Use #Whatsapp on #Android? Your chats are not so secure

If you use WhatsApp on an Android phone, you should be careful about what you talk about or share on the instant messaging app. Using a few scripts and a rogue app, anyone can peer into your chat logs and see what you talk about with your friends. 

A Dutch security consultant has found that WhatsApp chat logs saved on the SD card of an Android phone can be read by other apps because of the way Android allows sharing of data between apps. 

"The WhatsApp database is saved on the SD card which can be read by any Android application if the user allows it to access the SD card. And since majority of the people allows everything on their Android device, this is not much of a problem," Bas Bosschert wrote on his blog. 

"What do we need to steal someone's WhatsApp database? First we need a place to store the database," Bosschert explained. "Next thing we need is an Android application which uploads the WhatsApp database to the website." 

When an Android application is installed, whether from the Play store or through an APK file, which is an installer file for Android phones and can be downloaded from various sources, the app requests for permissions to use network and SD card etc. 

To explain his hack, Bosschert set up a web server and then created an Android application that required several special permissions on a user's phone. But because Android OS allows applications to access various parts of the phone - this is why users can conveniently share almost everything through any app on Android phone - Bosschert's app had no difficulty gaining access to WhatsApp data. 

Bosschert wrote that the code that allows his application to access WhatsApp data and then upload it to his web server can be added to a popular Android app by a rogue developer to fool users and steal WhatsApp chat logs. 

The older versions of WhatsApp were so insecure that they didn't even encrypt their data stored on SD card. The data from older versions of whatsApp could be read by anyone once it was uploaded on the web server. Even the data from newer version of WhatsApp, which uses encryption, can be accessed with ease. 

"The WhatsAppp database is a SQLite3 database which can be converted to Excel for easier access. Lately WhatsApp is using encryption to encrypt the database, so it can no longer be opened by SQLite. But we can simply decrypt this database using a simple python script. This script converts the crypted database to a plain SQLite3 database," wrote Bosschert. "We can conclude that every application can read the WhatsApp database and it is also possible to read the chats from the encrypted databases." 

Bosschert joked, "Facebook didn't need to buy WhatsApp to read your chats." 

The security issue apparently doesn't exist on iPhones or Windows Phone devices because on these smartphones, apps have limited access to storage and other phone hardware. The more flexible access to phone hardware allows Android apps to talk to each other and helps a user quickly share content between apps. This is very convenient compared to what is possible on iPhone or Windows Phone, where it is difficult to share content between apps. But it also exposes data to rogue apps. 

Google says that it keeps an eye on apps inside its Play store and removes apps if they pose any security risks. But this doesn't negate the fact that theoretically it is possible for a rogue app to do more damage on Android because of the open nature of the OS compared to iOS, which uses silos. Google also advises people against installing apps that don't come through Play store. By default Android phones are set to not install apps downloaded outside the Play store.

Ref - TOI

#Nokia to unveil low-cost #Android phone: Report

Nokia will unveil a low-cost smartphone running a version of Google Inc'sAndroid operating system, despite the company's close partnership with Microsoft Corp and its competing Windows system, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The handset division of the Finnish company, which is in the final stages of being acquired by Microsoft, will show off the new phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, the report said on Monday, citing unidentified sources who were familiar with the matter.

Nokia and Microsoft declined to comment.

The new Android phone will be aimed at emerging markets and will not feature some of Google's higher-end, custom Android features.

Microsoft and its main handset partner Nokia have struggled to make an impression in the smartphone market dominated by Samsung's Android devices and Apple Inc's iPhone.

According to technology research firm, Strategy Analytics, 79 percent of smartphones shipped worldwide last year ran on Android, 15 percent were iPhones running Apple's iOS and only 4 percent ran Windows Phone software.

Ref - TOI

Jolla: Taking aim at #Android, after a jilting at #Nokia

Marc Dillon still remembers the sick feeling that overcame him when Nokiaannounced it was scrapping a software project that he and hundreds of other developers had spent years creating. 

