Google reaches 100 millionth Android activation!!!

If seeing and hearing all about Android everyday wasn’t enough to convince you of how popular the platform is, perhaps some numbers will.

Google announced yesterday during the Google IO developer conference that more than 100 million Android devices had been activated up till now, but did not give any updates or details with regards to what version of Android currently leads the pack.

36 OEMs, 215 carriers, 450,000 Android developers all over the world, Google wants to say "thank you!" Android has recently crossed its 100 millionth activation milestone, and is also growing at its fastest pace yet: 400,000 devices activated each and every day. There are now 200,000 Android applications in the Market, which have accumulated a total of 4.5 billion installs, at a rate which Google actually says is accelerating. These figures have all been cited as a way to illustrate Google's mobile momentum, which is evidently not even thinking about slowing down. 

It's market competant Apple iOS activates 360,000 devices each and every day. The best part? Those numbers are actually accelerating. The Little Green Guy sure has come a long way.

Samsung Infuse 4G: A Review

When it comes to smartphones, how big is too big?

Samsung obviously isn’t preoccupied with that question, as evidenced by its latest Android device release, the Infuse 4G.

As soon as you pop the phone out of the box, the first thing you notice is its size. The thing is massive. It needs to be, though, in order to support its 4.5-inch super AMOLED display. Save for the first Dell Streak smartphone-cum-tablet hybrid — whose screen is a whopping 5-inches — the Infuse is packing one of the largest screens we’ve seen on a smartphone.

This is a good thing. I watched the HD trailer for Cowboys and Aliens on the little silver screen and could practically feel the trail dust on my face. The picture quality was excellent, and as bright as can be. I did wish the Infuse came with a little kickstand for my movie watching, something akin to what the HTC Thunderbolt has on its back. With this phone’s slick edges, it won’t be very stable propped up on my airplane tray table during a long flight.

After seeing how well the screen handled the trailer, I could see myself using Samsung’s Media Hub store, which lets you download from a library of thousands of HD movies. To sweeten the pot, Samsung throws in a $25 credit with the phone, which is enough to rent about 6 films.

Size has its disadvantages. After sitting down with the phone in my pocket, it felt a bit like a splint trying to straighten my upper thigh. And I don’t even wear skinny jeans.

But for being such a fatty in pure surface area, the thickness of the phone is surprisingly svelte. Samsung boasts that the Infuse is the “thinnest 4G smartphone out there today.” It’s light, too. Airy, not terribly bulky, if not a little too light. I personally prefer a bit more heft in my device — one of my biggest complaints with its Nexus S brother was the light, plasticky build that made me feel that I’d break it if I wasn’t delicate enough.

The removable plastic backing that protects the phone’s innards is thin and flimsy. It practically peels off the back of the handset, and I was worried I’d snap it in half while I took it off to look under the hood.

Samsung included a few perks that I don’t often see come with other phones. The Infuse comes with a 2-GB micro SD card, saving you a trip to Radio Shack. It also comes with a microSD adapter card, so if you’ve got a regular-sized card reader built into your laptop, transferring files is easy as pie.

An issue: The phone doesn’t have HDMI-out on the handset itself (Samsung probably ran out of room, being its “thinnest” phone to date), which is a bummer. Samsung remedies this, however, with an included MHL adapter. With a screen this big, you may wonder if you need anything else, but you might find times when an HDTV is easier to watch.

Like every other 2011 Android smartphone release, the phone doesn’t ship with the latest version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but instead runs 2.2 (Froyo). 

Listen up, bird-chucking addicts: The Infuse 4G comes bundled with a copy of Angry Birds, complete with hidden level only available to Infuse owners. Whoop.

Both the 8-megapixel back-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera take clear, crisp photos, which can be auto-uploaded to an AT&T-hosted online locker for storage or sharing, which I found pretty cool.

Overall, Samsung has created a media hub, as much as a smartphone, in the Infuse 4G. All of the included attachments practically beg for you to use it as such, and from my initial tests, it delivers.

As for the phone’s performance on AT&T’s network, that’s something to be saved for a longer review.

Beginning May 15, the phone will be available on AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network for $200 with a two-year contract.

Google Docs for Android: An early review!!

Since Google's native app for Docs on Android came out last Wednesday, I've been giving it a test drive. Google Docs works well enough in the mobile browser, and many apps have already come out trying to provide sync and edit functions. However, nothing integrates as nicely as a native app direct from the service provider.

