University of the Future...or Present??

Android Is Destroying Everyone, Especially RIM -- iPhone Dead In Water

Google's Android OS has gained an astonishing 7 points of market share in the US smartphone market in the past three months, Comscore says.


RIM's market share over the same period collapsed, dropping almost 5 points.
Apple's iPhone share increased slightly, but is dead in the water and has now fallen way behind Android (in smartphones).(If you include iPod touches in the calculation, Apple's share has actually fallen).


Android now has a third of the US market (33%). RIM's share has plummeted to 29%. Apple is holding at 25%.
In the "also ran" category, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 did nothing to stop its decline, which fell from 9% to 7.7%. And Palm, which is barely worth mentioning anymore, fell another point to 2.8%.


Why do the Android gains matter? Are Apple bulls right that Apple has an insurmountable hold on the "premium" segment of the market and that it doesn't matter who has the other 75%?
The Android gains matter because technology platform markets tend to standardize around a single dominant platform (see Windows in PCs, Facebook in social, Google in search). And the more dominant the platform becomes, the more valuable it becomes and the harder it becomes to dislodge. The network effect kicks in, and developers building products designed to work with the platform devote more and more of their energy to the platform. The reward for building and working with other platforms, meanwhile, drops, and gradually developers stop developing for them.


Importantly, it's not a question of which platform is "better." (This is irrelevant.) It's a question of which platform everyone else uses.  And increasingly, in the smartphone market, barring a radical change in trend, that's Android.
So that's why Android's gains matter. And, yes, Apple fans should be scared to death about them.


Apple is fighting a very similar war to the one it fought--and lost--in the 1990s. It is trying to build the best integrated products, hardware and software, and maintain complete control over the ecosystem around them. This end-to-end control makes it easier for Apple to build products that are "better," but it makes it much harder for the company to compete against a software platform that is standard across many hardware manufacturers (Windows in the 1990s, Android now).
As we explain here, two important things are different about the current Android - iPhone battle than the Mac - Windows war in the 1990s. First, Apple is maintaining price parity (or better) with the leading Android phones. (Macs always cost more than PCs). Second, Android is still a fragmented platform, which significantly reduces the benefits of "interoperability" across multiple manufacturers.


Google is working to fix the second problem, though--enacting much tighter rules about how Android can be used. And if the platform is to become dominant and ubiquitous, it will likely continue to tighten these rules.


And Apple's price parity certainly does not appear to have stopped the Android juggernaut.
The unit and platform numbers below, which show the change in market share from November to February, are not unit sales in the month. They are total usage stats, showing how the platform usage shifted over the period.


So these Android gains should scare the bejeezus out of Apple bulls -- and Apple itself. And Apple's decision to not release the iPhone 5 in June will likely exacerbate rather than slow this trend.




Source: http://www.businessinsider.com

Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble over Android devices

Microsoft filed suit today against Barnes & Noble as well as the makers of its Android-based e-reader and tablet devices for patent infringement, part of its broader campaign against Google's mobile operating system.
The software giant alleges that its patents cover a range of functions "essential to the user experience." The company specifically cites the way users tab through various screens on the Nook e-reader and the Nook Color tablet, both of which run Android, to find the information they're after, as well as the way they interact with documents and e-books.

"The Android platform infringes a number of Microsoft's patents, and companies manufacturing and shipping Android devices must respect our intellectual property rights," says Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate VP and deputy general counsel for intellectual property and licensing, in a press release.

Microsoft says it's tried to no avail to reach licensing agreements with Barnes & Noble and its hardware partners. "Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations and fulfill our responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year to bring great software products and services to market," Gutierrez says.

The suit was filed with the International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington. Microsoft also named Foxconn International Holdings and Inventec Corporation as defendants in the case.

A Barnes & Noble spokeswomen declined to comment on the suit, saying the company doesn't comment on litigation as a matter of policy. Google, though, fired back. "Sweeping software patent claims like Microsoft's threaten innovation. While we are not a party to this lawsuit, we stand behind the Android platform and the partners who have helped us to develop it," Google spokesman Aaron Zamost said.

