* Posts by Doc Savage

15 publicly visible posts • joined 5 Jan 2010

Another lick of Lollipop: Google updates latest Android to 5.0.1

Doc Savage

Re: 2012 Nexus models to stay at KitKat perrmanently?

That is for the factory images that wipe your device. You need to unlock because the download is the partition images that need flashing directly, not an OTA update where the current system is upgraded in-place. If you are upgrading you probably want the OTA option.

Google sets Android on pirates

Doc Savage

Re: Sorry? This *is* news...

Exactly as Arkasha said, and to add to that, you do still have a choice. Nobody forces you to use the Android Market provided by Google, you can choose another app store, like SlideMe etc. That is what Android is about.

If Apple had done this, the users wouldn't be able to choose another App Store.

As a developer myself, this is a good thing.

Android apps: Shifty little bleeders

Doc Savage

Agreed

I've always said that rather than just list what permissions an application is requesting, they should be tick boxes, so you can deny, in your case, the internet permission.

More work for the dev's to make sure the lack of permission is handled gracefully, but still a worthwhile modification IMO.

Opera's Jon Von Tetzchner on browser choice, the iphone and Google

Doc Savage
Stop

Re: cost

Not to mention that your battery will be finished once it's hosting a web server and being poked, pinged and probed by every script kiddie on the net. Assuming of course your operator doesn't NAT your device and allows inbound connections.

I could understand the phone uploading to the user's desktop Opera, but on device hosting is a stupid idea for all the reasons above.

Google forced to use humans to support Nexus One

Doc Savage

Got it

Love it.

Best phone I've had (coming from a WinMo world > HTC Magic > Nexus One), I can't think of a single complaint with it.

I see a lot of people saying to bin it/give up Google etc. my question to you is why? Have you actually used the N1 (or any other Android 2.0+ device)?

Google's Nexus One sales still sluggish

Doc Savage
Happy

Same

I've had mine about the same time, and coming from a HTC Magic, the N1 rules.

For a HTC phone though, I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed all round. Usually they're lacking in camera/battery life depts, but the N1 camera is sweet, and the battery better than my Magic. The AMOLED screen is just whoa.

I've just had my VAT bill through. :-) Unless you got the charger (I hope you didn't) there isn't any import duty. Import duty doesn't apply to handsets, only accessories.

The thing Google (I know it's HTC, but it's not really) need to watch out for is another handset with 2.1 and similar specs and advertising, because if one comes out before the N1 is released with the carriers, I can see a lot of lost sales.

A happy N1 owner, signing off.

Google ices Android launches in China

Doc Savage

a title

Personally, I'd rather that information be with a private company than a government who wants to control everything I see, say and do. And if I do see, say and do something they don't like, will have me disappeared.

And of course, you can always use MS Maps if you don't trust Google. And if MS is still a concern, well then I suggest you get a compass and a paper map. You DO have that choice.

Motorola's latest Android 'andset demo'd

Doc Savage

Interesting

First thought wow urgh, it's fat and looks a bit weird.

At the end of the video...

- that keyboard is huge for a hardware keyboard

- forward / back facing camera on keyboard... clever

- touchpad on rear of screen... genius

- keyboard for the rear of the case I'm not so sure on

Most Android phones come with a glove (sock?) which would protect it, but still... it feels exposed.

I'll wait for the review, the keyboard had better de-activate when back-flipped - that would be annoying.

You and what Android? The Google iPhone killer that isn't

Doc Savage

Andoid Security in a Nutshell

One of the things I like about Android is the application security. I've not used so cannot compare to the iPhone.

On Android, applications are each given their own user account, and are restricted to that user account. An application can only access it's own storage, and the SD card (it can't modify Android short of creating icons in the Launcher). This is why you can't install Apps to SD officially, as the SD card needs an ext filesystem to support the permissions to restrict application access.

If an application want's to use other parts of the phone, camera, contacts, SMS, internet, it needs to specify it in it's manifest file, which the user is then informed about during install. So if you're installing a new software keyboard that wants the 'internet' permission, you have the chance to think twice. This does of course require the capability of thinking.

I have often thought it needs to go one level further, and give you tickboxes to select which permissions you want an application to have, so I could install the software keyboard, without giving it Internet access.

Further, you need to specify in settings whether you can install from an APK (Android Package) directly, without that ticked, you cannot install software from 3rd parties. Ticking that gives you a nice warning about untrusted applications -- not that market applications are any more vetted.

You are right of course, being able to install *anything* does bring with it a huge risk over installing only Apple tested applications, but it does also provide greater flexibility of the platform and IMO is worth it.

Not being able to install anything is the only real reason I have for not wanting an iPhone, I'm building software for my parents company to monitor their packing machine remotely, the software is specific to the company, and I can install it on each device. Would I have to submit the software to Apple and iTunes to distribute this for an iPhone?

Hacker pilfers browser GPS location via router attack

Doc Savage
Go

Android

Google's "Location Service", not sure about their web services, but certainly on Android, when Android registers with a WiFi network and you have 'Share my location data' and GPS enabled, then the MAC / SSID of the WiFi point you're connected to is sent to Google along with the GPS co-ordinates.

I know this because I have an Android phone, and when using WiFi location before enabling GPS, it used the nearest cell station, now it puts the pinpoint on my house, with roughly a 100m "accuracy".

Just another reason for NoScript - ABE stops sites accessing the local network.

Masses marvel at 'Most Useless Machine'

Doc Savage
Happy

to be fair

it can't have been Microsoft... it works