When you first start the Google Docs app, you are greeted with a clean, uncluttered home screen with shortcuts to all your items, collections, starred documents, and other helpful things. Text documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs all open quickly and render nicely.

There is also a home screen widget or quick access to starred documents and quick creation of new documents or photos, which Google will run through optical character recognition (OCR) to turn a photo of a document into editable text. And the native app makes sharing a document with your contacts easy.

Now for the hard part: editing documents. The native Google app is great for viewing documents, but for editing, you'll be sent to the browser. The app opens the mobile version of Google Docs first, but you will have the option to switch to the desktop version--which just means you see the site as if you were on a regular PC. With the mobile version, there's no way to close the onscreen keyboard when using a Bluetooth keyboard, even though many other apps seem to be fine with that arrangement. If you close the onscreen keyboard, you lose the cursor, and no text is inserted. The arrow keys also won't move you around the text in the Document, but bounce between page elements instead. This would work for shorter text entry or quick edits, but I didn't last more than a paragraph trying to actually create a new document that way.

So, I moved over to try Google Docs in the mobile browser. The page renders nicely in the browser, but sadly does not function as well as it would on a desktop computer. As with most full versions of Google Apps on a smartphone browser, scrolling does not work quite right. The document renders beautifully, but you can't scroll through it. The arrow keys simply move you around page elements rather than moving the cursor through the text in the document. That means that once your document reaches beyond the bottom of the screen, you can't get to it. Text entry also lagged way behind my typing in the full desktop version.

I turned to Evernote to create a text document mainly because it played nicely with the keyboard, allowing me to close the onscreen keyboard and instead type and navigate my text with the Bluetooth keyboard. I also like the easy syncing of Evernote with my other computers, as well as easy sharing of notes via e-mail.

There are a few alternative Google Docs viewers. MyDocs--in a beta, testing version for now--offers another simple and clean interface for Google Docs, but will still send you to the browser for editing. GDocs has simple editing baked in, but still won't let me minimize the onscreen keyboard when I'm using the Bluetooth keyboard. This app will also allow download of documents for offline viewing or editing.

If you need a more full-featured office suite with stronger document-creation options, check out ThinkFree Office Mobile, Docs To Go, Office Suite Pro, or Quick Office Pro. If you have one of those fancy, bigger-screened, Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets, you'll want the HD version of Quick Office. For those who prefer open source office software, Open Office Reader can view, but not edit, .odt and .ods files. When not even that is enough, and you simply need access to the whole shebang, LogMeIn Ignition will get you back to your desktop.

The Google Docs app is a clean and simple way to browse and do minor edits to your Google documents, but not quite compelling enough for me to run out and grab an Asus Transformer for writing. Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the Android app--and the one I will definitely be testing more--is the photo document creation with OCR. For quick reference and reading of Google Docs, this is a great addition to my Android smartphone.

Windows Live Messenger is coming to Android Market!!

An official Windows Live Messenger application coming to the Android market on April 11, 2011. Interestingly, unlike its iOS counterpart, this app is developed by Miyowa – the same company that developed the "official" Windows Live Messenger app on the Windows Phone marketplace. 

We’re not sure why they’re choosing to outsource development of a messenger that many people have been waiting for, but we can’t doubt Miyowa’s ability without having actually used one of their apps. It should be noted that several features from its WP7 counterpart are expected to be omitted, such as file transfer. 

This app will be free but ad-supported, and will be compatible with all devices with Android 1.6 or later. The app will feature push notifications and multi-tasking.

While it is good to see Microsoft expanding it’s Windows Live services across multiple mobile platforms, we definitely hope to see Microsoft focusing more effort on their own mobile platform – Windows Phone 7. With MIX 11 coming up next week, perhaps we might hear about official Windows Live Messenger integration in Windows Phone 7 coming as part of their upcoming "Mango" update? Wishful thinking? We hope not.

Google delays open access to Honeycomb!!

Google Inc is delaying widespread access to the new version of its Android software, saying it has more work to do before the product is ready for certain types of devices.

Google unveiled Android 3.0, known as Honeycomb, earlier this year, billing it as the first version of its Android operating system designed from the ground up for use in tablet PCs. Honeycomb software is already available on the Motorola Mobility Inc Xoom tablet, which went on sale in February.

The software represents Google's first dedicated effort to challenge the dominance of Apple Inc's iPad in the nascent tablet PC market.

