Remote Kill Switch on your PC

Summary: A feature common in phones will let Microsoft remotely disable malware 

This doesn’t surprise me at all, people tend to forget that Microsoft is well in it’s rights to put something like that in, after all they own it not you, you paid a license to use, NOT own.  In reality, kill switches are nothing new, all recent versions of Windows OS’s have one built in, that’s why you have to activate your version of Windows. (more…)

Rooting Android & Recovery 1-2-3

Summary: Rooting a phone can be a rewarding project, but it also has several dangers attached with it. When considering phone hacking, you need to know what to do if something goes wrong. Read these 3 quick steps to find out what to do if something goes wrong when rooting your phone.

Tweaking a rooted smartphone is mostly a simple process so long as you follow the instructions to the letter. But if something goes wrong it can leave you unable to boot your phon, can you say “brick”?

Thankfully it can be recovered with the helpful ROM Manager app.

Rooting your Android phone is a term that you are bound to across at some point or another while searching on how to optimize your Android device. If you you would like to know more, Wikipedia has a decent entry on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_(Android_OS)
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Anticipated Android Apps

2011 has almost come to an end, and we’ve already seen some great Android apps come out this year. But 2012, which is just around the corner and it looks like it will be another eventful year for Android. Now that the latest OS version, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), has hit the market, several device makers are expected to release ICS handsets for a ready consumer market. LG is the latest to reveal its plans around ICS, kicking into high hear during the second quarter of next year. Among the first phones to get the upgrade are the Optimus 2X, which made waves as the world’s first dual-core smartphone earlier this year, and the Optimus LTE. Others in the Optimus lineup, including the 3D, Black and Big, will also receive the ICS update by Q3 of next year.

Android’s competition in the mobile and tablet market, Apple has had a long head start in mobile apps over it’s new archival Google. However, new data shows that the number of Android apps has grown 127 percent since August and offerings in Google’s Android Market should outnumber the total for iPhone apps by mid-2012.

2012 has some great apps in store for the open-source mobile platform. (more…)

Useful Android Apps

As Android devices become the status quo and are on the rise, it’s time to consider how best to put your smartphones and tablet PCs to work. Here is a selection of Android apps that I find to be helpful. My favorites are Google Reader & Tasks, as they work in conjunction with Google’s Chrome browser.

With hundreds of thousands of apps, Android Market has the right ones for you. When you download apps, they’re delivered directly to your device—instantly. You can also find your next first-rate read, a hot new album, or a flick from a catalog that includes everything from movie blockbusters and best selling e-books to more than 8 million songs.

Head over to https://market.android.com/ and check them out. (more…)

Save on Software

In this day and age of technology, computer applications are a dime a dozen. There are apps available for the various different desktop operating systems and even more for the varying mobile platforms. This makes it important for the user to get one that suits his or her needs perfectly. One may only know about which commercial apps are popular amongst organizations, while remaining ignorant to the numerous apps produced by niche communities. One may spend money on a program when he or she could have gotten a better one for cheaper, if not free. That said, there is a strong need for parties to consider all of their options before deciding on which software to use for what purpose. (more…)

Android Steals Market

New data on mobile usage shows the number of smart phones continues to grow rapidly, increasing 12% from June of 2011 to 87.4 million in Sept. of 2011, and that the Android platforms continues to grain market share, hitting 44.8%. The data, which shows a three month average for the period ending Sept. 2011 and is based on a survey of over 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers by the comScore MobiLens service, is notable because it once again highlights the growing importance of the Android platform for the mobile strategies of media and entertainment companies. (more…)

Don’t Fear Tux

The Linux computer operating system turned twenty in August this year. But, despite having reached that fine age (in computer terms), it remains on the fringe, with relatively low usage levels. Mostly, it has suffered from its reputation for being complicated, with many thinking it’s exclusively for geeks and nerds who know each line of code by heart.

But the reputation is undeserved. Linux hardly makes any special demands on users and is far easier then Windows or Mac OS, once you become accustom to the user interface.

Another reason that Linux it is not very popular, is due to the fact that OEM’s, are locked into Windows due to licensing with Microsoft, but that is slowly changing and set to become rather sub-standard now due to Android. (more…)

Bookseller Defends Itself

Microsoft has sued Barnes and Noble for use of Android in the Nook Color. The bookseller has filed a supplemental notice of prior art that contains a 43-page list of examples it believes counters Microsoft’s claim that Nook violates Microsoft’s patents. I posted the PDF and slides at: http://jet-computing.com/patents/barnes-noble/

Instead of focusing on innovation and the development of new products for consumers, Microsoft has decided to invest its efforts into driving open source developers from the mobile operation systems market. Through the use of offensive licensing agreements and the demand for unreasonable licensing fees, Microsoft is hindering creativity in the mobile operation systems market.

