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Android 4 share soars

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 11:47pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

I don't know how cellular carriers or device makers could move any slower serving Ice Cream Sandwich to their customers. Still, someone is making progress, seven months after Google formally unveiled the OS and six after the first device with it shipped. Android 4.0 share jumped dramatically from mid March to mid April, granted from a small base. It's about time.

This morning I wrote a mobile browser usage story and checked official statistics on Android usage, which is based on the number of devices connecting to Google Play during the pervious 14 days. That number: 2.9 percent. Hours later, when doing a second browser story -- on desktops -- I double checked, more as formality. To my surprise, Google updated the data as of today: 4.9 percent.

From the perspective of availability to today, Android 4.x's showing is abysmal. Most iOS and Windows Phone users get immediate access to major updates. The Android Army sits on its behind waiting and waiting and waiting. This situation is one of many why over the weekend I asserted that "Google has lost control of Android". Google cranks out hot new tech that the partner bottleneck squeezes away from end users and the broader ecosystem.

But looked at differently, that's a 69 percent increase month on month. Even from a small base, it's a number not worth raising your nose at. That's up from 1.6 percent on March 5. Any progress is meaningful right now.

Still, at the end of first quarter, cumulative iOS sales reached 365 million, according to Apple. The most recent number from Google about Android is 300 million. The majority of Apple devices are eligible to receive iOS 5.x, and presumably most users have updated since Apple makes it so easy. By contrast, the majority of Androids are ineligible to receive Android 4.x right now, and cellular carriers or hardware manufacturers make the process hard, if for no other reason than making users wait.

Even Galaxy Nexus users get stiffed. The so-called "pure Google" device is supposed to get updates as soon as they're available. That's true for the international HSPA+ model, but not Verizon's LTE Galaxy Nexus. Yes, the carrier is problem.

Right now, the majority of Android devices run Gingerbread -- 64.4 percent. While that 69 percent month-on-month increase is encouraging but less than March to April's 81 percent, Ice Cream Sandwich has a long ways to go before displacing Gingerbread. Gosh, could Android 5.0 come first?
Internet Explorer rises from the dead, and, whoa, that's not good for Firefox

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 10:02pm CEST par Joe Wilcox
What seemingly started as a fluke, suddenly is a trend. In April, Internet Explorer gained usage share for the fourth consecutive month, reversing a long, steady decline. That's the view presented by April browser usage data Net Applications released today. IE share rose to 54.09 percent -- that's up from 53.83 percent in March and 51.87 percent in December. The question: Are these gains sustainable? Can IE rise up, after loosing more than 40 points of share over 7 years?

I'm wondering if Internet Explorer's share rise is coincidence or convergence. Recent gains coincided with Chrome's stunning setback. In January, following a minor paid-link scandal involving a third party promoting Chrome, Google responded by treating itself like other advertisers, by reducing Chrome's search PageRank for 60 days. The effects were immediate. In January, the browser's usage share fell, ending 14 months of consecutive gains. Meanwhile, IE usage share rose.

By that scenario, Chrome growth should recover following PageRank restoration, which it did in April but not March. Usage share was 18.85 percent and 18.57 percent, respectively. That's well below December's high of 19.11 percent. Chrome has taken share away from Firefox, which now is assaulted from above and below. In April, Mozilla's browser reached its sixth consecutive month of usage share declines. Continued gains by both Chrome and Internet Explorer foreshadow further erosion and Google's browser eventually taking second place.

In a way, Chrome already has. For some months now, Google's newest Chrome -- and the browser refreshes about every six weeks -- consistenly ranks above Firefox. In April, IE8 and IE9 led, with 26.22 percent and 15.91 percent share, respectively. Chrome 18 and Firefox 11 followed, with 13.97 percent and 11.35 precent respective usage share.

There is also the convergence theory -- that IE benefits from multiple factors all happening around the same time, such as Windows 7 adoption, lingering and perhaps permanently debilitating effects of Chrome PageRank reduction and weakening Firefox enthusiasm, among others. I outlined some of these factors a month ago today.