But Google said it will not immediately make its Honeycomb software available as open source code, the company's traditional practice with Android whereby any developers are free to modify the software as they see fit. The reason for the delay, Google said, was because Honeycomb was not ready to be customized for use on smartphones.

"While we're excited to offer these new features to Android tablets, we have more work to do before we can deliver them to other device types including phones," a Google spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

"We're committed to providing Android as an open platform across many device types and will publish the source as soon as it's ready," the statement said.

The spokeswoman said there was no timeline at the moment for when Honeycomb would be available as open source software.

News of the delay was first reported by Bloomberg Businessweek on Thursday.

Previous versions of Google's two-year-old Android software have primarily been used in smartphones. Google became the No. 1 smartphone operating system in the world in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to research firm Canalys.

HTC Desire to get Gingerbread soon!

HTC has announced that its Incredible S phone would be getting Gingerbread update in the month of June. The phone was unveiled at Mobile World Congress a few weeks back. At that time, the company said that the phone will be updated to Android 2.3 ‘quickly’. Seems like, for HTC, 4 months of time period for software update come under the realm of ‘quick’.

Anyhow, Incredible S is not the only lucky HTC phone. Apparently, the company’s older models such as Desire HD and Desire Z would be getting 2.3 update as well. And let’s not forget the grand old daddy of Desire series, the original HTC Desire. All these phones will be upgraded alongside Incredible S. As for the recently announced HTC phones, Wildfire S and Desire S, these babies will come pre-loaded with Gingerbread flavor of Android.

When you purchase an Android phone chances are it won’t come pre-installed with the latest version of the popular mobile operating system. This isn’t Google’s fault as their engineers are great at getting the latest versions of Android out of development and onto the streets but instead the manufacturers and wireless carriers. Luckily, as of late, those involved seem to be kicking things into high gear getting the Android 2.2 update out for many devices that have lagged behind.

Rumor: Ice Cream After Honeycomb!!

Open source software enthusiasts might see another version of Android as soon as this summer. Android devotees already know that each operating system update is given the name of a dessert, and that these names have gone in alphabetical order (Donut, Eclair, etc.).

Rumors about the next version of the Android operating system that comes after Android 3.0, which is expected to be Android Ice Cream, had started well before the unveiling of the Honeycomb OS. Now, it appears that Google has already started working on its upcoming OS.

Latest info suggests that the search giant has already started working on a smartphone build, GRI17, that is being referred to by the code-name ‘Ice Cream’. And it appears that the new build will be bringing some of the elements found in Honeycomb over to handsets. 

Presently, new smartphones run Android 2.3 Gingerbread or 2.2 Froyo operating systems. But, when Google first showcased the features of Honeycomb at 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), most of the gadget lovers demanded these features on smartphones too. Now, the search engine giant understood the huge market value of Android and set to launch Ice Cream for mobiles.

It is not clear which features will be available on smartphones. Honeycomb offers 3D User Interface, multi-tasking and even data encryption for tablets. So,It is expected that the upcoming OS will have some features resembling Honeycomb’s new notification system and visual themes. It is expected that the Android Ice Cream will only be unveiled in the third quarter of 2011.

Sony Ericsson Eyes for No: 1 Android Based Handset Maker!!!

Sony Ericsson CEO, Bert Nordberg, said that Sony Ericsson wants to be the No. 1 Google Android handset maker in the world. And it needs a strong foothold in the U.S. market to make that goal a reality.

Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony and Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson, has been on the mobile phone scene for about a decade. The company has mostly concentrated on delivering high-end phones to the European and Asian markets. But it's never had a strong presence in the U.S., which has helped keep its overall market share in the bottom half of major handset providers.

The phone, which is based on Google's latest Android software and was introduced tonight at Sony Ericsson's press conference, will become its flagship smartphone in the U.S. market. To generate buzz ahead of the launch, Sony Ericsson ran an advertisement during the broadcast of the Super Bowl. And according to Nordberg, it worked. He wouldn't say how much the company spent on that ad. But he said the CEO of a major U.S. carrier called him directly to ask when his network could get the new phone.

Yes, Sony Ericsson has taken it's first step to achieve it's aim. The PlayStation phone is going to be a reality very soon and it is named Xperia Play (PSP Phone).

Android Honeycomb shows off its graphics capability!!!