The complaint also notes some odd behaviors on Microsoft’s part, such as refusing to explain what patents it was threatening B&N over, unless B&N agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement. (more…)

Android > Phoney 7

A business that harasses customers will soon lose customers. Microsoft has repeatedly violated this rule by suppressing competition. The result is a huge body of customers/consumers who are ready to bolt at the first sign of an alternative. Witness the avalanche of consumers who have chosen Android/Linux smart phones instead of stupid phones with Microsoft’s stuff on board.

Larry Page commented on that when he discusses Google impressive growth,

“Rather than seeing, for example, Microsoft compete in the marketplace with their own smartphones, they’ve really continued resorting to legal measures to hassle their own customers, right? So it seems kind of odd. And we haven’t seen the details of those total agreements, and I suspect that our partners are making good deals for themselves there.”

Android/Linux is on most smart phones these days and Phoney “7″ is on 5%, the opposite situation we see in the retail shelves of personal computers. The difference is consumers have a choice in smart phones. They soon will have the same choice in all personal computers because the suppliers who are making money using Android/Linux are not beholden to Microsoft and can make personal computers of all kinds to compete with Microsoft’s legacy stuff that’s too bulky, hot, noisy and unreliable. Folks who love Android/Linux on smart phones know there are better ways to compute. That knowledge is spreading quickly. This Christmas we will see Android/Linux taking up lots of space on smart thingies and notebooks and desktops in retail shops.

We all know how popular smart phones have become today and with their rapid development, new and latest mobile phone operating systems are also advancing. Thus, it was not so long ago that the Windows Phone 7 OS came out for the recently released Windows Phone 7 units. But, there is no doubt that the Android OS has been here longer and if we put the Windows 7 OS in comparison with the Android OS, the latter would surely be better. The in fact quite a few reasons that the Android OS seems more competent and is simply still far better even after the release of the Windows 7 OS.

In fact at this time it would seem pointless comparing the Android OS with Windows 7 for smart phones at such an early stage. Windows Phone 7 still actually has to make its place in the market and prove its capability. Thus there is no chance that it could instantly beat the Android OS.

Taking the homescreens of the two OS for instance, Android had always been using the iOS approach for its smart phones where the homescreen could be filled with as many apps as a user could find. Thus in fact the Android phone could even hold up to seven different homescreens each being filled to brink with numerous Android apps, widgets and other useful tools.

The approach Microsoft took for the Windows Phone 7 homescreen was to merely include tiles over the homescreen which themselves would be filled with apps and other such stuff, while they could be updated via the web. This approach does not seem to be too unique; in fact it seems alike what Android has to offer through its widgets. Thus it seems that the OS system by Microsoft is already lacking the innovation needed.

Thus if we begin our further comparison between these OS, there are a lot of factors that make Android the better OS.

* Much more features included in the Android OS:

If we let alone consider the features, the Android OS is in fact overflowing with them and new ones keep on getting developed and are available for the Android users. Even though it is still new, the Windows Mobile 7 OS is at a serious lack of some new and unique features.

* The Android OS is more customizable:

It already seems that the Windows Mobile 7 OS is rather rigid and would not offer the users much flexibility. This means that it could not be matched with the customization options that Android OS users are able to benefit from.

* More apps available in the Android OS:

Having a hundred thousand apps through the Android OS is quite an immense number for Android users to choose from, with new ones regularly being added. When it comes to the Windows Mobile 7, the users would merely have hundred such apps to select from which is quite a minimal number as compared to what the Android OS has to offer. Thus judging from all of this, it is pretty obvious that currently Android is surely the better OS around.I hope basic comparison chart also will help you understand better.

Animals that are kept in captivity for most of there life, often cannot survive out in the real world, as they now have to think for themselves and find their own food. So its understandable, that the freedom that Android brings may be rejected, by those who are not accustom to choice or who are to lazy to responsible for themselves. But have no fear, Apple and Microsoft will save you from the responsibility of choice. For the rest, for you brave open minded souls embrace the power or choice…embrace Android.

Apple vs Android

Steve Jobs’ legacy at Apple Inc. goes well beyond cool gadgets, a thriving retail chain and a music empire. He also launched the company’s all-out legal war on Google Inc.

In the last months of Jobs’ life, Apple unleashed a patent-suit blitzkrieg on its Silicon Valley rival, filing 10 lawsuits in six countries that accuse the Internet search giant of stealing its smartphone and tablet computer technology.

The campaign is rooted in Jobs’ belief that Google and mobile device manufacturers that use its Android software copied key design and technology features from Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

“I’m willing to go to thermonuclear war on this,” Jobs told author Walter Isaacson for his recently released biography. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product.”

He then vowed to battle Google until “my last dying breath.”

Google and manufacturers using Android are vigorously contesting Apple’s claims, which could take years to play out in court. But one thing is certain: There is a lot at stake for the company Jobs built. If it is unable to protect the iPhone’s distinctive look and feel, lower-cost competitors imitating its technology could threaten the future of its most profitable products, analysts say.