Microsoft has access, as a paying NetApps subscriber, to data I don't. In a blog post today, Roger Capriotti, Microsoft's director of Internet Explorer product marketing lays out browser usage share for Windows 7:
- Internet Explorer: 35.5 percent
- Chrome: 21 percent
- Firefox: 15.4 percent
There's another example of Chrome already ahead of Firefox -- and considerably so.

Microsoft took a risk by releasing Internet Explorer 9 for Windows Vista and 7, but not XP, nearly three years ago. Even now, the Windows XP install base is greater than Win7's. Firefox and Google stuck with XP, which helped their respective browsers. But, finally, Windows 7 is gaining real momentum, with more than 500 million licenses sold and 40 percent deployment among enterprises.

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Interestingly, Google follows Microsoft's example, by releasing Chrome for Android, which now is beta, only for Ice Cream Sandwich. At least for now, the browser isn't available for older Android versions. As of today, ICS is on 4.9 percent of Android devices that accessed Google Play within the last 14 days.

Microsoft's IE9 strategy may finally be paying off with increased Internet Explorer -- timing that converges with Chrome's search penalty, Mozilla's struggle to keep Firefox appealing and an aggressive and compelling "Beauty of the Web" marketing campaign. Then there's Microsoft's adoption and advocation of emerging web standards.

For the convergence theory, there's this: IE8 and IE9 both gained share month-on-month March to April, which indicates something bigger than Windows 7 pull going on here. Could it be perceptions about Internet Explorer are changing? You tell me.

Photo Credit: Fer Gregory/Shutterstock
Use Cloudfogger to better protect your online docs and files

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 9:27pm CEST par Nick Peers

Just how secure is the data you’ve backed up online? Most cloud-based backup providers promise to encrypt your data before it’s uploaded to their servers, but a handful perform the encryption after the data’s been uploaded, which means they possess the key required to unlock your data and potentially hand it over to anyone who comes asking (backed with the right warrant).

Cloudfogger is a brand new (and currently free) service that puts you back in control of your data, allowing you to encrypt it prior to uploading it, providing you with another layer of protection for your most sensitive documents and files.

At the present time, Cloudfogger is available for Windows and Android, with versions for Mac and iOS promised sooner rather than later. You install the app in Windows, select a folder for Cloudfogger to encrypt and off you go. It’ll attempt to create a folder inside your Dropbox folder if it exists, but you can point it to any folder you like -- local, network or rival cloud-based storage provider like Skydrive or Google Drive.

Cloudfogger then creates a virtual drive, X by default, on your PC. Any files copied or saved into here are automatically encrypted (256-bit AES for those who want to know) and then the encrypted version, sporting a .clog file extension, will appear in the folder you’ve picked.

You can always access these files via your X drive on your PC, or you can sign up for a free Cloudfogger account to gain access via your Android mobile. Encrypted files can also be distributed like any other, and you can share individual files with other Cloudfogger users simply by providing their ID. Then distribute the file via email, USB stick or whatever, and they’ll have access from their computer.

It’s a pretty neat solution, and works well, but you may have to perform an extra step here and there to how you worked previously, which could be off-putting to those happy that their data is actually reasonably protected already. However, if you’re utterly paranoid about your data -- or want extra protection for files and folders as well as a secure means of sharing via insecure methods -- then Cloudfogger is well worth looking at more closely.

Cloudfogger is available as a free download for Windows, while Cloudfogger for Android Beta is also available for Android users. Mac and iOS versions are due for release shortly.

Photo Credit: Yabresse/Shutterstock
Sony Speaker Dock RDP-X500IP [video review]

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 9:17pm CEST par Molly Wilcox

Recently I had the chance to use the Sony Speaker Dock for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. I love the sophisticated looks; the dock would be perfect to add to the atmosphere of a get-together or party. Even though this is a Sony product, it reminds me of Apple in the sense that this speaker is very simple. It isn't overloaded with complicated buttons that you would need an instruction manual to understand.