Microsoft previously sued Motorola, alleging that several of its Android devices infringe on Microsoft patents. Microsoft would prefer that companies making Android devices follow the lead of its longtime partner HTC, which worked out a deal last year covering its own Android devices.

Despite its many patents, Microsoft rarely sues over infringements. In a blog post, Gutierrez says that this suit is the seventh proactive patent infringement case brought by Microsoft in its 36-year history. "We simply cannot ignore infringement of this scope and scale," Gutierrez writes.

Microsoft, which is losing ground to Android in the marketplace, is pushing hard to take the fight to the courthouse. One tactic: make using Android, which is offered for free to manufacturers, more costly by raising the specter of litigation. Microsoft has claimed over the years that Linux-based products infringe on its patents, which has led to several licensing deals with companies making devices using the technology. And Android is based on the open-source operating system.

As Todd Bishop of GeekWire notes, the patents Microsoft is alleging infringement of are different from the ones cited in the Motorola case. This time, Microsoft is suing over patents such as ones that cover editing electronic documents, and capturing and rendering annotations.

The market for mobile devices is so lucrative that litigation is a key strategy to keep rivals off balance. Last year, Apple sued HTC for infringing on iPhone patents covering the graphical user interface and the underlying design. And Oracle, too, sued Google, alleging it infringed on patents related to Java in Android.

The size of the market is clearly one reason why Microsoft is willing to take on Barnes & Noble, long a loyal partner and customer for a variety of products and services. A decade ago, Barnes & Noble was one of Microsoft's marquee partners for its Microsoft Reader software, an early entrant into the electronic book market. Back then, Barnes & Noble created an eBook superstore, using the Microsoft technology, for customers who wanted to read books on laptops and the existing hodgepodge of dedicated reading devices that used Microsoft's technology. That business has since shuttered.

Barnes & Noble also partnered with Microsoft on its ill-fated Windows Live Search Cashback program, which paid rebates to customers who found products with Microsoft search engine and purchased them. And Barnes & Noble lent its name to the list of customers touting its business intelligence software back in 2004.
In addition to a permanent injunction barring the defendants from infringing on Microsoft's patents, the company is also seeking compensatory damages "with interest and costs, and in no event less than a reasonable royalty" as well as treble damages for the defendants "willful and deliberate" patent infringements.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/

Nokia baits developers with free Windows Phones

Microsoft and Nokia may have spent much of Mobile World Congress trying to convince attendees of the merits of their fresh, new partnership, but the harder step will perhaps be urging Nokia's loyal Symbian developers to shift alliances.


There's nothing like free stuff to help change one's mind. To that end, Nokia will be giving away one E7 smartphone and one Nokia-made Windows Phone to each developer in Launchpad, it's program for mobile app developers, according to information procured by SlashGear.


In addition, Nokia will waive its tech support charges for developers for the next three months. 
Developer support is one key to make Nokia's Microsoft pairing successful, especially as the two companies are poised to battle Canada's Blackberry maker RIM for market relevance behind Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.


On the handset front, Nokia will also feel pressure from Sony Ericsson, as both brands will keep a hungry eye trained on the US smartphone market.




Source: http://www.cnet.com/

The New Wave of App Development

The rapid growth of mobile devices is happening alongside several related trends, and together they're fundamentally changing the way software is developed. Tablets are gaining in popularity over netbooks, smartphones are getting smarter, enterprise workers want to use their phones for both business and personal tasks, and a growing amount of developer activity is happening online.


Several new and ongoing phenomenons, all intertwined, will mark the next phase of application development.


There will likely be more emphasis on mobile apps. Tablets, particularly the iPad, are already cannibalizing netbook sales , and as mobile devices get multicore processors with more power and capabilities, they'll increasingly be useful in the enterprise .


Add to that the consumerization of technology, which is a fancy way of saying that workers use their personal mobile devices both at work and in their personal lives, and the demand for mobile apps gets a boost.


