Android

Eat a lot of potato chips? Then consider avoiding one of the ways Google offers to unlock an Android device.

Finnish developer Janne Kytomaki said he knew something was amiss last year when he noticed dozens of best-selling applications on Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android Market listing the same incorrect author.

Kytomaki ran tests, identified the mislabeled software as a fast-moving attack and published the findings online.

A bunch of hardcore Nokia hackers and developers are currently working on a usable port of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Nokia N9, which uses the now-defunct Meego operating system.

The N9 comes with the Harmattan user interface and a 3.9-inch touchscreen that has no physical button (just what Ice Cream Sandwich needs).

Researchers from Symantec and North Carolina State University may have stumbled upon one of the largest and most lucrative mobile botnets yet.

First discovered by N.C. State researcher Saxon Jiang and then confirmed by Symantec, the botnet consists of of hundreds of thousands of infected nodes, said Cathal Mullaney, a Symantec security response engineer, in a blog post.

Google issued a beta release of Chrome for Android last week. The port, which brings Chrome's feature set and excellent support for Web standards to Android, is a major improvement over the mobile platform's current default browser.

As we reported in our coverage of the beta, Android's default browser has historically had difficulty handling sophisticated application-like Web experiences. The new port of Chrome has the potential to remedy that weakness and bring highly competitive HTML5 support to Android.

If you’re not familiar with CyanogenMod, you should be: the firmware has been responsible for some of the best unofficial Android alterations available. But now the hackers are stumped: The CM9 port of Android 4.0 to older devices will probably come after the manufacturers’ own effort.

Google issued a beta release of Chrome for Android earlier today. The browser provides support for modern Web standards and includes a number of compelling features that aren't available in the Android's default browser. One noteworthy Chrome desktop feature that isn't included in the mobile port, however, is the integrated Flash runtime.

The Nook Tablet may be a solid gadget on its own, but tinkerers are obviously itching to have at it. Since its release in November last year, full root attempts include using the "zergRush" method, and some have figured out how to sideload Android apps onto it. So perhaps you'll be pleased to know that the hackers have found a way to run CyanogenMod 7 on the Barnes & Noble tablet.

Google has been using a service codenamed Bouncer to scan of applications submitted to the Android Market in an effort to improve security, the company revealed last week.

Bouncer scans the market for potentially malicious software without disrupting the user experience or requiring developers to submit to an application approval process, said Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice of engineering for Android.

New malware targeting Android smartphones and mobile devices has been uncovered by F Secure.

The Trojan, which the security company has christened with the catchy name Trojan:Android/FakeRegSMS.B hides a PNG file that allows it to hijack a person's phone and send premium rate text messages.