By Haider Ali Khan Truecaller on Tuesday (13 October) announced the launch of the comprehensive version of Truecaller for Windows 10. Available for free in the Windows Store on Windows 10 enabled devices, this is Truecaller’s biggest advancement on Windows Phone to date bringing the strong community of Windows users the app they have been waiting for. “We are working to reinvent the communications experience for billions of people and it has always been in our DNA to bring the best version of Truecaller to all the operating systems and with the hard work of our team, and our contacts at Microsoft, we are excited to bring our most comprehensive version of Truecaller for Windows Phone, to date,” said Rishit Jhunjhunwala, Vice-President, Product at Truecaller. Truecaller has introduced a brand new design and wizard to help users get started. Following the launch of the updated version, call history will be auto populated with Truecaller information including badges and profile pictures. With new, improved and streamlined list views on the home and discover screens, more information is ready, ensuring you are communicating only with the people you choose. The call identification and block capabilities have been completely redone. It protects against the spam, compile custom block list and block hidden numbers from contacting you. A new and improved after call screen lets you perform quick actions without having to open the app. You can now call back, send SMS, suggest a name, save number, mark a number as spam, or look it up in Truecaller. Using Truecaller’s technology, caller ID is now enriched with location and carrier information. While the app will not show the exact location of the live call, the location data has been improved based off the area code and number series to ensure a more accurate location on incoming calls and number search.
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After showing off their new products, Google has officially launched the new Nexus smartphones, the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, in India. Both the smartphones come with new 12.3MP cameras, fingerprint scanners, USB Type-C ports and of course the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow update.
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Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his vision for Digital India and Make in India, a number of electronics brands have jumped on the boat and started manufacturing products locally. Just yesterday two big Chinese vendors announced that they will be making use of the new Foxconn facility in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh to produce their smartphones.
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By Haider Ali KhanComputer peripherals maker Logitech India has announced a new wireless touch keyboard named Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 Plus. The keyboard has an integrated touchpad and a wireless range of up to 33 feet. Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 Plus features a responsive integrated touchpad with adjustable cursor control, making it a compact all-in-one keyboard and mouse solution. Shortcut buttons give you easy access to volume controls and menu navigation, and the intuitive arrow buttons help you get to your digital entertainment quickly. It can be operated with Widows 7 and above platform, ChromeOS and Android 5.0 Lollipop and higher version. The keyboard is expected to be available from October 15 and is priced at Rs 3,695. "In India we have witnessed changing consumer needs which show how connectivity is extremely important in every aspect of life. The Logitech Wireless Keyboard K400 Plus caters to this need and makes it easy for anyone to connect your PC to the TV and search for Internet content, making it a great device for your living room," said Ashok Jangra, cluster category manager, Logitech, India and South West Asia.Designed for the modern living room in a neutral grey, the Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 features a slim design that makes it easy to store and has rounded sides for comfort, making it the perfect keyboard for everyone. With the pre-installed batteries that last up to 18 months, it provides endless hours of entertainment without interruption.
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Android devices are more vulnerable than they should be and the mobile threat landscape has just got a lot more worrisome.Until relatively recently, mobile malware wasn't that different from early PC malware - It was annoying, it probably invaded your privacy, and it took a toll on system resources but it wasn't especially dangerous or costly in the way that modern weaponized malware used to attack PCs, servers, and point-of-sale systems was. And just as early malware primarily targeted a single OS (Windows), mobile malware remains almost exclusively a problem for Android. However, it appears that Stagefright has served as something of a wakeup call for the industry - Android devices are more vulnerable than they should be and the mobile threat landscape has just got a lot more worrisome.Stagefright, though, is actually an Android library that is deeply integrated into the OS. Any unpatched device running Android Version 2.2 or above is potentially vulnerable to exploits that require no user intervention to run. Users simply need to receive a crafted multimedia message which can enable transparent remote code execution.Well, folks, the landscape has started to shift. Mobile devices are ubiquitous on corporate networks and, by their very nature, come and go between highly vulnerable and relatively safe environments. More importantly, though, because most mobile devices are at the mercy of carriers and vendors for their updates, administrators and users often aren't able to provide security patches in a timely manner. As Stagefright in particular has highlighted, fragmentation in the Android market is especially concerning. Google has committed to updating their flagship Nexus devices on a monthly basis now, but these represent only a small fraction of Android devices on the market. Samsung and LG are also prioritizing security updates but the process for packaging updates to their Android devices and then distributing the updates through the major carriers has always been long and complicated. Unpatched security holes are the norm, unfortunately, rather than the exception and the heterogeneity of user devices further complicates management in BYOD and corporate deployments.Android has become a viable vector for a variety of attacks against both end users and organizational targets. But if neither