iOS 5 Passcode Bypass Flaw

A good majority of the Apple owners I come into contact with all think that Apple has their back and is so superior to everything in the universe, that their devices are invulnerable to security flaws. Sadly that just isn't the case.

As show in, 'iOS 5 Flaw Allows Unfettered Access to User's Contacts, Calls' a user can get past the lock screen by placing a call and removing the SIM card. It takes him a few tries on the timing but he finally gets it @2:45 mark. This is due to a flaw in the 'OMFG its so brandy new and shiny iOS 5 Notification' service. Once again it appears that Apple's developers are human after all.

A few months back I also posted about the Siri hack. These are higher profile examples of fairly easy to exploit vulnerabilities. The take away here isn't that it's just iPhone specific, Android has it's share of flaws too. It's that if it was designed by a human, it can be broken by one.

Nothing is ever 100% secure.

AT&T Deception

The recent debacle stemming from AT&T's "unlimited" data throttling has certainly created an uproar among the interwebs, but has also reached Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, with instant public exposure and he sums up the feeling very accurately. The truth is AT&T hasn't delivered to all of its customer base.

While AT&T touts that they cover over 97% of Americans with cellular coverage, and this may be true, you have to factor in that they're also considering non-3G markets, and forget about 4G. Coverage is important, first and foremost for emergency services or getting lost, etc. Data coverage is still considered to be the secondary when comparing to having phone access for those remote/rough spots. Again, understandable; I get it but why can't I use my iPhone in New York City? It's a crapshoot, still.

One of the major issues is corporations are so dishonest these days and make half-assed attempts at spinning their negative PR in a light that focuses on supposed issues as being moot points. "Just a fraction" of users are reaching this threshold, blah blah, etc. Ok, again- understood. The actual number may be less than a quarter of a million users who consistently abuse (read: consume what was signed up for) their data usage, but it's a typical bait & switch maneuver. AT&T banked on the iPhone and year over year they're increasing revenue. I'm not going to look up specifics, but the iPhone has been the major driving force behind this increase, and even after the iPhone was made available to Sprint and Verizon in 2011, AT&T still manages to have the most activations.

For a company that is repeatedly scoring the worst in terms of customer service, why make these type of decisions to screw over their customer base? Aside from the data consumption backlash, are you aware that they've doubled the upgrade fee? If you weren't, as of February 12th, if you want to upgrade your AT&T line (something you may have been doing for years), instead of the expected $18 one-time fee, now it will cost $36. Why? It's because of supposed increased expenses to process said upgrade. Really? I didn't think the same process would get more expensive and less efficient somehow?

None of the aforementioned makes any sense to me. In a time where social media is prevalent and negative/bad PR echoes throughout the internet at remarkably fast speeds, (unless you're throttled for using 1.5GB of data on AT&T, heh) why continue to make the inherit "wrong" decisions? Ever since the iPhone 4 was released back in the summer of 2010, any new subscribers on AT&T have been unable to sign up for the unlimited data plan, still leaving a hefty number of users grandfathered in to the unlimited plan (myself included), but at no point was there a throttling clause or a change to the agreement everyone signed up for.

The amount of money that AT&T is collecting monthly from its ever-growing and expanding user-base should be sufficient to constantly increase network capacity and to keep their existing and loyal customer base happy. I'm seeing things go in full-circle in the mobile phone business again.

Almost a decade ago, customers would consistently change their phone numbers and carrier-hop every year on to a new contract with a new phone because just upgrading their phones wouldn't score them enough of a discount on the same carrier. There were countless mom and pop cell-phone shops that would assist in this and they'd collect huge commissions from the carriers to increase the customer base. The same problem goes for cable service providers. Everyone is so concerned with obtaining new customers that they often forget about the existing ones, the ones that pay their bills on time, the ones that are guaranteed to stay if things are maintained, and they're kept happy or at the very least receive the services that they signed up.

