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Gigabud RAT malware exploits accessibility services to swipe info
Hackers continue to target known assistive software vulnerabilities
Malware has proven to a blessedly small but still persistent-as-a-mosquito problem on Android. Hackers frequently target known weak points in the operating system to take advantage of users, and more often than not, accessibility software is exploited. Recently, cybersecurity researchers Group-IB have attributed a spate of financially-driven hacks across Southeast Asia and Central America to the Gigabud Random Access Trojan (RAT), on Android devices.
Google Play Pass more than doubles the number of countries it's available in
No need to pay for in-app transactions with a ton of apps
Google's Play Pass program, where customers trade a monthly or annual subscription fee for all-you-can-eat downloads, premium features, and in-app perks for certain apps, has expanded to 48 new countries.
LG Velvet coming to North America and elsewhere in the coming weeks
The company told everyone pretty much everything about this phone well before launch
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As we're used to for the past several years now, LG leaves very few secrets on the table about the phones it's going to launch. Indeed, the new Velvet phone was teased quite early on as the successor to the longstanding G-series. Tomorrow, it goes on pre-sale in South Korea and we're now getting a clearer look at what we can expect out of the phone.
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- Opera has posted a response to the report on its investors site, stating it "contains numerous errors":
It's no secret that Opera isn't doing so well in the era of Chrome dominance. According to a report published by Hindenburg Research, the company's losses in browser revenue have apparently led it to create multiple loan apps with short payment windows and interest rates of ~365-876%, which are in violation of new Play Store rules Google enacted last year.
The tidal waves of Galaxy S20 leaks continue to roll in. It's been high season for leaks bloggers like Max Weinbach, who we've just had on the Android Police Podcast. For Ishan Agarwal, who, along with India's MySmartPrice, is responsible for the latest spec dump on the S20 5G, S20+ 5G, and S20 Ultra 5G models that will be sold in many parts of Europe and Asia, this season just got a bit higher.
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- Thanks to SamMobile, we now have what appears to be official press images of the A51 in four colors: Prism Crush White, Black, Pink, and Blue. The story goes on to corroborate several specs we already reported, such as the 6.5" display, Exynos 9611 SoC, and 4GB of RAM for the 64GB model plus 6GB of RAM for the 128GB version. SamMobile also notes that the A51 sill contains a hefty 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging capabilities. We may not have to wait long for Samsung to confirm these details, as the A51 is rumored to be unveiled at an event on December 12th.
It might not be the phone we're going to talk the most about, but we think it's still pretty important to have a look at and learn about one of Samsung's upcoming smartphones coming out next year. Now, courtesy of some leaks, we're getting a preview of what will be the Galaxy A51.
The Galaxy Fold isn't the only new version of an old device in town from Samsung. The company is in the middle of updating some of its A-series smartphones with newer variants signified with an 's' suffix at the end of the model name. This time around, we're talking about the Galaxy A20s hitting south Asia.
For every major market except the United States, a new OnePlus phone is available for purchase today. The OnePlus 7 is very much an updated 6T (a 6Tt, if you will), but I found the upgrades to be worthwhile when I tested the phone for my review, especially considering the price is the same.
A hole punch front camera with an almost bezel-free display is the dominant smartphone design trend for 2019, whether you like it or not. HMD Global's new Nokia-branded device is the latest to go with this setup, and it certainly looks handsome for it. The mid-ranger has been announced for the Asian market, launching first in Taiwan.
South Korea has been added to the official list of territories where Android Auto is supported, bringing the total number of countries with full access to the platform to 32. Android Auto Wireless is still only available in the US, Canada, and Mexico, though, so South Koreans will have to connect with a USB cable.
The first carrier to support Google's Jibe RCS technology was Sprint, back in November of last year. Since then, several carriers in Canada, Asia, and Europe have made the switch. Now it looks like Celcom will support Jibe RCS, becoming the first carrier in Malaysia to do so.
LG Starts Rolling Out The Good Looking All-Metal Midrange LG Zero To Asia, Europe, And Latin America
Smartphones are inspirational. People see me carrying an LG G4 and want a cheaper almost just as good alternative from the brand. But up until now, LG's midrange has been lacking both in terms of specs and looks. That's why it's interesting to hear about the global rollout of a new premium'ish offering from the company that is good enough for a grand majority of users. Think of this LG Zero as the answer to Samsung's Galaxy Alpha series, but in only one configuration so far.
HTC seems to have forgotten about its sole entrant into the "phablet" market - they haven't released anything as large as the 5.9-inch One Max since its debut way back in 2013. But presumably the people who own it still like it, or at least use it, so the news that HTC is finally updating the device to Android 5.0 should be welcome. Numerous users have started receiving the Lollipop OTA as evidenced by posts to Twitter and XDA-Developers.
There were a few leaks of a larger version of the M9 in advance of the announcement, but it didn't show up back at MWC. Still, it looks like this phone is still going to be released in the Asian market. New images of the M9+ have been leaked, and it's not an attractive device. I realize design is subjective, but 4 out of 5 AP staffers think this is a truly ugly phone.
Before Chromebooks and Android, Google blew peoples' minds with its web services alone. Translate was one of them. Here was a website that took in whatever you typed and spat out something that at least kind of resembled the same words in a different language. Even now, translations aren't spot on, but it usually gets close enough to convey the message.
We've heard about the newest HTC Butterfly before from Japanese carrier KDDI, but now HTC is officially welcoming it into the Butterfly family. That's not a name you hear much in the US, but it's one of HTC's premier brands overseas. This device will be known as the J Butterfly HTL23 in Japan and the Butterfly 2 in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and throughout Southeast Asia. It's a reasonably high end device, but it's not all metal like the M8. As a tradeoff, it's water-resistant.
Lenovo has been hanging out in the bottom end of the Android market ever since they gave up on the ThinkPad Tablet, but it looks like they're finally ready to ship some high-end hardware. Enter the Lenovo Vibe Z, a 5.5-inch smartphone with an LTE radio - a first in the company's Android lineup. As usual, Lenovo doesn't seem interested in western markets for this phone. According to the press release, it will go on sale in February in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Philippines for $549.
Google Translate Adds 9 New Languages From Africa, Asia, And New Zealand, Available On The Web And Mobile
Google Translate Adds 9 New Languages From Africa, Asia, And New Zealand, Available On The Web And Mobile
Google Translate is a pretty great tool, but it's only useful if it actually works where you need it. Today it works in even more places, as Google has updated both the web service and the Android app with nine new languages, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
These 184 Carriers And Major Retailers Across The Globe Will Carry The HTC One
These 184 Carriers And Major Retailers Across The Globe Will Carry The HTC One
HTC this morning officially unveiled its new flagship for 2013: the HTC One. So far, we've posted the full specs, our hands-on, and the list of carriers in the U.S. and Canada, but if you live outside those territories, you might be wondering exactly which carriers and major retailers to visit to pick up the One when it becomes available in March.