Windows Phone 7.5 Vulnerable To SMS Hack?

Phones running Microsoft's newly released Windows Phone 7.5 mobile operating system can have their messaging services knocked offline by a third party through a malevolent text message, an independent security researcher claimed.

Upon receiving an infected message, the phone will shut itself down. When the user reboots, Windows Phone's Messaging Hub will not open, according to Kahled Salameh, who reported his findings to the blog WinRumors.

Staffers at the blog said they tested and confirmed the attack's effectiveness on several Windows Phone devices, including the HTC Titan and the Samsung Focus. The former was running the 7740 build of Windows Phone 7.5, also known as Mango, while the latter was running the 7720 RTM build of Mango.

On his Twitter feed, Salameh, who appears to be based in Amman, Jordan, said he would not make public the actual code that exploits the vulnerability. "Sorry, can't share it ... Disaster if this thing goes to the wild," Salameh wrote.

Salameh also said that the same text can also crash certain tools in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. Microsoft officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Microsoft released Mango, the first major update to Windows Phone, in August. Mango adds numerous improvements to Windows Phone, from new end-user features to transparent backend services.

A feature called Threads lets users glide among text, Windows Live Messenger, and Facebook chat within the same "conversation." Groups lets users receive and send messages from predefined social or business circles directly to and from the Smart Tiles homescreen.

Contact Cards have been enhanced to include feeds from Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as previously supported networks. Local Scout, which is integrated with Bing, yields hyper-local search results for dining, shopping, and entertainment.

Mango also adds a long-awaited multitasking capability, which lets users move freely between applications and pick up and resume where they left off. 4G wireless support is embedded. For security-conscious enterprise customers, Mango adds support for various rights management technologies. For example, it lets authorized users open emails tagged with restrictions such as "Do Not Forward" or "Do Not Copy."

Additionally, it beefs up integration with authoring and collaboration tools like Lync and Office 365.

But security problems could derail Microsoft's efforts to boost sales of Windows Phone in the wake of Mango's release. Microsoft currently holds a U.S. market share of just 5.6% in mobile operating systems, according to the latest data from ComScore.

In an effort to gain some momentum, Microsoft shook up its Windows Phone team Monday. Group president Andy Lees was replaced by Windows Phone engineering head Terry Myerson. In a memo to employees, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Lees would move to "a new role working for me on a time-critical opportunity focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8," according to the Seattle Times.

Source is
http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/232300422

7digital music store app headed to Windows Phone in January

Earlier of this year, 7digital brought its music store with about 13 million track-strong music to BlackBerry Playbook. And now, with the help from Microsoft, this company confirmed that it plans to release the music store app for Windows Phone 7.5 devices in January, 2012.

The app itself will seemingly be similar to those found on other platforms (Metro UI styling aside), including the ability to preview tracks before purchasing, and lower quality files that can be downloaded over 3G and later upgraded when a WiFi connection is available. In addition to that rather large music library, 7digital's store is also notable for offering many of its tracks in 24-bit FLAC format, with the standard offering being 320kbps MP3 files -- 7digital also claims to now have 3 million customers.

What's more, the company also announced today that it will begin expanding its North American operations in the next year, complete with some new offices and a new president of 7digital North America: Vickie Nauman, who came to 7digital from Sonos and has been serving as VP until now. The press release is after the break.

Microsoft Needs More On Xbox Live For Windows Phone 7

Windows Phone 7 – it’s the platform we hate to love. Why? Because despite being a fantastic example of what Redmond can achieve when it innovates, it’s been let down by slow reaction times and average hardware. And while the partnership with Nokia will help on the hardware front, the slow reaction times are still hanging around, as exemplified by Xbox Live.


Windows Phone 7 is over a year old now, and while it has in many ways lived up to the promise found in that first version, it has also been an exceptional disappointment in others. Despite having one of the strongest brands in the gaming market integrated into the phone, Microsoft’s effort on the Xbox Live WP7 portal is average at best.

Where are the games?

One of the reasons Microsoft was able to carve out such a strong position in the console arms race was the strength of its exclusive franchises. To this day, the mere mention of the word “Halo” conjures up images of an Xbox console with an oversized Duke controller with late nights on a CRT TV. Throw in Fable, Gears of War, Dead or Alive, Forza, and Viva Pinata and you have not only exclusive games, but exclusive franchises all waiting to be exploited for mobile gaming.

But it’s an opportunity being missed, and missed badly. To date, only Fable: Coin Golf offers any real access to any of those franchises in a playing capacity, and it’s nothing more than a virtual version of a game kids play during free periods to quell boredom. Halo Waypoint offers some integration between the Halo universe and the WP7 platform, but there’s no actual playing to be done.