users nor administrators can count on timely security updates in the way they can with desktop operating systems, what's the solution? Only use Nexus devices? Stick with iOS? Abandon BYOD? None of these are especially attractive options, but organizations need to give much more careful thought to mobile security as the threat landscape continues to evolve.At the same time, layers of security remain the name of the game. This doesn't just mean the use of endpoint security or firewalls (although those are critical components). Setting policy about the types of allowed devices, for example, can increase security without being overly restrictive. For example, versions of Android above 4.0 have some internal mitigation measures that help protect against the Stagefright vulnerability even if the device hasn't been specifically patched to prevent related exploits. It is completely reasonable for employers to require devices running Android 4.0 and above as part of their BYOD policies. The use of robust security appliances can also prevent data exfiltration and communication between mobile malware and C&C servers even if individual devices are vulnerable to attack.When it comes to mobile devices on a network, the best advice is to strive first for visibility and second for control. Visibility enables awareness, which will come in handy when the current landscape starts to shift. Control should put you into a position to react quickly.Mobile devices have clearly demonstrated their ability to be vulnerable. Point-of-sale systems, servers, and applications are routinely compromised and it's time that we add Android devices to our growing attack surface that we protect with the rigor and vigilance of systems that don't fit in our pockets.The author, Rajesh Maurya, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Fortinet
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Nasdaq listed FireEye unveiled its next generation MVX™ architecture, tripling analysis speed to improve time to protection.With this, FireEye brings increased speed, accuracy and coverage for advanced threats, provides richer contextual intelligence, and the automation of front-line intelligence to drive detection. The new release expands FireEye’s ability to inspect encrypted objects, adding visibility into SSL encrypted traffic. FireEye also continues to reduce operational costs faced by security teams by eliminating the noise generated by adware and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) in a solution that consolidates commodity and advanced threats. The new release will be generally available in November 2015.According to Frost and Sullivan’s Network Security Sandbox Market Analysis: APTs Create a “Must Have” Security Technology, the network sandbox segment was a half billion market in 2014, and this sector is expected to grow to $3.5 billion by 2019, with an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.6 per cent from 2014-19. Network security sandbox technologies, which execute and analyze suspicious software in a controlled environment, use sophisticated algorithms to detect and validate previously unseen attacks missed by signature-based detection technologies.“Today’s advanced attackers strike fast and hard, constantly shifting their methods. To succeed in this environment, security teams require an adaptive defense capability architected to be accurate, precise and resilient in a changing threat landscape,” explained Manish Gupta, SVP of products at FireEye. “By innovating the MVX architecture with next generation detection capabilities, FireEye not only raises the bar against the advanced attackers to an unprecedented level. Additionally, our innovations continue to streamline the cost of security operations by expediting their ability to detect and respond to the threats that matter the most.”(BW Online Bureau)
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Smart wearable devices are steadily growing especially in the fitness band category. They might not be as feature rich as smartwatches, but do serve the purpose of recording your daily activity. Consumers have number of fitness band makers to choose from and the latest entrant is Jawbone. The company has been in the business for quite some time now and it officially entered India just last month with its new range of ‘UP’ fitness bands.
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Simar SinghChinese technology startup, OnePlus, announced its intent to produce its smartphones in India on Monday (October 12). This will be done through contract manufacturing at Foxconn’s Rising Stars factory in the Sri City Integrated Business in City in Andhra Pradesh by the end of the year.The collaboration was announced by OnePlus’ founder and CEO, Pete Lau and the man at the helm of the company’s India operations, GM Vikas Agarwal in Bengaluru.“Producing smartphones in India is one of the most important decisions that we have made so far at OnePlus,” said Lau at the announcement, “India being one of our biggest markets worldwide, we are committed to a long-term sustainable growth path. This move will strengthen our presence and help us step up momentum in India.”Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu welcomed the initiative and said that his government's dream was to “catapult Andhra Pradesh to become one of the hottest destinations for local manufacturing in India”, something that was “quickly becoming a reality” thanks to brands like OnePlus.Agarwal said that local production would make their operations more efficient in terms of cost and working capital requirements adding that it would make the company’s products available for sale much faster.OnePlus’ sophomore smartphone offering, OnePlus 2, saw a registration of 5 million people for invitations to purchase it. OnePlus follows a unique marketing strategy in which interested customers have to sign up to receive an invite to receive their new products, a process that can take months.Talking about the same, Agarwal said, “We have been constrained by a few supply chain related challenges in meeting consumer demands. The local production will help to address this issue and better cater to the fast growing demands for OnePlus products in India.”The 30,000 square ft. facility is expected to create direct employment of over 1000 full-time workers and will have the cumulative peak capacity of producing around 5 lakh units.Earlier in July this year, Taiwanese gadget manufacturer Foxconn had kicked off production for Xiaomi and InTouch in the same Andhra plant, giving impetus to the Modi’s administration’s Make in India initiative.
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