For a dock system of its quality, the RDP-X500IP is on the less expensive end, price-wise. For example, Sony sells the dock for $250. The comparable Bose system is $150 more. If you're on a budget, however, there are many quality alternatives, from Logitech and Klipsch, among others. Overall, the RDP-X500IP is a truly fabulous audio system. It's known for great bass, which honestly is quite phenomenal for a speaker of its price and size.

Editor: If you would like to submit a review, whether article or video, please email joe at betanews dot com. We're particularly interested in getting the perspective of younger users, especially teenagers and early twentysomethings. You are digital natives and represent the largest population since the Baby Boom. What you think of tech products and how you use them will hugely influence business, culture and society over the next couple of decades.
Flashback Trojan generates $10,000 per day for attackers

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 8:26pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The attackers behind the Flashback Trojan for OS X may be making as much as $10,000 per day through a click fraud scheme involving Google AdWords, Symantec says. The Trojan intercepts all queries made specifically to Google's search engine and will redirect the user to a page of the attacker's choosing. Every time this occurs, the attackers make about 0.8 cents per click.

"Flashback uses a specially crafted user agent in these requests, which is actually the clients universally unique identifier (UUID) encoded in base64", explains Symantec. "This is already sent in the 'ua' query string parameter, so it is likely that this is an effort to thwart 'unknown' parties from investigating the URL with unrecognized user-agents". In other words, the attackers are going to great lengths to cover their tracks.

Flashback could have been generating quite a bit of revenue for its creators based on analyses of previous Trojans using similar click fraud techniques. As many as 700,000 Macs were believed to be infected at its height, making Flashback "a very profitable enterprise indeed, and all the more reason to keep your Mac fully patched and your virus definitions up to date", the company writes in a blog post.

How did the Trojan spread so quickly? It tricked hundreds of thousands of users into downloading what they believed was Adobe's Flash plugin for Mac. Once installed, the Trojan took advantage of a hole in Java to install itself and generate fake search engine results and run other malicious code on the infected Mac.

Symantec criticized Apple for taking so long to patch the issue and letting Flashback become as big of a problem as it is. Oracle had patched the hole in Java responsible in February, but it took an additional six weeks for Apple's patch to make it to the end user. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Macs were unwittingly infected -- many not running any antivirus protection at all.

Apple has made it a signature part of its strategy in attracting converts to boast that Macs do not get viruses. In turn this creates an false sense of security, and most do not bother to install any kind of antivirus protection. Hopefully that has begun to change as it is now clear attackers are turning their attention to the Mac OS X platform.

Photo Credit: Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock
The long road to a new BlackBerry begins today with alpha launch of new OS

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 6:45pm CEST par Tim Conneally

As Ontario, Canada smartphone pioneer Research In Motion struggles to keep its BlackBerry smartphone platform relevant, one of the company's major strategic points is a major operating refresh with BlackBerry OS 10.

At its annual BlackBerry World conference on Tuesday, RIM has released a deluge of information about the "new BlackBerry" with BlackBerry 10, including a developer Alpha build of the platform with a special Dev alpha device, a BlackBerry 10 developer toolkit which includes the BlackBerry 10 Native SDK with Cascades (a native application development toolset that allows developers to build app interfaces in either C++ or QML) and the WebWorks SDK, which lets developers use HTML5 and CSS to build "native-like" apps.

There are a handful of new APIs in the Native SDK, including the Scoreloop social gaming API, Push Management API, in-app payment APIs, and battery monitoring and LED control APIs.

Furthermore, RIM launched the limited beta of the BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio. This beta lets developers register for code signing keys, create developer certificates, create and upload debug tokens, and build and run applications on BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry 10. The plug-in can be installed with either Visual Studio 10 Standard or Professional edition.

The big topic of discussion, of course, is the Developer Alpha device, which reportedly has a 4.2" touchscreen with a 1280 x 768 resolution, has 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of built-in storage, Quad-band HSPA cellular radio, and NFC transciever.