I see it everywhere I go. Companies stop caring about their existing customers. Once a customer is "won" they are thrown into a bucket of people that no longer matter. I believe this mindset needs to change altogether. How about you focus on the existing ones first and the new ones will come automatically? Word of mouth and customer referrals are still the best and "stickiest" form of marketing and obtaining new customers. If you have users sign up for something, ensure that they are continually getting the service they were promised, and surpass that every single time that's possible. That will keep your customers happy, and continuing to pay their bills. You can sign a hundred new people up but if half of them can't pay their bills you end up losing more money in the process while losing an existing customer base that was paying happily and using the services promised.

Here's what AT&T should do to "fix" things. Either stop bugging the people who have "luckily" managed to stay on their unlimited data plans and increase network capacity, or offer some other sort of perk/benefit in switching to a tiered data plan. If that's not possible, take ownership for not being able to keep-up and offer a no-cancelation charge out from the countless number of contracts that have unlimited data grandfathered in. Sprint offers unlimited data and users should hop the fence if the rest of the coverage is ample.

Verizon should just destroy the competition and offer 5GB/month for $30/month. That'll be game over. This was the same story with cellular minutes. In the late 90s, and early 2000s there were a few unlimited talking mobile plans or plans that incoming calls free, or at least the first incoming minute free. Then the limited bucket of talk time was standard and people had overages. AT&T marketed rollover minutes and they help every once in a while but now most companies can offer unlimited talking for next to nothing since the usage has decreased. Perhaps in the future when infrastructures are improved and customers have increasingly more choice, unlimited data will make its way back and these sort of things won't happen anymore.

Until then, focus on the existing customers first. Then worry about getting new business. Doing it at the same time? Wow. That might be a ridiculous concept as well. I barely break the 1GB barrier with my line so this hasn't personally affected me yet, but I almost dread using mobile data too much because of the potential backlash.

**UPDATE**
TechCrunch posted something very similar to what I'm saying here also after I wrote my article.. I'm not the only one crying foul.

http://tfot.co

Since the domain of the site is rather long, what better way to get people to remember the domain than to get a shorter version?

So, going forward, http://tfot.co will redirect users to the good ol' blog.

Memorize it! http://tfot.co

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (Part 2)

The exciting follow-up to my somewhat expensive review (it was exciting for me) is finally here!

Upon my return from the west coast, I went to the Verizon store and gladly returned the Galaxy Nexus. As I write this I saw that it was being sold for $99 with a 2-year contract from Amazon right now so I'm extra happy that I returned it without seeing the decreased price.

For the last few days of actually having the phone, I didn't even charge it nor power it up. I just didn't want to use it. At the end of the day, the main thought was, "What can't I already do on my iPhone on the Nexus and is it really worth all the included headaches and issues?" The answer to that question was a very simple nothing/no.

I also decided that I should prioritize the usage of my phone:

1. Alarm Clock ;-)
2. E-mail/Messaging
3. Social Networks - Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
4. Web Browsing
5. Music
6. Camera
7. Navigation/Maps Usage
8. Games
9. Utilities
10. Phone Calls

Quick run down of what I actually liked on the Galaxy Nexus/Android 4.0:

