Final Android 3.0 Platform and Updated SDK Tools

We are pleased to announce that the full SDK for Android 3.0 is now available to developers. The APIs are final, and you can now develop apps targeting this new platform and publish them to Android Market. The new API level is 11.

 

For an overview of the new user and developer features, see the Android 3.0 Platform Highlights.

 

Together with the new platform, we are releasing updates to our SDK Tools (r10) and ADT Plugin for Eclipse (10.0.0). Key features include:

• UI Builder improvements in the ADT Plugin:
• New Palette with categories and rendering previews. (details)
• More accurate rendering of layouts to more faithfully reflect how the layout will look on devices, including rendering status and title bars to more accurately reflect screen space actually available to applications.
• Selection-sensitive action bars to manipulate View properties.
• Zoom improvements (fit to view, persistent scale, keyboard access) (details).
• Improved support for layouts, as well as layouts with gesture overlays.

• Traceview integration for easier profiling from ADT. (details)
• Tools for using the Renderscript graphics engine: the SDK tools now compiles .rs files into Java Programming Language files and native bytecode.

To get started developing or testing applications on Android 3.0, visit the Android Developers site for information about the Android 3.0 platform, the SDK Tools, and the http://developer.android.com/sdk/eclipse-adt.html.

80% of Browsers Found To Be At Risk of Attack

CWmike writes “About eight out of every 10 Web browsers run by consumers are vulnerable to attack by exploits of already-patched bugs, a security expert said Thursday. The poor state of browser patching stunned Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, which presented data from the company’s free BrowserCheck service Wednesday at RSA. ‘I really thought it would be lower,’ Kandek said.

BrowserCheck scans Windows, Mac and Linux machines for vulnerable browsers, as well as up to 18 browser plug-ins, from Adobe’s Flash to Windows Media Player. When browsers and plug-ins are tabulated together, between 90% and 65% of all consumer systems scanned with BrowserCheck since June 2010 reported at least one out-of-date component. In January 2011, about 80% of the machines were vulnerable. The most likely plug-in to require a patch: same as last year, Oracle’s Java.”

Source: 80% of Browsers Found To Be At Risk of Attack

Analysis: Nokia and Microsoft Embrace in Smartphone Alliance

The smart money was right. Nokia has jumped into bed with Microsoft and will produce phones running Windows Phone 7.

The cynics would say that, here, we have two lumbering dinosaurs of the technology world clinging to each other hoping that the other gives them a future. Optimists would point to two global super-giants that need each other, both bringing vital components to the alliance.

The big winner is Microsoft. Windows Phone 7, while reasonably well received by commentators, has not set the world on fire. An alliance with Nokia gives it access to the world’s largest phone maker and its huge mindshare—in many developing nations a mobile phone is known as a Nokia. Microsoft’s mobile strategy has been lackluster and tardy. The news that smartphones have outsold PCs for the first time last quarter, has put Microsoft’s core business—selling software for PCs—under threat. It desperately needs a stake in the future.

Microsoft’s “embrace and extend” strategy appears to be alive an well. In an open letter published on Nokia’s website, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wrote “Together, we have some of the world’s most admired brands, including Windows, Office, Bing, Xbox Live, NAVTEQ and Nokia.” It is clear who is wearing the trousers in this partnership.

Google must be smarting a bit today. Not only did Nokia spurn the Android operating system - a recent survey suggests each phone delivers $9.85 a year to Google - but Nokia phones will have Bing as their default search engine. An Android tie-up for Nokia made little sense; the last place Nokia wanted to be was slugging it out with the likes of Samsung, HTC and Motorola, trying to differentiate themselves by cutting content deals and making better user interface tweaks.

But the biggest loser is MeeGo, the ugly, unloved step child of operating systems. The press release says: “MeeGo becomes an open-source, mobile operating system project. MeeGo will place increased emphasis on longer-term market exploration of next-generation devices, platforms and user experiences. Nokia still plans to ship a MeeGo-related product later this year.”

So MeeGo to No Go. Will that device ever see the light of day? Perhaps, but it will be hard to persuade developers and manufacturers to get behind an OS that clearly has been put on the shelf. WP7 will be at the centre of the company. MeeGo may yet end up in other devices; it is after all yet another flavor of Linux, the very popular open-source operating system. MeeGo’s road map always talked about it being embedded in other devices.

That may yet happen, but the omens don’t look good. Alberto Torres, who until today was Executive Vice President, MeeGo Computers, Mobile Solutions, has carried the can. According to the press release he is to “pursue other interests outside the company.”