Once again, RIM is attempting to steer away from the keyboard interface that built its empire, to ride the all-touch wave.

"There is tremendous interest, anticipation and momentum building toward the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices, and today we’re extremely excited to release the BlackBerry 10 developer beta tools for general use," said Christopher Smith, RIM's Vice President of Handheld Application Platform and Tools. "Developers can use this first beta of the tools to get started building apps for BlackBerry 10 and as the tools evolve over the coming months, developers will have access to a rich API set that will allow them to build even more integrated apps."
Bitdefender USB Immunizer protects your PC from flash drive malware

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 6:15pm CEST par Mark Wilson

There are a number of ways in which a virus or malware infection can find its way onto a computer, and if USB drives are used to transport files from one machine to another, this represents a security risk that could be exploited by malicious software. Part of the problem arises from the fact that USB drives can be configure to autorun just like optical media, but this is something you can tackle with Bitdefender USB Immunizer.

This free tool is not new, but it has undergone an overhaul that makes it easier to work with multiple USB drives and enables you to prevent USB drives from being automatically launched. This is achieved by creating a read-only autorun.inf file in the root of the drive, which is left blank so that it serves no real function. Because the file is read-only, it cannot be edited by malware looking to launch itself when your USB drive is plugged in.

Relatedly, the fact that an autorun,inf file exists means that another one cannot be created, so there is no way malicious program can be made to run without your permission. Should you decide that you ever want to use your USB drive in conjunction with a legitimate autorun.inf file you will need to delete the one that the app creates. Because of the security measures that have been put in place, you will need to delete the existing file using a computer running Linux or OS X.

The most recent update to the app features a redesigned interface that makes it easier to protect several USB drives in one fell swoop, and there is also the ability to automatically prevent all drives from autorunning. This works by simply disabling the system wide autorun feature, and while this is something that you could do manually, it is a handy addition to a useful security tool.

You can find out more anjd download a free copy of the program by paying a visit to the Bitdefender USB Immunizer review page.

Photo Credit: chien321/Shutterstock
iPad leaps ahead of iPhone browser usage, Opera Mini collapses

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 5:48pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

New iPad tipped the mobile web browsing balance, according to April data Net Applications released today. Apple's tablet now exceeds iPhone for browser usage share among mobile devices. That's 33.7 percent to 27.4 percent, after being neck and neck for the previous three months. iPad had nudged in front during February and March, but in April leapt ahead of iPhone.

Considering how much larger is iPhone's install base, or Android's for that matter, iPad's ascension is quite remarkable. Cumulative iOS device shipments reached 365 million during first calendar quarter -- nearly 67 million of them iPads. In all, iOS devices give mobile Safari tremendous usage share in the category: 63.84 percent, that's up from 52.36 percent in June 2011.

Mobile Safari gains have largely come at Opera Mini's expense. The browser's usage share fell from 15.39 percent to 12.05 percent between March and April. Android browser ranks higher, and second to Safari: 18.87 percent share. Android browser and Mobile Safari gained usage share for five consecutive months, while Opera declined during the same time period.

Chrome for Android is interesting, with just 0.3 percent usage share, which is far more significant than the number reveals. Google debuted a beta version in early February. Chrome for Android is only available for Ice Cream Sandwich. As of April 2nd, only 2.9 percent of Android devices ran the mobile operating system.

Google follows Microsoft's example on the desktop, where Internet Explorer 9 supports Windows 7, but not XP, which remains more widely used -- in April, 46.08 percent to 38.67 percent, according to NetApps.

Circling back to mobiles, and looking at operating systems, iOS and Android shares closely align with their browsers -- 63.19 percent and 19.27 percent, respectively. This says something about NetApp's methodology and its limitations, since the number of cumulative Android devices, the majority phones, exceeds 300 million (according to Google). The data doesn't reflect this, however. Assuming, for easy math's sake, total cumulative smartphone and tablet sales of 1 billion, combined share for the two operating systems should be just a little more than NetApps reports for iOS.

