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Most Motorola devices won't get Android 4.0 update anytime soon

By Athima Chansanchai

If you own a Motorola phone and are waiting for the upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, get ready for disappointment: A handful of tablets and phones will be upgraded by this summer, while the hottest models, such as the Droid Bionic or Droid Razr and Razr Maxx, have no slated upgrade rollout dates.

Motorola unveiled the schedule (or lack thereof) in its Owners' Forum under Motorola Android Software Upgrade News.

For phone models, Motorola's Ice Cream Sandwich rollout begins in "Q3," that is, sometime between June and September of this year. For now, that only includes the Atrix and Photon. When it comes to tablets, only the U.S.-based, Wi-Fi Xoom has received the new software; the other three versions of Xoom will have to wait until April to see ICS, while the Xyboard and Xoom 2 get it in the summer.

When the big moment does arrive, Motorola customers can follow these instructions:

In most cases, consumers will receive a notification on their device that the OTA upgrade is available. An available upgrade or update may be rolled out over a period of time in order to best manage the deployment volume and experience. At times, a small testing group is provided the upgrade before it's made available to a larger group. On your Motorola Android Phone or Tablet, you can go to Settings -> About Phone/Tablet -> System Updates to manually check for an OTA upgrade. All estimated release dates are based on available information and are subject to change.

That bit at the end about being "subject to change" may be something Motorola would do well to heed. This schedule reveals delays that may not sit well with its consumers, who may fall behind Sony, LG and HTC, which all have planned ICS rollouts by early this year.

Motorola should learn from the Samsung snafu that kicked up in December, when the company that regularly plays tug-of-war with Apple as the world's biggest smartphone vendor announced that its popular first-generation Galaxy S smartphones would not be getting Android 4.0. In doing so, they deprived 10 million customers from having ICS.

And even when they do get ICS, the upgrade may arrive right on the heels of the next Android rollout, 5.0, apparently bearing the "Jelly Bean" moniker. There's only been one report of that upgrade coming out in the spring, so we're not going to start salivating yet, but it's certainly poor coordination on the part of Google and its newly acquired mobile handset maker, and it's no way to treat customers.

The newest Android OS is the best thing to happen to that platform since it started to beat the iPhone in global marketshare. Here are the features that make this frozen treat hot - and the lucky phones that will first get the update.

Motorola's Android OS Upgrade Timeline Is Mostly Bad News

By Jared Newman.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream SandwichMotorola has promised to upgrade many of its smartphones and tablets to Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but not any time soon.

So far, Motorola's Xoom Wi-Fi is the only device that has received Android 4.0, and the Xoom Family Edition is the only U.S. device scheduled for an update in the first half of the year. Five other Motorola devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich in the third quarter, including the Atrix 4G, Atrix 2, Photon 4G, Xyboard 8.2 and Xyboard 10.1.

Meanwhile, rumors have it that Android 5.0, codenamed "Jelly Bean" may arrive this spring.

Ice Cream Sandwich is a major upgrade for Android, combining Google's phone and tablet software into a unified platform. In addition to the new look, ICS includes hardware acceleration to make the interface smoother, a face unlock feature, better voice dictation, built-in photo editing, a redesigned contacts app, and the ability to answer a call with an automated text message, among other features. It's also the only version of Android that supports Google's Chrome browser.

So far, only 1 percent of Android users who have recently accessed the Android Market are running Ice Cream Sandwich.

Motorola has promised that its latest phones will get Ice Cream Sandwich, including the Droid Bionic, Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx and Droid 4. But those devices, along with nine other U.S. phones and tablets, are listed as in "Evaluation and Planning," with no release timing given.

A post on the Motorola owners' forum has complete upgrade details for all the company's Android devices. That, at least, should be applauded, considering that most Android phone makers don't offer one place to get all of this information.

Details for upgrades for all of Motorola's Android devices.

But the lack of upgrade timing for Motorola's latest phones is a letdown. The wording in Motorola's press releases for the Droid 4 and Droid Razr--"to be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich"--suggests that the company at least had upgrade plans in place. The actual timeline tells a different story, with all the latest phones still in the evaluation phase.