Google officially unveiled Android 3.0 Honeycomb, demoing it on the Motorola Xoom which was introduced at CES 2011 last month, in an event today. The demonstration video showed a handful of features that Honeycomb OS offers like the Notification System, Application Optimization and a new built-in Render Script for hardware accelerated 3D graphics.

Here are some of Honeycomb features that came trhought the presentation:

1. Notification System

The Honeycomb GUI has been optimized for tablets and it has buttons for Home, Back and Multitasking on the lower left while the lower right has notifications and clock. The new multitasking button will show visual preview of the recently used applications and the states that they are currently in. The Notification system has been redesigned for better user experience.

The rest of the screen is entirely dedicated to applications and Google said the Home screen is not just a screen where icons can be arranged but also a developer platfrom in itself. Google also showcased different widgets for Gmail, calendar, Grid for bookmarks, Stack for news or e-books etc. One intuitive feature about is the multitouch support which enables users to scroll through more than one widget at a time (much awaited feature).

2. Application Optimization

Google said that it wants to encourage developers to build tablet optimized applications/games, so it introduced what it called Application Fragment. The Fragment will allow a static frame for the app that can be used throughout the app while the other pane can be dynamic. In the video, Google demonstrated how the Application Fragment works using the Honeycomb/tablet version of Gmail. The feature also offers drag and drop in the Gmail application and the top has an application bar which is context-sensitive based.

3. Render Script Graphic Engine

Using the Script Graphic Engine, Honeycomb is able to show fluid and smooth 3D transitions in the web or applications. The Script also enables various 3D animations and graphics for the Honeycomb OS which will be running on various devices. Google also said that it had worked hard enough to make sure that the OS will get optimized 3D for different tablet devices running on multi-core processors.

Planing for a trip to any foreign country??? Here is your translator!!!

If you've ever wandered around a foreign country completely confused by what all of the signs are actually saying, Quest Visual has the answer with its augmented reality Word Lens App for iPhone. Simply point the camera at the text you want translated and the foreign language is replaced instantly on-screen with something you can read.

While translation software has been available before, seeing the converted text in-situ without any pop-ups is both neater and quicker. The speed of translation requires a small amount of text and Word Lens was not designed to read books. Decent light and clear text are also required for the best results, with Quest Visual telling people to "brighten the text with your phone light".

Currently the app is only available for the iPhone on the App Store for free, but you have to pay $4.99 in-app for translation packs. Currently there are only two packs available, Spanish to English and English to Spanish; however Quest Visual has big plans for the software.

"We're starting out with European languages and will expand from there. We won't stop until we get all the way across the globe!" said the official website.

More European languages should be added soon and all will be available to buy in-app, with the rest of the world following after that.

What of other handset users? Quest Visual has big plans on this front too, hinting that apps are on the way for Android, Windows Phone 7, Palm and Blackberry.

"Our goal was to get a great first release on one platform. Keep in touch!" said the website.

Rumor: Gingerbread comes out of the oven on November 11

"A trusted source has tipped us to the potential launch date for Gingerbread, the 2.3 version of Android. According to our source, the SDK for this upcoming revision will debut on November 11th. The timing is àpropos as Samsung is slated to have a big event in New York City  next week on the 8th and the confirmation of a Gingerbread-powered Nexus Two is a possible topic for this event."

IntoMobile is reporting today that the next release of Android--Gingerbread--is expected to debut November 11. Likely to be marked as v2.3, Gingerbread is said to focus more on aesthetics as opposed to additional features. Other details include WebM support, better copy and paste functionality, and improved social-networking features.

Reading the tea leaves, it certainly appears that an SDK announcement is around the corner. A giant gingerbread man statue was dropped off at Google headquarters two weeks ago, where he now stands next to previous delicious builds of Android, including Froyo (2.1) and Eclair (2.0).

Typically, Google announces an SDK or a phone within a few weeks of new lawn ornaments. Samsung was recently tied to "Nexus Two" rumors where it will reportedly debut the 2.3 build. A few Android blogs have also spotted Android 2.3 and 3.0 (Honeycomb?) in their recent traffic analytics reports, leading many to believe testing is being actively conducted.

The latest release of Google Maps might be our first glimpse into how applications and menus will look. A clever Freenode IRC member, canadiancow, noticed that the app came with a folder hiding new graphics and interface tweaks. Look for a crisper, sharpened appearance to the overall user experience with a hint of green.