I make this distinction because of consistent misreporting (don't believe everything you read on the web) about how high iOS share is or references to usage share as market share, which it is not.

NetApps makes the latter more problematic by referring to "total market share" in its charts. There is no total market share in a category where people might use two things instead of just one. This is more likely on the desktop, but still in mobile users could install Opera Mini on their iPad or iPhone and use it in addition to Safari. Typically market share refers to the finite -- X widgets shipped over Y months. NetApps measures usage share.
Have frequent Skype crashes ruined your relationships? Try the iOS update

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 5:05pm CEST par Mark Wilson

iOS users now have an updated VoIP app to work with following the release of Skype 4.0 for iPad and Skype 4.0 for iPhone. The latest version focuses mainly on stability and accessibility improvements, but there are also a few other enhancements and new features to enjoy. There’s a new sign in screen in addition to a number of minor UI tweaks.

Anyone who finds the app prone to crashing should be happier with this new version. Skype promises generally-improved stability, and auto-restart in the event of a crash. This is hardly a ringing endorsement for a chat tool, but it’s a step in the right direction. Surely, it's better than untimely disconnects during an important video chat.

While the app can be used with and device running iOS 4.3 or higher, if you want to use it to make video calls you’ll need a device with a front-facing camera. If you have used Skype on a desktop platform, you’ll be aware that it is possible to re-position video windows when you are in the middle of a call. Skype 4.0 brings the same option to iOS -- meaning that you are now able to move your video preview window.

The UI changes are little to get overly excited about, amounting to little more than a slight redesign to the messaging and contact sections of the app as well as minor movements to app elements. Some iPhone users are reporting problems with Bluetooth headsets so if you are currently using such a headset, you might want to think about holding off updating your software until Skype addresses this.

You can find out more by paying a visit to the review pages for of Skype 4.0 for iPad and Skype 4.0 for iPhone.
How big is Apple? [infographic]

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 4:32pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

A week ago, Apple reported record fiscal 2012 second quarter earnings. Profits soared by 94 percent to $5.99 billion, or $6.40 per share, from $39.2 billion revenue. In long missives that followed, I took to both sides of the company's performance: "Apple is better off without Steve Jobs" and "There is no Apple without Steve Jobs". Yeah, I argued with myself.

But what do the numbers mean? The accompanying infographic distills them in tidy fashion, and I won't repeat them here but simply add that during the first half of fiscal 2012, Apple generated more revenue ($85.83 billion) than all fiscal 2010 ($65.23 billion). The company's net income for first fiscal half exceeds that of fiscal 2009 and 2010 combined and is surprisingly close to all of fiscal 2011. By measure of financial performance Apple isn't the same company it was three years ago.

How does Apple profit compare to Google revenue? How much does China contribute to Apple revenue, in just two years? How much cash does the average Apple Store generate per square foot? Have a look at the infographic below, which is courtesy of businessdegree.net.

By the way, by my math, I don't agree with all the numbers, but they're acceptable for perspective.
Security software market shows steady growth as threats explode

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 12:54am CEST par Ed Oswald

Faced with an ever-increasing number of threats, IT administrators continue to increase spending on security software, a new survey suggests. A recent report from Gartner shows revenue in the sector increased 7.5 percent in 2011 over the year previous. The gains come even as IT spending overall has stagnated due to uncertain economic conditions worldwide.

Altogether, revenues totaled some $17.7 billion last year, with market leading Symantec making up a fifth of that total. Gartner says the company's success in the sector is due to a continuing expansion outside of the antivirus software market and into other sectors, including storage and encryption. Coming in a distant second and third were competitors McAfee and Trend Micro, both making up about seven percent of the market.

"Growth in the 2011 security market reflects a continuation in demand for consumer and enterprise security tools", Gartner research director Ruggero Contu says. That demand seems in direct correlation to the increase in threats, especially from so-called 'hacktivist' groups like the now-defunct LulzSec and Anonymous.

