How to Create Custom Fingerprint Actions with Tasker

If your smartphone or tablet has a fingerprint reader, chances are that its uses are limited. Apart from a few added benefits in the Google Pixel or Huawei smartphone line-up, most fingerprint readers on Android only serve to unlock your device. Fortunately, with the power of Tasker and a few plug-ins, we are able to considerably extend the functionality of the fingerprint scanner. Previously, I did a tutorial on how to assign custom fingerprint actions and make it context dependent. At the time, I only demonstrated how you could cast the current tab to your PC. In this tutorial, I will provide some additional examples of ways you can take advantage of a context-aware fingerprint reader.

But what if your phone doesn't have a fingerprint reader? Even if you don't have one on your phone, don't worry, as we can adjust the scripts to work just as well with an onscreen button. I will even demonstrate how to replicate this set-up with a fully transparent onscreen button, as well! XDA Senior Member Flextrick has updated the Fingerprint Scanner Tools with better Tasker integration, so here are my favorite custom fingerprint actions. At the end of each section, I will provide the Tasker summary for those of you who want to replicate the set-up on your own (and learn along the way), but if you would rather simply download all of the scripts mentioned in this article I've provided a download link at the end.

You will need:
Android version: 6.0+ (Used 7.0),
Apps: Join (or AutoRemote), Fingerprint scanner tools (Tasker support need to be unlocked)
Plugin: AutoInput, AutoTools, Secure Settings
Needs: Fingerprint Reader

---

Cast the current Chrome window (Updated)

In the previous article, I demonstrated how you can cast the currently opened Chrome webpage to your PC using Join. Since I published that article, I've come up with a few changes that I thought would improve its functionality. While the profile alone does exactly the same thing, I've updated the task to cast the page to the selected PC based on what WiFi is connected or an input selected from a dialog. I have also added a toggle to enable then disable the AutoInput accessibility service, as these accessibility services tend to slow down your phone. To do so, I have added a Secure Settings accessibility toggle action as the first and last action in the task. If you struggle to get the Secure Settings plug-in on Android 7.0+ working, look at my solution here or check the run shell options from here.

WiFi Connected Context

WiFi context

Unless you can get the location values from another profile, you will need to create two additional profiles. One will set the variable %Location to home, another to work. Create the profile, WiFi connected, fill in your home SSID, and link the task which will set the variable %Location to home. Do the same for your work WiFi.

Now that we have that part ready, we can update our original task by simply adding an IF condition to the Join Send Push action. A push to the correct device will be issued depending on our %Location variable, which we set based on a WiFi Connected profile as mentioned above.

Chrome Profile

  Profile: Connected Home          State: Wifi Connected [ SSID:FASTBERRY/SLOWFROG MAC:* IP:* ]  Enter: Connected Home          A1: Variable Set [ Name:%Location To:home Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]     Profile: Connected Work          State: Wifi Connected [ SSID:ITC-STAFF MAC:* IP:* ]  Enter: Connected Work          A1: Variable Set [ Name:%Location To:work Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]     Profile: Chrome On PC          Application: Chrome          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]  Enter: Chrome          A1: Secure Settings [ Configuration:AutoInput: service.ServiceAccessibility - Enabled Timeout (Seconds):0 ]           A2: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:1 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]           A3: AutoInput UI Query [ Configuration:Only Visible: true  Only Clickable: false  App Package: com.android.chrome  Check Screen State: false  Text: ((?<=http:\/\/|https:\/\/|https:\/\/www.|http:\/\/www.|www.))?.*  Regex: true  Variables: address Timeout (Seconds):20 ]           A4: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@Home  Url: %address Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %Location ~ home ]          A5: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@work  Url: %address Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %Location ~ work ]          A6: Secure Settings [ Configuration:AutoInput: service.ServiceAccessibility - Disabled Timeout (Seconds):0 ]  

Dialog Context

Dialog

If you have multiple PCs you would like to cast to in a single network, perhaps a dialog would be a better option for you. I'm going to use AutoTools to generate a dialog which will consist of names of the PCs that you can cast the current Chrome webpage to. Once clicked – the website will be sent only to that PC. If you are going to use just the dialog, you don't need to recreate the profiles from above. All you need to do is add the AutoTools Dialog action to your task. Populate the names with your home devices and assign commands to each option. These commands will be stored in a variable %atcommand. Once pressed, the variable will be set, and we can trigger the correct Join Push action. Each Join Push action will have a matching IF condition (%atcommand ~ home or work etc).