• Share to everything - Any app that was installed with a sharing functionality was accessible when looking at media. Unlike iOS, where Apple dictates or at least the app dictates what and where a photo or video can be shared, Android enables easy sharing across all networks. 
• Typing - The ever-so-slight vibrating feedback whilst typing. I have to admit, I really enjoyed typing on the Galaxy Nexus. The keyboard is excellent and the keys felt good. The auto-correct was wonderful and I see screenshots of iOS having this type of predictive/auto-correct, but where is it? If I was just a text and e-mail junkie, this might win me over alone.
• Integration - Excellent integration with GoogleTalk and other Google related features. Duh.
• Settings upon settings. I liked all the various layers of additional settings I could adjust - WiFi sleep mode, additional time increments for when the display would go to sleep, etc. (This is a double-edged sword though. Sometimes I'd rather not have to think about things at such a deep layer - can't they just work?)
• Nice touches - Breakdown of battery/OS/CPU usage - it's nice to see what's destroying the battery life and the Android 4.0 graph visualization is a nice touch.
• Verizon LTE 4G Speed - as mentioned previously, 4G speeds are fast- very fast, but that's not a unique differentiator for the Galaxy Nexus vs other 4G phones.
• Notification LED - Android definitely has the advantage on its Nexus phones with the LED notification light - varying colors for different apps. Perhaps the Android developers should allow for more options and flexibility for these notifiers. For example, using Kik, when a new message would come in, there would just be a solid green light. Why not make this blink or give you the ability to enable blinking? It's just further proof that everything Android related is fragmented and inconsistent.
• Large screen - as much as it eats battery life and causes hand fatigue, it is nice to have that large of a screen when watching videos. I don't watch many videos on my phone though so it's a moot point.

Additional Qualms:

• Scrolling - Has anyone used the official Twitter client on Android? Scrolling seems sluggish. I think my Motorola Q from 2007 would have an easier time handling the scroll. Perhaps that's just a Twitter app issue and not something with the Galaxy Nexus, but where's the QA?
• E-mail Formatting - So, I have this HUGE 4.3" screen, right? Why are my e-mails formatted like garbage? I still have to scroll left and right to view the entire message. Seriously? 4 versions later and e-mail still can't auto-format itself? I don't even recall being able to pinch/zoom the messages. What a horrible and awful experience. The iPhone nailed this from the original get-go.
• Inconsistencies - This has a lot to do with the OS fragmentation and various developers, along with the lack of Google guidelines, but so many apps have things located all over the place. It takes a bit of time to get used to any new apps, along with any iOS counter-parts. The ellipsis for the 'secondary menu' appears randomly and doesn't make sense a lot of the time.
• Ear-piece: The speaker placement just seemed slightly off. What seemed like it would be the comfortable placement on my ears ended up being just off- I had to awkwardly adjust how I held the phone when actually making a phone call. This is just a personal gripe as it's probably my ear's fault. 

Overall, I'm glad I bit the bullet, spent close to $100 after all is said and done and gave Android an honest chance. If the iPhone didn't exist, I'd already have an Android device and I would be thrilled with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). However, since that's not the case, I appreciate my iPhone and iOS even more. It always comes back to the "little things" that sets all Apple products apart from their competition. 

If you are in the market for the latest and greatest Android device, I'd say wait until the Razr MAXX or some of the other newer phones get Ice Cream Sandwich. They seem to have better physical hardware. Android 4.0 is a huge improvement from the previous versions I've played with, and it's consistently getting better.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drink more of the Apple kool-aid.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (Part 1)

I often write about the "can do nothing wrong" iPhone and "it's not an iPhone" Android. Clearly, I've been biased for a while and I can recognize that. It's the same ongoing debate that has plagued tech-enthusiasts for as long as there has been competition. Betamax vs. VHS, Mac OS X vs. Windows, DVD vs. DivX (Ha!), HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, and of course iOS vs. Android. So, enough is enough, and even though my previous post about the Galaxy Nexus led me to believe I had made up my mind, I have to admit- the interest was still there.

Now, I don't update frequently enough, don't have enough Klout, nor do I have enough readers to make a case to just ask Samsung for a demo unit for review purposes, so as the title of the post suggests I needed to put some money into this debate. As a quick recap, Android 4.0 finally sparked my interest to a boiling point that I had to truly use it and not just demo it at a store. Also, I needed to see if Verizon Wireless would be the savior so many make it out to be. I've been in San Francisco this week so having a true need to rely on mobile devices and data, I decided what better time than now to have my own little experiment.

