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Described by the Wall Street Journal as "a vulnerability that could allow malicious software to track emails and record data communications," a potential vulnerability in Samsung's Knox platform was discovered in late December by researchers at Israel's Ben-Gurion University. The researchers said the vulnerability would allow those with malicious intent to "easily intercept" secure data from Knox users. Samsung's initial response was that the problem may be less serious than researchers implied, and that it would investigate the situation thoroughly. Resolving - or at least addressing - the issue would be an important step for Samsung, as it hopes to position its Knox-enabled devices as viable options for those in need of tight security.
Getting in some early news, Samsung has - as part of CES 2014 - announced its new Samsung Smart Home service, a means by which users will be able to control all their connected home appliances (from refrigerators to air conditioners to smart light bulbs) through a single app on their compatible smartphone, tablet, smart TV, or wearable device.
If you want a smart watch but aren't compelled by the Galaxy Gear or enamored with the Pebble, there are other options out there to sate your desire. One of those options is Sony's Smart Watch 2. Best Buy is offering the second iteration of Sony's smart watch effort for $159.99, forty dollars off its normal price from the retailer, and thirty dollars off its price at Amazon.
Amid the flurry of new devices quietly launched recently, Google released a new Nexus accessory - a folio case for the Nexus 7 (2013). Despite my varied experiences with Nexus accessories, I'm always eager to see what Google thinks will work best with their devices. I'm particularly interested in tablet accessories. Tablets are meant to be super portable and usable anywhere, so making an accessory that retains the appeal of the device's form factor while also adding some utility is an interesting challenge.
Just a few days ago, Google Glass got a hefty update to XE12 with new Glassware, a new (official) wink gesture for taking photos, a lock screen, and other tweaks.
Earlier today, we published a first look at what we believed to be a Yahoo!-made competitor to voice assistants like Google Now and Siri. The video, sent to us by an anonymous tipster along with screenshots showed what looked to be a very impressive app with an implementation similar to Facebook's Chat Heads, whereby a Y! icon would constantly float on the home screen waiting to be activated.
Update 2: According to TechCrunch, and Co-Founder/CEO of natural language processing startup Robin Labs, the app is a real, functional product built on the startup's "white-label" voice assistant platform. While it was not commissioned by Yahoo!, it was created during ongoing discussions with the company. Read the full story here.
Glass has just gotten a nice update to XE12, which besides foretelling the long-awaited iOS app, brings with it new Glassware, gestures, and questions.
Exclusive Early Glimpse At EnergySense, The Start Of Google's Renewed Bid For Home Energy Management
Yesterday, The Information reported that Google is rumored to be working on smart thermostats, in a renewed bid to help users manage their home energy (and interior climate). Information on the project is sparse so far, but Google hopes it will be a successful follow-up to the unsuccessful PowerMeter, a service that was killed off due to apparent scaling difficulties.
If you missed out on November's Chromecast deals but still want to pick up the mighty-yet-inexpensive streaming accessory, good news - Best Buy is once again offering the Chromecast for just $29.99, about five dollars (and one cent) off its normal super-affordable price of $35. What's more, BB will give you free shipping, available for delivery by the 24th.
Have issues with the Nexus 5 or Android 4.4 KitKat (we know you do)? Well, Google has iterated its way out of many of those issues while also polishing a few other things, rolling out Android 4.4.2 recently. We had actually been working on What's Really New in Android 4.4.1, but with the update to 4.4.2 close on its heels, we'll be discussing changes from both updates.
Anyone who's shopped with Amazon for a while should know that occasionally the site has some really appealing deals offered through its Gold Box page. Today, that deal is good for 65% off a pair of V-MODA Crossfade LP Over-Ear Noise-Isolating metal headphones. We saw these in the Gold Box just a few months ago for $74.99, but today's deal brings them all the way down to $69.99 from their normal $199.99 price on Amazon.
Have a Nexus 10? Want the latest version of Android but haven't gotten the update notification no matter how many times you press the "check now" button? Good news - your update is ready to download directly from Google. If you've been around the block before, you know there's an easy way to download and manually install OTA updates for Nexus devices. We'll walk you through it below.
To wrap up the year, TIME's been working on a "Top Ten of Everything 2013" series, listing off the top ten items in various categories from Pop Culture and Social Media to, of course, tech gadgets. In that category, TIME listed things like the LEAP Motion controller, Oculus Rift Developer's Kit, and new iPads, but they awarded the top spot to Google's plucky Chromecast dongle.
It's that time again - Google has pushed out an update to the Play Store with plenty of enticing new features. We've got the APK, so after a brief rundown of some of the more notable features (we'll scour the APK in the coming days for any hidden goodies), we'll give you a link to download the app for yourself.
The last time we saw an expansion of Google Play Books was nearly a month ago when the service opened up shop in South Africa, Switzerland, and Turkey. Since then, it would appear Google has been making headway in its continued effort to bring more of its services to as many countries as possible. This time around, the list of countries in which Play Books is available has been updated to include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.
It's that time again - Google has updated the developer dashboard with new platform distribution numbers. Following a predictable trend, KitKat has eked out its own 1.1% niche, Jelly Bean (API version 16-18) is going strong at 54.5%, putting it further over the mark it reached last month, running on over half of all devices that have checked in to the Google Play Store in the past two weeks, while Gingerbread's grip continues to slip, decreasing to 24.1% from 26.3% last month.
Besides a bevy of new features, Android's update to 4.4 brought forth a ton of tweaks to the interface through GEL launcher and a fresh round of updated stock apps. There's little doubt Android's user experience and overall design paradigms are continuing to evolve, becoming more refined, usable, and useful. We covered most of the changes to the interface in Getting to Know Android but, as with any major update, new changes come with new opportunities for error.
DP Review, one of the go-to sources for reviews, guides, discussions, and even periodic photo challenges related to all types of photo gear, recently published their own exhaustive review of the Nexus 5 on DP Review Connect, the mobile-centric arm of the site.
In a post to the Android Google+ account this evening, Google officially announced the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition would be joining the HTC One Google Play Edition in the realm of timely updates, with KitKat upgrades rolling out "starting today."