Chrome Dialog Profile

  Profile: Chrome On PC          Application: Chrome          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]  Enter: Chrome Dialog          A1: Secure Settings [ Configuration:AutoInput: service.ServiceAccessibility - Enabled Timeout (Seconds):0 ]           A2: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:1 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]           A3: AutoInput UI Query [ Configuration:Only Visible: true  Only Clickable: false  App Package: com.android.chrome  Check Screen State: false  Text: ((?<=http:\/\/|https:\/\/|https:\/\/www.|http:\/\/www.|www.))?.*  Regex: true  Variables: address Timeout (Seconds):20 ]           A4: AutoTools Dialog [ Configuration:Dialog Type: List  Title: Select your pc  Icon: android.resource://net.dinglisch.android.taskerm/hd_hardware_dock  List Type: 0  Texts: Home,Work  Text Size: 20  Image Width: 100  Commands: home,work  Dim Background: true  Top Margin: 16  Bottom Margin: 16  Bottom Buttons Top Margin: 16  Bottom Buttons Bottom Margin: 16  Close On Select: true  Separator: ,  Command Variable: atcommand  Cancelable: true  Turn Screen On: true Timeout (Seconds):60 ]           A5: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@Home  Url: %address Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %atcommand ~ home ]          A6: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@work  Url: %address Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %atcommand ~ work ]          A7: Secure Settings [ Configuration:AutoInput: service.ServiceAccessibility - Disabled Timeout (Seconds):0 ]   

---

WhatsApp – Continue conversation on the PC

Here's a new one we've cooked up in the lab. Holding a Whatsapp conversation on your phone is great for quick back and forth messages, but sometimes you would rather hop on to your PC to type out longer responses. As such, I've created a very simplistic, yet very useful profile that will get WhatsApp's online interface up and running on your PC so you could continue your conversation. If you have more than one PC, feel free to link this to a WiFIi Connected context or create a dialog like we did in the previous example.

WhatsApp Profile

  Profile: WhatsApp On PC          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: WhatsApp  Enter: Whatsapp          A1: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@Home  Url: http://ift.tt/1Dt3Tno Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %Location ~ home ]          A2: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@work  Url: http://ift.tt/1Dt3Tno Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %Location ~ work ]  

---

Facebook – Open Facebook on a PC

In a very similar fashion, we can continue our Facebook browsing on our PC if you're getting tired of scrolling your feeds on your mobile device. In the same way as before, we'll point our PC to the URL of Facebook's desktop site via a Join push. Of course, feel free to again modify this by adding a WiFi Connected context or a dialog for multiple devices.

Facebook Profile

  Profile: Facebook On PC          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: Facebook  Enter: Facebook          A1: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@Home  Url: http://ift.tt/g8FRpY Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %Location ~ home ]          A2: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@work  Url: http://ift.tt/g8FRpY Timeout (Seconds):60 ] If [ %Location ~ work ]  

---

Maps – Navigate home, or to your favorite location

A one click 'Take me home' button can save some time and frustration, especially when you're in a hurry. Although you can create a launcher shortcut to start Google Maps navigation, some users would prefer not to clutter their home screen with additional icons. When Google Maps is open, we can pass an intent to ask Google to take us home (requires the "Home" location in Google Maps to be set or a hard-coded address in the variable). If you wish to have a few favorites to choose from like 'work' or 'Las Vegas', we can also link a dialog.

Navigate Home

With a quick press of a button, an Intent action is sent. This will open Google Maps and set 'home' as your destination. Simple!

Maps Profile

  Profile: Maps Go Home          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: Maps  Enter: Maps          A1: Send Intent [ Action:android.intent.action.VIEW Cat:None Mime Type: Data:google.navigation:q=home Extra: Extra: Extra: Package: Class: Target:Activity ]   

Favorite Locations

Create a dialog with AutoTools, and fill in a list of locations. You can use places like home or work, cities, or specific addresses. List them separated with commas. The AutoTools dialog will populate the variable %attext when the option is pressed. This option will be passed over to the intent, in the data field: google.navigation:q=%attext . The intent: android.intent.action.VIEW  will take you to your destination.