To put things into context: I am still in contract with AT&T with my iPhone 4 that I received the day before it was officially released in 2010. It still works great. I still love it. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Verizon and am going to make the best of the 2-week trial period. The bottom line is if Android wins me over, I will port my number over from AT&T and cancel that contract. Oh and of course, I will have switched to Android in one fell swoop defying all that I've known for the past 4 years in terms of iOS world. However, if it doesn't, well then I'm left with two additional options: return the Nexus,  pay fees and what not, and get a Verizon iPhone 4S instead (with only 2GB of data for $30/mo. instead of the current promotion of double-data for 4G devices) or cancel Verizon altogether and stick with my unlimited AT&T data plan and the trusty ol' iPhone 4. Unfortunately, working in New York City, AT&T is the bane of my existence but anyway...

My impression so far has been mixed. At certain times, I see something as minute as the font on ICS and it makes all the difference whereas other times I want to throw the phone away. The Nexus screen is huge and beautiful. ICS's multi-tasking feature is excellent, the notification bar and swipe down has always been a strong point and is still very good. Oh, and lest not forget- Verizon's 4G LTE network is blazing fast. I couldn't believe how fast I was downloading apps and refreshing my social networks. The horsepower underneath the huge screen is quick, snappy, and fluid as well. I would never have classified anything Android-based to be fluid before 4.0. The app market is strong, the built-in Google apps have all been updated and they're excellent.

 

However, 4 years of iOS sophistication and polish causes extra scrutiny to other features:

• The GPS functionality is awful. I can never locate anything on FourSquare without searching for it. The Google Maps app, while outstanding UI (especially the pinch/zoom 3D building models), is inaccurate. 
• The camera is garbage. Sure, it has a very fast shutter speed when set to "Action" but the colors are washed out, all the photos look blurry, and the interface is still unintuitive. Perhaps this is the biggest deciding factor for me. I love the iPhone 4 camera, and the 4S is supposed to be much better than that? You're kidding, right? That doesn't leave any competition for Google.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus (5MP Auto, Flash Off)

Apple iPhone 4 (5MP, Not HDR, Flash Off)

• The battery. Should I even elaborate? Well, I need to because due to my need for maximizing battery life for all of my portable devices, I purposely have my brightness turned down to the lowest setting, bluetooth disabled, WiFi disabled, GPS disabled (except when I need to use a location-based app), and the usual big vampire- 4G disabled. I let the phone stay on 3G and with every service basically turned off. Getting a full work-day worth of battery out of the device was a struggle. I think it finally gave out around 11 hours after a full-charge and minimal usage. 4G or not, this is unacceptable. In fact, with having it on 3G, and everything practically turned off/down, I couldn't even get 12 hours? Really Samsung/Google? You guys couldn't even figure that out? Steve Jobs has laid out what you guys needed to do for over 2 years now. 
• The build quality isn't as toyish as I hinted at in my previous post, but it is still made out of plastic, and does feel cheap when comparing to an iPhone (but this wouldn't cause me to not keep it).

I've been very adamant about giving this phone an honest chance, but if I have to treat it with such care for a whole day's worth of usage (or lack thereof) then it just isn't feasible. Sure, I could follow Android users advice- always keep a charger with you wherever you go and pack 19 extra batteries with me, but that's just silly. 

Contrary to the tone of the aforementioned shortcomings, I could still see myself making the jump. If I were to ever cross over, it'd be for this device and now. However, there is a huge factor that I never even thought of when having all this debate in my head (and heart) about all this. I can't seem to love the Nexus. 

