct 18th 2011
- Motorola MotoACTV hands-on [Video] on Oct 18th 2011
- Motorola MOTOACTV complete users guide on Nov 6th 2011
- MOTO ACTV update brings stopwatch, new clock faces, and 8 hours battery life on Dec 21st 2011
- MOTOACTV rooted, full Android interface possible on Dec 25th 2011
[via Motorola]
AT&T may begin throttling “unlimited” users soon: it’s time for some answers
Android users are a data-hungry bunch: we download music, movies, games, and no small amount of regular web and other data. Of course, we pay the same as regular mobile Internet users, for the most part – a fact that’s led both AT&T and Verizon to abandon their formerly unlimited data plans for more rigid tiers. But if you’re lucky enough to have had an unlimited plan when the change went into effect, you’re grandfathered in… much to the dismay of both company’s accounting departments. For AT&T at least, it looks like they’re finally taking steps to encourage users to change their “data hog” ways. A Wall Street Journal writer got hit with a warning that he was in the top 5% of users on his iPhone, and his service would be intentionally slowed soon if he didn’t change his ways.
We’ve known this is coming for months, but that doesn’t mean we’re happy about it. Truth be told, we’re not particularly pleased with the tiered data system, which implies a mobile bandwidth crunch without any empirical data to back it up. The simple fact is that on AT&T and Verizon, those with grandfathered unlimited plans can get a lot more for their dollar (in both cases, $30 a month) than can those customers who A) want more than 2GB of data a month and B) signed a new contract after the changes went into effect. To punish unlimited users for using their unlimited connection isn’t just disingenuous, it implies that they’re doing something wrong, as if the Internet itself was a non-renewable resource and they’re taking more than their fair share.
I must stress that AT&T limiting high-bandwidth users isn’t illegal in any sense. T-Mobile already does this with their “unlimited” plans, even though the smaller company is actively marketing them. In legalese, the “limit” (or lack thereof) applies to the amount of data transferred, not the speed at which it’s delivered. All that being said, limits of any kind on a service that was marketed as unlimited, however long ago, rubs power users the wrong way. This is doubly true considering how wireless service and its various satellite charges have become more expensive, even as the larger carriers seem to be raking in the money more than ever before. Even Verizon’s “Double Data Deals” come off as cheap attempts to lure in new customers with a “better value”; just remember when you’re paying $80 a month for 20GB of bandwidth that a small portion of Verizon users can go over 100GB and beyond for just thirty bones.
The good news is that if you receive a warning letter or email from AT&T, it’s probably grounds enough to get out of your current two-year contract if you so choose. The change in AT&T’s interpretation of their own rules is enough to make the huge ordinary early termination fee waivable, at least if you press your point with the right customer service agent. (Dropping a few names like the Better Business Bureau and The Consumerist couldn’t hurt.)
Even so, the pressure from a provider to alter its customers’ behavior to suit its own ends is not encouraging, especially when that provider does not offer the service that said customer originally paid for to others. AT&T’s recent attempt to buy out T-Mobile (instead of, for instance, spending several billion dollars on its own often disappointing 3G network) only serves to alienate them from American consumers wary of cellular companies. AT&T, Verizon: if you don’t want smartphones to devour gobs and gobs of data, why do you advertise them streaming music, HD movies and generally being the awesome connected devices that they are?
Here’s the gist of my little rant: AT&T needs to either offer truly unlimited service or quit implying that it wants its customers to enjoy the “freedom” that web-connected devices allow. Don’t tell us we’re unlimited, or even how great your service is, if you want us to use WiFi all the time. Failing that, give us real, concrete reasons why the current tiered system is absolutely necessary – because from our consumer standpoint, its only purpose it to net you some extra gotcha fees when we go over. (That goes for you too, Verizon.) Warning customers that they shouldn’t be using their phones as much is a great way to drive them to somebody else – or at least it would be, if more carriers offered real unlimited service.
You get that, nationwide carriers? Whoever offers real unlimited service again, on a carrier that’s reliable and available, get the dollars of power users. You know, the ones who are always first in line to pay those ridiculous subsidized smartphone prices.
T-Mobile Valentine’s Day Sale official, All phones free February 11
T-Mobile is at it again and are gearing up for the holiday although this time it isn’t a Christmas sale. Instead they want you to stay close to the ones you love this Valentine’s Day and to help you do so they’re offering all 4G smartphones completely free. The catch here is the sale’s for one day only — so you better hurry.
A few days before V-Day on February 11th T-Mobile will be offering all 4G smartphones and their best selling Android tablets completely for free. Obviously there is a small catch or two here and you’ll be required to sign a new 2-year contract agreement, but that was to be expected.
Nothing says “I love you” like a 4G smartphone from T-Mobile
The quote above is their official term for the holiday season and they’ve even released a little video with some humor and a cupid for the all new 2012 Valentine’s Day sale kicking off on the 11th. There is however one more catch that is worth noting. The devices aren’t actually free out of the gate, you’ll have to pay the $199 or whatever price up front and wait for a mail in rebate. So while this deal wont save you money this week that you can use on chocolate or flowers — it will save you in the long run once that mail in rebate returns.
Who will be getting struck by cupid this year and getting their loved one a new 4G phone from T-Mobile?
[via TmoNews]
Adobe: Flash support not included in Chrome for Android
Just like many of you, I downloaded the new Google Chrome for Android this morning and quickly realized that Adobe Flash was not supported. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be, and now after confirming its lack of support Adobe has made an official announcement basically following up on earlier announcements that they weren’t supporting Android moving forward. That was fast!
Chrome for Android Beta doesn’t support Adobe Flash and according to Adobe we shouldn’t be all that surprised by that. Within the first few lines of their official comment they quickly got down to what they had to say, and here it is:
Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers, and thus Chrome for Android Beta does not support Flash content.
They do however mention that they still support flash in the stock browser, and will continue to do so as they promised back in November. Other comments suggest they are actively working to move HTML5 forward, and will continue to support that community, as well as Adobe Air for Android.
Does this come as a surprise to anyone? Will this make you abandon the new and impressive Chrome for Android until we have more options available? Google worked so hard with Adobe to make Flash a feature but quickly things have changed and it will no longer be present moving forward. If you need Flash keep those alternative or stock browsers folks, because Chrome wont be getting it.
Story Timeline
- Adobe Flash Player 11 hits Android Market on Oct 4th 2011
- Adobe officially halts development on Flash for Android on Nov 9th 2011
- Adobe pushes last major Flash update to the Android Market on Nov 11th 2011
- Adobe says Flash for ICS will be last supported OS on Nov 21st 2011
- Adobe Flash Player updates just in time for the Galaxy Nexus on Dec 15th 2011
[via Adobe]
