Your Android Phone Is Secretly Recording Everything You Do

If you have any decently modern Android phone, everything you do is being recorded by hidden software lurking inside. It even circumvents web encryption and grabs everything—including your passwords and Google queries.

Worse: it's the handset manufacturers and the carriers who—in the name of "making your user experience better"—install this software without any way for you to opt-out. This video, recorded by 25-year-old Android developer Trevor Eckhart, shows how it works. This is bad. Really bad.

Update: Nokia wrote to us saying that Carrier IQ's spyware is not included in any of their cellphones.

Fast forward to 9:00 for the damning sequence.

The spying software is developed by a company called Carrier IQ. In their site, the company says they are "the only embedded analytics company to support millions of devices simultaneously, we give Wireless Carriers and Handset Manufacturers unprecedented insight into their customers' mobile experience."

Who has this problem?

It seems like a good goal and, indeed, most manufacturers and carriers agree: according to Eckhart, the spyware is included in most Android phones out there.

Eckhart claims that Carrier IQ software is also included in Blackberry and Nokia smartphones too. It probably works exactly the same in those smartphones as well. However, there's no proof showing these problems in those phones. There's no mention about Apple's iPhone.

It also doesn't even matter if your telephone was purchased free of carrier contracts. As Eckhart shows in this video, it's always there.

The problem is that it does a lot more than log anonymous generic data. It grabs everything.

How does it work?

Carrier IQ's software is installed in your phone at the deepest level. You don't know it's there. You are never warned this is happening. You can't opt-in and you certainly can't opt-out.

The commercial spyware sits between the user and the applications in the phone so, no matter how secure and private your apps are, the spyware intercepts anything you do. From your location to your web browsing addresses and passwords to the content of your text messages.

This even happens using a private Wi-Fi connection instead of the carrier 3G or 4G connection.

The company denied all this in a public statement (PDF):

    While we look at many aspects of a device's performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools

But the video clearly demonstrates that this is not true: Keystrokes submit unique key codes to Carrier IQ. Even secure connections are intercepted by the spyware, allowing it to record your moves in the open. These connections to the web are encrypted but, since Carrier IQ's spyware sits between the browser and the user, it grabs it and sends it in plain text.

The spyware can even log your location, even if the user declines to allow an app to know where it is. The hidden Carrier IQ app ignores your desires, intercepts the data and gets your location anyway.
What can you do to avoid it?

Unfortunately, not much. The hidden spyware is always running, and there's no option in any of the menus to deactivate it. Unless you're a grade-A blackbelt hacker, you're out of luck. Even Eckhart, who is a developer, finds it difficult to remove:

    Why is this not opt-in and why is it so hard to fully remove?

It's an excellent question. One that urgently needs an answer, from Carrier IQ but especially from every handset manufacturer and carrier involved in this situation.

The solution to this problem is not installing a custom ROM. That's something that shouldn't be required from consumers, something that normal people will not be willing to do. Products must respect privacy rights out of the box. Consumers must be informed about this the moment they turn on their phones in a clear way. They should have the possibility to opt-in and opt-out whenever they want, with a single click. This matter should be solved now by Carrier IQ, the handset manufacturer and the carriers.

If it isn't solved as soon as possible, authorities in the US and Europe should nail them with everything they have.

Source is
http://gizmodo.com/5863849/your-android-phone-is-secretly-recording-everything-you-do

Meet Cluzee, Android's next Siri alternative

Cluzee is the latest attempt to replicate the Siri experience on Android.

Android users looking to replicate the Siri experience have another option now, with the introduction of an app called Cluzee.

Developed by startup Tronton and touted as a "talking intelligent personal digital assistant," Cluzee attempts to step up where other alternatives fall short. The free app is available now for devices running Android 2.1 or higher and has already gotten attention in the tech community.

As you'll see in the video below, Cluzee is designed to answer simple questions with real, helpful responses. Need to find a nearby pizza joint or check the weather forecast for the next few days? Cluzee is the app to handle not only these requests but many other tasks as well. The app also reads e-mails and text messages aloud, converts voice to text, and even searches for deals that fall in line with your buying habits.



I've spent some time with Cluzee and already appreciate the application for what it does and how it handles commands. However, I've also seen some of its limitations and can see plenty of opportunity for future updates.

For example, I told Cluzee, "Remind me to call Mom tomorrow at 1 o'clock." The app recognized my request down to the word, but I still had to pick the time and adjust the date before confirming it on my calendar. In another instance, when I tried booking a hotel in San Francisco for June 25, 2012, the app merely opened a page for me to manually enter data. Commands to "Find hotels" or "Locate hotels" yielded a similar response.

