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Xamarin's XobotOS opens prospect of Android port to C#, can of worms
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Would it be ironic if Android developers did an end-run around Microsoft patents by using Microsoft's own C#? Or if Google kiboshed its Oracle brouhaha with the aid of none other than Redmond? We're asking because Xamarin, the wacky open source implementer of .NET, has ported Android to Microsoft's C# with its XobotOS project. Although just an experiment and unlikely to solve Google's issues, the team showed that running the robot on C# instead of Java gave fewer coding limitations, better battery life and direct graphics access. Additionally, Xamarin reports "massive" speed gains on its HTC Flyer and Acer Iconia when running the side-project port -- no surprise given C#'s machine heritage. ...
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New Android malware spreads via infected websites
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Mobile security firm, Lookout, warns of a new malware which may be spreading itself to unsuspecting Android handsets and tablets. Coined as "NotCompatible", the malware is being propagated via Android's web browser which is thought to be a first for the mobile OS.
Before mass panic sets in through, there are a couple of things Android users should know. First, the malware doesn't seem to do anything malicious -- not yet. Secondly, NotCompatible still requires user intervention in order to install it.
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First Drive-By Malware Sites Discovered for Android
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As more and more traffic moves from the desktop to mobile devices, malware has closely followed it. Now, an Internet security firm has discovered the first websites designed specifically to infect Android devices that visit the page with malware.
Lookout Mobile Security discovered the sites, which operate as drive-by malware vectors. That is, if an Android device that isn't fully patched visits one of these sites, malware will automatically and invisibly install itself on the device.
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Android being translated to C#
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If you follow the news even a little bit, you'll know that Google has been having a bit of trouble with Oracle over the use of certain Java code in Android. So, a group of developers came up with a pretty simple solution: what if Android weren't based in Java? What if, instead, Android could be translated into C#? Turns out, that might not be such a terrible idea. At the very least, it could make Android even faster than it is now.
The team at Xamarin knows quite a bit about C# and .NET, which it has used to help create a development platform called Mono, which allows for the creation of iOS or Android apps written in C# rather than Objective C for iOS or Java for Android. The apps created ...
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Google: We're fine with keeping you waiting for slow Android updates
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Android smartphones are not typically updated very frequently, leaving many owners to either try and update their own device, or wait for months or even years to get the latest operating system. The technical lead developer on the Android Open Source Project believes the slow update rate many Android users have had to endure is “very reasonable.” Sometimes, Jean-Baptiste Queru revealed his opinion on his Google+ page in a congratulatory post towards Sony, who recently updated its Tablet S to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The developer said the Japanese company was the biggest contributor to Android, leaving all other manufacturers playing catch-up. Due to its contributions, Sony is able to...
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Rumor claims Wii U has Android built-in
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It is starting to feel like whenever a device or company is losing steam, there's one surefire way to at least get it some buzz: claim that Android is going to be added in. We've seen it time and again. There have been multiple rumors that RIM would be either switching to Android, making its apps available for Android, or simply selling to the largest Android manufacturer. There have been rumors that Sony might adopt Android for its PlayStation products. And now, it has been rumored that the next Nintendo console, the Wii U, will have Android built-in.
We just heard about how Nintendo thinks that the iPhone killed portable game consoles (although we're not sure if Nintendo needs to "think" ...
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HTC and Facebook working on new Android smartphone for later this year, says DigiTimes
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HTC and Facebook, two companies already familiar with one another from their partnership on the ChaCha and Salsa handsets, are reportedly in the midst of jointly developing a new Android smartphone. DigiTimes cites insider sources in reporting that a specially customized Facebook-centric handset is set to launch in the latter half of this year. It's said to feature "a platform exclusive to Facebook," which will facilitate the integration of the social network's full feature set into the phone. Yes, that's all very general at this point, but we're inclined to believe there's some truth to this, following the moderately successful run of the ChaCha / ChaChaCha / Status device, which was handic...