Meanwhile, if we take a quick peak over at Cupertino, we see that the developers at Chair – a subsidiary of Epic Games, and the makers of the Xbox exclusive Gears of War, no less – have created a sequel to the breathtaking Infinity Blade for iOS. It exemplifies everything mobile gaming can be, and shows why Apple is becoming a leader in mobile gaming. There’s no real reason that a game like Infinity Blade can’t be developed for WP7, except the fact that it’s not really in the developers best financial interest to do so at this point.

It doesn’t even have to be an Xbox exclusive game to help drive the Xbox integration. Looking at soccer games, for example – iOS and Android both have the marvellous FIFA 12, which WP7 has an old, awkward version of PES. It’s fairly obvious that both iOS and Android have the market share to make developing for them an attractive option for games companies, but Microsoft is going to need to take matters into its own hands to even the balance if it really wants to compete.

But given how successful the Xbox brand is, the fact that there are only 90 Xbox Live games available on my HTC Mozart after 12 months is not only disappointing, it’s depressing.

Sorry, How Much?

Angry Birds costs $0.99 on the iOS app store. It’s free on Android, albeit laced with annoying ads. On WP7, the same game is $3.49.

There is no possible explanation that could justify that price increase for the same game. And it’s ultimately going to hurt the Windows Phone 7 platform. The reason iOS is so successful in this space is that there’s a combination of affordable and free titles, mixed in with premium titles, all of which are significantly cheaper than a handheld console. Microsoft’s decision to price all its games at a level higher than iOS is an indication that it greatly underestimates the appeal of cheap games to casual users and developers alike.

Angry Birds is but one example though – its clear across the entire store that a premium is placed on all WP7 games. Coupled with the relative lack of variety on the store, and a lack of exclusive titles, and Microsoft is falling further and further behind its Apple rival as a gaming smartphone platform. Given it has the Xbox brand in there, that seems like a ridiculous situation to be in.

Source is
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/12/microsoft-needs-more-on-xbox-live-for-windows-phone-7/

Microsoft and Apple confirm no Carrier IQ spy software on iOS 5 or Windows Phone

Microsoft has officially denied any involvement with Carrier IQ and Apple says that most of its iOS 5 devices no longer use the controversial software.

With the debate around Carrier IQ beginning to heat up, all the companies that don’t use the software are piping up. Quick to clean their hands of the mess, Apple and Microsoft have both made statements about Carrier IQ. Microsoft denies using it entirely and Apple says that it’s been off the app since iOS5 and is now clean and sober.

Microsoft

Head of Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore, tweeted the following about 18 hours ago: “Since people are asking– Windows Phones don’t have CarrierIQ on them either.”

Apple

The iPhone does not use Carrier IQ now, but the service may still linger on some devices, Apple said in a statement: “We stopped supporting CarrierIQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update,” said Apple. “With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.”

The big question here is the word “most.” It means that some iOS 5 products still use Carrier IQ, but we don’t know which ones. And if you haven’t yet upgraded to iOS 5, your iPhone or iPad is likely using Carrier IQ as well.
If not Carrier IQ, then what?

The fact that iPhones and Windows Phones will not be using Carrier IQ is strange, as it means one of two things: either carriers are getting diagnostics only from Android phones or that Apple and Microsoft are simply using competing services (or their own) to deliver this data to wireless carriers. Do these services record more info than they’re supposed to as well? To see if you have Carrier IQ on your handset, check out our roundup of which manufacturers and carriers use Carrier IQ.

Source is
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/microsoft-and-apple-confirm-no-carrier-iq-spy-software-on-ios-5-or-windows-phone/

Test-drive Windows Phone 7 on your Android phone or iPhone

Of course, short of driving to your local cell phone emporium and standing there like a dweeb, there's no easy way to test-drive the OS. (It's not like anyone you know has a Windows Phone. Am I right?)

As it happens, you can test-drive Windows Phone 7, and you can do it right on your Android phone or iPhone. For reals! Microsoft just introduced an interactive, browser-based Windows Phone 7 demo, one that gives you both the look and flavor of their please-won't-somebody-buy-it mobile operating system.

If you're reading this on your phone, just tap the link in the previous paragraph. Otherwise, point your mobile browser to http://aka.ms/wpdemo.

What you'll see next is an HTML5-powered page that shows you the Windows Phone 7 home screen (in all its photo-flipping glory) and lets you try all the main features: Phone, People, Messaging, Outlook, Family, and so on.

Tapping any one of these tools leads you through a semi-guided demo, one that allows you to scroll screens and flip pages along the way. If you tap where the glowing swipe and/or tap indicators tell you, you'll eventually get to the "end" of that particular demo, with the option of starting over. (On my iPhone, I discovered I could also tap Safari's Back button to return to the Windows Phone home screen.)

