Rather than using a pin code, Android phones have the option of setting a pattern to unlock the phone for usage. The pattern is made up of a series of 9 dots that you join up in a specific order you choose. If you get the pattern correct the lock screen lets you through.
By using all 9 dots on the screen it makes for a potential 362,880 combinations which seems to be secure. However, the Motorola DROID has a problem in that if you call the phone you can easily bypass the screen by answering the call. It seems right now that only the DROID has the issue as it runs Android 2.0.1.
It isn’t a matter of just answering the call though as the hacker will need to access an application as well as hit the back icon which bypasses the lock screen.
The risk this threat poses is that someone who has physical access to your phone that is running the 2.0.1 Android version, knows your number can access your phone. [Read more…]
Google [GOOG] have announced that the Android 2.1 SDK is now available for download. By launching the SDK it allows developers to take advantage of the new functionality found in the latest Android 2.1 OS found on the Google Nexus One.
Casio are launching a new hybrid GPS camera that aims to track where you are when you capture photos both in and outdoors. It achieves this by using a mixture of GPS data and accelerometer data. The theory behind the Hybrid GPS system is that most cameras, if not all, spend most of their time out of sight of a GPS lock and thus, you can’t really get a fix most of the time. By getting a fix with the GPS unit the camera system can then measure with accelerometer movement where the camera is moving and what direction giving a rough estimate to where it is, even when you walk around your home or leave it in the back of the car.
More rumours have been started saying that Apple are looking to launch the next gen iPhone (4th gen model) in May rather than waiting for an official announcement in June like usual. The reason for this is that they are looking to counter Google who are looking at releasing a new Google Phone (perhaps a Nexus Two) around that time.
Space saving designs and ideas are always welcomed when you don’t have a lot of space to play with – at home, work or any multifunction space! Ivy Design have designed a table that doubles up as a photo frame…confused? The table is mounted onto a side wall and can be rotated and fixed onto the wall to disguise itself as a photo frame. The size of the table when erected is 130x85x78cm and it is made out of wood, with plexi glass for frame part. You can also purchase the table with a mirror option instead of a photo frame. 
The iPhone doesn’t yet support Adobe Flash which is a bit of a frustration for those wanting to browse sites like Youtube as well as online gaming sites to name just a couple of the flash based sites out there. The battle has been going on for a while with Adobe trying to get Apple [AAPL] to allow flash to work, but as of yet it hasn’t happened for various reasons which we wont go in to here (see TechCrunch for more details on that).
The VPhone was on show at CES in Las Vegas last week. The VPhone comes from a company called Saygus, a small company based in Utah. The VPhone allows for two-way calls to be made on the Verizon network and is part of Verizon’s [VZ] 
Clickfree had their latest gadget on show at CES called the Clickfree C2N. The C2N is a step up from the original Clickfree C2 in that it can now backup files on computers connected to a local network. Clickfree make the backup process simple and all that is required at a basic level is that you connect the drive up to a USB port on a PC, Laptop or Mac. When connected some software will autoload and files will be backed up.
Over at CES the guys who create the 
We managed to test the First ELSE Mobile Phone from a new company called ELSE Mobile at CES this week. From the few minutes we got to play with the phone you can tell they have a very unique and smart approach to the phone design. It was immediately easy to use and intuitive.
ALK Technologies were demonstrating their latest version of CoPilot Live 8 at CES running on the iPhone, Google Nexus One and a Dell Inspiron 1110 Netbook. Version 8 of the software has been available for several months now, but on display they were showing what they are capable of including what systems they support.
At CES, Kodak had their Kodak PlaySport Zx3 camcorder on show that is capable of capturing HD video at 1080p. The camera is similar to the Zi8 and has many of the same features but now with added ruggedness as well as being waterproof up to 3 meters.