"Large enterprises are already starting to employ significant numbers of mobile developers in-house," Leila Modarres, vice president of marketing at DeviceAnywhere told TechNewsWorld. "In 2011, the majority of medium and large enterprises will be working on rolling out apps to their workforces, and in a lot of instances they'll develop them from scratch."


There will be an increase in Web app creation as developers seek to create products once that will run on multiple platforms, Modarres said.


An increasing amount of appdev activity will be conducted online  as enterprises seek to reduce costs, and that will further boost the concept of Platform as a Service (PaaS).




Going Mobile


The growing market penetration of tablet devices as well as smartphones "means that smart devices of one sort or another will slowly become the de facto communications, work and leisure tools," DeviceAnywhere's Modarres suggested.


That will give rise to the automation of mobile app testing.


"Enterprises already rely on test automation outside of the mobile world," Modarres pointed out. "Now, as they embrace mobile platforms, they want to extend the same time-saving and efficiency benefits to their work with mobile applications."


The Rise of Web Apps


There will also be a move toward developing Web apps because they'll let developers write apps once and run them on any platform.


"If you're a developer and want to be able to write once and write on many devices, the browser becomes a very compelling option," Dan Nguyen, vice president of product management at OpenWave, told TechNewsWorld.


The move toward browser-based development dovetails nicely into the shift toward mobile apps because many of the major companies offering browsers, such as Apple and Mozilla, are basing these products on WebKit.


"With new smartphones and now with Apple, Android, RIM (Research In Motion) and HP (NYSE: HPQ) through webOS using WebKit in their browsers, WebKit is becoming the de facto core of the new smartphone browsers," Nguyen stated.


"Unifying around WebKit offers uniformity that didn't exist before on the desktop or smartphone, and that reduces the fragmentation we have had to deal with in terms of apps," Nguyen elaborated. "Now apps are rendered consistently on browsers."


This will be especially useful for mobile apps, because there were "orders of magnitude more fragmentation" on the mobile side, Nguyen said.


Further, Web-based development can tap a broad pool of talent, Nguyen pointed out. "There are orders of magnitude more Web developers than Objective C developers," he remarked. "Also, tools for Web development are broader and more mature than those for mobile development, Web development having started back in the 1990s."


Appdev for the Non-Geek


New browser-based development platforms like the one from Mobiflex let anyone develop a mobile app using drag and drop, without knowing anything about technology or appdev.


"We give a whole range of users out there that don't have coding skills build their app in a visual way," George Adams, cofounder and CEO of Mobiflex, told TechNewsWorld.


Using Mobiflex to create an app is similar to creating slides in PowerPoint presentations, Adams said. "If you know how to do spreadsheets or PowerPoint you can build a complex, robust app that can run natively on either your iPhone or Android phone."


Users create their app layout on Mobiflex's platform, place buttons in the appropriate locations and select either the Android or iOS platform to run their app on. Mobiflex's code then translates the flow diagram and visual representation of the app screen in WYSIWYG fashion into native code for the smartphone platform of choice, Adams said.


While Mobiflex is currently targeting smartphones and tablets, its model can work for the enterprise, Adams contended.


Meanwhile, Microsoft has released WebMatrix, a free Web development tool that it claims lets anyone create, customize and publish websites easily. This includes IIS Express, a development Web server; AP.net, which is a Web framework; SQL Server Compact, an embedded database; and Razor, a new inline syntax for coding pages that adds dynamic functionality to HTML.


Moving Into PaaS


Increasingly, developers will turn to Platforms as a Service (PaaS) because they want to focus on creating apps rather than on managing servers and installations, Paul Kopacki, vice president of developer relations at Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), told TechNewsWorld.


"That's why so many developers are increasingly embracing cloud computing platforms like Heroku and Force.com," he added.


There will be two trends in PaaS, according to Vidur Apparao, chief technology officer at LiveOps.


One is the expanded use of domain-specific language, and the other is the exposure of PaaS services and capabilities to broadly focused languages and frameworks.