It was early 2011, and Nokia, the Finnish cellphone giant, was struggling to compete with the sudden rise of Apple and Samsung in the global smartphone market. In response, Nokia's chief executive, Stephen Elop, ended the company's plans for its own operating system and joined with Microsoft to focus on building Windows-based phones. 

"I almost threw up when I heard the news," said Dillon, an American engineer living in Finland, who was laid off after the company's strategy shift. "Nokia did a lot of great things for a long time. We didn't want to see this part of the story end." 

So Dillon and three other former Nokia executives took it upon themselves to prove their onetime bosses wrong. 

Over the past three years, with the help of around $20 million in outside investment, they have built Jolla, a 100-employee company of mostly former Nokia engineers, to develop the operating system that Nokia discarded. Their goal is to compete with Android, Google's dominant mobile software. Late last year, they finished the first part of the effort, releasing a smartphone powered by its open-source software, Sailfish. 

The ambitions for Jolla - Finnish for dinghy - are twofold. 

By releasing its custom-built handset, the company wants to demonstrate a demand for the device by pitching it to consumers, primarily in Western markets, eager to try the latest gadget. 

Though it is still a small player in the global smartphone market, Jolla's long-term hopes are pinned on talking up its Sailfish software to other cellphone manufacturers, which the Finnish company hopes will lead to licensing agreements. 

"The phone shows the world that we can make a product," said Sami Pienimaki, another Jolla co-founder, at the company's development office in Tampere, a two-hour train ride north of Helsinki, Finland's capital. "But the operating system is where the true value lies." 

To other phone makers, particularly those selling phones in fast-growing markets like China, the pitch is simple: We'll help you stand out from the crowd. 

"Everyone is looking for alternatives because few manufacturers are making money from Android," said Stefano Mosconi, Jolla's Italian co-founder and chief technology officer, at the company's offices in central Helsinki, which previously housed a Nokia research lab. "We know we can't ship 200 million handsets overnight. But phone makers need something new, and we can offer that." 

Despite Jolla's ambitious plans, it faces an uphill challenge. The global smartphone market has become a duopoly of Google's Android and Apple's iOS, which represented almost 95 percent of the 1 billion handsets shipped last year, according to the research company Strategy Analytics. And Microsoft, another technology giant, is doubling down on smartphones, putting the final touches on a $7.4 billion deal to buy Nokia's handset business. 

Several other software makers are also trying to compete for a piece of global smartphone sales. 

They include Mozilla, the nonprofit company behind the Firefox Web browser, which has introduced its own software for low-cost phones. Tizen, a rival open-source operating system backed by Samsung and Intel, is expected to introduce the first handsets powered by its new software this year. 

"It will be very tough for these operating systems to compete," said Roberta Cozza, a research director at the analysis company Gartner in London. "They have to offer a level of smartphone apps that users have come to expect, and most just don't have that." 

Confronted with stiff competition, Jolla is facing some of these challenges head-on. The company has opened its own app store for developers, but its software also allows customers to run popular existing Android programs such as WhatsApp and Twitter. 

That arrangement includes a partnership with the Russian Web giant Yandex, which gives Jolla users access to its app store with more than 80,000 Android programs. Jolla, however, has yet to reach a similar deal with Google's larger Play store. 

"If we didn't have access to Android, no one would have bought our device," said Mosconi of Jolla. "We can show people they can use the same apps available on other phones." 

Much like its more established rivals, Jolla is aiming its software at consumers in developing economies who are only now upgrading from their cheap handsets to more sophisticated devices. 

Markets like China and India are expected to report double-digit growth in smartphone sales this year, mostly from low-cost Android devices. 

But analysts say local operators like China Mobile are looking for ways to differentiate their handsets and services from those of their rivals. The use of new operating systems may help to attract customers who have yet to become accustomed to Android or iOS. 

Jolla's software experience is markedly different from those of its bigger rivals. 

The Jolla phone is designed for swiping across the screen to move between apps; the operating system does not use a home button for navigation. Drop-down menus in each program offer short cuts to popular functions like sending a text message or checking email. 

