DigitFreak

Tag: android

  • This simple device can convert any flat screen TV to touchscreen

    This simple device can convert any flat screen TV to touchscreen

    With each passing day we witness technological innovations that revolutionise the way we interact with the world around us. The internet has been a boon to these innovators who leverage this mode to their advantage and develop products that offer a great value to the consumers. Internet also helps these innovators to collate the necessary resources for the purpose of the development of their products and the latest in line has been crowd funding that has been allowing innovators to get the required funding and focus better on the product development.

    Another innovative product that has received a highly positive response from the ‘crowd’ is the Touchjet WAVE; a highly innovative idea that uses simple technology. The brilliance of this product is not the technology it uses but rather how it uses the technology. The product has been listed on indiegogo.com, a crowd funding website and within a day it has been able to generate over US$ 131,000, against a target of US$ 100,000 with still 29 days to go! So what makes this product so special and what value does it deliver that it has received funding from over 700 people in 1 day? Let’s find out.

     

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    A small device that the company has named WAVE can be clipped on the top of the television. It has an infrared sensor and an HDMI output that needs to be plugged into the HDMI port of the television. The infrared sensor senses the movements of the hands or a stylus that is supplied with WAVE and sends the signal to the Light Processing Unit or the LPU of the device. The data received from the infrared sensor is translated to the taps and gestures that can be understood by the Android operating system.

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    The device runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat and effectively converts your flat panel television into a giant touch screen. You can operate your television using your hand gestures or a stylus. Likewise, you can also connect your mobile phone wirelessly to the device and control your television from your smartphone. The smartphone can also be connected to the device to browse the internet and t download data and apps or to stream the internet live.

    touchjet wave features

    Since WAVE functions on Android, users can download and install over 1.3 million Android apps that are available on the play store. The device also has WIFI connectivity enabled for directly accessing the internet.

    On the technical front, the device has a 2.0 GHz Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB DDR3 RAM, 8GB Flash drive, built-in optical touch sensor, WIFI and Bluetooth. It has an HDMI Output, an Audio Line out, 1 Micro USB OTG and 2 USB 2.0 ports.

    Since the device runs on Android and not on any proprietary operating system, it has large number of applications. The device can be attached to a flat screen monitor and can be used for presentations, app developments, using Android apps or even for playing games.

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    Touchjet Wave

  • What is ‘stagefright’ bug and here’s how to keep your device safe

    What is ‘stagefright’ bug and here’s how to keep your device safe

    A new security bug targeted to Android devices allows anyone to spy on anyone with single MMS (video message). What makes it even scary is that the attacker don’t even require your interaction with the message sent to your device. You just have to look at the notification or unlock your device when such message arrives on your phone. Isn’t it scary?!

    What is it?

    It is theoretically a security bug in Android system that penetrates almost all smartphones powered by Android ecosystem. Devices that run Android OS older than Jelly Bean 4.1 are at high risk because they lack the application sandbox design to protect user data and other applications on the device.

    The security of Android users is extremely important to us and so we responded quickly and patches have already been provided to partners that can be applied to any device.

    Most Android devices, including all newer devices, have multiple technologies that are designed to make exploitation more difficult. Android devices also include an application sandbox designed to protect user data and other applications on the device. — said Google

    The detailed information has not been made public yet, which is highly likely to be revealed during the upcoming Black Hat conference next week in Las Vegas. All we know right now that your Android phone can be tracked, monitored or exploited for some serious cyber crime if you do not take precautions or keep your device updated.

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    The exploit comes into play with Google’s “stagefright” media playback engine, which was introduced in Android 2.2 and prevailed ever since. It was only recently exploited when Google hangout and other 3rd party SMS apps introduced the feature to autoplay MMS (text message) on the phone once the user opens the message or notification.

    stagefright how it works

    The security hole affects almost all versions of Android, from version 2.2 right up to 5.1, the latest version. An Android user simply needs to receive a text message (MMS) from the attacker, which automatically trigger the malicious code hidden in that video message (thanks to the stagefright). This code can then be triggered when you see the notification, unlock screen to see the message, and finally when you watch the MMS message, touch the video or rotate the screen.

    The good news is that Google has already developed a patch for this vulnerability and it is ready to be deployed through OTA — but, only if you have Google Nexus devices. For everyone else, you will have to rely on your manufacturer or service provider to roll out the security patch that would eventually fix this bug.

    How to Keep your device safe?

    hangout bug fix

    Image courtesy: Swadesh Parasher

    If you use Google hangout to manage text messages on your device, the fix is really easy.

    1. Open Google Hangout App > Go to “Settings”
    2. Go to “SMS” option.
    3. Scroll down, and un-check “Auto retrieve MMS”

    That’s it! it will protect you from the automatic execution of malicious code on your device when you receive an MMS message from your attacker. However, you can still get infected if you open the video or play it on your device. There’s nothing much you can do except taking precautions and be careful when you receive the MMS (Who uses it today?) from an unknown number.

    All other third party SMS apps may or may not have the option to turn off auto retrieve function of MMS, if that is the case we suggest you use any other SMS managing app from play store that allows you to turn off MMS feature completely. If you’re a root user simply remove the third party apk files from your phone and keep your device up to date.

    Source: TheRegister

  • 5 default Android security options you should use

    5 default Android security options you should use

    There are dozens of third party security tips and tricks that can help you secure your android smartphone and make it literally invulnerable, but have you ever looked closely at the default security options and features on your device? There are few in-built features on android devices which can protect your phone from intruders.

