WhatsApp Battens Down the Hatches

WhatsApp has added end-to-end encryption and enabled it by default in the latest version of its Android messaging application, partner Open Whisper Systems announced Tuesday.

The new feature taps Open Whisper's open source TextSecure encryption protocol to ensure that only a conversation's participants can read the messages they exchange. WhatsApp itself won't be able to decrypt the messages, in other words, even if law enforcement should try to require it.

Encrypted messaging isn't yet available for group chat or media messages within WhatsApp's Android client, but those features are coming next, Open Whisper said, along with support for more client platforms. Key-verification options also will be forthcoming once protocol integrations are completed.

A Rare Quality

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is one of several messaging applications called out in a recent scorecard report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The EFF rated the security of more than three dozen such apps on seven different dimensions, including encryption. Also taken into consideration was whether or not the apps' code was audited and open to independent review.

Only six tools scored all seven stars, including ChatSecure, CryptoCat, Signal/Redphone, Silent Phone, Silent Text and Open Whisper's TextSecure app.

WhatsApp, on the other hand, was among those whose lack of end-to-end encryption resulted in a lower ranking. Included in that category were Google, Facebook and Apple's email products, along with Yahoo's Web and mobile chat and Secret.

Lacking encryption altogether were messaging platforms QQ, Mxit and the desktop version of Yahoo Messenger, the EFF found.

One Fell Swoop

"I think it's great news," said Joseph Bonneau, a fellow at both the EFF and Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy.

"One of the things we were hoping with the scorecard project is that we'd be able to push others to do the same thing," he told TechNewsWorld.

This one change "basically absolved them from being one of the apps that didn't really provide much security to being one of the most secure mainstream messaging apps out there," Bonneau said.

The Open Source Advantage

WhatsApp's choice of TextSecure was a good one, noted Bonneau.

"TextSecure has really been refined over the years," he said. "It's great to see them using a public application that has earned a lot of confidence and has a lot of strong security features."

The fact that TextSecure is open source is a particularly compelling advantage, Bonneau pointed out. "In practice, it means that any weaknesses are far more likely to be found and fixed. Open source is the way to go."

Billions of Encrypted Messages

Open Whisper Systems has been working with WhatsApp for the past half year or so to implement the new feature in what it called the largest deployment of end-to-end encrypted communication in history.

Billions of encrypted messages now are being exchanged each day through the enhanced service.

Users likely won't even notice that the additional security is there, however.

"It shouldn't affect the user experience at all," Bonneau remarked.

Educating Users

Of course, whether they realize it or not, the app's more than 600 million monthly active users are benefiting from the superior security the TextSecure code provides, Jean Taggart, senior security researcher at Malwarebytes, told TechNewsWorld.

"Implementing the Open Whisper Systems protocol under the hood of a popular messaging platform is a huge improvement," he said.

Looking ahead, moves like this one will begin to make it clear to users that there are "big security differences among messaging platforms," EFF's Bonneau observed. "Hopefully users will start demanding this kind of security." 

Danger comes in small packages: Securing employees' mobile devices

Whether your company provides workers with mobile devices or allows them to bring their own, you have to be vigilant. If your employees work outside the office with their tablets or smartphones, they’re walking around town with your data in small, easy-to-lose, easy-to-steal containers. Should any of those devices go missing, there’s a lot more at stake than the cost of the hardware.

Following these basic procedures will help keep your company safe from mobile threats.

Insist on mobile antivirus apps
Almost everyone knows that they need an antivirus program for their Windows PC, but few understand the necessity of running a similar tool on their mobile device. According to Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report for 2014, 57 percent of adults didn't even know that such tools existed. But here's the really scary part: Only 44 percent were equally ignorant in 2012. In other words, the average person knows less about mobile security now than they did two years ago.