And open programs - displayed as mini icons on the home screen - update automatically. That allows users to change songs on the handset's music player or find a contact's phone number without opening the app itself. The phones also have technology built into interchangeable rear covers that will alter software features. 

"The biggest market for us is China," said Pienimaki, adding that Jolla expects to start licensing its operating system and selling its handsets there by the second quarter of the year. 

"There's an opportunity for a new product-based simple Finnish design." 

In Western markets, the company is pursuing deals with supermarkets and other brands that want to reach mobile customers through more than a downloadable app. 

Tomi Pienimaki, Jolla's chief executive and Sami's brother, said those deals might include handset and software partnerships allowing companies to incorporate their own services directly into Jolla's operating system. 

The company's smartphone includes so-called near-field communication technology, or a small chip that automatically adjusts settings and features when users change the rear cover. The feature could allow retailers to brand their own covers with software updates to include loyalty programs or daily offers, though Pienimaki says Jolla has yet to sign any agreements. 

"We don't want to annoy users," he said. "But consumer brands want to create a closer connection to their mobile customers." 

For the typically stoic Finns, Jolla offers a possibility to regain some pride, because the country is about to lose control of Nokia's once-proud handset business to Microsoft. 

While the cellphone startup has sold fewer than 100,000 handsets worldwide since the model was released late last year, many in Helsinki's technology community say Jolla's operating system and device, which retails for around $550, show that Finland's telecommunications industry can still compete on a global stage. 

When Jolla started selling its phones in November, for instance, a line of expectant customers snaked around the company's pop-up store in central Helsinki despite freezing temperatures. 

And Peter Vesterbacka, part of the management team at the Finnish game maker Rovio, has proudly showed off his Jolla handset complete with a bespoke Angry Birds case. Angry Birds is a Rovio game. 

"A lot of people want them to succeed," said Pekka Koponen, a former Nokia executive who now runs a technology advisory firm in Helsinki. "I want to believe there's still innovation left in Finland."

Ref - TOI

#Micromax Canvas 2.2 listed online for Rs 12,799

Micromax has quietly introduced a new Android phablet, the Canvas 2.2 A114. The phone is listed on e-commerece retailer Flipkart, at a price point of Rs 12,799.

The Micromax Canvas 2.2 A114 sports a 5 inch IPS display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, and 16.7m colours. The phone is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor (MT6582M) and 1GB RAM. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and measures 73 x 145 x 9.7 mm, weighing 147 gram.

It sports an 8MP rear camera with LED flash, capable of 1080p video capture and a 2MP front facing camera. The Canvas 2.2 comes with 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The phone features a 2000mAh battery and is a dual-sim handset (GSM+GSM). It offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and 3G connectivity options and comes with a G-Sensor, Light Sensor, and Proximity Sensor.

In May, Micromax had launched Canvas 2 Plus A110Q that sports an inferior display and a different processor.

Key specifications:

5 inch IPS display with a resolution of 540 x 960pixels;
1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor (MT6582M);
1GB RAM;
4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card;
8MP rear camera with LED flash;
2MP front facing camera;
Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM);
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean;
2000mAh battery

#Idea launches dual-sim Android handset for Rs 8,999

 Telecom operator Idea Cellularlaunched a new Android-powered dual-sim smartphone Aurus 4 priced at Rs 8,999.

The latest addition in Idea's Aurus series of 3G smartphones, the Aurus 4 features 4.5-inch display, 1.3 GHz dual-core processor running on Android Jelly Bean, 1800 mah battery and 5MP primary camera with video calling facility, Idea Cellular said in a statement.

"The young and savvy youth of India has a huge appetite for content on mobile, but is deterred due to highly priced smartphones in India. Idea is bridging this gap by offering 3G smartphones packed with high-end features at relatively low price," Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar said.

Recently, Idea had launched its five-inch smartphone 'Ultra'. The company has previously sold over six lakh devices from a dozen models in the 3.5-inch, four-inch and 4.5-inch categories in the Indian market.