Motorola recently tried to blame slow Android upgrades on hardware, telling PCMag that "multiple chipsets and multiple radio bands for multiple countries" were to blame. Conventional wisdom holds that software modifications by device makers and wireless carriers also slow down the process, because of the time it takes to merge their code with Google's.

Follow Jared on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for even more tech news and commentary.

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Malware loves Android, but iOS users could be at risk too

By Lance Whitney.

A new study from Juniper finds that Android is the hardest hit by malicious apps but says iOS could be vulnerable as well.

Android has gotten a lot of negative buzz for its susceptibility to malware. But a new study from Juniper Networks suggests that iOS could also be at risk.

Scanning hundreds of thousands of applications across the mobile landscape for its 2011 Mobile Threats Report, Juniper uncovered more than 28,000 pieces of malware last year, a rise of 155 percent from 2010.

As expected, Android was the post popular target.

Malware aimed at Google's mobile OS surged to 13,000 samples at the end of last year from only 400 in June, an increase of 3,325 percent. The platform's leading market share and the lack of control over the apps found in Android app stores have attracted more malware writers.

Before 2011, most mobile malware was targeted at Nokia's Symbian and Java ME, which runs on feature phones. But since then, Juniper has witnessed a huge shift toward Android.

Juniper's database didn't include malware samples for iOS, not necessarily because none exist, but because Apple doesn't release such data or open its platform for such analysis.

"While malicious applications on the iOS platform are limited in large part due to Apple's closed application marketplace and stringent screening model, it does not necessarily make it fundamentally more secure," Juniper said in its report released on Tuesday. "For one, when a user 'jailbreaks' their device by removing the limitations on the operating system, the device can be susceptible to malicious applications downloaded from third-party sources."

In fact, an IOS security flaw was discovered in November that allowed apps to download potentially malicious unsigned code. Apple patched the flaw with its iOS 5.0.1 update. And an app exploiting this type of flaw would've been rejected during Apple's approval process. But the incident did show that even iOS isn't invulnerable.

Further, Apple doesn't provide developers with the tools to create anti-malware apps, according to the report. The company may feel secure and justified in not allowing such development. However, such a policy could prove problematic should any risky apps manage to sneak through Apple's approval process.

"This lack of software protection and a competitive security market leaves users with little protection if malware were ever to make it through Apple's application vetting process," Juniper noted. "In the long run, this could create a false sense of security for Apple users and prove to be an even bigger risk than Android's open model."

Android Market alone has seen its share of misbehaving apps. But Juniper uncovered a large number of malicious apps from third-party Android app stores, which aren't protected by Google's new Bouncer service, a tool that can scan Android Market for malware.

Google's open-source platform for Android also means that it's up to device makers and carriers to push out security patches, a process that can take a long time.

"Many device manufacturers build customized versions of the Android operating system and, as a result, certain devices do not receive - or must wait months to receive - security updates," Juniper said. "This means that even patched security vulnerabilities and new security features may not get pushed to all devices, making them less secure and more vulnerable to malware."

The bad guys themselves became more sophisticated last year, tricking Android users into downloading their dirty work. DroidKungFu sneaked past detection by using encrypted payloads, while Droid Dream masqueraded as a legitimate app.

Google itself was kept quite busy last year removing malware from Android Market and from mobile devices.

The company has tried to keep up by jettisoning the malicious apps as quickly as possible. But the discovery process can sometimes take days, Juniper noted, leaving more than enough time for the payloads to infect smartphones and tablets. That's one key reason why Google has implemented its Bouncer scanner.

More malicious code written for mobile

VIA:centerbeam.com.

Hackers are coming out to play in the smartphone market, and it wont be fun for anyone but them. Businesses will soon start to see employees bring their own devices into work, if they already haven't, which could open the door to potential security vulnerabilities if the devices aren't properly managed. To maintain control of how the devices are used, companies need to invest in a mobile device management solution and institute a mobile use policy as soon as possible.