Maps Fav Profile

  Profile: Maps Go Home           Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: Maps  Enter: Maps Dialog          A1: AutoTools Dialog [ Configuration:Dialog Type: List  Title: Select location  Icon: app-icon:com.google.android.apps.maps  List Type: 0  Texts: Home,Work,Las Vegas  Text Size: 20  Image Width: 100  Dim Background: true  Top Margin: 16  Bottom Margin: 16  Bottom Buttons Top Margin: 16  Bottom Buttons Bottom Margin: 16  Close On Select: true  Separator: ,  Command Variable: atcommand  Cancelable: true  Turn Screen On: true Timeout (Seconds):60 ]           A2: Send Intent [ Action:android.intent.action.VIEW Cat:None Mime Type: Data:google.navigation:q=%attext Extra: Extra: Extra: Package: Class: Target:Activity ]   

---

Hangouts – Quick reply Templates

I know I seem to love the AutoTools Dialog action, but that's because it provides a very useful feature that can be applied in a wide range of Tasker scripts. In this case, we will use a dialog to quickly populate the clipboard with a quick-reply template. Once the selection is made, you can paste your text message or reply in seconds. No need for typing.

We will use an array to store our messaging templates in. To create an array, use Variable Set and list your options separated by a comma. You will then perform a Variable Split by the comma and will then be able to list the array in an AutoTools dialog! Make sure it is a global array (contains an upper case letter in the name) as local arrays will disappear. The AutoTools Dialog will take the %Templates() array in the text field and will populate your list with options. All you need to do now is use the Set Clipboard action to store the value of %attext.

To help you out, I kept the array actions for you in the description. Once you have create an array of template responses you can delete A1 and A2 actions from your task. If you wish to modify your template response array in the future, simply go to the 'Variables' tab in Tasker and look for the %Templates variable.

Hangouts Profile

  Profile: Hangout Template           Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: Hangouts  Enter: Hangout (16)          A1: [X] Variable Set [ Name:%Templates To:option 1, option 2, option 3 Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]           A2: [X] Variable Split [ Name:%Templates Splitter:, Delete Base:Off ]           A3: AutoTools Dialog [ Configuration:Dialog Type: List  Title: Select your template  Icon: android.resource://net.dinglisch.android.taskerm/hd_content_edit  List Type: 0  Texts: %Templates()  Text Size: 20  Image Width: 100  Dim Background: true  Top Margin: 16  Bottom Margin: 16  Bottom Buttons Top Margin: 16  Bottom Buttons Bottom Margin: 16  Close On Select: true  Separator: ,  Command Variable: atcommand  Cancelable: true  Turn Screen On: true Timeout (Seconds):60 ]           A4: Set Clipboard [ Text:%attext Add:Off ]           A5: Flash [ Text:Clipboard set to: %attext Long:On ]   

---

Camera – Delayed Shutter

I always find it uncomfortable to use the camera for selfies. Scanning your finger to take a picture is perhaps not the greatest solution, however you can set a timer which will allow you to get your hand in position to take a much better picture.

To give ourselves a warning, the Android voice engine will count down for us with the action Say. After this – use the action Button – Camera to take the picture with the main camera. No need to play with the timers or reaching out for a button.

Camera Profile

  Profile: Camera Seflie Main          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: Camera  Enter: Camera           A1: Say [ Text:In 3,2,1... Engine:Voice:com.google.android.tts:eng-gbr Stream:2 Pitch:6 Speed:6 Respect Audio Focus:On Network:On Continue Task Immediately:Off ]           A2: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:1 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]           A3: Button [ Button:Camera ]     

---

YouTube – Cast video to PC

Owning a smart TV has made me realize that casting a YouTube video to a PC is unnecessarily difficult. Unless your PC has the YouTube page open in a TV mode, the cast option is not available. Fortunately, we can enable the option using the fingerprint scanner. This is yet another simple, but useful profile. All we will be doing is opening the YouTube TV page on our PC via Join Push, and you can then cast your current video to your PC! So simple!