Verizon has a couple of devices expected to launch November 11, but I don't expect to see Gingerbread loaded on them just yet. If recent history is any indication, it will be at least a few weeks or more between the SDK release and the first phone or OTA update.

Facebook App for Android – Version 1.4 Available

Recently, Android got a new facebook application update (version 1.4). Facebook, being the largest online social networking site, has released a major update for its Android application. The introduction of this new application has helped bring the places and groups together over an optimum utilization of space.

The groups can now share posts within a small group. You need not publish your post with all your friends. It can be done with a small group of friends now. You can even share your place with your group of friends. For example, you can let them know where you are and even have knowledge of where your friends are. Not only that, you can even discover and locate the places nearby.

Additionally, within the application, you can view your recent notifications in your profile. Hence, it creates no disturbance while using your facebook account. The new improved notification system lets you view the comments and posts published on your wall without any havoc. The new update has also fixed up a few bugs for the facebook users.

The new android facebook app update is now available to download and can be downloaded off your android device for free. Simply go to all programs, choose the market icon, click on search, type “facebook”, and simply download and install the application on your Android based phone.

Google Instant For Android 2.2!!

The fact that Google is launching increasingly new services more often and most of them are implemented, at least initially, only in the United States is not a surprise to anyone with the new Google Instant situation is a bit different. Yesterday on the Google Blog announced new optimization search service, already available on desktop or portable systems in the U.S., and portables with the latest version of Android.

Instant Google can be summed up very simply, anything you write on Google generates instant results, there is no need to press the classic search button. But the great advantage is that with each letter you write besides Google suggests search terms in real time, beginning to show results and also in real time.

In your Android phone, for example, simply go to www.google.com then, turn in the bottom of the Google.com the English version. Normally, when you are on this version of the page no longer localized results are given priority, but it can solve this problem. Click on the Locate Me.

Given that the results are displayed in real time consumes more of your Internet traffic at any point you can enable or disable Instant Google, which is currently in testing period (Beta).

In any case the feeling is great, you should not give two or three searches to get the result you are interested in the problem often is that you missed a letter or you must put a word. Everything is resolved in a single website.

Google Responds to Oracle's Lawsuit

Google has finally officially responded to Oracle's patent and copyright infringement lawsuit against the search giant's Android mobile operating system. Apart from boatloads of pages on how Google pretty much denies any and all claims, there's a lot of interesting stuff in there - stuff that doesn't seem to bode well if the courts do decide Google is infringing Oracle's patents. It also makes it crystal clear that anyone who values Free and open source software should avoid Oracle products like the plague.

In the counterclaims, Google describes where the Dalvik VM comes from, and what pieces it consists of. The conclusion is this: Google does not have a license for the patents and/or copyrights associated with the Java programming language, platform, and runtime environment, and the company knew this all along. If the judges decide Google infringes upon these patents, Google is boned.

Let's back up for a second, and look at how we got here. Sun open sourced Java SE under the GPL back in 2006 and 2007. However, and this is the key, Sun wouldn't give you patent and copyright licenses unless your implementation also passes the Technology Compatibility Kit from Sun. The problem is how this TCK is licensed; it comes with all sorts of restrictions on use that don't sit well with the Apache Foundation. The Apache Foundation has been trying to get a license without these restrictions ever since.

As Google gleefully points out several times, Oracle used to be squarely on Apache's side in this debate, urging Sun quite strongly on several occasions to provide said license to Apache. For instance, Oracle supported a motion that "TCK licenses must not be used to discriminate against or restrict compatible implementations of Java specifications by including field of use restrictions on the tested implementations or otherwise. Licenses containing such limitations do not meet the requirements of the JSPA [Java Specification Participation Agreement], the agreement under which the JCP [Java Community Process] operates, and violate the expectations of the Java community that JCP specs can be openly implemented."

Interestingly enough, as we know today, one of the main reasons Oracle bought Sun was the potential for patent infringement suits around Java, something pitched by Jonathan Schwartz himself. As such, Oracle has now done a complete 180 on this one, and it now apparently no longer supports Apache's cause. This just goes to show that companies can never be trusted - scorpion, river, frog.

The Dalvik VM uses parts of the Apache Harmony Java implementation. Apache Harmony has not passed the TCK. Consequently, it is not covered by Sun's patent and copyright licenses. The struggle to obtain such a license has been well documented in the past, and Google itself confirms that by describing this struggle in great detail in the counterclaim. As such, if Google were to be found infringing - it'd be wilful infringement. Oops.

