Oct

dan-rosenbergs-presentation-on-android-modding-for-the-security-practitioner-is-a-must-read

[Exclusive] Android 4.2 Alpha Teardown, Part 2: SELinux, VPN Lockdown, And Premium SMS Confirmation

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Android OS, APK Teardown, Exclusives, Features

We've got an LG Nexus system dump and endless desire to spoil every Googley surprise we can. Today's edition of the Android 4.2 Teardown could be alternatively subtitled "The Super-Serious Security Edition," because we're talking about the sort of stuff that should make your sysadmin jump for joy.

Please keep in mind this is just as forward-facing and time-ambiguous as all my other teardowns. This is a list of new stuff in the 4.2 dump, not a list of "confirmed for 4.2" features. Anything could be cut or not fully implemented by the time 4.2 rolls around; similarly to how bits of Android are currently multi-user aware, yet multi-user functionality isn't accessible.

Oct

Official Galaxy S III Jelly Bean Updates Continue Rolling Out Across Europe - Now In France, Spain, Romania, And Austria

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy S III, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Samsung

The floodgates seem be open, folks - the Jelly Bean updates for the Galaxy S III are now rolling out all over Europe. Last month, Samsung shared Android 4.1.1 with Polish users, took a break to fix some bugs, and restarted the process two days ago in Sweden. As of today, the list of countries has expanded quite a bit - France, Spain, Romania, and Austria. All signs point to a much wider rollout, and I wouldn't be surprised if even more territories and carriers show up within the next 48 hours.

^{Image courtesy of @TodeaCristian}

The build version of the update is the same as before: I9300XXDLIH.

Oct

Everest (Motorola Xoom 3G) Gets First Experimental CyanogenMod 10 Build

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, News, XOOM

Earlier this evening, CyanogenMod's Google+ page published an announcement that read "Who says Everest is in Nepal?". That's right – the Motorola Xoom 3G (GSM) variant has joined the list of CM-supported devices, getting its first experimental build dated 10-17.

Steady Hawkin, in a comment to the announcement, notes that the experimental build is "still a WIP," and encourages users to report any issues they may encounter.

If you're a Xoom GSM owner looking for some CM10 action, just keep an eye on the CyanogenMod download center's Everest page (linked below) for the latest builds. As CM's announcement notes, mountaineers need not apply.

Oct

These Photos May Not Show A Leaked Sony Nexus After All – Here's Why

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Leaks, Rumors, Sony

Earlier today, a couple of rather exciting photos found on Picasa began hitting news sites showing what could be a leaked device called the Sony Nexus X. Of course, during Nexus season, any rumor or glance at a possible new device is always exciting, but sometimes it's worth while to take a step back and consider whether what we're looking at is actually what it appears to be. Our penchant for putting leaked images under the microscope led us to do a bit of investigating.

After taking a look at the Nexus X photos, we have some doubts about their validity.

Oct

[Exclusive] Android 4.2 Alpha Teardown, Part 1: Quick Settings - The Second Pulldown Panel [Video]

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Android OS, APK Teardown, Exclusives, Features

Welcome to the continuation of our Android 4.2 extravaganza. If you haven't guessed by now, we don't just have an unreleased version of Gmail; we have an entire LG Nexus system dump. Some LG Nexus prototypes are supposedly running 4.1.2, but the build we have is something different - something newer. It's an in-progress 4.2 build. Most apps in this build identify themselves as version "4.2-[###]" or "JellyBeanMR1" (4.1.2 is JellyBeanMR0). The source asked us to not release the dump, so we won't. Sorry.

What we can do is give you as much information as possible about it. This Android 4.2 build is really different, in that almost nothing works on a regular phone.

Oct

Official Galaxy S III Jelly Bean Update Pops Up Again, This Time In Sweden

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy S III, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Samsung

The European Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update first turned up in Poland about three weeks ago. At the time, we were hoping it was a good indication that the rest of Europe would follow soon after, but that's about the last we've heard of it until today. In the meantime, Samsung did fire up the update in Korea and reiterated it would soon show up in the States.

