Hasta La Gadget!

You know that tiny little security snafu that allowed over a hundred thousand iPad users’ email addresses out? The one that the FBI felt compelled to investigate? Well, Goatse Security — the group that discovered that particular hole (stop laughing) — isn’t best pleased to be described as malicious by AT&T’s response to the matter, and has requited with its own missive to the world. Letting us know that the breach in question took “a single hour of labor,” the GS crew argues that AT&T is glossing over the fact it neglected to address the threat promptly and is using the hackers’ (supposedly altruistic) efforts at identifying bugs as a scapegoat.

As illustration, they remind us that the iPad is still wide open to hijacking thanks to a bug in the mobile version of Safari. Identified back in March, this exploit allows hackers to jack in via unprotected ports, and although it was fixed on the desktop that same month, the mobile browser remains delicately poised for a backdoor entry — should malevolent forces decide to utilize it. This casts quite the unfavorable light on Apple as well, with both corporations seemingly failing to communicate problematic news with their users in a timely manner.

iPad still has a major browser vulnerability, says group behind AT&T security breach originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  CNN  | Email this | Comments

It’s oftentimes easy for us to get swept up in Android mania and forget that Google’s mobile platform is still in its infancy. Then we get cold hard numbers like these — showing iPhone OS owning 28 percent of the US smartphone market and closing in on RIM’s leading 35 percent — and we face up to the realization that Android handsets still account for less than one in every ten smartphones owned by Americans today. In spite of collecting 28 percent of all consumer smartphone purchases in the first quarter of 2010 (according to NPD), Google’s OS was only able to climb up a couple of percentage points in terms of total market share, showing just how long a road lies ahead of its world-conquering plans. Guess that now explains why Apple’s response to the earlier numbers was so nonchalant.

Other intriguing figures include a high rate of loyalty among iPhone OS and Android users, with 80 percent of the former and 70 percent of the latter expressing a preference for the same OS in their next phone — both rather shaming Microsoft and RIM’s numbers, which were a mediocre 34 and 47 percent, respectively. Funnily enough, despite its inflammatory title, this report finds Android and iPhone users are more similar to each other than anyone else — an uncomfortable fact for both parties to deal with, we’re sure. The source link contains some more demographic comparisons, so why not go check them out and drop some sage analysis for us in the comments?

‘iPhone vs Android’ report finds Apple has three times Google’s market share originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  Nielsen  | Email this | Comments

AT&T’s all-you-can-eat data plan died Wednesday, and plenty of wireless customers mourned over their loss. But is it really a big deal? It depends on the type of data consumer you are.

The new tiered pricing structure gives AT&T customers the following options:

1. 200 MB for $15 per month. If you exceed the limit, AT&T will charge $15 extra in units of 200 MB.
2. 2 GB for $25 per month. If you surpass this limit, you can pay an extra $10 per extra gigabyte.
3. Current smartphone users can continue their unlimited data for $30 per month — but if they switch to one of the cheaper plans, they can’t go back to unlimited.
4. To tether your smartphone to a computer, you must use the 2-GB, $25 plan, and pay an extra $20 for the tethering privilege.

For some, these changes stink. For others, it won’t affect their lives much. Which plan is right for you? Let’s break down the options.

Current AT&T smartphone users

In a poll Wired.com conducted Wednesday, 73 percent of 11,000 survey takers reported data usage under 2 GB. A Consumer Reports study also found that the average iPhone user consumes 273 MB of data per month, while a measly 4 percent consume an average of 1 GB per month. It’s safe to say that the majority of customers can confidently subscribe to the 2-GB plan. Keep in mind you have the option to jump between the two limited plans — so, if you find you’re using less than 200 MB, you can switch to that $15 plan instead.

If you haven’t checked out your average usage to determine where you stand, follow the steps laid out in our poll article Wednesday.

Data “hogs”

As for the remaining 27 percent of our survey takers who reported data usage exceeding 2 GB: If you’re already on AT&T, stick with your current unlimited plan. AT&T designed these plans to deal with data hogs, just as AT&T’s Ralph De La Vega warned last year. If you opt for the 2-GB plan, you’re going to be paying at least $35 per month ($25 plus $10 for each extra GB), or possibly much more if your usage goes into many gigabytes.

If you’re not yet an AT&T customer and you plan to gorge a ton of data, you have the option to adjust your behavior to avoid excessive fees by handling more of your data-heavy tasks over Wi-Fi rather than 3G. Or stick with your current carrier.

3G iPad owners

The changes in data plans are most frustrating for 3G iPad customers. The device launched in April with an option to buy unlimited data with no contract commitment for just $30 a month. If you’ve already activated your account with unlimited data, you can continue using it, but here’s the kicker: If you choose not to use 3G data for a single month, you’re booted out of that unlimited plan forever. So essentially AT&T is bullying you into activating unlimited every month if you want to keep using it.

Still, as with smartphones, your course of action depends on your average data usage. The iPad is a tad too new to gather hard data for average usage, but currently we think the device is being used more in living rooms over Wi-Fi connections. So the 2-GB cap might not be too stifling for most iPad customers.