"These may seem like contrary trends, but are actually not mutually exclusive," Apparao told TechNewsWorld. "In fact, they support the same underlying goals -- the removal of barriers to adoption of PaaS services and support of a variety of types of applications and styles of application development."


Successful PAAS frameworks of the future will allow rapid application development through domain-specific languages within the framework as well as easy integration and use within broadly focused languages and frameworks, Apparao predicted.


Increasingly, established SaaS (Software as a Service) vendors will begin offering PaaS-like services, Apparao forecast.


"SaaS vendors have invested in robust, scalable, multitenant architectures, and the most successful vendors will respond to developers' increasing demands for openness and flexibility," he explained. "SaaS companies with rich, powerful Web services APIs will begin to host developer logic for more time-critical tasks and will create the facilities required to offer developer sandbox instances of their platform."


Mobilizing PaaS


PaaS will begin moving toward mobile integration, Rob Christensen, senior vice president at EDL Consulting, told TechNewsWorld.


"Standard protocols such as REST and Web service support are included in today's PaaS environments," Christensen said.


While this is critical for mobile integration, Christensen expects to see PaaS environments add features such as data synchronization, authentication and built-in push notification. 


Source: http://www.technewsworld.com

Nokia, Microsoft becoming Windows Phone bedfellows

Microsoft and Nokia announced a broad mobile phone partnership today that joins two powerful but lagging companies into mutually reliant allies in the mobile phone market.
As expected, Nokia plans to use Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system as part of a plan to recover from competitive failings detailed in Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop's "burning platform" memo.

But it's deeper than just an agreement to install the OS on Nokia's phones. Instead, the companies call it an attempt to build a "third ecosystem," acknowledging that competing with Apple's iOS and Google's Android involves a partnership that must encompass phones, developers, mobile services, partnerships with carriers, and app stores to distribute software.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, let, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer explained their company's new tight alliance for mobile phones at an analyst and strategy meeting in London.

"There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them. There will be challenges. We will overcome them. Success requires speed. We will be swift," Elop and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a boldly worded open letter. "Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed."

The companies will cooperate tightly under an agreement the companies just describe so far as proposed, not final. Under the deal, Windows Phone 7 would become Nokia's "principal" operating system, and Nokia would help Microsoft develop it and ensure a broad range of phones using it are available globally.

Nokia will use many Microsoft online services, many of which trail Google rivals, such as Bing for search and maps and AdCenter for advertisements.

When it comes to the sales part of the ecosystem, each company brings something to the deal. Microsoft phones will be able to link up with Nokia's agreements for carrier billing--a popular option in parts of the world where credit cards are less common. And Nokia will fold its own app store into the Microsoft Marketplace.


Elop the optimist


In a press conference today, Elop and Ballmer touted the alliance as good for both companies' aspirations.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, but an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty," Elop said, quoting England's historic prime minister Winston Churchill as he spoke in London. "I am an optimist."

It's not immediately clear what needs to be done to make the deal final; details "specific details of the deal are being worked out," the companies said.

Nokia, once the dominant power of the mobile phone industry, has ceded the smartphone initiative to Apple's iPhone and Google's Android, and Elop believes Nokia's own Symbian and MeeGo operating systems aren't competitive. Microsoft has tried for years to penetrate the mobile phone market, and although it now has a credible option with Windows Phone 7, it trails Android when it comes to developer interest and the breadth of phones available.

The two companies can expect their combined might will be more convincing for software authors debating whether they need to bring their apps to yet another ecosystem. But it's not yet clear how the alliance will extend to another hot new market, tablets, where Microsoft prefers Windows instead of the Windows Phone operating system. In contrast, iOS and Android developers enjoy the same mobile operating system on phones and tablets.

An end for Symbian, MeeGo


The partnership means a gradual end for both Symbian and MeeGo, Nokia's mainstream and next-generation smartphone operating systems, respectively. Symbian will be gradually phased out in favor of Windows Phone, though Nokia expects to ship 150 million more Symbian phones in the meantime.