Android attracts more malware than iOS by a very large margin. According to Kaspersky Lab's Mobile Cyber Threats report, published this October, "98.05% of all existing mobile malware targets the users of Android devices." The ability to download apps from sources other than the office Play Store, and the irregular way updates get pushed to devices make Android a tempting target.

But iPhone and iPad users shouldn't be complacent. iOS has its share of vulnerabilities. What's more, malware that latches onto applications doesn't really care about the operating system; if the OS can support the app, the app can support the malware.

Think data, not device
Losing a smartphone is an inconvenience. Letting the data on it fall into the wrong hands is a disaster. According to Adam Ely, Co-Founder of Bluebox Security, "79% of companies reported a mobile data breach, with the cost of data loss ranging from less than $10K to over $500K per incident." That's a lot more than the cost of a phone.

The first line of defense: Secure the mobile device with a sufficiently complex password. You might also consider other techniques for locking a phone. Add more protection by encrypting company data (a locked phone doesn't help much if the Micro SD card inside is open), and a mobile-to-company-server backup routine.

Use a Virtual Private Network
Criminals don't need to steal a smartphone to read the data flowing from that phone to the Internet.

That's why your company needs to use a VPN to encrypt the data as it journeys between the mobile device and the network. A good VPN provides more than just encrypted data. It can track who's accessing the network, authenticate users, and allow employees to access company applications in the field.

Respect your employees' privacy
If you don't handle your company's BYOD policy properly, your employees may look at you with the same lack of trust that American citizens reserve for the NSA. As Ely explained, "it is important to maintain boundaries between work and personal use on an employee’s personal device. Users are rightfully worried that their privacy will be compromised if they use their personal device for work purposes."

Your BYOD policy must spell out clearly what rights belong to the employee and the company. Prepare a clear statement that defines the circumstances in which the company will open private files. Also, the employee must understand ahead of time that the device may be wiped remotely should it be lost.

Make it easy
If a user must go through eight security steps before they can get to work, they will find a way around those steps. After all, they're being paid to be productive, not to enter multiple passwords and prove that they really are themselves. According to Ely, "No matter how robust a mobile device program is it will not succeed without the support of the end users."

So keep ease of use in mind when designing a secure system. Require fewer passwords, and use automated encryption technologies that don't require many user interactions.

Another way to simplify: Design easy-to-use systems, and help employees when the systems aren't as easy as they should be, and offer convenient options like remote access to help them get fast support from your help desk if they need it. "Support must be a priority," warns Ely. And "focus on product design to minimize issues, prioritize quality testing and populate…support portal with how-to’s and FAQs."

Going mobile has considerable risks and considerable benefits. You need to lower the first so you can make the most of the later.

Big AMD wins: Capcom embraces Mantle, Samsung plans 4K FreeSync monitor line

Graphics technology has been stuck on the 28nm manufacturing process for a full three years now, but that doesn’t mean AMD and Nvidia have been sitting on their proverbial thumbs.

The hardware giants have each been feverishly releasing game-enhancing software over the past couple of years, and at its “Future of Compute” event in Singapore this morning, AMD announced that two major partners are embracing a pair of the company’s technologies: Capcom is on board with Mantle, AMD’s performance-enhancing API technology, while Samsung announced the first 4K monitors with AMD FreeSync support.

The story behind the story: Both Mantle and FreeSync promise to provide a superior gaming experience—at least on AMD hardware—but neither technology is going unchallenged. Microsoft announced the awfully similar DirectX 12 API shortly after Mantle rolled out, while Nvidia offers a competing G-Sync technology of its own for use with GeForce cards. Wooing Capcom and Samsung to Team Red is a big win for AMD.

Oh, and both Mantle and FreeSync require recent AMD Radeon graphics cards to work—of course.

More Mantle
Capcom is working the Mantle API into Panta-Rhei, the gaming engine it originally created for use with next-gen gaming consoles. The only “details” come courtesy of this canned statement by Masaru Ijuin, technical director at Capcom:

“Capcom is evaluating AMD’s Mantle technology to help improve the graphics pipeline, and integrate it into ‘Panta-Rhei’ to provide outstanding benefits and impressive performance for gamers as well as the gaming developers.”

