TechieGroups

WE LIVE IN A WORLD that’s increasingly full of technology. However, along with technology comes malware and mobile devices are no exception, as the popularity of smartphones and tablets surges.

On the whole, mobile malware seems to be proliferating, and it’s happening quickly too. It’s been around for the last year or two and already has financial gain at the root of it, something which crept into desktop malware only after more than 10 years.

Mobile malware is pretty much at the stage that desktop malware was in 1986 or 1987 in terms of the number of threats, Tom Parsons, a senior manager at Symantec Security Response told me recently. The number of threats is into the thousands now.

Around half of threats involve premium text messages that the malware automatically sends without the user’s knowledge. Typically four are sent costing between £4 and £8 each. In my opinion, there is a big potential for this to get worse with upcoming technologies like near field communication (NFC), which will be used for day-to-day payments instead of a debit card.

Of the main mobile operating systems, it’s no surprise that Android is targeted the most. Parsons doesn’t think this will change this year and as a user of Android, I agree.

Google has made Android open, which has its benefits, but not when it comes to security. It’s not very tricky to get an app on the Android Market, especially when compared to Apple’s strict approval regime.

It’s partly this process, along with Apple’s walled garden ethos that makes IOS a less attractive target for attackers. At the moment Windows Phone has a very small share of the mobile market so unless this picks up there’s no point in choosing to target it over Android.

As I highlighted in a recent news story, a problem with Android is that malware is finding its way into legitimate apps. When a user downloads and installs an app they give it various permissions, but this can also let hidden malware contained in an advert module wreak havoc.

In this instance something needs to be done by Google. For starters it could change its permissions so the user can agree to different levels of access for the main app module and other parts including adverts.

Other attacks are far more obvious, such as apps that claim to remove Carrier IQ type monitoring and one that tempts users to unlock supposedly hidden features on the device that the manufacturer has held back.

It’s cases like this that highlight how naive some users can be and how easily they are fooled. They should really think twice before clicking on something that sounds and looks too good to be true. Common sense often goes out the window when it comes to clicking, however.

Luckily this seems to be changing. On the subject of mobile malware, Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure told me the firm is getting more and more queries from users concerned about the level of access applications have to their information on their mobile.

Consumers need to be aware of the risks when using devices such as smartphones, rather than assuming that nothing bad will happen to them. Vendors need to put some investment into educating users on the subject, but more than anything they have to take responsibility for their products and fight the criminals that are attacking them.

Hypponen says that users should carefully review the rights they grant to apps and complain to the vendor if they feel the app is looking for rights it can’t justify. He told me, “I know this is not an easy advice, but if app developers get no criticism for overreaching rights in their app or in their apps’ ad module, they aren’t going to change.”

I agree, as companies tend to respond to issues if their user base makes enough noise. People upgrading to smartphones or tablets for the first time need to deliberately learn the ins and outs to avoid becoming at risk. It’s often these types of users that get sucked into scams because they don’t know any better. There are also mobile versions of anti-virus software available and countless blogs that detail the latest threats. It’s time to educate users before, not after, malware attacks. µ

WE LIVE IN A WORLD that’s increasingly full of technology. However, along with technology comes malware and mobile devices are no exception, as the popularity of smartphones and tablets surges.

On the whole, mobile malware seems to be proliferating, and it’s happening quickly too. It’s been around for the last year or two and already has financial gain at the root of it, something which crept into desktop malware only after more than 10 years.

Mobile malware is pretty much at the stage that desktop malware was in 1986 or 1987 in terms of the number of threats, Tom Parsons, a senior manager at Symantec Security Response told me recently. The number of threats is into the thousands now.

Around half of threats involve premium text messages that the malware automatically sends without the user’s knowledge. Typically four are sent costing between £4 and £8 each. In my opinion, there is a big potential for this to get worse with upcoming technologies like near field communication (NFC), which will be used for day-to-day payments instead of a debit card.

Of the main mobile operating systems, it’s no surprise that Android is targeted the most. Parsons doesn’t think this will change this year and as a user of Android, I agree.

Google has made Android open, which has its benefits, but not when it comes to security. It’s not very tricky to get an app on the Android Market, especially when compared to Apple’s strict approval regime.

It’s partly this process, along with Apple’s walled garden ethos that makes IOS a less attractive target for attackers. At the moment Windows Phone has a very small share of the mobile market so unless this picks up there’s no point in choosing to target it over Android.