And although Nokia will ship a single MeeGo-based smartphone later this year, Elop consigned it to near-oblivion by calling it merely "an opportunity to learn." MeeGo engineers will "change focus into exploration" of future devices and user services.

Nokia seriously considered using Google's Android operating system, but feared it would ultimately be a boon for Google and a bane for Nokia, Elop said.

"We would have difficulties differentiating within that ecosystem," Elop said. Joining the Android world would make it even bigger, "with prices, profits, and everything being pushed down, and value moving to Google."


Nokia cost-cutting


Along with Nokia's new operating system strategy come major internal changes. Leadership in the United States, a large market now awakened to smartphones but where Nokia trails particularly badly, is being replaced. Bureaucracy will be cut. Research and development costs will be cut but R&D will become more productive. And there will be substantial layoffs, in Finland and elsewhere, Elop said, though the company will not move headquarters anywhere else.

"Already evolving rapidly at Nokia is a change in attitude and behavior" that shows "the fighting spirit of Nokia worldwide and the fighting spirit of the Finnish people," Elop said. In communicating with employees about the change, including an company-wide message earlier this morning, he added, "We've been vocal and transparent about the challenge. I think it's having a positive effect."

Nokia will pay Microsoft royalties for use of its operating system, but apparently money will likely flow the other way, too, Ballmer and Elop said.

"We have different forms of value transfer in different directions," Elop said. "We have new opportunities that come from advertising and new forms of monetization."

"We the ability to activate users and put them in a position to be more effective in what we call local commerce," added Ballmer. "Nokia has not just got mapping but other assets that we will import, if you will. There are a set of financial considerations for that as well."

Elop and Ballmer detailed their proposal immediately before the vast Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, where a large number of new Android phones and tablets can be expected.

It's uncertain what effect the alliance will have. Microsoft has had strong operating system partnerships with multiple competing PC makers, but the Nokia alliance, with mutually developed products and shared road maps, appears much deeper than the average relationship Microsoft has with hardware makers. That could encourage those who've made strong Android commitments--HTC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG Electronics, Samsung, and more--to double down. After all, they're all enjoying a period of relative freedom with Nokia in its present relatively uncompetitive state, and strongly pushing Windows Phone products arguably would be abetting the enemy.

Although the alliance is nonexclusive, Nokia clearly is becoming the premier Windows Phone partner. "There are things we are planning to do with Nokia that are unique," Ballmer said.

The announcement was accompanied by a YouTube video featuring Microsoft and Nokia's chief executives praising the deal.

"Today, Nokia and Microsoft intend to enter into a strategic alliance," Elop said in the video, a precursor of a turnaround plan he's set to detail later today at an analyst conference in London. "Together, we will bring consumers a new mobile experience, with stellar hardware, innovative software, and great services. We will create opportunities beyond anything that currently exists."

Ballmer said the partnership "brings the brands mobile consumers want, like Bing, Office, and of course Xbox Live."


Source: http://news.cnet.com/

Dell announces 10-inch Windows 7 tablet

Slate outed at Dell Means Business event


Dell has revealed that it will be releasing a 10-inch Windows 7 tablet computer later this year.
The Dell Business Tablet, which will be aimed at the professional market rather than casual owners, will run on an Intel processor, but aside from that no other specs are known.
A version of the slate will also be available running Android, following on from the 5-inch Dell Streak tablet which impressed TechRadar last summer.


Dell Mean Business


The announcement came during the Dell Means Business event in San Francisco at which the company unveiled 39 new products.
Also on show was an updated version of the tablet/laptop hybrid Latitude XT3, and a host of portable and desktop options.
But it's the Dell Business Tablet that will make the headlines. The world has been itching for a Windows 7 tablet since the oft-promised, never delivered HP Slate first spoken of at CES 2010 last January.


Business booming


Dell reckon it's going to be a hit among business users who seek the extra security offered by Windows 7, while it also fits into the IT management scheme of businesses.
No official word on a price, release date or any concrete details on specs yet (the slate shown at the event was a mock-up) but we'll bring you more on the Dell Business Tablet as soon as we hear more.