Of course, most of us more enlightened geeks find software patents a bunch of nonsense, but sadly, the US patent system is the way it is, and it looks like Google could have its behind handed to them.

At least one good thing has come out of this: Oracle has been exposed for the anti-Freedom, anti-open source company that it really is. Its loyalties lie with money, and money alone - and while that's perfectly fine, it does make it clear that anyone who values more than money alone should avoid any Oracle product like the plague.

BlindType to Power Android!

BlindType was missed by us until now but this is an amazing technology that Google has acquired. Before its acquisition BlindType was expected to be on iPhone and other platforms aswell but now its safe to assume that this patent pending tech will be exclusive to Android.

BlindType predicts what the user wanted to input without any relevance of the keys that were typed. As the name suggests it promoted BLIND typing. This is made possible by mapping the gestures or pattern in which the typing was done (wrt QWERTY layout) and not where the keys are placed.The claims are such that a user might not need to have a keyboard visible at all to type using Blind Type. Just typing on the interface directly would be enough, this sounds crazy! Below is a demo video of BlindType in action. Blind Type goes against the Apple iOS auto correction that is pretty popular and the SWYPE keyboard that we have seen on Android and other platforms. However all of these require user to concentrate on the screen and requires some precision wrt to the pressing of keys. BlindType makes typing completely independent of the keyboard.

Droid X Finally Gets Android 2.2!!!

With the Droid, Droid Incredible, and Droid 2 all equipped with Android 2.2, Droid X users are feeling kind of left behind right now. But fear not, X-Men. A new report suggests the Motorola device will get the update in just a couple days.

This comes from a reader on Droid Life who said he reached a managerial representative at Motorola. He was told then that Droid X users would be upgrading their devices to Froyo on September 22.

Well, that would actually be keeping Verizon's original promise of bringing the update by the end of the summer. September 22 is the last day of summer, though only for part of the day until it turns over the fall. 

To date there has been little rhyme of reason to the rollout of the new Android system. So far the Nexus One, Droid, Droid 2, Evo 4G, and Droid Incredible have all gotten their push to the new Android OS. They have historically come at random times, and not on scheduled release dates.

Android 2.2 on September 22 makes sense though. Look at all those 2's. Well, again, it's just speculation and hearsay at this point. But it definitely makes sense to see the Droid X be the next to get upgraded.

Still waiting are Samsung Galaxy S users and a couple less-high-profile devices. The Android 2.2 train just keeps chugging. It'll get there eventually...

Double Authentication to Boost Security!!!

Google is making it harder for Gmail and other Google Apps accounts to get compromised by adding an optional feature that will send a security code to your smartphone for logging in.

The two-step verification feature will be available to Google Apps premier, education, and government customers on Monday, and to the hundreds of millions of individual Google users in coming months, as a built-in part of the free service, a Google product manager told.

Until now, Google accounts have been protected only with passwords, which are susceptible to phishing and other social-engineering attacks.

The two-step verification feature will put an additional roadblock in the way of online criminals by generating a onetime six-digit code that will be sent to the account holder in order to be able to successfully log in. The code will be sent after the password is provided.

This type of two-factor authentication--something you know (password) and something you have (smartphone with code)--is similar to smart cards and tokens, except that the code is accessed on a piece of hardware you most likely already carry.

Google users will sign up for the service through the Settings page and will be able to specify whether they want to get the security code sent to them via text message or automated voice call, or through a Google Authenticator app they can download to their Android device, BlackBerry, or iPhone. The code is randomly generated and changes every few minutes.

Many people might find it inconvenient to have to check their phone and type in an additional code every time they want to check their Gmail. To solve this problem, Google has made it so that people using the same computer to access their accounts can check a box to "remember verification for this computer" so that they won't be asked for a code on that computer for a month.

And for those who are happy with their one-factor password security, they don't have to opt in to this new feature. Google Apps enterprise administrators will be able to turn the feature on for any user in the organization.

The impetus for the feature came about a year and a half ago, when Google engineers asked themselves, "what's the single thing we can do to improve the security for our users the most?," said Travis McCoy, a security product manager at Google.

Google is open-sourcing the software so companies can do customization and port the app to other platforms. Google also is using an open standard to generate the codes so "vendors can offer a token that will work with Google Apps," McCoy said.