“Unless they can keep Android at bay, they cannot sustain their incredibly high margins,” said Florian Mueller, a patent specialist who has been closely following the disputes. “They’ll have to compete with much lower-priced devices with essentially the same features coming out of China and other places.”

Alternatively, victories by Apple would enable it to extract hefty ransoms from any phone maker that uses Apple-like technology, or even force its rivals to water down or remove popular features from their smartphones, including screens that respond to multiple finger touches, the graphical display of text messages, and the way users send email and browse the Internet.

That type of technological rollback, analysts and patent attorneys say, could demolish much of Google’s recent success in the $160 billion smartphone market, and gain Apple an unparalleled advantage in the industry. The market is growing rapidly as many consumers dump simpler cellphones for the more powerful and versatile smartphones.

“Some of the revelations from the Jobs biography suggest that this is almost a religious war,” said Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Co. The question is whether Apple’s battle is based on a rigorous legal analysis of company’s patent holdings or part of a personal vendetta by the company’s late co-founder, he said.

Apple’s aggressive legal attack comes as it is losing ground to its rivals in the smartphone industry. Samsung Corp., whose devices run Google’s Android software, dethroned Apple in the most recent quarter to become the world’s largest vendor of smartphones, accounting for nearly a quarter of handsets sold last quarter, compared with about 1 in 7 for Apple, according to data from Britain-based Strategy Analytics.

Apple has hired some of the nation’s top patent lawyers, including William F. Lee of WilmerHale, who helped win networking chip maker Broadcom Corp. an $891 million infringement settlement against rival Qualcomm Inc., and Harold McElhinny of Morrison & Foerster, who led Pioneer Corp. to a $59 million judgment against Samsung.

In recent weeks, Apple has been successful in temporarily banning sales of Android-powered tablets in Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. The company is now involved in lawsuits covering dozens of patents, some of which date to the technology created for 1990s-era personal computers designed a decade before smartphones were invented.

But what may look like a shotgun approach may actually be a carefully crafted battle plan. Apple is using its initial round of lawsuits to see which of its many patent claims can survive intense legal scrutiny, analysts said. The ones that are successful will become the spearhead of Apple’s litigation strategy.

“Once they’ve found the battle-tested patents that can survive challenges,” Mueller said, “they’re going to assemble all of them, put the winning team together and enforce them against everyone.”

Although Apple’s patent war stretches around the globe, the heaviest assault is in the U.S. The company is currently locking horns with Samsung in separate federal lawsuits in Washington, Delaware and Northern California, where Apple’s attorneys have demanded court orders preventing Samsung from selling its smartphones and tablets in the U.S.

“This kind of blatant copying is wrong,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in a statement. “We need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

Google has called the patent attacks “bogus,” but in August it made a major move to defend itself, announcing the largest acquisition in its 13-year history by paying $12.5 billion in cash for Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., one of the leading Android manufacturers and the holder of 17,000 technology patents that Google could use as ammunition to fend off the lawsuits.

Google allies Samsung and HTC Corp., two major device makers, are also striking back against Apple, filing countersuits that ask courts around the world to ban Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. Each patent case can cost upward of $8 million, according to attorneys and analysts said.

So far, Samsung has had mixed results with its legal fusillade against Apple, with courts in Italy and the Netherlands initially denying its motions to bar sales of Apple’s recently released iPhone 4S.

Samsung has denied that its phones infringe Apple’s patents, and has instead accused Apple of illicitly using Samsung communications technology in multiple iPhone, iPod and iPad models. The company said it has spent tens of billions developing its own digital technology in recent years, and has amassed nearly 30,000 patents in the U.S. alone.

Apple “continues to violate our intellectual property rights by selling these products,” Kim Titus, director of public relations for Samsung Telecommunications America, said in a statement. “The courts will find Apple has indeed been free-riding on our technology.”

But many of the technologies that these patents protect are so abstruse or vague that companies may end up running afoul of the law without even knowing it, said Bijal V. Vakil, a partner at law firm White & Case in Palo Alto, Calif.

“It’s become a virtually unmanageable task to go and see if you have the freedom to operate,” he said. “Procedurally it would be impossible to check all of (the valid patents) – even large companies can’t afford to do that.”

Many organizations around the world fear competition. They are scared that another bigger badder organization is going to come along that can offer the same features and benefits but will offer them: quicker, cheaper, with more customization, with better customer service, etc. Competition is actually a good thing, in fact it’s a great thing.

Without competition Apple would have never created their Ipod, Microsoft would have never created Windows, and Google would probably be non-existent. Competition is essential because it leads to one very important thing, innovation.

People are always looking for products with more features and capabilities, products that cost less but can do more, and products that just plain solve their needs/wants better than any other product can. When companies compete, consumers get what they want.

Competition pushes you to be more creative and innovate, and to truly master your skill set. A lack of competition may lead to your skills getting stale or hitting a plateau. Competition sharpens your skills and ultimately helps you achieve long-term success.