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If you didn’t already have enough potential app privacy leaks to worry about, here’s one more — Android Police discovered that Skype’s Android client leaves your personal data wide open to assault. The publication reports that the app has SQLite3 databases where all your info and chat logs are stored, and that Skype forgot to encrypt the files or enforce permissions, which seems to be a decision akin to leaving keys hanging out of the door.

Basically, that means a rogue app could grab all your data and phone home — an app much like Skypwned. That’s a test program Android Police built to prove the vulnerability exists, and boy, oh boy does it work — despite only asking for basic Android storage and phone permissions, it instantly displayed our full name, phone number, email addresses and a list of all our contacts without requiring so much as a username to figure it out. Android Police says Skype is investigating the issue now, but if you want to give the VoIP company an extra little push we’re sure it couldn’t hurt.

Skype for Android vulnerable to hack that compromises personal info originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew it was coming, and today at MIX 11, Microsoft showed off its developer platform for the next version of Windows Phone, which developers will be able to get their hands on for free in May. The new application platform adds:

• Multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer, and fast app switching, including background audio playback for HTML5 webpages
• Deeper integration of apps into the OS, allowing programs to leverage Live Tiles, including push notifications via Live Agents running in the background
• Raw access to the camera and sensors (gyro and compass) via the Motion Sensor library, letting apps to control device hardware

Microsoft hopes this will allow developers to make even more creative and engaging apps. To get our juices flowing, it showed off demos of new app concepts from Skype, Spotify, Layar, Qantas, Amazon Shopping, and Kik Messenger. Check out our gallery below and hit the break for the details.

Continue reading Windows Phone adds multitasking, deeper OS integration, and sensor access to dev platform

Windows Phone adds multitasking, deeper OS integration, and sensor access to dev platform originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco’s doing it in the boardroom, and soon, your children may be taking notes from kiddos situated in a different continent. Skype in the Classroom is a new online platform that aims to make it easier for teachers to find other teachers who are utilizing Skype within their classes, and already there are 3,900+ taking advantage. The goal here is to enable professors to easily reach out and find like-minded individuals who are covering complementary topics, and with a quick email, the two could be cooking up joint lesson plans a dozen time zones apart. As of now, 99 countries have teachers that are signed on, and we’re guessing it’s only a matter of time before a couple more join and push that into triple digits. Next step? Logging into first period from home. Or Fiji.

Continue reading Skype in the Classroom tears down geographic walls, connects pupils the world over

Skype in the Classroom tears down geographic walls, connects pupils the world over originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from yours truly, who managed to destroy his Freetalk Everyman during a rough battle within a piece of carry-on luggage. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I previously owned a Freetalk Everyman, also known as a low-end, $30 USB headset that was ultra handy for making Skype calls and even podcasting in a quiet room. It traveled well, but not well enough. Recently, one of the ear cups were demolished during a turbulent flight back from NYC, and now I need a replacement. I’m too rough on these things to spend more than $40 or $50, so outside of replacing it in kind, what are my options for a USB headset that travels easily? You’ll be hearing a lot of me in the months to come, so don’t lead me astray. My life, as it were, is in your ever-so-capable hands.”

Ain’t much more to say when the question’s not coming from a third-party, so… have fun in comments!

Ask Engadget: best USB headset for Skype calls and on-the-go podcasting? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phone booths are old hat, we know that much for sure. But Skype booths? Tallinn Airport in Estonia’s capital has become the first site to host a dedicated Skype station, which allows you to video chat with your friends or call them on their phones using Skype credit, exactly as you might do on your computer at home. There’s a 22-inch touchscreen up front and a headset nearby, only thing you’ll need are some actual friends you want to communicate with. The idea’s being put into action by three Estonian companies, all of whom are quite happy to remind us Skype originated in their fine Northern European nation, and the plan is to roll the futuristic-looking booths out to other airports, hotels, shopping malls, hospitals, and the like. In the meantime, Skype usage keeps growing and the company recently recorded 30 million simultaneous users online, breaking its previous record by a trivial three million extra souls.

First ‘Skype booth’ opens at Estonian airport as company reaches 30 million simultaneous users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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