Source: http://www.techradar.com/

iPad 2 now in production, says Wall Street Journal

FaceTime camera and faster processor in new Apple tablet 



The countdown to the iPad 2 launch is entering the final stages according to business bible the Wall Street Journal, which is claiming the device has now gone into full production.
The WSJ reports that "people familiar with the matter" say the manufacturing process is underway and that the new device will be thinner and lighter than the first generation iPad.
The source also revealed that the iPad 2 features, as expected, a FaceTime camera and a faster graphics processor and more memory on board.
If the reports are to be believed, rumours of the iPhone 4's Retina Screen making the step up to the tablet arena would be unfounded. The WSJ story claims that the screen resolution 'similar' to the first iPad.


No 4G


The story also suggests that there'll be no 4G mobile broadband support for the iPad 2, which is expected to become available in the next couple of months, most likely in April.
Dell today announced it's own answer to the iPad with the 10-inch Dell Business Tablet, while HP is widely expected to reveal the webOS-running 'PalmPad' tomorrow at a launch event in San Francisco.



Source: http://www.techradar.com

Microsoft goes on the iPad offensive

Microsoft may have laid out its plans to have Windows running on any device while unveiling the next version of Windows at CES earlier this month, but it's not there yet. In the meantime, we're still stuck with the current version of Windows, which, for better or for worse, cannot fit into the types of devices its successor promises to fit.


That very situation--along with a lack of product from Microsoft's hardware partners, has led to a relative dearth of Windows 7 in tablet PCs. It can also be argued that it's responsible, in part, for what has turned out to be much stronger than expected sales for the iPad, of which Apple sold 7.33 million units during the last three months of 2010, nabbing the "best-selling tech gadget in history" title following its introduction.

   One of the slides detailing how Microsoft stacks up Windows 7 devices with Apple's iOS on the iPad.

But Microsoft's got a plan to position Windows 7 as the better of the two computing platforms. In a set of slides sent out to its reseller partners, and acquired by CNET sister site ZDNet, Microsoft has outlined the various ways in which Windows offers more security and breakout features, while also being more of a chameleon--working its way into more than just one hardware form factor.
The 10 slides, which you can view on ZDNet, focus mainly on the enterprise, highlighting key differences where Windows checks all the boxes for things like getting work done offline, supporting Microsoft Office and its data synchronization tools, and working with existing lines of business applications. But Microsoft also takes the iPad to task on compatibility with things such as support for peripherals, security protocols, Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's own Silverlight.
At the heart of Microsoft's argument, though, the company paints the iPad as a consumption device that doesn't play nice with existing enterprise security or application standards. To back that up, the company breaks down the ways in which Windows 7 slate form factor PCs have three distinct advantages over the iPad: optimization for online and offline data use, a design for both consuming and creating content, and support for peripherals. Microsoft also highlights Windows' pen and writing technology, speech recognition, and touch support, alongside its natural user interface and video technologies, all of which it deems to be "rapidly changing."
For companies on the fence about bringing the iPad into their business, Microsoft is going with a "one size does not fit all" approach, noting that some companies may need devices that work better with their security and compliance needs. The more telling look, though, is what Microsoft is trying to pitch to companies already using, or plan to use, Apple's iPad. Microsoft is telling those partners to "implement a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reduce risk in your enterprise," meaning that they'd be making use of tools like Microsoft's Hyper-V Server, and App-V.
During last year's CES keynote, Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer paid special attention to a group of Windows 7 slate concepts, though the only one of the bunch that made it to consumers' hands during 2010 was HP's Slate 500 device. At this year's show, slates were all but missing from the company's keynote, instead being replaced by myriad devices designed to show off Windows' next ARM capabilities. What's still unclear is whether Microsoft's more nascent, though already ARM-friendly, Windows Phone OS will make its way into a tablet form factor, something speculated about since the platform's introduction at last year's Mobile World Congress.




