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Malware, BBM and Galaxy Tab price drops... maybe
#3 | 5:08 |
Wednesday March 9, 2011
Android Weekly
Wednesday March 9, 2011
All the news that's fit to Google. Malware hits the Market but is quickly excised, BBM maybe coming to an Android smartphone or tablet near you and Samsung pres admits the Galaxy Tab pricing maybe a mite off the mark. We also take a look at the Grocery IQ app in this episode of Android Weekly.
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Malware: Coming soon to an Android handset near you?
We the media love a good controversy. This one is a PR loser for Android. Malware has made its way onto the Android platform. A few infected apps, some of them "free" versions of otherwise paid apps, slipped through the net. They've since been deleted from the Android Market, but not before as many as 200,000 unlucky and apparently distracted people clicked the download link.
There were about 50 infected apps in all. After this malware was reported, the Android Market moved quickly to exorcise the demons from their listings and they're now long since gone. This news comes by way of Symantec's official blog post on Android malware
A couple of things are clear here. One: the Android Market really does need to do a better job of vetting apps. Two: Users need to be aware.
As butterscotch news poster and Android Weekly research Nihir Morzaria points out in his post, a lot of the noise in the mainstream media is just that; noise. The Android Market has already has safeguards in place: Apps have to request any permissions they'll require before they can be installed. If, as he points out, a game of Solitaire is requesting access to your contacts, full network communications and so on, you might want to think twice before hitting that "allow" button.
If you've downloaded so many apps that hitting the Allow button has become muscle memory, take a step back. This approval screen, annoying though it may sometimes seem, is there to avoid just this type of issue. Remember, it could be worse as anyone that experienced UAC on Vista will attest.
BBM Android's new BFF?
The BlackBerry-exclusive secure device to device messaging protocol, BBM may be coming to Android.
Before you assume that someone at RIM just divided by zero, this one falls into the realm of rumor. Boy Genius Report cites sources within RIM as saying that the smartphone maker is looking to bring BBM to other platforms. If this report is to be believed, Android gets first love. This thanks to the fact that it's open and not one for arbitrarily refusing to list an app without explanation.
If BBM is on its way to Android, one of the last bastions that keeps consumer BlackBerry users coming back just got a whole lot less exclusive. Business users are, of course, a different discussion altogether.
If indeed BBM hits Android, expect it to be a pared down offering, stripped of the ability to share video, pictures or location data. We'd assume that it would be a paid service too but that, as with the veracity of this story, remains to be determined.
Samsung Galaxy Tab overpriced
It seems Samsung is sweating the iPad 2. The Samsung Galaxy Tab always felt a little overpriced. Really, it should have been priced a little below the original iPad if mass adoption was the goal. Instead, the base Tab cost about $100 more than the base iPad. Now, with Samsung's 10-inch model waiting in the wings to do battle with the recently announced iPad 2, sounds like Samsung might be rethinking its pricing structure. Company President Lee Don-joo told Yonhap News Agency as much.
It's good to see a company big wig admit what the purchasing public has known all along. It'll be even better if the 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab comes in at a price point that competes with the iPad 2's $500 base price with the 7-incher priced another $100 below that.
With the pricing of the 3G Motorola Xoom tablet announced at $800 and the wifi only version clocking in at $600, price competitiveness with the iPad 2's $500 base, $630 base + 3G looks to be a bit off.
We could argue about this all day; the Xoom is a compelling offering that has more storage than the base iPad 2 and a higher res widescreen to boot. However, Android tablets are still the exception as opposed to the norm; if Android tablets want to properly compete with Apple's offering they need to play by the rules. Rules, unfortunate though it may be, that are set by Jobs et. al.
Etched in the slate that Apple trudged down the mountainside it very clearly states:
Thou shalt not maketh consumers balk at thy sticker price
Thou shalt offer but a few products and refresheth them every year.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's tablet.
Thou shalt not worship false idols or graven images... with the sole exception of the Apple logo.
Review of the Day
For our review of the day, we check in with Kate Abraham who is, in turn, checking out with the Grocery IQ app for Android.
Grocery IQ
Free app
We the media love a good controversy. This one is a PR loser for Android. Malware has made its way onto the Android platform. A few infected apps, some of them "free" versions of otherwise paid apps, slipped through the net. They've since been deleted from the Android Market, but not before as many as 200,000 unlucky and apparently distracted people clicked the download link.
There were about 50 infected apps in all. After this malware was reported, the Android Market moved quickly to exorcise the demons from their listings and they're now long since gone. This news comes by way of Symantec's official blog post on Android malware
A couple of things are clear here. One: the Android Market really does need to do a better job of vetting apps. Two: Users need to be aware.
As butterscotch news poster and Android Weekly research Nihir Morzaria points out in his post, a lot of the noise in the mainstream media is just that; noise. The Android Market has already has safeguards in place: Apps have to request any permissions they'll require before they can be installed. If, as he points out, a game of Solitaire is requesting access to your contacts, full network communications and so on, you might want to think twice before hitting that "allow" button.
If you've downloaded so many apps that hitting the Allow button has become muscle memory, take a step back. This approval screen, annoying though it may sometimes seem, is there to avoid just this type of issue. Remember, it could be worse as anyone that experienced UAC on Vista will attest.
BBM Android's new BFF?
The BlackBerry-exclusive secure device to device messaging protocol, BBM may be coming to Android.
Before you assume that someone at RIM just divided by zero, this one falls into the realm of rumor. Boy Genius Report cites sources within RIM as saying that the smartphone maker is looking to bring BBM to other platforms. If this report is to be believed, Android gets first love. This thanks to the fact that it's open and not one for arbitrarily refusing to list an app without explanation.
If BBM is on its way to Android, one of the last bastions that keeps consumer BlackBerry users coming back just got a whole lot less exclusive. Business users are, of course, a different discussion altogether.
If indeed BBM hits Android, expect it to be a pared down offering, stripped of the ability to share video, pictures or location data. We'd assume that it would be a paid service too but that, as with the veracity of this story, remains to be determined.
Samsung Galaxy Tab overpriced
It seems Samsung is sweating the iPad 2. The Samsung Galaxy Tab always felt a little overpriced. Really, it should have been priced a little below the original iPad if mass adoption was the goal. Instead, the base Tab cost about $100 more than the base iPad. Now, with Samsung's 10-inch model waiting in the wings to do battle with the recently announced iPad 2, sounds like Samsung might be rethinking its pricing structure. Company President Lee Don-joo told Yonhap News Agency as much.
It's good to see a company big wig admit what the purchasing public has known all along. It'll be even better if the 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab comes in at a price point that competes with the iPad 2's $500 base price with the 7-incher priced another $100 below that.
With the pricing of the 3G Motorola Xoom tablet announced at $800 and the wifi only version clocking in at $600, price competitiveness with the iPad 2's $500 base, $630 base + 3G looks to be a bit off.
We could argue about this all day; the Xoom is a compelling offering that has more storage than the base iPad 2 and a higher res widescreen to boot. However, Android tablets are still the exception as opposed to the norm; if Android tablets want to properly compete with Apple's offering they need to play by the rules. Rules, unfortunate though it may be, that are set by Jobs et. al.
Etched in the slate that Apple trudged down the mountainside it very clearly states:
Thou shalt not maketh consumers balk at thy sticker price
Thou shalt offer but a few products and refresheth them every year.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's tablet.
Thou shalt not worship false idols or graven images... with the sole exception of the Apple logo.
Review of the Day
For our review of the day, we check in with Kate Abraham who is, in turn, checking out with the Grocery IQ app for Android.
Grocery IQ
Free app
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