When I first bought the iPhone 3G in 2008, the first week I thought I had made a grave mistake. "A touch-screen? I can't type on this! What the heck was I thinking? Apps? I don't need apps! It doesn't even support MMS!" But by the third day, I started really appreciating all the little details you notice only when truly using the device and I found myself falling in love with it. I know it sounds corny, but it's true. There have only been a handful of electronic devies that I have gained more appreciation for after the 'honeymoon phase' would wear off. Oh, and my iPhone 3G from 2008 still works just fine. In fact, my mother uses it as her primary phone. The iPhone 4? This was love at first sight. The specs, the features, the look, the feel, everything. I truly love everything about the iPhone 4 in terms of hardware. iOS 5 just sealed the deal and put the icing on the cake (insert additional clichés here). I'm sure I'd love the iPhone 4S just as much (if not more), but I'm not eligible for the upgrade yet (woo-hoo AT&T!).

After about 3 days of trying to utilize the Nexus as my primary smartphone, I found myself digging and reaching for my iPhone more and more. I yearned for it. It felt right. It felt comfortable. If I had to make a decision right now, I'd go back but I am forcing myself to continue to explore Android 4.0 and its nuances so I can find the little gems that Google may have hidden. ICS has its own fair share of little details that I wouldn't have discovered unless I had performed this little, albeit expensive experiment, so we'll see. I've found a few workarounds for some of my gripes, but the battery issue is still a major concern. Seven more days until I make a decision.

[overly enthusiastic] Stay Tuned for the 2nd part of the experiment/experience next weekend!

Project MAME - Stage 1-1

I LOVE video games, I really do. I frequented arcades while my mom shopped. I cut class to play at the local deli. And even today I keep a collection of retro memories on my phone in case I have to wait longer than 3 minutes for anything. If there is any doubt for my love of video games, I posted a photo for proof below...


(Yes it's real lol)

Anyway it's been a long time dream of mine to build a MAME cabinet. For those that don't know it's basically an old school stand up arcade cabinet with some software running that will allow you to play old games. Thus teleporting you back in time to the golden age of gaming!

So and friend and I decided to finally do it. He needed an excuse to buy power tools and this seemed like a good enough reason as any. We ventured over to a few hardware stores, bought some supplies and headed back home. The objective is to build 2 cabinets (one for each of us), both 4 players with trackball and spinner (for Arkanoid!) and to modernize it a bit we are setting it up with a 32'' LCD monitor!

Some may scoff at the idea of an LCD monitor in an arcade cabinet. That's fine. I would love to do a CRT build and I realize older games just don't look as good on newer LCDs. But in reality the availability, longevity and hazards associated with a CRT aren't worth it for this particular build. It will play MAME games sure but it will also play some newer games as well - which take advantage of higher resolutions, colors and widescreen formats.

So we setup a makeshift work area in my bedroom/living room, hit the lights and cue'd up the music...


Measuring everything up...



Marking some panels ...



And us freezing our asses off in the dead of winter at midnight trying to make some cuts. Not the most ideal conditions but hey I told you we're dedicated and we love video games!!



For those interested the specs so far:
3/4'' MDF for the cabinet
32'' wide to fit the tv/monitor
4 Player Control Panel, with 4 joysticks, buttons, trackball & spinner
Lots and lots of power tools (Router, Circ saw, table saw, drill, etc)

...more to come!
--=Q=--

"Computer"

I, like many nerds/geeks, grew up on a healthy dosage of sci-fi entertainment. The 80s definitely seemed to be filled with sci-fi movies, TV shows, and just an overall abundance of content that eventually dwindled down in the 90s. 

Of course one of the best TV series of all time, Star Trek: The Next Generation and its 7 seasons and  close to 200 episodes captured my imagination with space travel, advanced technology, and giving vision to the blind with a ridiculous looking visor. Nevertheless, the world that Mr. Roddenberry created took place in the 24th century around the year 2365. One easily perceived and assumed function was voice-activated interaction with the ship's computer/AI system. 

Any crew member could ask the ship's computer anything, and it would respond in a gentle voice providing answers, reasons, etc. It wasn't just a search engine returning results. It was an answer engine- artificial intelligence able to manipulate the ship's systems, and answer whereabouts of crew members and other questions. Now, if this is fictionally taking place about 300+ years from now, think about where we actually are these days with Siri. 