Along with the eye-grabbing headline, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop also announced the much expected re-organization. Inauspiciously commencing on April Fool’s Day (were the PR team asleep during that bit of the planning?) the company will have two business units: Smart Devices and Mobile Phones. The former will be the new Windows Phone 7 branch. The Mobile Phones unit will continue to develop phones for Nokia’s mass market.

Neither of these two units can expect an easy time. Nokia’s core business - mass feature phones for the mass market - is under severe threat from cheap, mass produced Chinese phones. As Mr. Elop said in his famous “burning platform” memo:

“At the lower-end price range, Chinese OEMs are cranking out a device much faster than, as one Nokia employee said only partially in jest, “the time that it takes us to polish a PowerPoint presentation.” They are fast, they are cheap, and they are challenging us.”

And life is going to be no easier down the line. Smart Devices have to go into battle against the massed ranks of Android backers, BlackBerry and of course Apple and the iOS, armed with only Windows Phone 7. A giant killer it isn’t.

What is worrying is the time frame. Mr. Elop said “Nokia expects 2011 and 2012 to be transition years”. Two years is an eternity in the mobile phone world. Moore’s Law, which roughly translates to the power of chips doubling every 18 months, means phones will be more than twice as powerful. If Nokia is going to be worrying about who gets what office for the next two years, the company is going to emerge into an unrecognisable world.

The market reaction to Mr. Elop’s announcement was as swift as it was brutal. Nokia immediately fell 11 per cent. The markets are going to take some convincing that the company can pull itself out of a hole. But it is the general public who are the real judges in this final dance of the dinosaurs. The deal with Microsoft gives both Nokia and Microsoft a route to the future.

It is a very dark road ahead, and they are starting their uncertain journey right at the back of the pack. At least now they appear to have bought a map.

Source : http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/02/11/nokia-and-microsoft/

CherryPad for The Sub iPad Market

Cherrypal Launches Powerful 7-Inch $188 Android 2.1 3D Tablet Computer for the Sub-iPad(C) Market Cherrypal Enters Into Exclusive Deal With Green Shopping Site Zecozi

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cherrypal, a California-based manufacturer of high quality, low-energy consuming and affordable personal computers, today announced the availability of its new sub $200 tablet computer, the CherryPad America.

The CherryPad was designed for consumers who are looking for an affordable, powerful, high quality, and low energy-consuming tablet computer with the ability to run the Android operating system. CherryPad is powered by the fast Samsung ARM11, (CPU + GPU + DSP, OpenGL 2.0) 800 MHz processor and runs Android 2.1 and all Android applications. An upgrade option to 2.2 is planned for the fourth quarter 2010.

The CherryPad America features a 7-inch resistive touch widescreen display (no stylus needed) at 800x480 resolution with built-in gravity sensor. Memory, storage and wireless functions include 256 MBs of DDRII RAM; 2 GB NAND Flash; Micro SD (1x) reader, and WiFi 802.11 b/g.

Standard I/O ports include USB 2.0 supported by an external adapter; 3.5 mm headphone jack, built-in speakers and microphone, DC port, optional external 3G modem. The CherryPad America's Polymer 3200 MAH battery has a run time of 6-8 hours. The device weighs just 1.1 pounds and is housed in a sturdy aluminum case. MSRP of the CherryPad America is $188.

"The CherryPad America does not compete against the Apple(C) iPad. The CherryPad addresses the sub-iPad market," said Cherrypal CTO Max Seybold.

According to Seybold, CherryPad has been designed for consumers who seek a lower cost, more compact tablet PC with the ability to run Android.

"The CherryPad is neither an iPad killer nor an iPad clone, it's a completely different product designed for a different market," Seybold said. "The screen of the CherryPad is only 7-inches big, the processor is slightly less powerful, and the CherryPad comes with Android 2.1 and not Apple's iOS." At a MSRP of $188, the price for a CherryPad is also less than half of the iPad.

"Early user tests confirmed the CherryPad user experience has been extremely positive. Users appreciate full access to the Android Market, its powerful processor, battery run time, and high quality," Seybold said.

Cherrypal Partners With Zecozi Cherrypal also announced a strategic partnership with Zecozi , a new online shopping site for conscious consumers. All Cherrypal products will be exclusively sold through Zecozi in the United States, with the exception of volume buyers. Every Cherrypal comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, as well as a 1-year replacement warranty.