As I highlighted in a recent news story, a problem with Android is that malware is finding its way into legitimate apps. When a user downloads and installs an app they give it various permissions, but this can also let hidden malware contained in an advert module wreak havoc.

In this instance something needs to be done by Google. For starters it could change its permissions so the user can agree to different levels of access for the main app module and other parts including adverts.

Other attacks are far more obvious, such as apps that claim to remove Carrier IQ type monitoring and one that tempts users to unlock supposedly hidden features on the device that the manufacturer has held back.

It’s cases like this that highlight how naive some users can be and how easily they are fooled. They should really think twice before clicking on something that sounds and looks too good to be true. Common sense often goes out the window when it comes to clicking, however.

Luckily this seems to be changing. On the subject of mobile malware, Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure told me the firm is getting more and more queries from users concerned about the level of access applications have to their information on their mobile.

Consumers need to be aware of the risks when using devices such as smartphones, rather than assuming that nothing bad will happen to them. Vendors need to put some investment into educating users on the subject, but more than anything they have to take responsibility for their products and fight the criminals that are attacking them.

Hypponen says that users should carefully review the rights they grant to apps and complain to the vendor if they feel the app is looking for rights it can’t justify. He told me, “I know this is not an easy advice, but if app developers get no criticism for overreaching rights in their app or in their apps’ ad module, they aren’t going to change.”

I agree, as companies tend to respond to issues if their user base makes enough noise. People upgrading to smartphones or tablets for the first time need to deliberately learn the ins and outs to avoid becoming at risk. It’s often these types of users that get sucked into scams because they don’t know any better. There are also mobile versions of anti-virus software available and countless blogs that detail the latest threats. It’s time to educate users before, not after, malware attacks. µ

Using mobile broadband in Windows 8 will no longer require specific drivers and third-party software, says Microsoft's Billy Anders in a Building Windows 8 blog post today. This is thanks to the new Mobile Broadband Interface Model (MBIM) standard, which hardware makers are reportedly already beginning to adopt, and a generic driver in Windows 8 that can interface with any chip supporting that standard.

We've known for awhile now that mobile broadband chips would be treated as first-class devices in Windows 8 – the same as wi-fi, ethernet, Bluetooth, and USB 3.0, among others – but as usual Microsoft's blog post discusses the subject in exhaustive detail: because of their new first-class status, broadband antennas can be turned on and off in the same way that wi-fi and Bluetooth now are, and Airplane Mode can turn all of it off in one swoop, just like on a smartphone (see above). As on phones, Windows will automatically prioritize wi-fi networks when both wi-fi and cellular are available.

If your laptop or tablet has a SIM card installed, Windows will automatically detect which carrier it's associated with and download any available mobile broadband app from the Windows store, and carrier-unlocked laptops and tablets can choose between multiple cellular carriers if the hardware supports it (see above). As Brian noted in our first Windows 8 overview, the operating system also offers estimated data usage figures when connected to cellular networks, and the OS will adjust its default behaviors to save on data (for example, deferring automatic downloading and installing of Windows updates until wi-fi is available).

For people using wired or wi-fi connections that are also metered, Microsoft also gives you the option to see data usage figures for these networks. By selecting a "reduce data usage" option, Windows will use new built-in APIs to force network-aware Metro apps to use less data when possible (another example: using a low-bandwidth movie stream rather than a high bandwidth one). Network-aware Metro apps are required to use these APIs, and users can check how much bandwidth apps are using (both on metered and non-metered networks) in the Task Manager (above).

Lastly, Microsoft has made changes to the networking stack in Windows to allow for faster wi-fi connections when devices wake from sleep – information such as your preferred network list and other "hints" provided to your wi-fi adapter mean that wi-fi connections will be available "about a second" after the device wakes up.

That about covers all of the good stuff, but as always you can check the source post for more information. The Windows 8 beta is expected in February, with a final release targeted for sometime before the end of 2012.

Source: Building Windows 8 blog

THE MOBILE MARKET is becoming even less predicable as top players from last year prepare to become the chip wrappers of 2012.

The top dog one year can easily become the bottom the next – it all depends on which one has made the best product.

This time last year, Samsung was struggling due to a lack of a decent smartphone, yet its Galaxy range has changed its position entirely. So much so that the Korean firm expects to report record profits later this month, having sold 35 million smartphones during the fourth quarter of last year.