Yawn.

But corporate speak aside, Capcom is the latest in a string of big-name publishers to fiddle with Mantle. Two PC gaming stalwart studios, DICE (maker of Battlefield) and Crytek (Crysis and Far Cry), have pledged support for Mantle in their respective Frostbite 3 and Crytek engines. You can already find Mantle support in Battlefield 4, Thief, Sniper Elite 3, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and the recently released gems Civilization: Beyond Earth and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Future games with Mantle support scheduled include Star Citizen, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror’s Edge 2, and Battlefield: Hardline, along with whatever Capcom’s brewing up.

Moto Hint review: Motorola is bringing sexy Bluetooth headsets back

Bluetooth headsets were never cool, and they’re still not cool, but if you have to absolutely stick something in your ear to make a phone call you should really consider the Moto Hint.

I can’t think of any other device I’ve ever loved sticking in my ear as much as the Hint—I know that sounds weird, but I go out of my way now to make phone calls so that I can use this device. Motorola is on making a comeback in smartphones, but it looks like it’s bringing back the utility of Bluetooth headsets, too. 

Talking to yourself in public is fun

I use my hands when I talk, so holding a phone up to my ear is no fun for me because then I only have one hand to wave around. With the Moto Hint in my ear, however, I have two hands free to wave around, and it makes walking down San Francisco’s Market Street that much more interesting. 

Yes, you will get stares for talking to yourself and gesturing at the air, but it wasn’t too long ago that this was actually the norm.

motohint 2 Florence Ion

The Moto Hint fits easily in your ear. Unless it doesn't.

What’s particularly nice about the Hint is that it doesn’t feel like a protruding robotic arm hanging out from your ear. Rather, it feels like a comfortable ear plug with a heaping of technology embedded inside.

My only issue with the Hint is that if it doesn’t fit in your ear at first, it never will. It didn’t fit very comfortably in my right ear because of the way my ear is shaped, but somehow it fit fine in my left ear. Also, adjusting it to fit inside your ear can be tricky, and there were several instances where I made an accidental phone call while trying to get a good fit.

Use it with the Moto X—or don’t

motohint 4 Florence Ion

The Moto Hint’s proximity detector turns it on immediately once it’s safely nestled inside your ear.

The Moto Hint works with any Bluetooth-capable smartphone—yes, even iPhones. It’s super easy to set up, too: charge it, pop it in your ear, and then the Hint will softly alert you that it’s looking for a Bluetooth-enabled device to connect to. Once it’s paired, it’ll say “Moto Hint connected” in a soft, motherly tone. I was actually a bit taken aback by how easy it was to set up and use.

The Hint is meant to work in sync with Motorola’s latest smartphones. If you own this year’s Moto X, for instance, the Hint will constantly listen for your command word just as the phone would. You can ask it to search Google, play a song, send a message, or do anything else Moto Voice enables you to do without actually having to whip out your phone. Of course, you’ll also have to trust that your phone understands you as you’re dictating a message while also trying to cross a busy city street. 

If you don’t own a Motorola smartphone, that’s fine; it will simply function as a normal Bluetooth earpiece. I used the Hint with an HTC One (M8) most of the time and it worked remarkably well. There were days where I’d use it to call my boyfriend on my walk from the office to the train station and all I had to do to get that started was touch it and ask it to place a call to him. There were other days where I used it in tandem with the Moto 360—I’d shout “OK Google” to place a call and it’d route to the Hint in my ear, with a soft alert that let me know it was doing just that.

The few times anyone had difficult hearing me was when I was in a spotty reception zone. The Hint even worked when I’d hush my voice a bit to make a comment about some weirdo standing behind me in line for the train. When the screeching finally train approached, the Hint even cancelled out the sound of it approaching—at least, that’s what the person on the other line told me.

motohint 5 Florence Ion

The Moto Hint comes with its own little charging pod that doubles as an extra battery pack of sorts.