Idea Cellular will retail the new handset through its own retail and service outlets across major 3G markets -- Gujarat, Maharashtra & Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Kerala, UP West & East, Haryana, J&K and HP.

Idea Cellular has more than 128 million subscribers in the country.

#Android KitKat: It’s not so sweet for Nexus 4 users

After waiting several weeks, most of the Nexus 4 users have received an update for their phones that installs Android 4.4 aka KitKat on their devices. But these users are finding that the KitKat experience differs significantly on their phones compared to what Nexus 5 users get even though Nexus 4 is just one-year-old device and is supposed to run the 'pure' version of Android. 

In terms of user interface, KitKat offers several small but useful improvements over AndroidJelly Bean. Nexus 5, which is the launch device for KitKat, features a transparent notification and navigation bars. Also, the app drawer on the phone has translucent effect, through which a user can see the default wallpaper in the background. 

On Jelly Bean, notification and navigation bars are solid black. Similarly, the background in app drawer is also solid black. 

On Nexus 4 the same user interface has been retained even when the device has been updated to Android KitKat. 

The bigger and cleaner looking icons, which are part of Android KitKat on nexus 5, are also not available on Nexus 4. 

Compared to Android Jelly Bean, Android KitKat is not a major change in terms of user interface, even on Nexus 5. It looks cleaner and adds a few user interface elements, but most of the improvements are under the hood. 

With virtually none of these new elements available on Nexus 4, in terms of looks it is hardly different from Android Jelly Bean. 

"I used KitKat on my brother's Nexus 4. It's very boring," said Shamal Harkison, an Android enthusiast. 

Other than the lack of user interface elements, new wallpapers and bigger icons, KitKat on Nexus 4 also lacks the deep integration with Google search found on Nexus 5. For example, option to access Google Now through a swipe from left to right on the home screen on Nexus 5 is not available on nexus 4. On Nexus 4, users still have to swipe up from the home button. 

The "OK Google" command, which is available on Nexus 5, to perform search through voice commands is not part of Android KitKat on Nexus 4. 

But, the integrated phone launcher, which searches not only the local contacts but also publicly available phone numbers, is available on KitKat in Nexus. The new Hangout app, which integrates SMS and Google Talk is available, but it is not set as the default option. 

The KitKat user interface on the older Nexus 7 tablet is similar to the one on Nexus 4. 

Though they miss out on the user interface changes, users of older Nexus devices get other benefits that are part of Android KitKat. For example, the under-the-hood changes in the OS make Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 feel a bit faster with KitKat compared to the same devices running Jelly Bean. 

For some users, battery life has improved with the KitKat while a few others report a decrease in it. 

Install the KitKat user interface manually
To get the similar user interface, including Google Now on the left most screen and "OK Google" feature, Android users can manually install Google Experience Launcher (GEL) which is available as APK file on various websites. However, Harkison said the "side-loaded GEL lags badly". 

User can also try third-party launchers like Nova and Go to get KitKat user interface on their older Nexus devices. 

While it is not new for companies to not offer all features of an updated operating system on an older device - many features available in iOS 7 are not available on iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S - it is surprising to see Nexus 4, which has very capable hardware, getting a different version of KitKat compared to the one used on Nexus 5.

#Micromax launches Canvas HD A116i for Rs 13,500

Micromax looks to be in a phone-launching frenzy these days. The company seems to have quietly released a new smartphone—the A116i—which can be picked up through various online retailers. The phone has quite a varying price tag, ranging between Rs 12,090 to Rs 13,500. It is a dual-SIM phone that runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box and sports a 5-inch 720p display, giving it a pixel density of 294ppi.

Under the hood, it is powered by the ever-popular MediaTek MT6589 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz alongside a PowerVR SGX 544 GPU to handle the graphics side of things. It also has 1GB of RAM, which seems to be the standard for mid-range smartphones these days. Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. All of this is kept alive by a 2,000mAh battery.

