Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 1st Dec 2011 22:29 UTC
So, this has been causing a bit of a major dungstorm - and rightly so. As it turns out, many carriers are installing a piece of non-removable privacy-invading spyware on their smartphones called CarrierIQ. It doesn't matter whether you have a 
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Member since:2005-09-21
I defense of iOS, this "feature" is turned off by default and it does exactly what the included description says should you want to turn it on. So this his hardly spooky or nasty.
What some providers have installed can't be turned off and does a whole lot more logging 'n' reporting than iOS does.
What some providers have installed can't be turned off and does a whole lot more logging 'n' reporting than iOS does.
How was this not mentioned in the article? Thom takes extra time to poke at iOS, and yet it isn't even remotely the same. By far the biggest privacy violation with CarrierIQ is that it monitors your text input, which doesn't happen on iOS.
Lumping a user opt-in feature that logs only general usage data with a real rootkit that logs everything is pretty ridiculous.
Only thing on that list that might concern people is location, but every carrier will know that anyway. Don't expect to move in anonymity if you're carrying a cell phone.
As for Android, another reason never to buy anything but Google devices.
RE[2]: Comment by MOS6510
by Thom_Holwerda on Thu 1st Dec 2011 16:26
in reply to "RE: Comment by MOS6510"
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2011-05-12
Like Thom said, it is mentioned.
However he does describe it as a root kit, that present on Android *AND* iOS, while I'd hardly call it a root kit on iOS. It's in plan sight and does what it says it does, you can turn it off which is the default.
Apparently the Android version can't be turned off by any normal means ordinary people would be able to do.
While I consider this a big bad thing, I don't think Android has any blame, apart from that it's open nature makes it easy to embed this kind of stuff.
Member since:2006-10-06
As an iOS user, I'm certainly glad that it wasn't nearly as serious a (potential) threat as on some Android devices, but it still makes me nervous.
I think taking anonymous logs and statistics is probably helpful to companies who are genuinely looking to improve their services - the thing is, I haven't noticed tons of improvement from AT&T's coverage. Maybe if these companies are collecting this kind of data, it would be helpful if they released some kind of report of how it was helping them provide better services to their customers? A little bit of transparency, maybe?
Member since:2011-05-12
It would be nice if you could see on a map how well their coverage is and if/when they are going to improve it if needed.
A few months ago I didn't have 3G when waiting at my son's school, but now I do. So things secretly do change, but it would be nice to know and even nicer if we could help (via auto diagnostics) and see what happens with this data.
Member since:2005-08-18
In defense of iOS, this "feature" is turned off by default and it does exactly what the included description says should you want to turn it on
Except that a) the carrier can turn it on before they ship your device and b) most people don't know it exists.
In a way, it's actually worse than android since at least then the carrier has to go through the work of installing it while with iOS all they need to to do is turn it on.
Member since:2011-05-12
How can it be worse if it doesn't log 'n' report keystrokes, CAN be turned off?
Besides I haven't read carriers turning it on before handing out iPhones. Apparently the iOS welcome routine asks the user if they want to turn diagnostics on.
No way Apple would ever allow anyone, carriers or other companies, to change anything on their products without them doing it for them (and even then they probably wouldn't).
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 17:52 UTC
"The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 22:23 UTC
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:38 UTC
"The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One. It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession." I really hope HTC pulls it together.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:30 UTC, submitted by JRepin
"It is with huge pleasure that the Debian GNU/Hurd team announces the release of Debian GNU/Hurd 2013. This is a snapshot of Debian 'sid' at the time of the Debian 'wheezy' release (May 2013), so it is mostly based on the same sources. It is not an official Debian release, but it is an official Debian GNU/Hurd port release." Important note: 75% of Debian packages are supported bu Debian GNU/Hurd. Impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 22:06 UTC
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:45 UTC
"There's a disconnect between how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees his company's tax strategies and how some members of the US Senate view it. That became clearer than ever today after Cook and two other Apple executives testified before Congress, explaining why they're holding most of their international income in Irish subsidiaries like Apple Operations International, which declare no tax residency anywhere in the world. AOI hasn't filed a tax return anywhere in the world for the last five years, yet it earned $30 billion in income from 2009 to 2012, according to a Senate report released yesterday." Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's just. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many more - these companies might not be breaking any laws, but it's obvious to anyone that what they are doing is scummy.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 15:53 UTC
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 22:43 UTC
The Verge pointed me to a blog post by Leap Motion - which reveals how their Kinect-like motion control works with Windows 8. "From the second you plug in your Leap Motion Controller, you'll be able to browse the web and interact with your computer just by moving your hands and fingers in the air. With Leap Motion technology and Windows, you can do everything that's possible with multi-touch inputs - without actually touching anything. This also means that existing applications in Windows 7 and 8 will respond to your natural hand and finger movements. Soon, we'll show you how Leap Motion will work with Mac OS X." Quite cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 21:50 UTC
PocketNow interviews Marc Dillon, and there's an interesting note about why Jolla is keeping the display properties under wraps: "We're leaving some of those details out because we do understand that there are a lot of really big players in the market and they tend to take certain components in the market and dominate them. We created the ability to actually be able to run Sailfish on multiple hardware displays and be able to swap components, so this is part of the demand and supply planning phase. We are committed to this industrial design which is a 4.5-inch display, an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a front-facing camera at the front, and the exact specs of the display we'll provide when we're close to delivery." Something you rarely hear anything about.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/19/13 23:15 UTC
"This is my NeXTstation Turbo Color booting the Mac System 7.1 Operating System using a hardware add-on called 'Daydream'. The Daydream has a Mac ROM and a few custom ICs in it and hooked up to the NeXTs DSP port. Turns your NeXT into a full fledged 68k powered Mac." So cool.More News »
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Member since:
2011-05-12
I defense of iOS, this "feature" is turned off by default and it does exactly what the included description says should you want to turn it on. So this his hardly spooky or nasty.
What some providers have installed can't be turned off and does a whole lot more logging 'n' reporting than iOS does.