The smartest element of the Hint is its stylish charging pod. It charges the Hint when tethered, and then doubles as a portable battery back so that you always have juice with you when you need it. The device itself lasts for about three hours of constant talk time, so you’ll want to carry around its portable little charger when you’re out for the day.

Worth the price

motohint 1 Florence Ion

Yep, it’s small. 

You don’t have to settle for an old school, sticks-out-of-your-head Bluetooth headset. Motorola put so much thought into the Hint, from its components to how it looks, that it’s worth considering over those other alternatives. And although it’s $150 for a device with extra features that only work with certain smartphones, it works great and is much better looking than any other Bluetooth headset.

Billionaire Paul Allen donates 10,000 smartphones to the Ebola battle

Billionaire Paul Allen is sending more than 10,000 smartphones to West Africa to help in the battle against Ebola.

The Microsoft co-founder’s Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is providing the specially-programmed phones in an attempt to help government workers and aid volunteers gather data about the effectiveness of relief efforts in the disease-ravaged region.

“We need reliable data to understand what is going on in impacted areas to get ahead of the Ebola crisis,” said Allen, in a statement released on Monday.

The smartphones are the philanthropist’s latest contribution to the Ebola battle.

Last month Allen said that he would increase his contribution to fighting the deadly disease to at least $100 million. In September the philanthropist donated $9 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the fight against Ebola.

While a number of the phones were purchased by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, others were gifts from companies.

As part of Allen’s existing commitment to tackle Ebola, he also announced a grant to communications specialist NetHope on Monday. NetHope is an international consortium of NGOs devoted to improving emergency response organizations’ IT communications.   

“NetHope is working closely with the U.N. and all of the large response organizations to identify the gaps in communications capacity,” said Allen. “Today, we are committing resources to boost communication and data collection capabilities to more effectively fight Ebola in West Africa.”

Allen’s donation to NetHope will help establish a fund to boost connectivity at 45 locations, as well as the deployment of up to 10 satellite communication terminals. The grant will also fund a number of short-term private sector projects to extend mobile capacity, as well as helping mobile operators widen their existing networks.

Technology is becoming a key weapon in the fight against Ebola. Last month, for example, IBM launched an analytics system to help track the spread of the deadly disease in Sierra Leone.

The system developed by IBM’s Nairobi, Kenya-based Africa research lab and Sierra Leone’s Government lets citizens report Ebola-related issues and concerns via text message or phone calls. The goal is to provide the country’s government with insight into communities affected by Ebola and improve its strategy for containing the disease.

Flip phones are hip again

Hipsters, rejoice. Next time you ride your fixed-gear bicycle to the the thrift store, where you find a vintage, grease-stained mechanic's shirt that matches your Rollie Fingers mustache and Grizzly Adams beard, there's an edgy, if technologically sub-optimal, way to tell your friends about it.
Use a flip phone.

In an age of the iPhone 6 Plus and massive Android phablets, flip phones are inexplicably making a comeback.

No less an arbiter of cool than Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour has apparently dumped her iPhone in favor of a flipper. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, actress Kate Beckinsale and even Rihanna are just a few of the celebrities spotted proudly brandishing the famous piece of paleo-technology.
And, believe it or not, "dumb phones" aren't exactly the elusive unicorn that some of us think they are.
As of January, 56% of American adults owned smartphones, compared to a total of 90% who had a cellphone of some kind, according to the Pew Research Internet Project. Among millennials age 18-29, an overwhelming 83% of those who owned cellphones had a smartphone, but that leaves the other 17% who keep their mobile life more basic.

The hinged, snap-shut "flipper" form factor was originally introduced to the public in 1982 by laptop manufacturer GriD with its Compass computer.