Also last year, RIM was putting pressure on smartphone makers such as LG as it placed in the top five for the first time. This is a far cry from where RIM is now, after a service outage last year tarnished the firm’s reputation and its low cost Curve 8500 smartphone range failed to compete with more interesting offerings from rivals. Chavs allegedly using BBM to incite riots didn’t exactly do much for RIM’s reputation either.

And things couldn’t be much worse for Nokia. Yesterday, rumours resurfaced that Microsoft plans to buy the Finnish phone firm’s smartphone division and despite categorical denials from Nokia, it almost seems like a good idea to put the final nails in the struggling company’s coffin.

Despite anticipation for Windows Phone 7, the latest Microsoft mobile operating system has still failed to take off. Nokia’s first Windows Phone 7 handset, the Nokia Lumia 800, might have had a fancy launch with a 4D projection on a building, but that doesn’t mean the phone has inspired consumers to buy back into the Nokia brand.

Was it really necessary for Nokia to partner with Microsoft in the first place? Probably not. It was said at the time that two turkeys don’t make an eagle and as far as I can see, that’s run true. Nokia had Android as an option and it also had the Symbian powered N9, so maybe overlooking those to bet the company on new Microsoft software was its biggest error.

A lot of being successful is about creating a product that works across markets. Where Samsung succeeded at this with its Galaxy range, particularly the Galaxy S and S II, both Motorola and Nokia failed. Nokia didn’t target the US market, an area where it could potentially have been strong, and instead chose to offer devices to emerging markets – a big error on its part.

Meanwhile, Motorola made smartphones that resonated with US users who do like a QWERTY keyboard even on a touchscreen phone. If you watch US TV and film from the last decade, the star’s handset will usually be a Motorola. Now? It’s an Iphone – an Iphone 4 if you are the serial killer Dexter. However, the Google buyout of Motorola will be one to watch this year.

But who could forget LG? The Korean company almost looked like it would climb into the top five phone makers with its social networking centric handsets like the Town, but the firm is now back near the bottom of the pile. Granted, its Optimus Range has had some success, and the Optimus 3D is a good phone, but 3D is still just a gimmick and certainly not enough to attract the masses.

Everyone should be watching the emerging Chinese manufacturers this year. Both ZTE and Huawei obviously have a lot of money to throw into marketing, and their devices are certainly gaining traction. Whether the two can grow that into mass success isn’t sure, but they will certainly try.

Apple of course is an entirely different story. Who would have thought that by the end of last year, Android would have overtaken IOS to become the most popular mobile operating system? Apple needs to pull out an evolved design at its next Iphone launch, after the Iphone 4S proved to be not much more than an update of the Iphone 4 model.

And 2012 is as likely to be a year of change as 2011, with another mobile operating system possibly taking Android’s place. Windows Phone 7 maybe? Maybe not, but with new mobile software choices emerging from players such as Canonical, the fight for market share is certainly about to get tougher. µ

Testing computer hardware can be a difficult process. On the one hand there’s a desire for more information and benchmarks, and on the other hand there’s a desire for timely reviews. Our goal at AnandTech has always been to deliver the most comprehensive reviews possible, and while we strive to timeliness there are occasions where additional testing or questions may delay a review. Ultimately, there’s a balancing act that needs to be maintained, and over time we periodically refresh our review suite and testing methodologies.

With 2012 now here, we’re launching a new suite of benchmarks for our laptop reviews. Some of the tests have already been in use for a while and others are brand new. In order to provide a single location with a list of our benchmarks and testing procedures, we have put together this short overview. We plan on using the following test suite throughout 2012, and while it’s possible we will add some benchmarks, we don’t have any plans to stop using any of the following at least for the next year.

It's that time of the year again – this weekend, many of you without smartphones, iPod, or iPads are likely to get one, and those of you who have them already stand a decent chance of getting gift cards.

Plenty of great games have come out for mobile platforms this year, and they've gotten lots of attention – Jetpack Joyride, Infinity Blade 2, Tiny Wings, Squids, and others have all had their time in the sun, and you should grab all of them if you haven't already. For those of you looking for something else, I thought I'd highlight a few games that haven't spent a lot of time on the bestsellers list – just because they're low profile doesn't mean they aren't a whole lot of fun.