Siri is the "computer" from Star Trek, albeit in its beta and early form. Siri can handle iPhone functions, provide answers, and "converse" with you while doing so. In that regard, it's pretty amazing that it's being handled by a device no larger than one's hand. I have yet to get an iPhone 4S, and when Siri was initially announced, I was on the skeptical side thinking it can't be that good, can it? Well, I need to stop putting my Apple-doubt hat on from time to time because from the interactions I've seen others have with it, it's definitely more 24th century than 21st. I can't wait to see how it improves and when others also catch up.

It'd be interesting to see what Gene Roddenberry would have thought about Siri had he still been alive.

Almost Android, Almost...

Yesterday, I posted about my ever-growing interest in picking up a Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, the first officially running Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich.  My cousin just received one while getting rid of his HTC Evo 4G and my uncle got one too - a long time loyal iPhone user. Both have become big fans.

Combined with the experiences of my family members (they're both technical), and the fact that when the phone actually launched a couple of weeks ago, Verizon stores had lines for it, my interest had been piqued. It's been backordered on Amazon every day I've looked too. If I'm going to switch to Android, I'd much rather get a Nexus device for a better software update rollout. So today, I decided that I need to either get one or at least understand why I shouldn't.

During a brief lunch break, I headed over to the mall to the local Verizon store. The demo unit was there waiting to be touched and played with in all its glory. It's huge (insert The Office catchphrase here). It also felt very underwhelming in terms of build quality. Speaking of which, for a quick comparison, I also held the DROID Razr and even with all its fancy materials, squeezing the phone in my hand, felt cheap and flimsy. The Galaxy Nexus wasn't much different, although I will admit it was better than the DROID Razr.

Android 4.0 overall looks and performs great on the Galaxy Nexus; flying through various menus, settings, and other basic functionality was excellent. However, after holding it for a couple of minutes, perhaps it's because I don't have the largest hands in the world, I just felt like my hands were getting a bit fatigued since it's so big. After a solid 10 minutes of playing around with the phone and enjoying it overall, I took out the trusty ol' iPhone 4 from my pocket.

Sorry Samsung/Android, hands down the iPhone build quality far exceeds that of the Galaxy Nexus. There's no comparison. Holding the iPhone 4 (released back in June of 2010), the Android device just felt like a toy. I have a few months left on my AT&T contract. I figured I'll wait until the next iteration of the iPhone or future Android 4.0+ devices are released before making any sort of jump (in device and carrier).

Almost Google... almost. Nicely done regardless.

Android Music Market

Google rarely advertises on its homepage. I guess it's worth noting this is what I saw today:

Albums for $4.99, tracks for 49¢. Buy now, sync never. Android Market

I guess they're really gunning for Apple now. I suppose it's time. We have iTunes and Amazon both happy around the 99 cent price point. What better way to entice users than slashing the prices by half?

In other news, I am so tempted to switch over to Android with the Galaxy Nexus. Ice Cream Sandwich really does look appealing and finally a true competitor to iOS. 2012 will definitely be an interesting year for the mobile space.

Let's hope RIM goes out of business and Microsoft makes a decent push in market share with its new Nokia devices.

Thunderbolt I/O revisited. The Apple Docking Station.

With low fanfare on July 20th of this year Apple introduced it's first attempt at realizing the potential of the Thunderbolt peripheral space: the Thunderbolt display.




It is a, you guessed it - a 27" Apple cinema display that communicates to the latest round of Macs via the Thunderbolt interface.

But provides THREE USB 2.0 ports, a GIGABIT ethernet port, and - a Firewire 800 port. O, and don't forget a built-in FaceTime HD camera and microphone. A true first step and finally - a suitable docking station for a Mac!

I've spoke about this before in a previous post and am excited to finally check out this piece of the future. However @ $999 it's a pretty expensive docking station.

Or, $999 for a Apple Cinema Display and it's first real docking station. Hmm.