Feb 02

Yahoo: nonstandard IMAP implementation to blame for Windows Phone 7 data leak

Posted in: issue, Microsoft, problem, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7, Yahoo
Finally, what the world’s been waiting for: an explanation from Yahoo regarding its role in Windows Phone 7 Data Leakage-gate. (And we suppose that you have a better suggestion?) Here it is, in full:
Yahoo! Mail is widely available on tens of millions of mobile phones, including those running on Apple iOS, Android, Nokia Symbian, and RIM. The issue on the Windows Phones is specific to how Microsoft chose to implement IMAP for Yahoo! Mail and does not impact Yahoo! Mail on these other mobile devices. Yahoo! has offered to provide Microsoft a near-term solution for the implementation they chose, and is encouraging Microsoft to change to a standard way of integrating with Yahoo! Mail, which would result in a permanent fix.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: why is everyone always picking on IMAP? But at least they’re working hard on a fix, and in the end that’s what really matters.

Yahoo: nonstandard IMAP implementation to blame for Windows Phone 7 data leak originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 01

Intel Sandy Bridge chipset flaw identified as a rogue transistor affecting SATA ports

Posted in: intel, issue, problem, sandy bridge, SandyBridge, Today's Chili

Intel raised quite a few eyebrows yesterday by disclosing that its Cougar Point chipsets suffer from an incurable design issue that would potentially degrade Serial ATA transfers over time. AnandTech has gone to the trouble of getting in touch with Intel to seek more information and the problem, as it turns out, is a single transistor that’s prone to a higher current leakage than tolerable. This can not only diminish performance over the 3Gbps SATA ports, it can actually make them fail altogether. There is more comforting news, however, in that the pair of 6Gbps SATA ports on the chipset are untroubled by this ailment, so devices and users that never plug into the 3Gbps connections can just carry on as if nothing’s ever happened. For everyone else, a repair and replacement service is taking place now, with Intel’s budget for dealing with this problem said to be a generous $700 million.

Intel Sandy Bridge chipset flaw identified as a rogue transistor affecting SATA ports originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 31

Windows Phone 7 ‘phantom data’ leaker unmasked as Yahoo Mail, fix due in ‘coming weeks’

Posted in: issue, Microsoft, problem, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7, Yahoo

J’accuse… ! Remember the unnamed third party that Microsoft had found to be abusing 3G data on Windows Phone 7? Secret’s out, and the culprit is none other than Yahoo Mail. According to a statement obtained by Microsoft guru Paul Thurrott, a fix is expected in the “coming weeks,” but in the interim, you can mitigate the pain by going into settings and choosing less taxing options for “Download new content” and “Download email from” — say, for example, “manually” and “the last 7 days,” respectively. At least now you know exactly at whom you should wag your finger.

Windows Phone 7 ‘phantom data’ leaker unmasked as Yahoo Mail, fix due in ‘coming weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWindows Phone Secrets  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 29

Android 2.3 security bug shows microSD access vulnerability

Posted in: Android, cellphone, gingerbread, Google, GoogleAndroid, sd, security, Today's Chili

A researcher at North Carolina State University is warning of an Android 2.3 security vulnerability that gives attackers access to your personal information, further proof that Gingerbread isn’t all sugar and spice (to be fair, that SMS issue has since been remedied). According to Xuxian Jiang, the bug allows malicious websites to access and upload the contents of a user’s microSD card, including voicemails, photos, and online banking information to a remote server. The flaw apparently resembles a similar bug in previous version of Android, thought to have been addressed with Gingerbread. However, as Jiang points out, that fix is easily bypassed. Apart from removing the microSD card, disabling JavaScript, or switching to a third-party browser, Android 2.3 users have little recourse in squashing the bug. The folks at eWeek reported that Google is working on a solution to the problem, but there’s no word on when we can expect to see an update.

Android 2.3 security bug shows microSD access vulnerability originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 26

Editorial: bugs on unreleased phones don’t matter (update: Motorola says phones will ‘ship as scheduled’)

Posted in: issue, problem, Today's Chili

There’s a story going around today about an alleged problem in the power management unit affecting Motorola’s first two dual-core smartphones — AT&T’s Atrix 4G and Verizon’s Droid Bionic — that leads to a hodgepodge of issues: overheating, weird RF fluctuation, the list goes on. Sounds like a tragedy in the making, doesn’t it? Worst yet, the PMU problem is said to be a “major unfixable flaw that will plaque [sic] it forever.” Bummer!

But let’s back up and consider the facts here. First, as best we can tell, the sources are two posters in a HowardForums thread, one of which doesn’t even have the information firsthand — he was allegedly given the news “by someone who is testing the devices.” Furthermore, there’s really no such thing as an “unfixable” bug; you might need to peel away several layers of software and hardware to fix an issue depending on how fundamental the flaw turns out to be, but engineers have proven time and time again that “unfixable” isn’t really in their vocabulary (white paint aside, of course).