Dragon Fantasy 

by The Muteki Corporation

iOS (99 cents) – iOS 3 and up

Dragon Fantasy is an old-school Japanese-style RPG that takes its cues (and its name) from the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games of the 80s and early 90s. Like other modern-day genre revivals (ZeBoyd Games’ Cthulhu Saves the World comes to mind), Dragon Fantasy will often mock JRPG conventions before turning around and using those same conventions in its gameplay, making it both a send-up and a pretty good example of its genre’s strengths and weaknesses.

Aside from its tongue-in-cheek script, Dragon Fantasy hues more closely to its source material than Cthulhu, which implemented its own tweaks and innovations to address some of the annoyances inherent to the genre. If you’re a fan of old-school RPGs, it’ll give you hours of play for the fraction of the price of a new Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy game on another system.

 

Stay Alive

by Drummer Games

iOS (99 cents), Android (Free, or .08 with donation) – iOS 3 and up, Android 2.2 and up

Stay Alive is a top-down shooter that will kill you within seconds of your first playthrough. That’s fine, though – you’ll respawn instantly, and as you get better at the game, you’ll also gather orbs that you can use to upgrade your ship’s shields, hull, and weapons. As in other “endless survival” games (like Jetpack Joyride and many, many others), the goal is ostensibly to go for as long as you can without crashing and then compare scores with your friends via the built-in OpenFeint leaderboards.

This game is a study in simplicity – there’s not even a separate screen for instructions, aside from the one that flashes by as each round starts. Most refreshingly, there’s no in-game store that converts real money into in-game currency – if you want a leg up in Stay Alive, you’re going to have to earn it.

 

Spelltower

by Zach Gage

iOS (.99) – iOS 4.1 and up

Spelltower, which I’ve heard described as “a word game for people who hate word games,” marries Boggle to Tetris. As in Boggle, you’re presented with a grid of letters, and you must make words using letters adjacent to one another. As in Tetris, new rows of letters are appearing constantly, and if your grid of letters reaches the top of the screen, you lose.

There are a few variants on this game mode – in Puzzle Mode, a new row of letters appears after every word you make. In Rush Mode, new rows appear at timed intervals. The odd one out, Tower Mode, gives you a single screen full of letters and challenges you to make as many points as you can with them. Like the best mobile games, it’s simple and addictive.

 

Time Ducks

by Tough Guy Studios

iOS (.99) – iOS 4.3 and up

This one’s a bit bizarre. It’s basically Frogger, in that you have to help various animals make it across a highway without getting hit. For every three animals you help, you can get a combo depending on what animals you save and in what sequence. Successful combos make higher-leveled animals appear, increasing your multiplier and leading to higher scores. Just watch out for cars, and for dogs.

If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry – you can also control time in short bursts, which can be helpful if you’ve accidentally sent a rabbit toward the grill of a truck. It’s a bit weird, but a unique design sensibility and some shambling but catchy music make this one worth a look.

 

AMD is refreshing its mobile CPU lineup with seven new A4, A6, and A8 Llano processors for socket FS1. With one exception, these dual- and quad-core processors give a mild speed bump to existing processors using the same GPUs, L2 cache amount, TDP, and core stepping – see the table below for specifications.

AMD Llano mobile CPU refresh

Name

Cores

CPU Clock
(Max Turbo)

L2 Cache

GPU

GPU Cores

GPU Clock

TDP

A4-3305M

2

1.9GHz (2.5GHz)

1MB

HD 6480G

160

593MHz

35W

A4-3320M

2

2.0GHz (2.6GHz)

2MB

HD 6480G

240

444MHz

35W

A4-3330MX

2

2.2GHz (2.6GHz)

2MB

HD 6480G

240

444MHz

45W

A6-3420M

4

1.5GHz (2.4GHz)

4MB

HD 6520G

320

400MHz

35W

A6-3430MX

4

1.7GHz (2.4GHz)

4MB

HD 6520G

320

400MHz

45W

A8-3520M

4

1.6GHz (2.5GHz)

4MB

HD 6620G

400

444MHz

35W

A8-3550MX

4

2.0GHz (2.7GHz)

4MB

HD 6620G

400

444MHz

45W

The refresh features four processors with the -M suffix, denoting slightly lower clock speeds and TDPs than the -MX processors (in this case, 35W). Three of these, the A4-3320M, the A6-3420M, and the A8-3520M, are 100MHz bumps in base and turbo CPU clock speed over their predecessors, the A4-3300M, the A6-3400M, and the A8-3500M (GPU clocks and core counts are unchanged). The -MX processors are the same story – newer versions of the A4-3310MX, A6-3410MX, and A8-3530MX with 100MHz more clock speed with the same GPUs and 45W TDPs. 