YouTube Profile

  Profile: Youtube PC (21)          Event: Variable Value [ %FingerScanned eq 1 ]          Application: YouTube  Enter: Youtube (20)          A1: Join Send Push [ Configuration:Device: Chrome@Home  Url: https://www.youtube.com/tv Timeout (Seconds):60 ]   

---

Fingerprint Sensor Alternative

If you don't have a sensor, the same behavior can be reproduced with an overlay, by making an invisible scene that will act exactly the same way as scanning your finger. Place it in a fixed location, so you would know where to tap (or long tap) and execute the following:

  Scanned Finger          A1: Variable Set [ Name:%FingerScanned To:1 Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]           A2: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:2 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]           A3: Variable Set [ Name:%FingerScanned To:0 Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]   

You can make the button visible, but I found it a little distracting especially when watching videos.  Select all applications that would support the use of the button by creating a profile which will show and destroy the scene.

Fake button

  Profile: Fake Button          Application: Chrome, Camera, Hangouts...  Enter: Fake Button           A1: Create Scene [ Name:Fake Finger ]           A2: Show Scene [ Name:Fake Finger Display As:Overlay, Blocking Horizontal Position:200 Vertical Position:100 Animation:System Show Exit Button:On Continue Task Immediately:On ]     Exit: Fake Button-          A1: Destroy Scene [ Name:Fake Finger ]   

---

You can download the entire Project by following the download link below. After downloading the Project XML file, you can import it by opening up Tasker then long-pressing on the Home icon at the bottom left. This will bring up the Tasker Project menu, which will allow you to import Projects located on the internal storage.

Download the Context Aware Fingerprint Reader Project

I'm keen to see what other uses you could come up with. Let me know and I will update this post.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2g0P85S
via IFTTT

New Gear S2 Update Announced, Includes Some Gear S3 Features

Samsung built up a lot of hype for their new Gear S3 smartwatches this year, and the company officially released them a couple of weeks ago. Like the Gear S2, these new smartwatch run the wearable version of Tizen, and they've started to amass a decent following with its unique bezel controls for a smartwatch. Samsung has said the Gear S3 will not be replacing the Gear S2 wearables either, and that we can expect both of them to sell side by side since they all offer something different for the customer.

The Gear S3 smartwatches run a version of Tizen which is newer than on the S2, but this is changing soon. Samsung has just announced a new update that is starting to roll out to "major markets" today, with a worldwide rollout scheduled to happen "in the coming weeks". The big news about the new Gear S2 update though, is that it will bring some of the features that were introduced in the Gear S3. It can't bring all of them due to hardware limitations, but compared to its current state, it is a respectable update for Gear S2 customers.

The new update allows Gear S2 owners to customize their device through the Gear S3's preloaded watch faces, which can be downloaded via the Galaxy Apps store. Gear S2 customers also get enhanced bezel controls with the new update that give owners the ability to accept or reject calls, and dismiss alarms, timers and alerts for scheduled events. The messaging application of the Gear S2 also gets some new features with the new Handwriting Mode for text as well as emojis.

With the latest update, S Voice now works in real time, S Health will recognize more activities (like running, walking, cycling, elliptical- and rowing-machine sessions), and will automatically detect and count other activities like squats, lunges, crunches and star jumps. Lastly, we see this update adding in wider widget support, some streamlined safety features, and more games than ever thanks to the Galaxy Apps store.

Source: Samsung Newsroom

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2g0t4bK
via IFTTT

Motorola: Expect to See 12 New Moto Mods in 2017

This was the year of the modular smartphones. Many were hoping for Google's Project ARA to see the light of day until reports said the project had been put on hold. LG started a big campaign with the launch of the LG G5, and were inviting developers to check out their modular system. Lenovo/Motorola even jumped into the game with the launch of their Moto Z series of phones and the modular back plates they call Moto Mods.

Motorola also started to invite developers to check out their modular system as well, and this resulted in a few 3rd-party company having their own Moto Mod for Motorola devices at launch. Just recently, we saw the launch of 2 new Moto Mods with one being a battery pack from Mophie and the other being a car dock from Incipio. Motorola says they're dedicated to their modular system and have recently began talking about the possibilities of future Moto Mods.

Just last month, they teamed with Indiegogo to get Motorola's modular platform even more exposure through the "Transform the Smartphone" challenge. The contest ends on January 31st, 2017 so be sure to enter as they'll be giving away Moto Z phones and MDKs to those who come up with the best ideas. Just a few days ago, John Touvannas, Motorola's senior director of product management, teased some possible Moto Mod ideas around that included e-ink displays, a baby monitor, and even a 5G modem.