Where I find Cluzee to be a fun and useful application is in its ability to find deals based on location. Powered by Groupon and Yipit, Cluzee found a number of savings on products and services in my area. What's more, I enjoyed being able to log my food eaten and track meals and calories and even set goals.

Also, dictating a Twitter update or Facebook status message is relatively easy and intuitive, though it still feels like there might be a step or two to eliminate along the way.

In terms of Siri counterparts for Android, Cluzee can already be considered one of the best options available. Sure, it has a ways to go before it can really match up against the iPhone 4S' killer feature, but it is a decent version 1.0 offering. The app's colors and layout are nice and the welcome screen recalls Vlingo's early splash screens with a list of commands and options.

If there were one feature I would add to the next release, it would be a simple widget button that I could add to my home screen. It doesn't make much sense to open the app just to push another button. Call me lazy or spoiled, but I expected to be one tap away from adding appointments to my calendar.

For all the things Cluzee is designed to do, it handles some of them very well. It simply takes a bit of experimenting to figure out what you can and cannot ask the app to do for you.

Source is
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57333267-251/meet-cluzee-androids-next-siri-alternative/

Android 4.0 upgrade Devices List(Update)

• Asus Eee Pad Slider: In a posting on its official Facebook page, Asus confirmed it would provide Android 4.0 upgrades to the full Eee Pad series, which includes the Eee Pad Slider tablet. Asus has not yet given any specific timeframe for when the upgrade could occur.

• Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Like the Eee Pad Slider, the original Asus Eee Pad Transformer is part of Asus's Eee Pad series and is thus slated to receive the Android 4.0 upgrade, according to a posting on the company's official Facebook page. No date has been announced as of yet.

• Asus Transformer Prime: Asus says its new Transformer Prime, set to launch in December, will ship with Android 3.2 and then get Android 4.0 shortly thereafter. According to a company spokesperson (corresponding with me via email), a date for the upgrade will be provided "as soon as the code has been optimized, tested, and approved."

• Acer Iconia Tab A100, A101, A500, A501: A statement attributed to Acer's Poland office and published by a Polish tech blog says the company's various Iconia Tab models will all get Ice Cream Sandwich sometime "around January 2012." Acer's U.S. division has not yet weighed in on the matter.

• HTC Amaze 4G: Ice Cream Sandwich is definitely headed to HTC's Amaze 4G phone, according to a statement released by HTC. The Amaze 4G should get its Android 4.0 upgrade in "early 2012," according to HTC.

• HTC EVO 3D: HTC's EVO 3D is on the ICS shortlist, according to statements posted by both HTC and Sprint in early November. The phone is said to be in line for its Android 4.0 upgrade sometime toward the start of 2012.

• HTC EVO Design 4G: Sprint and HTC have both confirmed the EVO Design 4G will be getting the Android 4.0 upgrade. The two companies say the upgrade should arrive sometime early in 2012.

• HTC Rezound: The new HTC Rezound is slated to receive Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012, according to an HTC statement. More specific timing info is expected to be released soon.

• HTC Sensation: HTC's Sensation smartphone will be among the first HTC phones to get an Android 4.0 upgrade, according to the company. As of now, the Sensation is slated to get ICS in early 2012.

• HTC Sensation XE: Like the standard HTC Sensation model, the HTC Sensation XE is expected to get its Android 4.0 upgrade in early 2012, according to HTC.

• HTC Sensation XL: Like the standard HTC Sensation model, the HTC Sensation XL is expected to get its Android 4.0 upgrade in early 2012, according to HTC.

• HTC Vivid: The Vivid is on HTC's list of devices scheduled for an early 2012 Android 4.0 upgrade.

• LG Optimus 2X: LG has confirmed it will deliver the Android 4.0 upgrade to its Optimus 2X device. The company made the promise in a statement posted to its official Facebook page in late November 2011. LG says information about upgrade timing will be made public sometime in December. (LG has yet to mention anything specifically about its LG G2x, the U.S. version of the phone.)

• LG Optimus 3D: LG has confirmed it will deliver the Android 4.0 upgrade to its Optimus 3D device. The company made the promise in a statement posted to its official Facebook page in late November 2011. LG says information about upgrade timing will be made public sometime in December.

• LG Optimus Black: LG has confirmed it will deliver the Android 4.0 upgrade to its Optimus Black device. The company made the promise in a statement posted to its official Facebook page in late November 2011. LG says information about upgrade timing will be made public sometime in December.