    To make sure that your smartphone is safe and secure, you should have used these 4 default security settings on your phone. These are the basic security setup which is essential for keeping your device safe from any vulnerability.

     See Also: TrustoGo mobile security vs Bitdefender mobile security – Android app [Free vs Paid]

     

    1. Enable default Lock screen

    z 00072You should always lock down your device with the secure “screen lock” options available on your android smartphone. It is available at — settings > Screen Lock. You’ll find various options to lock down your android phone, which prevents non authorized person to access your personal data without your knowledge – your data will be secure when you are not using your phone or away from it. There was some vulnerabilities in the screen lock in the earlier version of the android phone, but it has been fixed in the android version released after Ginger Bread 2.3.6.

    Make sure your device is running latest android Operating System, which usually fixes all the security bugs. If your smartphone is old and your manufacturer has abandoned the ship, you can simply try the alternatives – it’s time when you start experimenting on your device and install custom roms. You can be active on Xda-Dev Forum, which is a knowledge hub shared by programmers and developers throughout the world – who are ready to help.

     

     

    2. Disable USB Debugging

    z 00073Make sure that “developer options” are disabled on your phone. This is the crucial region which is only meant for the programmers or app developers for the device. You should not play with the options here, unless you know what you are doing. One of the option in the “developer options” is USB debugging – which should always be disabled.

    USB Debugging mode enables anyone to bypass the lock screen lock and access the data on your device without requiring to enter your pass code at the scree lock. To disable it simply go to Settings > Developer Options – and make sure the check box is not selected.

     

    3. Enable Full Disk Encryption

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    If you require to turn on the USB Debugging due to some reason – you can still make your data secure and prevent anyone from accessing your data on your smartphone. Simple enable Disk Encryption on your device, so that no one can bypass the lock screen security before accessing the data on your phone.

     

    4. Ensure your device is up to date

    z 00075Android is always active when it comes to patching the OS security bugs. Always make sure that your device is up to date and synced with the server. Unfortunately, users are largely beholden to their carrier and cell phone manufacturer when it comes to this, but when you are finally prompted to upgrade your operating system, do so.

    Sticking to your official firmware and keeping your device always up to date is the best way to minimize the security threats on your device. However, if your manufacturer has stopped releasing the updates for your device for a while – you can try the alternatives, but always make sure that it is from the reputed source. I suggest you to download the setup files from the known sources. The top custom rom contributor is Cynogenmod – which recently jump started their private company. CynogenMod Team has developed the custom Rom for hundreds of smartphones – making the device faster and secure. You can also rely on XDA-Forums, which is the hub of programmers and developers.

     

    5. Use Google Play to download Apps

    This is actually a tip or suggestion – always keep your android app access to Google Play store. I know it is quite attractive to download the apps from the internet for free, but at the end you don’t know what it is packed with. It might be a malware or virus program which is specifically designed to steal your personal data.This is far less likely, but an attacker can also discover your PIN lock (which is necessary for him to root your phone) if you accidentally install a malicious app that records your personal data, including PIN. Most malicious apps are distributed through shady Chinese/Russian app stores.

    And always read through app permissions, as malicious apps typically make unusual requests. Most mobile security apps, like McAfee Mobile, Lookout Mobile, and F-Secure Mobile Security, come with an app auditing feature to help you keep tabs on permission requests.

  • [New App] Most popular windows malware detection tool Malwarebytes now available for android

    One of the most popular dedicated anti-malware suite for windows now debuts for android smartphones to protect your most precious gadget that you keep along with you whereever you go. It’s about time that android environment has a dedicated malware detection tool that can protect your smartphone against any intrusion.

    However, according to Google only 1 of the 100th app is actually capable of carrying malware to your android gadget by envading buit-in defenses in both android and Google Play store.

    In addition to updating the protection database automatically, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile proactively scans third-party applications and files for malware and spyware, and comes equipped with a number of features that identify and close potential security vulnerabilities.

    Additional security features found in Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile include:

    • Privacy Manager, which collects and categorizes what personal information is being accessed from third-party apps and breaks down access privileges in detail, so you can track what apps are using unauthorized personal data or costing you money by employing premium services without your knowledge.
    • Security Audit, which flags security vulnerabilities, like GPS tracking and unsecured WiFi, and suggests steps to close them.
    • Application Manager, which identifies what applications are currently running or installed and their CPU usage so you can terminate non-essential operations to conserve battery life and system resources, and to identify unauthorized applications.

     [Download Malwarebytes from Google Play]

  • CyanogenMod 10.1.3 stable released, supports wide range of devices

    Cyanogen Team has released the final stable version of CyanogenMod 10.1 lineup. They has been testing the RC (release candidate) since a few weeks now.

    If you don’t like the customized android OS bundled by your Carrier or smart phone manufacturer, you can simply use the CyanogenMod to experience the smooth and lag free User Interface, which usually turns out to be best at performance.

    See Also: CyanogenMod started rolling out CM 10.1.3 RC1

    Cyanogen Team announced the final stable release version of android 4.2.X based Custom ROM, which fixes all the outstanding bugs and issues spotted on previous release candidates.

    Not only does 10.1.3 bring stability into your wild and crazy Android life, but it also introduces CM Account for remote wiping of lost devices amongst other nifty stuff. And while their once custom Android camera app Focal wont be making it into the stable release, you can still give it a download in the Google Play Store.

    See Also: CyanogenMod 10.2 nightly build started rolling out

    The team is focusing on the optimizing and development of their upcoming android 4.3 based CyanogenMod 10.2, while looking forward to the latest android 4.4 Kitkat in the future.