Hasta La Gadget!

Did you know that the vast majority of calls carried out on the 3.5 billion GSM connections in the world today are protected by a 21-year old 64-bit encryption algorithm? You should now, given that the A5/1 privacy algorithm, devised in 1988, has been deciphered by German computer engineer Karsten Nohl and published as a torrent for fellow code cracking enthusiasts and less benevolent forces to exploit. Worryingly, Karsten and his crew of merry men obtained the binary codes by simple brute force — they fed enough random strings of numbers in to effectively guess the password. The GSM Association — which has had a 128-bit A5/3 key available since 2007, but found little takeup from operators — has responded by having a whinge about Mr. Nohl’s intentions and stating that operators could just modify the existing code to re-secure their networks. Right, only a modified 64-bit code is just as vulnerable to cracking as the one that just got cracked. It’s important to note that simply having the code is not in itself enough to eavesdrop on a call, as the cracker would be faced with just a vast stream of digital communications — but Karsten comes back to reassure us that intercepting software is already available in customizable open source varieties. So don’t be like Tiger, keep your truly private conversations off the airwaves, at least for a while.

GSM call encryption code cracked, published for the whole world to see originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile (along with a number of overseas carriers) have had RIM’s BlackBerry Bold 9700 for some time now, and while we knew that the handset was shipping to those who AT&T considers “special” and “irreplaceable,” the rest of the collective masses have simply had to sit on the sidelines and wait. Thankfully, that whole bout with patience is over, as the Bold 9700 is now available to order directly from the operator’s website for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and your John Henry on a 2-year agreement. So, anyone forcing Santa to come early this year, or what?

[Thanks, Ry]

BlackBerry Bold 9700 now on sale to all at AT&T: $200 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The GSM flavor of Motorola’s DROID, or Milestone as it will be known in Europe, has multitouch built-in to the UI. For reasons we can only assume have something to do with an unspoken intellectual property agreement between Google and Apple, the US version of the user interface lacks multi-touch features like pinch-to-zoom even though the underlying 2.0 OS supports multitouch events. However, the video of a GSM DROID headed to Europe clearly shows this feature at the 3 minute mark. No really, see for yourselves after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading GSM DROID with multitouch pinch-to-zoom demoed on video hating America

GSM DROID with multitouch pinch-to-zoom demoed on video hating America originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been led to believe in the past that there’d be a GSM version of Motorola’s mighty Sholes for markets outside the US, but this particular version that passed the FCC this week — ID IHDP56KC5, if you must know — has us particularly interested. Why? Well, it’s packing WCDMA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, which means it’d work on AT&T, Rogers, and HSPA newcomers Bell and Telus. We’ve been led to believe, though, that this particular device is destined for Latin America where 850 / 1900 is also used in favor of the 2100MHz spectrum more prevalent in Europe. That doesn’t rule out Canada, but our instincts tell us that Verizon has every intention of locking up the Sholes as a US exclusive, which means AT&T is a likely no-go — the carrier’s been strangely silent on Android, anyhow, and we haven’t heard a peep of recent intel suggesting they’re prepping Google-powered gear in time for the holidays. Of course, enterprising individuals will probably figure out how to unlock and import this bad boy, so if you’re an American and the thought of switching to Big Red for a Droid makes you physically ill, take heart that there might yet be hope.

[Via MobileCrunch]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Sholes / Droid comes in US HSPA flavor, probably not US-bound originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’re not how much money you have in the bank, you’re not the car you drive, you’re not the contents of your wallet, you are not your freaking khakis – oh, who are we kidding, if you’re reading a site such as this, you’re all about your khakis. To sate that “look good, feel good” need in all of us, LG has brought out the ultimate in techie chic: a watchphone. This is not just any watchphone though, this is a £500 ($808) droplet of Orange-tinted exclusivity that straddles your wrist and demands onlookers’ attention. Do the consumer in you a favor and come along past the break where we have the full scoop on the GD910.

Continue reading LG GD910 Watch Phone review

Filed under: Cellphones

LG GD910 Watch Phone review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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