We recommend against the 200 MB plan for iPad customers. The apps and media you stream to the iPad will be bigger in file size than those of a smartphone, so 200 MB can be exceeded easily, even if you only use 3G lightly. Better to pay the $25 for 2 GB rather than $30 after exceeding the 200-MB cap.

If you’re a rebellious 3G iPad customer who also owns a smartphone, you have the option of paying nothing at all for iPad data. Jailbreaking the iPhone enables you to tether it to the iPad, and there are likely similar utilities for other AT&T smartphones, as well. However, keep in mind that jailbreaking an iPhone can void your warranty, and Apple has claimed hacking the handset results in security and performance issues.

Tethering customers

AT&T’s tethering option is indisputably a raw deal. After paying $25 for 2 GB of data, you have to drop an extra $20 each month just to activate tethering. What’s lame is that that extra $20 doesn’t give you an extra data plan; you’re pulling from the same data as your overall usage even when untethered. As GDGT’s Ryan Block said, it’s as if Comcast charged you an extra $20 a month to use your Wi-Fi router.

If you’re really eager to use your phone as a wireless modem, you’re going to be adding upward of $45 a month to your wireless bill. If you’re cringing at the idea, there are alternatives to tethering: Standalone devices such as Verizon’s Mi-Fi and Sprint’s Overdrive will give you a portable Wi-Fi hotspot you can take anywhere. But then you’re talking about a separate data contract with another carrier.

Going forward

The tech industry is making a big move into “cloud” computing, where data is stored on the internet instead of on your own devices. Apple is rumored to be planning a reboot of iTunes that involves streaming media. Therefore, it’s conceivable that data usage will increase as more of our media is stored online, but it’s unclear just how much. For music, LA Times writer Mark Milian points out that you’d need to stream about four hours of Pandora every day to hit that 2-gig monthly limit. (That’s quite a lot of tunes over a month.) But Wired’s Eliot Van Buskirk on Wednesday noted that many cloud services, such as Rhapsody and Spotify, allow you to also store songs for offline listening.

Streaming video is poised to play a bigger role in the near future, with phones such as the HTC Evo 4G and the next-gen iPhone (if the final product is mostly the same as the prototype) sporting front-facing cameras. And let’s not forget about already-popular services like Netflix streaming or YouTube. People who are especially interested in streaming video are going to be the biggest victims. (If you’re a current video-savvy customer with an unlimited plan, don’t ever leave it.)

Still, even as networks become faster and coverage increases, we think in the next five to 10 years people are going to prefer handling their media in a combination of offline and online environments — not only because networks are consistently imperfect, but also for reasons such as privacy and native performance. Whenever a company takes something away from you, it inevitably amounts to outrage. But in the near term, we think most will enjoy the benefit of paying less for just the right amount of data, while heavier data users pay more.

See Also:

• Apple: We’re Sticking With AT&T for the iPhone
• With iPad, Apple Still Has a Fatal Attraction for AT&T
• How Apple, AT&T Are Closing the Mobile Web
• Cap My iPhone? Try This Instead, AT&T
• FCC Position May Spell the End of Unlimited Internet

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

AT&T this morning announced that its unlimited data plan is being discontinued for new subscribers. (Can’t say we didn’t warn you.) Some people are outraged about the new caps. But we’re betting most people won’t care.

First, the basics: The new un-unlimited data plans offers options of 200 MB for $15 a month and 2 GB for $25 a month. If 2 GB ain’t enough, you can tack an extra $10 to your bill for every extra gig.

Keep in mind that if you’re already a current AT&T smartphone user (that includes whiny iPhone customers), your unlimited data plan is still available. These changes only directly apply to brand new AT&T smartphone users, who no longer get the option of unlimited data. Current AT&T customers can opt for the cheaper limited plans as well, but be careful: Once you switch, you can’t go back to the unlimited plan.

Here’s why we think this isn’t a big deal. Even the biggest nerds we know barely ever surpass 300 megabytes a month. So 2GB is probably more than you’ll ever need — and it costs less than the current $30 unlimited data plan. We’ve criticized AT&T on a number of occasions in the past, but we think these new options are beneficial for the vast majority of wireless customers.

Don’t believe us? Check out your data usage for the past six months, like so:
1.) Visit wireless.att.com and log in to your account;
2.) Under the “My Current Usage” screen, click “View Past Data Usage”
3.) In the “Report” field select “Data Usage Trend” and check out that snazzy bar graph.

After you do that, average your results for the past six months and vote in our poll. Just how much data do you use? My monthly average for the past half year is 267 MB, meaning I’m most likely going to be switching to the $25 a month plan and saving some bucks.

UPDATE: If you use more than 4 GB per month, let us know in the comments how you do it. Because, frankly, we’re not believing the early returns, which show more than 20 percent of respondents fall in this category.

Unlimited, all-you-can-eat wireless data was a beautiful thing for Apple devices on AT&T, delivering streams of Pandora, YouTube videos, a million tweets, and hundreds of webpages without worry. And now it’s dead. More »