The outlier is the A4-3305M, a new low-end processor with the same CPU clocks as the A4-3300M but with half the L2 cache and 33% fewer GPU cores, though the GPU clock has been increased to compensate. In spite of these changes, the GPU is still called the HD 6480G.

Expect to see these APUs trickle into laptops in the coming months.

Source: CPU World

CLOUD STORAGE COMPANY Cloud Engines has launched Pogoplug Mobile, a mobile cloud companion that frees devices from storage limits.

The product allows users to stream entire libraries of photos, music and movies from their homes to their mobile phones or tablets.

It enables users to share unlimited amounts of photos, videos and other content from mobile devices instantly and privately. Users need to link it to their Ethernet connection and can share any content on USB or SD storage through an Android or Iphone app on a mobile or tablet.

Pogoplug Mobile allows users to stream entire libraries of music, movies and photos. It offers permanent storage and backup of all photos and videos taken using the mobile device and automatically backs up photos and movies from a mobile device to Pogoplug Mobile wirelessly.

The Pogoplug Mobile device works with the Pogoplug desktop software and Pogoplug mobile apps for the Iphone, Ipad and Android 2.2 and later devices.

The device will be available in October for a suggested retail price of .99 or £59.99. Those keen to get their hands on one before launch can pre-order from today at www.pogoplug.com/mobile.

Pogoplug’s IOS and Android apps are free and available for download in the Itunes and Android Market app stores.

“People today have an almost unlimited need to create and consume multimedia content on their mobile devices,” said Daniel Putterman, CEO and founder of Cloud Engines. “Unfortunately, their devices just can’t keep up; mobile storage remains too expensive. Pogoplug Mobile solves this problem by providing an incredible streaming and at-home backup solution that turns any mobile device into an limitless media library.”

“With iCloud on the horizon, the timing for Pogoplug Mobile couldn’t be better,” continued Putterman. “If you’re an iOS user, Pogoplug Mobile will be a perfect at-home iCloud companion. For Android users, it’s at-home iCloud for Android.” µ

MOBILE DEVICES will support multi-player online gaming and 3D gesture input just like Microsoft’s Kinect technology for the Xbox, chip designer ARM has predicted.

ARM reckons that mobile devices based on its chips will be on a par with PCs within a few years, offering similar processor and graphics performance capabilities.

The details can be seen in an interview over at our sister IT news web site V3.co.uk. µ

KOREAN ELECTRONICS GIANT Samsung is shipping 10 per cent more smartphones than a year ago, helping the overall mobile phone market grow by 11.3 per cent in the second quarter of this year, according to IDC.

The mid to high-end segments of the smartphone market were Samsung’s strongest performing areas, thanks to its flagship models the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. All regions showed increased demand and shipments.

Mass-market models, such as the Ace, Mini, and Gio showed increased sales too, while Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablets also sold well.

Samsung expects both the smartphone and tablet markets to continue to perform strongly in the next two quarters. It predicts a 19 per cent increase in demand for smartphones in the second half of the year.

Samsung’s market share decreased slightly from 19.4 per cent a year ago to 19.2 per cent last quarter. This is still a fairly healthy position, however, and close to four times the 5.6 per cent market share of its rival, Apple.

IDC reports that the global mobile phone market increased 11.3 per cent in the second quarter, slightly less than the 13.3 per cent it predicted. It’s also a fair bit less than the 16.8 per cent increase seen in the first quarter this year.

Samsung reported a slight decrease in shipments of feature phones compared to the previous quarter, supporting IDC’s findings that the feature phone market shrunk by four percent compared to the same time last year.

The decline in Samsung’s feature phone demand will recover somewhat in the second half of the year with an increase of 14 per cent, largely due to the holiday season. Samsung also expects overall growth of 15 per cent for mobile phones in the second half of the year, with single-digit growth predicted for the third quarter.

Despite Samsung’s strong performance in the mobile sector, it reported a decline of 25 per cent in operating profit and an 18 per cent decline in net profit. The lower profit was largely due to low chip prices.

At the time of writing, Samsung’s share price is up by 7,000 won (£4.07) to 844,000 won (£491.36), an increase of 0.84 per cent. µ