Source: http://news.cnet.com/

Mobiles attract hi-tech thieves

Cyber criminals are starting to move away from Windows and targeting other technologies, says a security report.

The annual report from net giant Cisco suggests that mobile phone operating systems are becoming increasingly popular with hi-tech criminals.

It predicts 2011 will see a significant number of attacks directed at smartphones, mobile software and users.

Despite this, the vast majority of current viruses are aimed at Windows and programs that run on it.

The trend towards mobile malware took a significant turn in late 2009, says Cisco with the appearance of a virus called Zitmo. This was a mobile version of the Zeus Windows trojan that has proved hugely popular with criminals keen to steal logins to online bank accounts.

Also, wrote Patrick Peterson, senior security researcher at Cisco, improved Windows security made it harder for hi-tech criminals to find new ways to attack PCs.

A growing target, said the report, were Apple products such as the iPhone. Statistics gathered by Cisco suggest a growing number of vulnerabilities are being found in Apple operating systems.

Cisco said Apple's close oversight of what can run on its phones was limiting the effectiveness of attacks but many people were "jailbreaking" their phones putting them at risk from unofficial apps that have malicious elements buried within them.

Apple was not alone among mobile operating systems attracting attention, said the report, attacks were also starting to focus on Google's Android software.

Mr Peterson said Cisco had seen lots of research and development by criminal groups as they focus on mobiles and work out the best way to attack portable gadgets.

Evidence of this was seen in the localised and targeted phishing scams sent out to mobiles as criminals seek to trick groups of users into handing over passwords.

Trojans aimed at Android that booby trap apps that run on phones or bury premium rate links in ads were also starting to turn up. For instance, in late December 2010 the Geinimi trojan for Android was found that can steal almost any of the data on a handset.

"The relative youth of the Android OS, including its apps and ecosystem, combined with the sheer number of users will make this a very attractive platform for exploitation," Scott Olechowski, threat research manager at Cisco.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

iPad 2: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

My feeling is that those people who held off buying the original iPad in anticipation of the iPad 2 will be pretty happy with their decision. By the same token, those who bought the original iPad will sell it on eBay and put the money toward the new one. One thing's for sure: The iPad 2 is going to sell like Cadbury Cream Eggs on Easter Eve.


The original iPad was pretty much awesome, although it was missing some features that clearly should have been included. After some design leaks, it is fair to say that some of these issues are going to be resolved with the iPad 2.


For starters, there is going to be a camera. It is amazing to me that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), of all companies, would decide to leave one of its products devoid of a camera. When one thinks of Apple, built-in cameras are one of first things that come to mind. It is hard for me not to be paranoid when on my iMac, suspicious that Steve Jobs is watching me through that lens, making sure my homework is getting done.


Most likely the reason it was left out was so people would want to buy the iPad 2. It is the only reasonable explanation.


It goes without saying that the camera will be front and back-facing (Facetime, Excellent), which is great for people who want to see who they are talking to, quite a revelation for the porn industry. Not me though. I still prefer the imagination and sticky pages, but I'm old school.


Projector, Please!


Speaking of this nonsense, Apple should also be reducing the fingerprinting and overall smudge resistance of the screen. Other obvious improvements will be with visibility in sunlight, as nobody would expect Apple to say "We did not think it was important for people to see in the light of day this time around."


The iPad 2 will be much thinner, with a flat back, which will be great to avoid the "rocking" of the first one, which has a curved back. This is the exact same progression of the iPhone products, which ditched their curved ways with the iPhone 4.


The size of the screen may be the same or a little smaller. iPad junkies will need to make sure they keep a tight grip. If the iPhone 4 is any indication, the breakability of the device may increase.


With the iPhone 4, the front screen actually sits up a bit higher, making it more prone to cracks. Whispers of a smaller bezel make it seem likely the next iPad will also break more easily.


A wide-range speaker has been reported by several outlets. This makes sense for business and personal use. My personal request for business presentations is for a built-in projector. This applies with about anything, though, because projectors are awesome and need to be everywhere. A few years ago, Oprah talked about this, and it seemed it would happen. Hopes still abound.