Motorola, perhaps the king of flip phones with its Razr line, introduced the clamshell style in 1996 with its StarTAC phone (which, appropriately enough, was re-released for nostalgic techies in 2010).
Is this really all about going for retro, hipster street cred? There is, at times, a mystifying aspect of "cool" that centers around eschewing modern convenience for vintage ... well ... inconvenience.
Writing on typewriters? Check. Racing high-wheel bicycles from the 1880s? Yes. Playing baseball with the rules and equipment of the 1860s? Absolutely.

But there are obviously some more practical reasons some people, including millennials, go flip.
For some, it's about simplifying and uncluttering in a 24/7 plugged-in society.
"It just seemed like it would be better for my addled brain than a smartphone," 26-year-old Angelica Baker, a tutor and writer, told TIME. "Personally I'm too scattered and unfocused to handle email and Facebook on my phone."

Baker swapped out her Droid for her mom's retired flip phone, a pink Motorola Razr.
No one has to worry about the iCloud being hacked when they use a flip phone. There's little to no eye and neck strain. No fear of Flappy Bird addiction.


And, let's be honest ... there's something satisfying about a switchblade-like phone flip after an annoying phone conversation that even the most emphatic tap of a touchscreen will never approach.
Maybe the hipsters are onto something after all. Though we'll still pass on the bushy beards.

Victoria's Secret Wants to Win Over Millennials With Its Own Mobile Messaging App 'Pink' lets you talk and shop

Victoria's Secret wants to see what today's millennials are talking about with a new twist on mobile messaging.

At the same time that practically all millennial-minded marketers are using Snapchat, Line, Kik and every other social and mobile platform out there to get in touch with teens, Victoria's Secret has rolled out its own chat feature within its Pink shopping app.
The lingerie brand is the first marketer to use a chatting feature from a mobile messaging app called Frankly.
After opening the chat feature, app users can talk about predetermined topics like holiday gifts or school. Because this is Victoria's Secret (and millennials are fickle) the public chats are customizable with different shades of pink backgrounds and branded emojis. There's also the usual crop of smiley face emojis that app users can play with, much like a text message.
On Dec. 9, the chat function will be used to push out exclusive content during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in London. The retailer recently used the app to announce that singer Ariana Grande was performing at the show.
There is also a button to download the stand-alone Frankly mobile messaging app.
With a demographic that’s highly skewed toward millennials, mobile is important for Victoria’s Secret. This summer the brand launched an augmented reality feature within its app, in addition the the usual games and content, to keep people engaged.
Frankly claims to have been downloaded 1.5 million times, which is small potatoes compared to most messaging apps. Earlier this year, Forrester Research published a report showing that WhatsApp has 500 million users and Line has 420 million.

Apple bitchslaps iPhone rival Xiaomi: World No 1? That's BIG TALK

Apple has declared war on its Chinese smartphone rival Xiaomi after execs from the two firms locked horns during a public event.

Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice president of legal and government affairs, appeared alongside Xiaomi founder Lei Jun at the World Internet Conference.

The Apple exec might have been forgiven for feeling a little nervous, as the tech get-together took place on Xiaomi's home soil.

But he immediately went for the jugular after being asked about Xiaomi's chances of becoming top dog in the global smartphone market.

Sewell said that reaching the number one spot is "easy to say, it is more difficult to do".

He also reminded Apple's Chinese rival that there are "many competitive" phones in the People's Republic.

But the Xiaomi boss wasn't having any of Apple's cheek. "In this magic land, we produced not only a company like Alibaba, but a small miracle like Xiaomi," he hit back.

Unfortunately for Apple, Xiaomi is now nipping at its heels.

Despite selling more mobes in the last quarter than ever before, Apple is just the second most successful smartphone manufacturer in the world, according to IDC, with Xiaomi a close third.

Sadly for both squabbling mobe-makers, Samsung is still the king of the castle when it comes to smartphone shipments. But for how long? ®