OpenFeint Makes Its Way to Android!

Even the most ardent Android fanboy has to admit that the Apple iPhone platform has it licked when it comes to gaming. OpenFeint is trying to change that and the popular mobile gaming company is bringing the heat with a bunch of popular games.

“Android users deserve great games but haven’t had access to enough of them. That changes today,” said Jason Citron, CEO of Aurora Feint. “Hundreds of thousands of people activate Android phones every day, and there is a clear need for high quality games in the marketplace. The major wireless carriers are partnering with us to select the best games from iOS - like Fruit Ninja - to bring to Android.”

A number of top notch games will be getting their OpenFeint Android launch this month, including Mega Jump, Must.Eat.Birds, Solipskier, and MiniSquadron. When all is said and done, Android is expected to see 20 OpenFeint-enabled games in its first month alone. It may be a small number when compared to the 3000 OpenFeint games on iOS devices, but it’s also a great first step that should help introduce Android gamers to the experience without completely overwhelming them.

“This is a big step for OpenFeint and an even bigger step for Android as it becomes a serious mobile gaming platform,” said Jonathan Goldberg, Analyst at Deutsche Bank Equity Research. “OpenFeint ushered in mobile online gaming for iOS devices and we think they’ll lead the revolution on Android.”

In addition to the achievements, leaderboards, and friend-tracking that OpenFeint is known for, Android gamers will also get their own Feint Spotlight app, which will help users to discover new games and even win prizes.

With these games and the upcoming full version of Angry Birds, Android users will be able to hold their heads up high when it comes to gaming.

Alert! Adobe Flash Player 10.1.82.76 Got Loophole in It!

Adobe has disclosed a newly-discovered vulnerability in current versions of the Flash Player and says there are reports that it is being exploited in the wild.

According to Adobe, a critical vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player 10.1.92.10 for Android. This vulnerability also affects Adobe Reader 9.3.4 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX, and Adobe Acrobat 9.3.4 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh. This vulnerability could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild against Adobe Flash Player on Windows. Adobe is not aware of any attacks exploiting this vulnerability against Adobe Reader or Acrobat to date. 

Adobe is in the process of finalizing a fix for the issue and expect to provide an update for Adobe Flash Player Android operating systems during the week of September 27, 2010. 

While Adobe cautions owners to “follow security best practices by keeping their anti-malware software and definitions up to date”, this advice leaves Android owners in the lurch as there are no best practices or virus definition updates for this mobile OS. There are several security apps available for Android including Norton Mobile Security, droidSecurity, and Lookout, but Google’s mobile OS is a relatively young and untested platform for security applications. We really have no idea how quickly and effectively these applications will respond to a circulating threat.

Android To Rule The World By 2014!

It seems like only yesterday that we thought Steve Jobs owned the future of the mobile world and beyond. Anti-Appleites lobbied against his walled garden approach and despaired at his unstoppable tech machine. That was until that little green robot came along, of course. Then the anti-Apple world, plus me, rejoiced in their new hero. 

And now it’s predicted Google’s Android is on course to become the leading mobile operating system (OS) in the world by 2014, according to industry analysts. 

Gartner, one of the top research and analysis companies in the world, has run the numbers and decided that Android could very well hold the #1 spot by 2014. Nokia’s Symbian OS is likely to hold the top spot until 2014, and the analysts aren’t certain Android will have taken the lead by then.

Gartner says Nokia’s hold on the lower-end of the market supports Symbian. Nokia is currently hoping to take a piece of the high-end smartphone market with the much-hyped Nokia N8 and is consolidating its hold at the lower-end with releases such as the Nokia C3 and Nokia X6 8GB.

However, it says Symbian will not be able to hold off Android for much longer. Google is forging some solid relationships with manufacturers and retailers based on promoting its brand as a major selling point for a phone, look at the promotion of the Samsung Galaxy S that had significant focus on the phones Android OS for evidence of this clever win-win tactic.

The driving factor behind Android’s explosive growth? A push into budget and mainstream devices – something we’ve already started to see with the IDEOS and Intercept. Samsung in particular is named as making a large push soon, with the other major players entering in soon after.

It is this approach and Google’s open platform model that has helped it to take the mobile world by storm this year, with rivals caught napping. And this report is a clear indication that fight backs such as iOS 4.0 and 4.1, BlackBerry OS 6.0 and Windows Phone 7 will not be enough to stop the Google tide.