"We are a hardware manufacturer first and need to focus on our core competence in order to drive down costs and offer quality products that consumers can afford. We can offer our products for such a low price because we are frugal with non-product related costs. When we looked for a strong partner who shares our green, open and fair corporate value system, Zecozi was the obvious choice," said Cherrypal CEO John Collier.

Honeycomb or Android 3.0 Oficially Released by Google

Google officially launched Honeycomb or Android 3.0. They have shown a preview of the OS in Motorola Xoom tablet. Honeycomb was mentioned to beat the dominance of Apple in the realm of tablets.

Honeycomb is specifically intended for tablet devices that use a large screen and higher computing capability. But some analysts assess the presence of Honeycomb will not change the map market.

"Honeycomb does little shorten the gap. But there is nothing in it that would make me queue in a line to get it," said analyst Colin Gilis of BCG, with references from the queues that occur when launching the iPad.

Quoted by Reuters on Friday (04/02/2011), Apple still straddling Android in the realm of the tablet. But Apple is not able to pursue Android in the smartphone market, which had just overthrown the most popular Symbian OS in the world.

Google's ambition to beat iPad tablet market will depend on support from the manufacture of Honeycomb, communication providers and application software developers. Google currently has more than 100 thousand applications for Android, still less with about 300 thousand applications for Apple's.

With the introduction of Honeycomb, the big vendors are expected to release the latest tablet-based OS 'beehive' soon in mid-2011. Motorola Xoom for example, will start shipping in the first quarter of this year.

Hold Out for Honeycomb: Five Android Tablets Born Too Soon

When you look at the Apple iPad's sales figures, it's not hard to see why every technology company on the planet is jumping on the tablet bandwagon. The thing is, even despite its wild popularity, not everyone can afford the $500 minimum required to get into the iPad game, and not everyone wants an Apple tablet.

With scores of hardware manufacturers aiming to snag a slice of the big, fat Apple pie, the Android tablet army is growing fast. Too fast, in fact: The truth is, a lot of these tablets just aren't very good.

In some of the tablets we've tested, we've encountered flimsy hardware, low-quality resistive touch screens, serious display resolution issues, and poorly skinned or old Android versions with limited or non-existent access to apps. None of this makes for a very enjoyable tablet experience.

That's not to say that every Android tablet is a disaster. Take the Samsung Galaxy Tab, for example, it's fast, well-designed, and comes with a decent Android implementation. Overall, the Tab is a solid tablet, but for the price ($250 to $550, depending on the carrier you choose), it should do more than an Android smartphone can. One of the reasons the iPad has been so successful is that it provides a rich tablet-specific experience that you just can't get on an iPhone.

Google, this week, unveiled Honeycomb, its tablet-specific Android OS, which is sure to usher in an era of higher-quality, more-capable Android devices and better apps to run on them. And from what we've experienced with the forthcoming Motorola Xoom, it's definitely worth waiting for. So unless you need an Android tablet today, you should pass on the models below, and hold out for the next round of Android tablets with Honeycomb.

Tablets in this Roundup:

Read the full reviews linked below, or compare these Android tablets side by side.

Cherrypal CherryPad

$188 direct

The Cherrypal CherryPad has flaws aplenty, including a finicky resistive touch screen. The rock-bottom $188 price is tough to beat, but there are definitely better ways to spend your money.


Coby Kyros MID7015 Internet Touchscreen Tablet

$199 list

The $200 Coby Kyros MID7015 Internet Touchscreen Tablet uses a limited version of Android, doesn't hook into the full Android Market, and lacks the grace and abilities of more advanced (and expensive) tablets.

Dell Streak 7

$199.99

The first Tegra 2 tablet shows the promise of Nvidia's speedy mobile processor, but the Dell Streak 7 still struggles on several fronts. And fundamental problems, like a low-quality, low-resolution display won't be helped by a future OS upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

$249.99 to $549.99 with contract (price depends on carrier)

With solid, well-designed hardware, the Samsung Galaxy Tab for Sprint is the first viable Android-based competitor to the iPad. Don't get us wrong, the Tab, in all five carrier iterations, is a perfectly fine tablet. But you're paying a hefty price for a device with a old version of Android, and it's unclear if the OS will be upgradeable.

Viewsonic Viewpad 7

$599 direct

On paper, the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 has a long and impressive feature list, but its flaws, including a sky-high price, outnumber its features.