CES Silence


There are going to be three versions of the iPad, supporting either -- or a combination of -- WiFi, UMTS and CDMA. Needless to say, the Verizon iPad won't send shockwaves when announced, but it will involve much hype and excitement nonetheless. That announcement was expected at CES, but Verizon made no mention of its iPlans. (Apple, of course, is not there. Apple is like the guest invited to a party who does not show -- the one people then like to bad-mouth out of spite.)


Other rumors that are still up in the air are the possibility of a USB port and a dual-core CPU. Dual-core processing would allow for greater multitasking capabilities, and a USB port would make the iPad 2 more flexible. Both features would be great but are not dealbreakers.


The buzz surrounding the iPad 2 release is pretty big, and competitors have certainly done their best to flex their proverbial muscles. My feeling is that those people who held off buying the original iPad in anticipation of the iPad 2 will be pretty happy with their decision.


By the same token, those who bought the original iPad will sell it on eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) and put the money toward the new one. One thing's for sure: The iPad 2 is going to sell like Cadbury Cream Eggs on Easter Eve.


Talk Is Cheap


All of the talk about "competition" is falling on deaf ears. The reality is that when it comes to hardware issues and repairs, the iPad is in a league of its own -- basically the only player in the tablet computer world.


This does not mean the competition does not pack a punch; it just means that their products will end up in the trash cash a little-too-much sooner.


The Galaxy Tab from Samsung runs on the Android operating system and has an ample array of features.


Get ready for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and HP (NYSE: HPQ) tablets to overcrowd the field pretty quickly.


Even so, it's not just the hype, but the reality of the iPad 2 that will shake, bake and stiff-arm the competition.


Source: http://www.technewsworld.com

Thousands of stolen iTunes accounts for sale in China

Tens of thousands of fraudulent iTunes accounts are for sale on a major Chinese website, it has been revealed.


About 50,000 accounts linked to stolen credit cards are listed on auction site TaoBao, the country's equivalent of eBay.


Buyers are promised temporary access to unlimited downloads from the service for as little as 1 yuan (10p) a time.


Apple, which recently stepped up iTunes' security after a series of break-ins, declined to comment.


However the company has warned users in recent months to safeguard their personal details.


Listings seen by the BBC tell buyers they can "go after anything they like" including "software, games, movies, music and so on". Several listings tell prospective buyers they can only use the accounts for 12 hours before they are likely to be shut down.


Details of the auctions first emerged in the China's Global Times, which reported that one seller had admitted to the theft.


"Of course these accounts are hacked, otherwise how could they be so cheap?" they told the newspaper.


While it is not clear whether the accounts themselves were stolen, or whether they were set up with fraudulently obtained information, it is against the terms and conditions of iTunes to resell user identities.


Increased security
It is not the first time that users of the service have been targeted by fraudsters. In recent years the iTunes store has become an alluring target for criminals.


Last summer an e-mail scam that targeted iTunes and PayPal left some victims facing credit card bills for thousands of pounds. At the time, Apple increased security checks to safeguard against fraud, and told users to be vigilant for signs of unauthorised activity.


And last month a Wolverhampton man admitted to being involved in a £500,000 fraud that used stolen credit cards to buy songs from the service.


TaoBao said that it was not required to remove the listings because it had not received any direct complaints about the sales.


"We take all reasonable and necessary measures to protect the rights of consumers who use Taobao, of our sellers and of third-parties," the company said in a statement. "Until we receive a valid takedown request, we cannot take action."


The Chinese company is one of the country's biggest internet success stories. It has more than 200 million users and is believed to have sold around 400 billion yuan (£38bn) of goods in the last year alone.


News of the fraudulent sales comes ahead of the launch of Apple's new Mac App Store later today.


The service is an attempt to transfer the success of its iPhone app store to desktop and laptop computers. It requires programs to gain Apple's approval before they can go on sale - despite the fact that Mac users are already freely available to download programs from around the web.







Source: BBC News