Continue reading Editorial: bugs on unreleased phones don’t matter (update: Motorola says phones will ‘ship as scheduled’)

Editorial: bugs on unreleased phones don’t matter (update: Motorola says phones will ‘ship as scheduled’) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 21

Nexus S OTA 2.3.2 update rolling out now, your SMS relations will thank you

Posted in: Android, breaking news, BreakingNews, Google, GoogleAndroid, issue, NeXus, nexus s, NexusS, problem, samsung, Today's Chili

Embarrassing SMS misdirect bug on your Android device? Nexus S owners should start checking their phones now for an over-the-air update that’s supposed to fix the problem. It’s being rolled out gradually, so just be patient if it’s not there yet. How will we know the problem’s gone for good? We’ll just assume so until we find out otherwise, in some unfortunate manner.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nexus S OTA 2.3.2 update rolling out now, your SMS relations will thank you originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink @GalaxySSupport (Twitter)  |  sourcexda-developers  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 19

Microsoft tracks down ‘phantom data’ bug in Windows Phone 7, points finger at unnamed third party

Posted in: issue, Microsoft, problem, Today's Chili, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Tired of your Windows Phone 7 device sending and receiving random bouts of data? Well, Microsoft is, too — and they’ve started to reach some conclusions from that investigation opened a few days ago. Apparently, there’s a “third party” that’s responsible for the misbehavior, and Redmond’s already reached out to help ’em make the necessary fixes; the story isn’t necessarily over, though, because they’re still “investigating additional potential root causes,” which we presume could involve the operating system itself. As for the third party, it seems a “small” number of customers are affected, which probably explains why it’s taken this long for the complaints to come to a rolling boil. Here’s the full statement:

“We have determined that a third-party solution commonly accessed from Windows Phones is configured in a manner that potentially causes larger than expected data downloads. We are in contact with the third party to assist them in making the necessary fixes, and are also pursuing potential workarounds to address the configuration issue in case those are needed. At this point in our investigation, we believe this is responsible for most of the reported incidents.

We are investigating additional potential root causes for the remainder of the reports.

A small (low single-digit) percentage of Windows Phone customers have reported being affected.

We are continuing to investigate this issue and will update with additional information and guidance as it becomes available.”

Microsoft tracks down ‘phantom data’ bug in Windows Phone 7, points finger at unnamed third party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSeattle Post-Intelligencer  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 18

Two arrested for iPad security breach

Posted in: Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, att, hack, hacking, ipad, Law, legal, security, Software, Today's Chili

Two arrests have been made connected to the security breach that exposed thousands of iPad users’ email addresses and other info last year. Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer (yeah, that guy again) have been taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to access a computer without authorization and fraud, for allegedly using a custom script (built by Spitler) called iPad 3G Account Slurper to access AT&T’s servers, mimic an iPad 3G, and try out random ICC identifiers. Once a valid ICC was found, one could harvest the user’s name and email address. Of course, the hackers maintain that this was all done to force AT&T to close a major security flaw, and we’ll be interested to see what exactly the company does to make things right.

Two arrested for iPad security breach originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 06

Mac App Store generating error messages instead of app purchases? Here’s the fix

Posted in: app, Apple, apps, AppStore, Mac, Software, Today's Chili
Oh, this ain’t cool. According to the roughly gazillion complaints we received this morning upon the launch of Apple’s Mac App Store, users are seeing the ol’ “unknown error occurred (100)” message when first launching the store after the upgrade. According to TUAW, it’s a problem with the iTunes Terms and Conditions — which some users aren’t getting prompted to accept, hence the error message. What should you do if you get the error? Quit the store and reload it. If that doesn’t work, folks are finding that rebooting and then launching the store again does the trick.

Mac App Store generating error messages instead of app purchases? Here’s the fix originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 05

Android text messaging bugs acknowledged, fixes detailed

Posted in: Android, Google, issue, problem, Today's Chili

Hear that thunderous roar off in the distance, growing louder (and more frightening) as it persists? That is the sound of excited Android users emailing us to inform their fave gadget site that Google has just sent users an update to that little embarrassing SMS bug that we reported a while back. There seem to be two distinct issues: users have reported both opening one message to have a completely different message appear, and / or sending an text message to one contact yet having it delivered to another contact entirely. We need only say one word: sexting, to highlight just how dangerous this could be! Google promises us that a fix for these two issues are in the works. In the meanwhile, check out the e-mail below to read their response and work-around.

[Thanks Jon, and thanks to everyone else who sent this in!]

Continue reading Android text messaging bugs acknowledged, fixes detailed

Android text messaging bugs acknowledged, fixes detailed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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