Disclaimer: Android Police isn't responsible for any harm to your device - proceed at your own risk.

A new Android 4.1.1 build I9300XXDLIH just surfaced, this time destined for Sweden.

Oct

Wi-Fi Motorola XOOM Android 4.1.2 Soak Test Rolling Out, Here's How To Get It Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, XOOM

Well, that was fast. Android 4.1.2 was just released to AOSP last week, and Motorola has already started pushing the Wi-Fi XOOM's update out to soak testers. This isn't a huge jump in terms of functionality, and the incremental update will bump the XOOM from build JRO03H (4.1.1) to JZO54K (4.1.2).

Of course, those who aren't soak testers are probably wondering how they can get this update now. The beauty of Google-supported hardware like the Wi-FI XOOM (which is, for all intents and purposes a Nexus device), is that Big G makes updates likes this one available almost immediately. Therefore, it can be downloaded and manually applied right now.

Oct

[APK Teardown] The Play Store Is Getting A Built-In Malware Scanner, Wish List Progress, And More

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Android OS, APK Teardown, News

A new app update means a new APK Teardown here at AP. Today's victim is the Google Play Store, which was just freshly updated to 3.9.16. We've got all sorts of stuff to talk about.

A Built-In Malware Scanner

Yes, it's hard to believe, but Google is working on a malware scanner for the Play Store. The string file doesn't lie:

    <string name="package_malware_title">App Check</string>
    <string name="package_malware_consent_text">"Allow Google to check all apps installed to this device for harmful behavior?
To learn more, go to Settings > Security."</string>
    <string name="package_malware_banner_warning">Installing this app may harm your device</string>
    <string name="package_malware_banner_blocked">Installation has been blocked</string>
    <string name="package_malware_recommendation_warning">Google recommends that you do not install this app.</string>
    <string name="package_malware_recommendation_blocked">To protect you, Google has blocked the installation of this app.</string>
    <string name="package_malware_app_name">App name: \"%s\"</string>
    <string name="package_malware_checkbox_label">I understand that this app may be dangerous.</string>
    <string name="package_malware_consent_title">Verify apps?</string>

Apparently, there are two parts to this.

Oct

Google Posts Additional Android 4.1.2 Nexus Images, Binaries, And The Nexus Q's First Factory Image

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Galaxy Nexus, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

Yesterday, Android maintainer JBQ posted up a number of binaries and Android 4.1.2 images for multiple Nexus devices. Owners of international GSM variants of the Galaxy Nexus, though, were left out on the image side. Today, both the "soju" (Nexus S) and "yakju" (Galaxy Nexus GSM) have had their factory images updated to Android 4.1.2, and you can find those images here.

Google also saw fit to finally release a factory image for the Nexus Q, though it's based on Android 4.0.4. A number of driver binaries were added today as well, specifically NFC drivers for the Nexus 7, GSM unlocked Galaxy Nexus (maguro), and both the Sprint and Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Oct

Apple Granted Another Slide-To-Unlock Patent That Covers More Than Just Predefined Paths

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Legal, News

Following up on last year's slide-to-unlock patent grab (which itself built on a patent granted in 2010), Apple has been granted another, yet more expansive slide-to-unlock patent, one which ditches the previous patents' emphasis on "predefined paths" in favor of more ambiguous language covering the movement of an unlock image to "an unlock region" on a device's display.

While US Patent 8,286,103 is largely similar to Apple's previous two slide-to-unlock, its language is considerably broader. The logic of the patent is not concerned with what path a user takes to unlock a device, nor where the user starts or stops that path, just that an unlock image is moved "from the first location to an unlock region."

Essentially, the language of the patent has been loosened to cover workaround solutions (presumably like the circle locks of Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean) and, ostensibly, to ensure that pretty much any method of unlocking a device through a continuous touch movement is protected.