Lenovo unveils first Android television set

The world's first television based on Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system has been announced by Lenovo. The TV set, however will initially only be for sale in China. Available in 42" and 50" versions, the device is unusual because it is not using Google's TV software, which is based on an earlier version of Android, codi-named Honeycomb!!

The K91 Smart TV will join a host of other 'smart TV's that are set to be announced at the Counsumer Electronics Show(CES)' in Las Vegas. Those made by LG are already confirmed as using Google TV, and they are expected to be joined by models from Sony and Samsung.

GigaOm reports that the Lenovo set will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1. GHz, as well as offering 1GB of Ram , SD card storage and a 5mp webcam. The remote control will feature a touchscreen and an integrated microphone for voice control.

A key theme  of CES is set to be TV that increasingly blur the line between computers and televisions, while their remote controls increasingly resemble smartphones. Apple is also reported to be working  on a TV of its own. Lenovo additionally announced the IdeaTab S2, a tablet with a keyboard dock that is similar to the award wining Asus Transformer Prime, as well as laptops that include the company's first bid to take on the 'ultrabook' market of new thin and light computer. The U310 and U410 will initially sell in america for just $699, but are slightly heavier than their more expensive rivals.

The prices marked manufactures attempts to differentiate their products in this new category of devices primarily through price. Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps had previously observed that at $1000 ultra books would  be too expensive for mainstream consumers.

Malware threatens Android phones - Part ||

In Malware threatens Android phones - Part | post we read how malware threats are increasing on Android platform. here in second part of Malware threats to Android phones" we will see some more applications which are more dangerous.

We read in earlier post how Android phones are now drawing crooks attention. It is easier to launch malware on Android. In most cases, the phones are being compromised by installation of certain applications that exploit the vulnerabilities Many of my friends who use iPhone said "Apple's  iPhone too has an app store but the applications that are available on the store are put through a stringent evaluation and it is a closed Eco-

system". In the case of Android , the eco- system is open and there are multiple app stores. That is precisely why the incidence of malware is high on Android phones.  "A map application with malware is more dangerous. It provides the exact location of the phone-user and it is great threat to the phone-user as a

person". Similarly, there are malware in the guise of application that track other forms of data, including mobile banking and the contact list.

A key difference between the early days of cybercrime targetting PC's and the current drift towards mobile platform is that cybercriminals are starting from scratch, There are circles within circles.For instance."SMS Privato Spy" is marketed as a app that allow buyers(read scammers) to spy on a smartphone user by doing such things as viewing the phone screen live, viewing call logs, performing GPS tracking and activating the phone's microphone to listen in on conversations. The only problem - besides such an app being an obvious invasion of privacy  - is that SMS Privato Spy doesnt exist! Those behind the scam go to great  lengths to convince potential buyers that it does exist. But all that the buyers get for their money is a lighter wallet.But there are malware that do exist. Even when bad apps are discovered, it does not solve the problem. 

Such malware is hard to uninstall. Instead of infecting  devices at one go, the attackers parcel their 'workload'-their malicious code. This is similar to a smuggler who evades detection by bringing in small amounts of the consignments over a period  of time, rather than sneaking in the entire lot in one attempt.

Smaller pieces are easier to hide. This strategy obviates a long permission list which can trigger suspicion and give their game away. 

A new version of malware called Android.Lightdd attempted this. The first payload performs reconnaissance

and intelligence-gathering(model, language, country ,IMEI, IMSI, IS version), followed by the downloading of additional payload.


Related Articles:

• Malware threatens Android phones - Part |

• Android Code name/Flavor?

Malware threatens Android phones - Part |

Crooks' arsenal ranges from mobile games to a simple map

Smartphone security firms have reason to worry. Malware threats to Android phones, which have positioned themselves in the smartphone category, are growing. This time, mobile crooks are targeting certain features that are popular on PC's but are found to be vulnerable on Android phones. For eg: unlike other smart phones with proprietary app store, Android phones keep their app stores 'open', exposing themselves to attacks by malware writers.

The Android phones offer a variety of applications that allow users to operate the  phone for requirements that are beyond voice. Typically, smartphone makers offer applications through their app stores. Wresting control of the app stores, however can allow malware writers to pick vulnerabilities in Android phones.

Following are some of the Android specific mobile threats:
AndroidOS.Tapsnake
A user who downloads this application assumes that it is the Android version of the popular "Snake" game.
However what happens is that the threat switches on the phone's GPS and relays information about the user's coordinates to the cyber criminal.

Andorid.Pjapps
Android.Pjapps is an example of a Trojan with backdoor capabilities that targets Android devices. As seen with previous Android threats, it spreads through compromised versions o legitimate applications. One of the applications carrying Android.Pjapps code is Steamy Window similar to other  compromised Android applications, it is difficult to differentiate the legitimate version form the malicious one once it is installed. During installation, however it is possible to identify the malicious version by the excessive permissions it requests.When run, both the legitimate and malicious versions of the application mimics  a steam effect on your Android devices screen. It even lets you wipe it off with your finger. The  aim of Android.Pjapps is to build a botnet controlled by a number of different Command and Control(C&C) servers.

Android.Rootcager
Android Packages(.apk) include the file "rageagainstthecage", which is a tool commonly used to root the phone. In legitimate circumstances, this file can be used by the owner of the phone to acquire administrative rights on his or her phone this case, rooting the pone can allow malware we call Android.Rootcager to form more than the usual activities not commonly allowed on droid phones. Android.Rootcager roots phone without user consent by performing activities such as taking screen shots, monitoring installed applications and downloading additional packages of code.

Related Articles:

• Malware threatens Android phones - Part ||

• Android Code name/Flavor?

Android Code name/Flavor?

Android will be releasing its new OS code named “Ice cream Sandwich”. Unlike Apple, which doesn’t update its OS frequently. After reading more about android I came to know that all the code name of android OS are some or other desserts!! And this is not the only thing…all of them are alphabetically ordered. Starting from Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Gingerbread. And the latest to come off course the Ice cream sandwich.

Since the code name started with Cupcake, you must have started wondering what about earlier version before Cupcake? The pre- release version of android were Astro and Bender but could not be used due to trademark reasons.

The release of latest android OS made me think what must be the next OS code name? one name came to my mind “Jalebi” … :P but most of the other code name are US desserts.

Any ways let me know what you all think of…