It's nice to see the company standing behind their modular system, and next year looks even better for the platform. Motorola's 2017 fiscal year starts in April, and Touvannas says they expect to launch "more than 12 new mods for 2017". The company continued listing Moto Mod ideas that include things like a game controller, measurement tool, external storage, alarm clock, breathalyzer, remote control, LED lights and more. It remains to be seen how successful these Mods become in the market, if at all they transcend into the realm of reality.

Source: CNET

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2g2r3GZ
via IFTTT

Homescreen Critique: Beautiful Wallpaper Edition

In this episode of Homescreen Critique, Taylor is focusing on homescreen setups that feature amazing and beautiful wallpapers. These submission come from the XDA community. These are some of the best ones we have found.

d0pecr4wler

• Launcher: Holo Launcher
• Statusbar: Done with Xposed module Flat Style Bar Indicators
• Widget: mnml UI for Zooper Widget
• Icons: Motif, Tiny White Icon Pack

Check out the homescreen here.

carlandermatias

• Widget: Ocea for Zooper Widget
• Icons: Simpax icon pack
• Launcher: Nova Launcher

Check out this homescreen here.

phonetech101

No information on what apps were used in this setup. Looks great though!

Check out this homescreen here.

ernest_21

• Launcher: Nova Launcher
• Icons: Simpax icon pack
• Widget: mnml UI for Zooper Widget

Check out this homescreen here.

 

Submit your own homescreen in this thread to be featured in the next video.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2h8vlBR
via IFTTT

Moto Z and Moto Z Force Updated to Nougat

The Android Nougat update has recently been pushed to the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. Surprisingly, the Verizon variants were the first models to receive this update. That's a bit unheard of considering Verizon's  record of being a little late in the update game. This video shows some of the new features you can expect when running Nougat on the Moto Z.

As a side note, you can get an unlocked Moto Z for $200 off from Amazon right now.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2h0jlyb
via IFTTT

Gooligan Malware Compromises More than a Million Google Accounts on Android

Security is an important aspect of Android. Due to the sheer number and variety of devices, making an OS flexible enough to run on all hardware choices and fulfill varied customer needs, while still maintaining bullet-proof security, is a very difficult task.

While Google is hard at work enhancing the overall security of Android, new vulnerabilities and exploits keep popping up and slipping under the radar. Not to mention, the very task of distributing security updates is left to the whims of the OEM, and outside of the major OEMs and major flagships, very few devices ever receive a security-focused update.

The newest bad fish in the pond was discovered by security researchers at Check Point. Nicknamed "Gooligan", this malware attack campaign is part of the Ghost Push family of malware. Malware under this label is often downloaded through external and untrusted sources, and the apps so installed are then used to install other apps on the host device. Gooligan particularly used the Google credentials on older versions of Android to generate fraudulent installs of other apps.

Check Point mentions that Gooligan has so far breached and compromised over one million Google accounts, with the number also steadily rising at an additional 13,000 breached devices every passing day. Gooligan installs over 30,000 apps daily on breached devices, and over 2 Million installs have been accumulated since the campaign began. Gooligan "potentially" affects devices on Android 4.x and Android 5.x, which is bad news as combined, these versions have arond 74% of market share currently.

Interestingly, 57% of the infected devices are located in Asia, which is not surprising keeping in mind the attitude towards piracy among the general consumers in this region. North and South America follow along at a combined 19%, the African continent makes up 15% and Europe contributes at 9%. Australia, very interestingly, was not mentioned at all.

How does Gooligan work?

Check Point mentions in more detail how the malware works, so we recommend checking out their blog post.

Gooligan starts off with a legitimate-looking infected app that gets downloaded via third-party app stores or sideloaded by mistakenly clicking on malicious links in phishing attack messages. Once the infected app is installed, it sends data about the device to the main Command and Control server of the malware campaign. After device information is obtained, Gooligan downloads rootkits that are applicable to the particular Android version, such as Towelroot or VROOT. If root access is successfully obtained, Gooligan then has full control of the device, including the ability to remotely execute privileged commands.