• LG Optimus LTE: LG has confirmed it will deliver the Android 4.0 upgrade to its Optimus LTE device. The company made the promise in a statement posted to its official Facebook page in late November 2011. LG says information about upgrade timing will be made public sometime in December. Thus far, nothing has been said specifically about the newly announced American version of the phone, the LG Nitro HD on AT&T.

• Meizu M9: Meizu CEO Jack Wong says his company will upgrade its Meizu M9 device to Ice Cream Sandwich "soon." Wong's proclamation was made in a posting on a Meizu message board.

• Meizu MX: The Meizu MX will get its Android 4.0 upgrade "soon," according to a posting made by the manufacturer's CEO.

• Motorola Droid Bionic: Motorola's Droid Bionic will receive the ICS upgrade, according to a message posted by the company on its website. Moto says it'll release more specific timing information sometime after Google makes the software publicly available.

• Motorola Droid Razr: The Motorola Droid Razr will get the Android 4.0 upgrade in early 2012, the company has confirmed. The upgrade was discussed at the Razr's launch event; it has also since been reiterated on Motorola's software upgrade status page.

• Motorola Razr: Like the Verizon-based Droid Razr model mentioned above, Motorola's international Razr phone is expected to receive Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012, according to the company.

• Motorola Xoom: The original Android Honeycomb tablet will soon feast on Ice Cream Sandwich. Moto has confirmed its Motorola Xoom device will receive the Android 4.0 upgrade; while no specific timeline has been announced, the fact that the Xoom is a "pure" Google device and still the de facto reference model for Android development suggests it should be among the first devices to get upgraded.

• Motorola Xoom Family Edition: The original Xoom's "Family Edition" will also receive Ice Cream Sandwich, according to Motorola's official software update page.

• Motorola Xoom 2: The new Xoom 2 tablet will be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich, according to Motorola. As far as timing, the company has gone on the record as saying the upgrade will happen "in due course" (very informative, eh?).

• Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition: Moto's smaller Xoom 2 model will also get the Android 4.0 upgrade, according to the company. Again, the timing is still pretty vague at this point.

• Notion Ink Adam tablet: Notion has promised Ice Cream Sandwich for its Notion Ink Adam tablet. In a blog posted back in September, the company's founder said the Adam would get ICS in November -- though it now appears he may have jumped the gun with that ambitious estimate.

• Samsung Galaxy S II: In a response to a customer on Twitter, Samsung's U.K. division said the company's Galaxy S II phone would be getting the Android 4.0 upgrade. No time frame has been set for the upgrade yet, according to the tweet. It's worth noting that the U.S. editions of the phone differ from the international model in terms of both hardware and software; thus far, Samsung has made no remarks about plans for upgrading those specific devices to Ice Cream Sandwich.

• Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket: AT&T has confirmed its LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S II will receive the Android 4.0 upgrade. No timing information has been released so far.

• Samsung Nexus S: Google has made it abundantly clear that the Samsung Nexus S -- the "pure" Android phone that served as the primary flagship device up until the release of the new Galaxy Nexus -- will be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich. In an interview with The Telegraph, Google exec Hugo Barra is cited as saying the Nexus S's Android 4.0 upgrade should occur very soon after the release of the new Nexus device.

• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Active: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Active. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Arc: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Arc. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Arc S: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Arc S. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Neo: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Neo. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Neo V: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Neo V. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Mini: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Mini. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Mini Pro: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Mini Pro. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Play: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Play. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Pro: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Pro. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

• Sony Xperia Ray: Sony has confirmed its entire 2011 line of Xperia Android devices will be receiving the Android 4.0 upgrade. That includes the Sony Xperia Ray. In a posting on its official blog in mid-November 2011, Sony said it's "working on merging [its] current Xperia experience with the new features" in Ice Cream Sandwich. Thus far, no specific time frame has been announced for the upgrade, though a posting on the Facebook page of Sony Ericsson's Italian division by someone who appears to be a company representative suggests it could arrive by March 2012.

Source is
http://blogs.computerworld.com/19341/android_40_upgrade_list

CyanogenMod 9 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for Nexus S

Over the past week, ROM Manager extraordinaire Koush has been frantically working on making a working build of CyanogenMod 9 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for the Samsung Nexus S. The custom ROM, which is built purely from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), has now reached “alpha 11.” All major features are present and no significant bugs remain. It’s too early to say that the build is ready for prime time or mission-critical work — the final release of CM9 is due in the new year — but it’s certainly stable enough for daily use. If you want to see CyanogenMod 9 in action, we’ve embedded our hands-on video at the end of this story.