Author: Wendy Sheehan Donnell
Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379345,00.asp

It's a bad time to buy an Android tablet. Skip these five models, save your cash, and wait for tablets with Google's Honeycomb operating system.

New Android Market web store could open backdoor for phone hackers

If you follow the Google Android operating system scene, you will probably have heard about the new, web-based Android Market store which was launched a few days ago.

The Android Market website allows the user to browse, search and install Android apps using an alternative to the standard device Android Market app that comes on smartphones.

The user is simply required to sign in with their standard Google credentials and the application will retrieve the details of Android devices registered in your name as well as the details of all the Market applications you have already installed.

Once the user signs in to Android Market the application install is available at the click of a button.



I wanted to see what happens on the device when a request to install a new app is submitted from the web-based store.

I logged into the Android Market and found an application suitable for testing: a popular game that made me waste some time last year when I first played it on an iPhone. This seemed a good opportunity to test its usability on the Android OS too. :)

The most important security aspect of the installation process on Android are the permissions an app requires on a device after the installation. Android users should particularly carefully read the required permissions before they install any applications, from the official Android Market or any other source.

For example, a game which requests unusual permissions such as SEND_SMS or RECEIVE_SMS should be considered highly suspicious and installed only if the user is certain about its functionality.



As expected, the web-based Android Market displays the required permissions so that the user can make an informed decision about whether to install the application.

However, the next step in the installation is where a big red security flag is raised. Once the user clicks on the install button on the website, the mobile device will automatically start downloading the application in the background.

This probably happens using the INSTALL_ASSET intent discovered last year by Jon Oberheide when Google used the Android's GTalkService mechanism to remotely remove a test Trojan application created by the researcher.

In summary - if someone managed to steal your Google password they could trick your Android smartphone into installing software, without you having to grant permission on the device itself.

The result of all this is that a Google password suddenly becomes even more valuable for potential attackers, and I would not be surprised to see even more Gmail phishing attacks as a consequence.

In future, however, the phishers' intention may not be to use stolen account credentials for the purposes of sending spam but to install malware on the user's Android devices instead.

Google should make changes to the remote installation mechanism as soon as possible. As a minimum, a dialog should be displayed on the receiving device so that the user must personally accept the application that is being installed.

Let us hope that the update will come in time to prevent cybercriminals abusing the Android Market for the automatic installation of malicious software.

In the meantime, users should choose a strong password for their Google applications account.

Author: Vanja Svajcer

Source: http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/04/android-market-web-store-backdoor-phone-hackers/

Android tops ailing Nokia's Symbian

Google's Android has overtaken Nokia's Symbian as the best selling mobile operating system.

In the last quarter of 2010, manufacturers shipped 32.9 million Android devices, while Nokia shipped 31 million Symbian handsets globally, according to analyst firm Canalys.

Android now holds a third of the market, compared to 31% for Nokia. Apple held steady from the same quarter in 2009 with 16.2% market share, while RIM slid from 20% to 15%. Microsoft fell from 7.2% to 3.1% last year, as it unveiled its new OS, Windows Phone 7.

Android first arrived two years ago, in the form of Google's G1 handset. "It's gone from nowhere to number one in the space of two years, which is pretty impressive," Canalys analyst Pete Cunningham told PC Pro.

He said Android hit the market at just the right time, when the success of the iPhone drove rival manufacturers to look for an operating system to take on Apple.

"Android offered a platform that was pretty competitive to the iPhone, and gave the opportunity to vendors like Samsung and HTC to be able to compete with Apple," Cunningham said.

"Android has certainly benefited from the timing and the fact that the established platforms such as Symbian and Windows Mobile couldn't compete with the Apple iPhone."

Canalys expects Android to keep on growing - at twice the rate of its competitors in 2011. "One of the reasons is 2011 is going to see a lot of growth from smartphones in the mid and low tier... and a lot of vendors are going to be using Android to do that," he said.

The lower-end of the market has long been Nokia's stronghold, but despite posting a drop in profits last week, the struggling mobile firm retains solid market share, Cunningham said. "Nokia's still growing well [in terms of units sold], it's growing 30% year-on-year," he said. "Nokia's not going backwards, it's just growing at a slower rate than the rest of the market."

Indeed, he noted Nokia is still the number one handset manufacturer. "You've got lots of vendors shipping on Android, so that's why Android is the biggest platform, but Nokia is still the number one smartphone vendor," said Cunningham.

by Nicole Kolbie

source: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/364816/android-tops-ailing-nokias-symbian