Hasta La Gadget!

As we ramp up for IFA 2012, several companies are prepping a collection of devices that will be revealed for Autumn, including quite visibly LG, Samsung, and a set of camera-slinging groups. Have a peek first at the LG Optimus Vu II for universal remote goodness. Next you’ll want to have a look at what very well may be the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 as well. Those of you that have no idea what IFA is, you’ll want to see this nutshell guide before you dive in.

The Apple vs Samsung trial may have had a verdict, but it’s far from over. Start with Samsung’s comment “we will continue until our arguments have been accepted.” Samsung is seeking permission to keep selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the USA. One surprise beneficiary of this whole situation is Nokia as their stock springs up almost 11 percent. Perhaps the most damning moment post-verdict thus far has been a comment from a jury member saying that they’d aimed to “punish” Samsung – this being a direct affront on what penalties for patents are supposed to be.

There’s been a refresh of the Belle interface for Symbian devices, believe it or not. There’s a Samsung Android camera coming to IFA 2012. The HTC device called “proto” so far has been renamed HTC Desire X.

Hip-hop artist will.i.am is set to premiere his newest audio track on Mars via the NASA Curiosity rover. The new iPhone – code-named iPhone 5 for now – has been spotted sporting NFC capabilities – right behind the camera up top. There’s a Samsung hybrid tablet with keyboard headed for IFA with Windows 8.

Dropbox now has two-step verification for security strength. You’ll want to check out the column by Philip Berne entitled Fixing the Deadliest Gadget all about gun rights. Don’t forget also to see the specs that have been released thus far for a very non-dangerous gadget by the name of LG Optimus G. Also don’t forget to check out our hands-on with the recently released Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 4G LTE from Verizon – and ask any and all questions you might have about it!

SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: August 27th, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last week we found out about a new SMS security hole in the iPhone that could potentially leave users vulnerable to phishing attempts. To put it simply, this hole allows undesirable people to change the reply-to address on the texts they send you, making them appear to be legitimate and possibly convincing you to hand over some personal details. AdaptiveMobile has published a new report on the security hole, and while it may be scary for iPhone users, it appears that this flaw doesn’t affect devices running a different OS.

AdaptiveMobile’s Cathal McDaid attempted the exploit on Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices and found that it worked on none of those. The reason for this is because most handsets step around the flaw by not showing the Reply-Address at all. McDaid warns that any devices which show the Reply-Address are less secure than those which don’t, so this problem isn’t necessarily exclusive to iPhone – it’s just that the majority of the devices tested don’t show the address in the first place.

After the vulnerability came to light, Apple made a statement to Engadget, instructing texters to use iMessage instead of SMS, as iMessage is more secure. “Apple takes security very seriously,” the statement reads. “When using iMessage instead of SMS, addresses are verified which protects against these kinds of spoofing attacks. One of the limitations of SMS is that it allows messages to be sent with spoofed addresses to any phone, so we urge customers to be extremely careful if they’re directed to an unknown website or address over SMS.”

Obviously, iMessage is an exclusive feature of iOS, so when communicating with other devices that aren’t an iPhone, SMS has to be used. It’s still a bit unsettling, but really, staying secure does fall on the shoulders of the users in this case. It kind of goes without saying that it isn’t a good idea to share personal information on your phone, and if you get a suspicious looking message, it’s probably a good idea to follow up before sending off information that could come back to haunt you (for instance, call your bank and check with it if you get a message claiming to be from it). It may not be the most desirable solution to these problems, but it’s a lot better than having personal information out in the open thanks to one bogus text.

Most other devices lack iOS SMS security hole is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nokia’s Qt project could be reinvigorated now that it’s been bought out in its entirety by Finnish firm Digia, following a partial acquisition last year. Digia is eyeing porting the development platform, used to code applications for Symbian and Meego, to Windows 8 (the PR doesn’t mention Windows Phone 8), Android and iOS in the near future. While a fee hasn’t been mentioned, it’s reportedly a “fraction” of the $150 million that Nokia originally paid when purchasing Trolltech in 2008 — which probably won’t improve matters on the handset maker’s balance sheet.

Continue reading Digia buys Nokia’s remaining Qt assets for ‘fraction’ of purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, Android

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Digia buys Nokia’s remaining Qt assets for ‘fraction’ of purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re starting to see a distinct shift in US smartphone market share that leaves Android having to share the spotlight. ComScore’s results for this past June have Google hitting a new high of 51.6 percent share, which still gives it something to crow about — that’s both a small increase over a month earlier and a return to the 51 percent mark. However, Android is still competing with an iOS platform that’s been growing at a healthy rate, reaching 32.4 percent of the American space. The fuel for both sides comes from an all too familiar decline in BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows share. Samsung is still in the top spot as far as manufacturers, although it’s shrinking where Apple and HTC are on the way up. We’ll be looking to see how much the Galaxy S III affects the numbers during the summer, but less patient observers can get the manufacturer results after the break and the full scoop on current market share at the source.

Continue reading ComScore: Android back above 51 percent of US share, iOS still growing briskly

Filed under: Cellphones

ComScore: Android back above 51 percent of US share, iOS still growing briskly originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finnish phone purveyor Nokia has delivered on its promise to bring its flagship camera phone to US soil, with or without carriers’ support. The company is offering up the PureView 808 on Amazon, complete with Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia Belle, for a cool $700 contract free. That’s no small tariff for a device running a slightly antiquated mobile operating system, but if you’ve got a soft spot in your heart for Symbian — and fancy yourself a photographer — page through our review then head over to Amazon for the purchasing details.

Nokia 808 PureView now available stateside, $700 via Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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