Truth be told, this was my first exposure to Windows Phone 7--and I liked it. The interface is just lovely, a monumental improvement over the train wreck that was Windows Mobile. There's a logic and elegance to it that, quite frankly, is lacking in both Android and iOS. I'm not saying I'd abandon my iPhone for it, only that I could see myself using and enjoying a Windows Phone.

In other words, mission accomplished, Microsoft. You gave me a little hands-on time with your redheaded stepchild of a mobile OS, and got me thinking about adoption.

Source is:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-57333671-233/test-drive-windows-phone-7-on-your-android-phone-or-iphone/#ixzz1fFfrN9Mr

New Path 2.0 automatically chronicles, shares your life

Path has a new, attractive, and intuitive interface for sharing moments and viewing what your close friends are posting.


The year-old semi-social network app Path is getting a major update that adds scary but interesting automatic life-tracking features, as well the capability--finally--to share Path items with larger social networks.

A refresher: Path was designed as a mobile service that lets you share what's important in your life with only your closest friends. It's not a wide-open social network like Facebook, nor a broadcast platform like Twitter. It's designed to keep you in touch with your family and your close, intimate friends only.

Path now makes that even easier and, in my opinion, more enjoyable. The new user interface on Path is extremely engaging. Now every sharing activity hides under a single button. And Instead of being good at just sharing photos and videos, now Path is equally adept at sharing thoughts, places you're visiting, and when you're asleep or awake. (It also lets you share music, but it's less good at that, since it can only tell what you're playing in the phone's music player, not on Spotify or other services.)

The fascinating, scary, and fortunately optional new feature of Path is called "Automatic." The app knows where you are and can automatically update your Path stream with significant location changes, once it learns your routine. If you hang out in a new neighborhood, or you're driving and stop in a city you've never been to, Path will create a location update. When it spots you at a new airport, ditto.

You can also tell Path when you go to sleep and when you wake up, and it will create an update with that data, and additional clever story-telling. Sleep for two hours and it might say you, "need coffee." Snooze for ten and it could say, "Ready to attack the day!" Path has a novelist on staff, I'm told, to keep these little items fresh.

Path CEO Dave Morin told me that tweaking the algorithms that figure out when to update, and which update "story" to use, are under constant development. Siri, he says, is paving the way for mobile apps with personality and smarts. "AI is the new UI," he says.

Posting automatic updates about when you're stopping for grub or grabbing some shut-eye might seem like trivia or over-sharing, but Morin maintains that in Path's tight networks of real friends, it's not. This information is not irrelevant when it comes from your best buddy or your spouse.

But it certainly is TMI when it comes to sharing with friends of friends, or those long-lost Facebook contacts you last saw in grade school. So while Path will now let you share out the items you post intentionally to Facebook, Twitter, or Foursquare (Tumblr is coming; but Google+ still has no API), it won't share the Automatic updates.

Morin says that Path 2.0 will post "natively" to these other social platforms: It'll use link-shorteners for items it puts on Twitter, and will post natively to Facebook's photos, for example. So you could, theoretically, use Path for sharing everything, from your intimate updates to Path friends to your broadcasts out to the Twitterverse.

Path 2.0 is due out today on iOS and Android.

Source is
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-57333449-250/new-path-2.0-automatically-chronicles-shares-your-life/

RIM BlackBerry services open up to iOS, Android

The iPhone 4S may soon be managed by BlackBerry's server.

Research In Motion now aims to support both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets--a break from the company's previous BlackBerry-only focus.


RIM introduced today BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, a mobile device management service that takes advantage of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology to track and monitor different phones and tablets.


With BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, RIM is attempting to preserve its hold over the business customer even as more of them leave the BlackBerry fold for other flashier devices. Mobile Fusion allows RIM to play a role in companies and government agencies, even if its BlackBerrys are no longer used. For RIM, it also represents a fundamentally different view of the mobile world from only a few years ago, when it would have never considered opening up its core service to other platforms.

The Mobile Fusion service gives RIM an in on the bring-your-own-device trend that's starting to pick up momentum with businesses. Increasingly, corporate IT departments are letting their employees use whatever smartphone they want. A number of companies have jumped into the business of supporting that trend.

RIM is taking advantage of one of its core assets: the strength of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server. For all of the knocks that its phones receive, its BlackBerry service remains the most efficient at delivering e-mails in a secure and speedy manner. That's particularly important with as employee-owned phones increasingly run confidential corporate applications and data.

RIM said it is in early tests with select business customers, and will have a wider trial with more customers in January, with planned general availability in March.

The services include standard management tools including the ability to remotely lock or wipe the phone, manage a phone's secure wireless connection, and selectively providing or denying access to certain corporate data.

RIM said Mobile Fusion will be able to use the capabilities on BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.3. It also said there are additional features for BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook tablets.

Source is
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57332782-94/rim-blackberry-services-open-up-to-ios-android/