Photographers will be able to use the 8 megapixel camera on the back, which features an LED flash. There is also a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video-calling and selfie-related purposes. It has 4GB of internal memory, out of which 1.77GB is available to users. If this seems to be too low for you, don’t worry; you can expand the memory up to 32GB by using a microSD card.

Here's a quick refresh of the specs:

• 5-inch display with 720p resolution
• 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 8 megapixel camera; 2 megapixel front-facing camera
• 4GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD

All in all, judging by the hardware, the A116i seems to be a revision model of the A116, which was launched in early 2013. The smartphone was Micromax’s flagship at the time, and boasted of impressive hardware.

#Samsung to launch Galaxy Golden phone in India

Samsung seems to be planning another big launch in the country for the coming festive season. According to a report on AndroidOS.in website, the company is all set to launch its flip phone Galaxy Golden in India.

As per the news report, "The company has already imported around 1650 units of the phone in the country, which will soon reach the retail stores." An official announcement is expected sometime next week.

Launched in South Korea in August this year, Galaxy Golden has a clamshell design and sports two 3.7" Super AMOLED displays with WVGA resolution. The phone with dual touchscreens also has a alphanumeric keypad.

Galaxy Golden is powered by a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor. On camera front, there's an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.9MP front camera. The phone runs on Android 4.2 operating system and packs 1820mAh battery.

Though there is no official word on the Galaxy Golden's pricing in India, reports suggest that the phone is likely to be priced above Rs 45,000. 

Earlier this month, Samsung fan website SamMobile too reported that the company will soon launch a flip-phone in a few Asian countries, including India.

Samsung Galaxy Golden was launched in South Korea in August this year.

Samsung recently added another flip phone in its portfolio: Galaxy W789. Samsung Galaxy W789 has two 3.3-inch TFT touchscreens with 480x320p resolution. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and runs on 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It has a 1,500mAh battery and comes with a 5MP camera. The phone was launched in China earlier this year.

Google Play Beat App Store in Download and Revenue Growth Last Quarter

The Google Play Store bested the Apple App Store in download and revenue growth rates last quarter, according to an App Annie report. However, while Google Play reached nearly 90% of App Store downloads, Apple maintained its lead in monetization, earning 2.6x the app revenue of Google Play; although, that figure is down from 4x in Q4 2012.

Highlights:
● United States was responsible for much of the growth in iOS revenues, while China proved to be an up-and-coming revenue contributor and also led the growth in iOS downloads
● Russia was a key factor in Google Play downloads growth
● Japan and South Korea continued to drive notable revenue growth for Google Play
● Games has grown to account for 70% of revenue in the iOS App Store and 80% in Google Play.
● Photo and Video apps grew to become the third largest in iOS downloads
● Education apps increased in iOS revenue to become the fourth largest worldwide
● Social grew in Google Play downloads to enter the Top 5 category rankings

You can read the full report at the link below...

How U.S. Users Spend Their Time on iOS and Android

Flurry Analytics has released a new report examining how U.S. users spend their time on iOS and Android devices.

Today, the U.S. consumer spends an average of 2 hours and 38 minutes per day on smartphones and tablets. 80% of that time (2 hours and 7 minutes) is spent inside apps and 20% (31 minutes) is spent on the mobile web. Studying the chart shows that apps (and Facebook) are commanding a meaningful amount of consumers' time. All mobile browsers combined, which we now consider apps, control 20% of consumers' time. Gaming apps remain the largest category of all apps with 32% of time spent. Facebook is second with 18%, and Safari is 3rd with 12% Worth noting is that a lot of people are consuming web content from inside the Facebook app. For example, when a Facebook user clicks on a friend’s link or article, that content is shown inside its web view without launching a native web browser (e.g., Safari, Android or Chrome), which keeps the user in the app. So if we return to the chart and consider the proportion of Facebook app usage that is within their web view (aka browser), then we can assert that Facebook has become the most adopted browser in terms of consumer time spent.

Check out the chart below or hit the link for further analysis.