In comparison to Kwiboo’s custom ROM for the Nexus S, the first ICS build that we covered last week, Koush’s version definitely runs a lot smoother/faster — there’s less sporadic lag, and the interface feels more responsive. Unlike the Kwiboo build, Google Wallet and setting a mobile data limit work in CM9. All of the usual CyanogenMod features are there, too — it’s pre-rooted, ROM Manager is installed, and of course there’s absolutely no bloatware cruft.

To install CyanogenMod 9 for the Nexus S, head along to XDA-Developers and grab the latest alpha build, and the “Google Apps addon.” Then follow our previous instructions for how to install a custom ROM, but skip the first step. Install the CM9 zip first, and then once the phone reboots into Ice Cream Sandwich, repeat the process with the Google Apps zip.

Incidentally, the first 50 seconds of the video show the Galaxy Nexus boot screen — it’s nothing to do with CyanogenMod, or Ice Cream Sandwich. Presumably Koush just liked the animation (it’s very pretty) and threw it in for fun.

Source is
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/106809-cyanogenmod-9-ice-cream-sandwich-for-nexus-s

Top 3 Apps for Android: Keep Track of Everything

Locale
$1 Locale lets you create location-based tasks. For example, you can have your phone turn on Wi-Fi when you get home, or have the phone silence itself when you get to work. It’s a great way to automate minor tasks, saving you a few extra minutes—and the embarrassment of having an overly noisy ringtone go off in the middle of a meeting. 

Springpad
Free Create notes and reminders about movies you’d like to see, books you’d like to buy, or just events you’d like to remember. Springpad is also great for putting together shopping lists: You can quickly create checklists and scan barcodes to keep track of items you’ll need in the future. (Also optimized for tablets.)

Wunderlist
Wunderlist syncs your to-do lists across all your devices, so you al­­ways have your tasks with you. Wunderlist will also email you when you are close to a deadline, in case you don’t check the app every day. (Also optimized for tablets.)

Black Friday deal-hunting apps for Android

Sure, you can download them all to make sure you've got your bases covered, but we're thinking you probably don't want to be fumbling through an unwieldy app drawer while throwing elbows in department store aisles. So, we've taken the time to highlight just the essential Android apps for hunting down all the hottest deals come Black Friday.

TGI Black Friday
We're listing this app first because it should be your bread and butter. In short, it aggregates all of the latest Black Friday ads floating around--some of which are leaked up to a month in advance--and lists each of the featured items in its database. To use the app, simply sift through all of the discounts by product, store name, or category. You can even download PDF printouts of the original ads. What's more, the app offers a nifty shopping list creator that lets you keep track of items you plan on buying. You can also access its database of deals at TGIBlackFriday.com.

Slickdeals RSS Feed
Yes, it's another deal aggregator, but this one's a bit different. It pulls an RSS feed from the popular user-powered deal site Slickdeals.net, and should give you a different angle of coverage from the carefully curated app mentioned above. Now imagine an entire tech-savvy community of users all sniffing out and sharing deals. Sounds like a great way to stay on top of it all, no? Unfortunately, if you prefer FatWallet.com, which has another vibrant user community, there's only an iPhone app available. FatWallet does, however, have a mobile site, which is viewable from your Android phone.

Shopkick
This one's a great app to have at any time of the year, not just Black Friday. With it, you can earn "kickbucks" while shopping, just for doing things like checking in or scanning items in stores. These kickbucks can be redeemed for instant gift cards, right on your Android phone. Also, Shopkick offers you hot deals every time you walk into a participating store. And it has tons of big-box partners like Target, Best Buy, and Macy's already on board, so it will absolutely come in handy. Just fire it up whenever you're out shopping, especially on Black Friday.

GeoQpons Coupons and Discounts
This little-known app uses GPS to pull up deals in your immediate vicinity. It's easy to use and lets you search by category, store name, or distance. Plus, it offers some extra tools like a shopping list creator and a savings calculator. While it may have some overlap with the other apps listed, we think it's a great complement because it's more likely to have coupons for the smaller mom-and-pop shops in your neighborhood.

Source is

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57327952-251/black-friday-deal-hunting-apps-for-android/

Firefox with new interface

CNET today unveiled another revised mobile version of Firefox which works on Android. The new expansion brings new additional features and better compatibility for the extended and run more efficiently. Mozilla may also introduce additional group Jetpack hardware platform, allowing developers to use HTML, CSS and JavaScript simple syntax to develop new feature, so that eliminating the compatibility issuesbetewwn old architecture of Firefox and add-ons.