Gooligan then goes on to download and install a new malicious module from its main server. The modules purpose is to inject code into Google Play or Google Mobile Services to mimic user behavior to avoid detection. Further, the module allows Gooligan to steal the user's Google account and authentication token, install apps from the Play Store and rate them without consent, and install adware to generate revenue. Money is generated for the attacker when the ad network server innocently credits them for successful app referral installs. For good measure, Gooligan also leaves a high rating on the Play Store.

How do you know if you were infected?

Check Point has a good list of apps that they have identified as being infected with this malware. So if you have any of the apps mentioned in the list installed on your device, there is a good chance your account was compromised. The compromise extends over to enterprise accounts as well, so it will not hurt to double check.

If you do doubt that you may be infected and compromised, you can enter in your email on a website created by Check Point for the same purpose. Google's Director of Android Security, Adrian Ludwig, points to Check Point's blog in his Google+ post, as Check Point has been working closely with Google to understand the issue.

If your account is compromised, you would need to undertake a complete wipe and clean installation of the OS on your device to remove all traces of Gooligan and related module code. Then, you need to change your Google account passwords immediately after the process.

If your account is not compromised, you can undertake certain precautions to avoid getting infected. Common sense dictates that one should avoid shady websites and apps, particularly those relating to illegal distribution of content. Piracy portals, whether they be in the form of black market app stores or illegal media (songs, movies etc) re-hosters, are one of the easiest ways to phish users into installing infected apps, so staying away from them is a good idea.

On a different note and for added precaution, if you are a rooted user, do pay attention to the apps installed on your device through periodic checks and make sure to grant root access only to the applications you trust. If you have a choice in running newer versions of your OS with newer security version, please exercise such option.

What has Google done so far to combat Gooligan?

Adrian Ludwig mentioned key details on Gooligan and Ghost Push on his Google+ post. Gooligan and Ghost Push were made with the primary intention to fraudulently market apps and make money through referrals, so Google has not found any evidence of user data access, even though that gate was open. There was no targeting of specific user groups or enterprises either, as the malware aimed to install itself on older devices opportunistically. Further, as Ghost Push malware family makes use of publicly known vulnerabilities, newer devices with up-to-date security patches are not affected as these vulnerabilities have been subsequently patched.

To protect users from infection, Google has deployed improvements to the "Verify Apps" functionality to warn users from installing any of the apps from the infected list, even if the source is outside the Play Store. The offending apps have been removed from the Play Store, which is an obvious course of action. Along with those, Google has also removed the apps that benefited from Ghost Push installs to further reduce the incentive of such abuse in the future. They have also revoked Google Account tokens of affected users and provided them with instructions on how to sign in securely. Going one step beyond, Google is also working with organizations that provided the infrastructure used to host and control the malware, in an effort to take down the main control servers to disrupt the existing malware ad slow down future efforts.

---

The emergence of Gooligan among other kinds of malware and exploits show that Android still has a long way to go in terms of security. Fragmentation is often at the core of the issue here, as a lot of these exploits are patched up in newer Android releases, but unfortunately, will never be deployed across many existing devices. A very large part of the blame here lies on the lack of after-sales service and OEM apathy, and such scenarios are very much unlikely to change anytime soon, especially in the entry-level smartphone market. Malware like these makes one appreciate what BlackBerry is doing with its security-focused Android fork.

What are your thoughts on Gooligan and Android's current state of security? Let us know in the comments below!

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gP65Qo
via IFTTT

What Do You Think About Smart Homes / Smart Assistants?

Google Home and Amazon Echo have been battling it out for that coveted spot in your house, to become the central hub for operations of other connected smart products. IoT as a new technology is gradually taking off, so we see both companies adding value with services like improved Voice Search on Google Home and Alexa Skills on Amazon Echo.

Both the devices give us a taste of the future, where we can control every aspect of our lives by just talking into thin air. However, not everyone has able to adopt this new technology and many see no reason to embrace either standard. We ask you,

What do you think about Smart Home Assistants as a concept? Are the current implementations of home assistants in line with your vision of what a home assistant should be? Do you think there are flaws or limitations in the home assistant concept? Do you own either Google Home or Amazon Echo? Why/why not?

Let us know in the comments below!

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fTR3Ei
via IFTTT