Contu also believes the security market in general is undergoing a switch from the traditional software-based model to one where security is seen as a service. This probably has much to do with the increasing number of software developers -- antivirus and otherwise -- who are turning to the cloud as a method of application delivery.

Photo Credit: Kheng Guan Toh/Shutterstock
What the frak is CISPA?

Publié: mai 1, 2012, 12:51am CEST par Joe Wilcox
There's something really troubling about CISPA. While the Internet rallied against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and Protect IP, including boycotts, there is near silence about the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. This lack of interest hits BetaNews, too. For more than three weeks, I've asked writers here to do a CISPA story. No one wants it. Am I the only one scared witless about this thing?

I got to thinking about CISPA, again, this afternoon after the info graphic accompanying this story dropped in my mail box. It's a tidy explanation of what is CISPA that sheds some light on why the Internet isn't in uproar about it. Where's Anonymous? Who muted the Reddit outrage?

In its purest form, CISPA seeks to better protect Internet companies, the United States and its interests from cybercriminals and terrorists. But the bill as proposed and even as passed also gives government unprecedented power to collect your personal information in the process.

A House Not Divided Enough

I've loosely followed CISPA's progress, and several events had me thinking BetaNews writers should show more interest (and everyone else, too):
- CISPA bill sponsors Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) amass amazing number of supporters -- more than 100 co-sponsors.
- Facebook, Google and Microsoft work behind the scenes supporting CISPA (we all boycotted Go Daddy for doing less).
- Microsoft backs away from CISPA (well, hell, that's got to mean something).
- White House signals that President Obama would veto CISPA in its current form.
- US House passes the bill by a 248-to-168 vote.
Legislators debated about 7 hours before the bill passed the muster. CISPA is not actually as bad as before, while in other respects it's worse. What concerns me, and really should you, is how much: authority CISPA gives government to collect personal information; freedom for companies to share your information; protection companies receive against civil lawsuits when they violate your privacy rights (well, that's assuming you have any after CISPA).

Some of my peers raise broader concerns: Ted Samson says CISPA "could kill the cloud". Matt Ingram compares CISPA to SOPA: "So is CISPA as bad as SOPA? Probably not".

With the House vote behind, divisions increase, with an interesting cast of characters in either camp. Declan McCullagh's CISPA FAQ is must-read to understand the current issues as the bill heads to the Senate and to better understand what separates advocates from opponents.

The Silence is Deafening

But if there's a loud outcry against CISPA, I haven't heard it. Have you?

There are several reasons why CISPA moves along without much response. Sadly:
- SOPA opponents declared victory. Game over. They won. (But, of course, they didn't).
- What's hot topic today is forgotten tomorrow. Stated differently, the Internet has a short memory.
- As such, social media buzz isn't high volume. It's the "Hey, we've been there, done that" problem.
- CISPA rewards Internet companies rather than punishes them (as Protect IP and SOPA would have) -- and even promises to protect them from lawsuits -- mollifying opposition.
- Internet companies would be better empowered to fight cybercriminals and terrorists, by more freely sharing information.
- People worry more about freedom to share content (pirated or not) than their privacy. Taking away someone's ability to link to (or download) Justin Bieber or Will Smith content bothers more people than giving up nefarious personal information.
- There is no Enemy No. 1. Who doesn't despise Hollywood and record label moguls? They were Protect IP's and SOPA's biggest backers. There are no obvious ogres behind CISPA to rally the masses against.
- Before Friday's House vote, there wasn't much to rally against, since it wasn't yet clear how bad CISPA would or would not be. Now with one version of the bill complete and another coming, we know.
Slowly, the Internet is beginning to wake, like a sleeping giant. The tone of some opposition is different. While last time, people cried, "Save the Internet from SOPA", others blame us. AVAAZ calls its "stop CISPA" petition: "Save the Internet from the US". As I write, nearly 782,000 people have signed it.

I ask this simple question about CISPA: Does it put the majority of people's privacy at risk to protect everyone from a small number of criminals? That's for you to answer in comments.