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Google wanted to subsidize a $9.99 unlimited data plan for Android phones
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In documents revealed during the Oracle v. Google trial today, Google mentioned to T-Mobile back in 2006 that it wanted to turn the carrier plan pricing structure on its head by underwriting part of the cost of an unlimited data package. By Google's math, customers would pay $9.99 a month for unlimited data — to subsidize the reduce cost, the company would forgo the commission it earned from T-Mobile for referring Android buyers to its online store. Google figured that its own services — Gmail, search, and so on — would consume about 15MB a month, a figure likely estimated to be far lower in 2006 than it is today.
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Android Trojan Can Track Your Keystrokes Using Motion Sensors
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Smartphones work very hard to keep your keystrokes secure, but now there's a new way for malware to get at them. Researchers at IBM and Penn State have developed a new kind of trojan that tracks what you type into your phone using only your phone's motion sensors.
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Tim Cook on Android patent litigation: 'I highly prefer to settle'
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It sounds like those court-ordered settlement talks between Apple and Samsung are going pretty well — Tim Cook just told analysts on Apple's Q2 2012 financial call that he's "always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it." The problem, according to Cook, is that Apple "wants people to invent their own stuff," but that "if we could get to some kind of arrangement where we could be assured that that's the case, I highly prefer to settle versus battle."
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Chrome for Android will soon emerge from beta status
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Google is notorious for their extended beta periods; Gmail was in beta seemingly forever, Google Music spent half a year in beta, and Google Navigation has guided Android owners across 50 billion kilometers of terrain without leaving beta. But it seems that Chrome for Android is not destined to wallow in beta forever, according to a recent statement by Sunday Pichai, Senior VP of Chrome for Google.
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Facebook Makes Android Apps More Viral With Social Discovery
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Facebook has been in the process of ramping up its effort to leverage its ever-growing platform to aid mobile developers to market their native and HTML5-based apps. In this attempt to extend its platform on mobile, Facebook brought its social channels and social app discovery to mobile web apps on Android and native apps on iOS. With a new update to Facebook for Android, the social network today announced that it is bringing social discovery to native Android apps.
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TapLogger Android app can read your password based on motion sensor data
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Mobile phones present a number of potential security risks, and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may have just discovered a new one — information retrieved from your phone's motion sensors. The team created an experimental app called TapLogger, which is based on the premise that when you tap on your touch screen, you're not just interacting with the screen, but moving the entire device. So if you hit a button in the upper right corner, your phone will actually move in that direction slightly, and that subtle movement is then read by the accelerometer and other sensors built-in to your device.
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Sony loaning Android devices to devs for testing
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We've given Sony a lot of props recently because of how it has been going about its Ice Cream Sandwich ROM development, by distributing alpha and beta versions of the updates for the community to test and comment on, in order to make them better. Now, Sony is going another step further by loaning Android devices to developers to let them test apps for any compatibility issues.
Sony has started up its Device Loaner Program, which will allow developers up to 30 days to borrow a device in order to test out apps. Developers have their choice of 9 different Xperia smartphones, including the Xperia S, arc S, active, PLAY, arc, X10 Mini Pro, X10a, X8 and LiveView. The service is completely free, u...
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New Android users in India offered 1GB of free data, courtesy of Google and Reliance
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In an effort to stir the interest for Android smartphones in India -- and, to let new customers test drive its 3G network -- the carrier Reliance Communications has partnered with Google to provide 1GB of data usage for all new activations of CDMA Android handsets. The promotion is available to both pre-paid and postpaid customers, who may take advantage of the deal now through June 15th. Once aboard, subscribers will have 30 days to burn through their allotment and discover the joys of a smartphone. Additionally, the carrier will extend a similar offer for new GSM Android activations, which is set to begin on May 5th. Reliance plans to drive its promotion with an ad campaign that sports an ...
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