Juniper Networks' Mobile Threat Center reports that the amount of malicious code for smartphones rose 155 percent in 2011. In that same time, the report said malware shifted away from Java ME devices and over to the Android operating system.

"It's a direct result of consumer demand," said Bob Dix, Juniper's vice president of government affairs and critical infrastructure protection. "This is a phenomenon we couldn't have seen even a few years ago."

Users may not necessarily be aware of the data dangers associated with smartphones, as the mobile devices aren't thought to be a big attraction for viruses, but with a big shift in companies allowing employees to use their mobile devices, it may be a smart move for businesses to bring in mobile device management to help protect against security breaches.

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Gov't says parents need more info on apps for kids

VIA:smh.com.au.

Who is monitoring the apps that kids use on their phones? The government complained Thursday that software companies producing games and other mobile applications aren't telling parents what personal information is being collected from kids and how companies are using it.

Apps could quietly be collecting a child's location, phone number, call logs and lists of friends, said a report by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC blamed the companies that make the apps, and the stores that sell them, for failing to explain where that data might be recorded, for how long and who would have access to it.

"As gatekeepers of the app marketplace, the app stores should do more," the report said. "This recommendation applies not just to Apple and Google, but also to other companies that provide a marketplace for kids' mobile apps."

Apple declined to comment on the FTC report. Google, which created the Android software, said it has an "industry-leading permission system" that tells consumers what data an app can access and requires user approval before installation. "Additionally, we offer parental controls and best practices for developers to follow when designing apps that handle user data," Google said in a statement.

The FTC report signals a renewed interest by federal regulators who could pursue legal action against companies they accuse of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The law bans collecting and disclosing personal information for children under 13 without their parents' consent.

The FTC is especially aggressive protecting the privacy rights of children. Last year a mobile app developer paid $50,000 last year to settle FTC charges that it violated the children's privacy law.

That company, W3 Innovations, doing business as Broken Thumbs Apps, developed and distributed apps for the iPhone and iPods that allowed users to play games and share information online, according to the FTC. Several of the apps, including Emily's Girl World and Emily's Dress Up, were directed at children and encouraged them to email their comments, the commission's complaint said. The FTC said the company collected and maintained thousands of email addresses from users of the apps.

The new FTC report does not identify any of the apps or software vendors that were part of its survey, which began last year. Using the word "kids," the government searched Apple's App Store and the Android Market and examined promotions for apps for word, math and number games and entertainment purposes. Most said they were for children. Prices ranged from free to about $10. The FTC said it found almost no relevant disclosures about data collection practices or information sharing on Apple's service and only minimal information on just three of the Android promotion pages.

Tessa Donner of Evansville, Ind., bought her teenage daughter a smartphone because she wanted to be sure she could reach her, especially in an emergency. But she didn't know that the mobile apps her daughter is able to download to the phone could act as hand-held spies.

"To know now that it could be unsafe, that is concerning," she said.

Advocacy groups credited the FTC with drawing attention to a problem they said has grown as the market for mobile apps has exploded. In 2008, there were about 600 apps available to smartphone users, the FTC said, and now there are nearly one million that have been downloaded more than 28 billion times.

"There is almost no information on what data is being collected and how it is being shared," said David Jacobs of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

The FTC said most Android apps require children to allow the software to access at least some services on the phone. The government report said Apple relies on its own review process to prevent apps from targeting minors for data collection but added, "The details of this screening process are not clear."

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group in San Francisco that studies children's use of technology, said privacy is eroding as the mobile app industry grows. More than half of U.S. kids have access to smartphones, tablets and other digital devices, said James Steyer, the group's chief executive. But the mobile app industry, which includes developers, stores and wireless carriers, are not providing the tools and information to monitor and protect a user's privacy, Steyer said.

"While industry lobbyists are concerned about the burden that basic disclosure will place on mom and pop app developers," Steyer said. "we're worried about the burden for real moms and pops."

The FTC urged app developers to describe clearly their data collection practices. Developers should also disclose whether the app connects with any social media services or includes advertisements, the government said.

Associated Press writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.

This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

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