3 posts categorized "Android"

McAfee is reporting a huge spike in Android malware. As you might have guessed iOS is largely unaffected:

Malware on Android is growing rapidly enough that it's now by far the most targeted platform, McAfee said in a new study (below). The number of viruses, trojans, and other rogue pieces of code aimed at Google's platform shot up 76 percent this past spring to reach 44. While small compared to Windows, it was three times the volume of the one-time leader, Java ME, which was at 14.

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Apple, meanwhile, remained unaffected, with no active malware that could attack a stock iPhone. The only known recorded instances so far have been four attacks on jailbroken devices that were all variants of each other. Of the major platforms, only the outgoing and much smaller webOS had the same perfect track record.

And for those of you installing 'SMS' apps, please be careful:

Some of the examples of Android malware, such as Smsmecap and Toplank, are masquerading as legitimate apps. Many of them are badged as "crimeware" that tries to profit off the user by sending premium rate text messages and effectively stealing the target's money. On other platforms, like the BlackBerry and Symbian, paid SMS attacks have also appeared in smaller volumes.

Read more at Electronista.

Chantel Tode at Mobile Marketer looks at the question - Will Google, Motorola deal disrupt the OEM landscape? 

While Google executives said this week that Android handset manufacturers will be treated equally even though the company is acquiring Motorola, the possibility remains that OEMs will take a closer look at other operating systems.

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While offering Android as an open system at little or no cost to license has been an important factor in its growth, the deal withMotorola points to the success of the Apple formula of owning the entire mobile experience.

“The most successful players in the smartphone market have been those who control the entire experience – from platform, to hardware to services,” said Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director for mobile devices at ABI Research, New York.

“Only Microsoft remains as the only mobile platform provider without direct ownership of a hardware arm that designs and produces mobile phones,” he said.

Buying a handset manufacturer gives Google a similar degree of control over Android that Apple has with iOS.

Conceivably, the deal with Motorola means that Android will now go into smartphones that bear Google’s own seal of approval and can be marketed as the gold standard for Android, per Mr. Burden.

While Google says it will continue to treat other handset manufacturers equally despite having acquired Motorola, there are advantages to be gained from Google and Motorola working together in some areas.

Head over to Mobile Marketer for the full analysis.

One of the keys to the success of the iOS App Store (iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch) is the seamless nature of billing. Until now the lack of convenient billing has held back the Android Marketplace. AT&T has just announced that like T-Mobile they will be offering a soluton to this problem:

The Android Market has long been a source of frustration for Android users - it seems so much simpler to find and buy apps for the iPhone. With that in mind, a number of improvements have been announced recently by Android in order to help make both finding and purchasing apps easier.

Add to that list now, AT&T Direct Carrier Billing for those Android folks (obviously) on the AT&T network. This means apps you purchase can be billed to your phone bill, instead of your having to pull out a credit card.

Read more at ReadWrite Web, including info from Android's Developer Ecosystem Chief.