Google has just opened up a new channel for Android developers to learn about the platform, ask questions, and get updates. The +Android Developers page launched today to help devs stay abreast of changes in the rapidly iterating mobile operating system. “One of my favourite things about Google+ is the quality of conversation around...

Last week Symantec reported 13 potentially malware-carrying Android applications, that it said may make up a family of botnets. Mobile security firm Lookout Mobile, however, is now saying the apps are just an advertising network. “We disagree with the assessment that this is malware, although we do believe that the Apperhand SDK...

The team behind CyanogenMod, the massively popular unofficial Android ROM, are working on an app store of their very own. It’ll play host to all the apps you can’t find on Google’s official Android Market: black market heaven for hackers, in other words.   CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta took to Google+ over the the weekend...

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is a big fan of smartphones running Google’s Android OS . . . and in some ways finds them superior to mobile phones running iOS. ”My primary phone is the iPhone. I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do,” Woz told Dan Lyons. The both fascinating...

Android malware writers are taking advantage of the controversy surrounding Carrier IQ’s smartphone tracking software in order to distribute a premium SMS Trojan, security researchers from Symantec warn.

“Android.Qicsomos is a modified version of an open source project meant to detect Carrier IQ on a device, with additional code to dial a premium SMS number,” said Symantec malware analyst Irfan Asrar.

The Carrier IQ controversy began in November 2011, when security researcher Trevor Eckhart published a detailed analysis of a monitoring agent developed by the company and preloaded by many mobile carriers on devices sold to customers.

The Carrier IQ software is designed to collect usage data from smartphone devices in order to provide carriers with statistics about dropped calls, service interruptions, battery usage and similar information. However, Eckhart claimed that the software can also be used for more privacy-intrusive purposes, leading some users to look for ways to remove it from their devices.

The premium SMS Trojan detected by Symantec masquerades as a tool for detecting the presence of the Carrier IQ agent, which some people are considering a rootkit, a surreptitious application with low-level system access.

The version analysed by the security vendor’s researchers was localised in French and its icon was similar to the logo used by Orange, one of Europe’s largest telecom operators.

The Trojan does not appear to be spread from the Android Market, so distribution is most likely done through some form of spam messages that claim to originate from mobile operators, Asrar said.

Upon installation, the rogue software displays a window that contains some information about the device and claims that the Carrier IQ rootkit was not found. Users are then presented with a button to uninstall the app.

However, when this button is pressed, the Trojan sends an unauthorised SMS message to a premium-rate number registered by the malware’s creators, earning them money in the process.

An interesting aspect of this Trojan is that its code is signed with a certificate obtained from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). While the majority of manufacturer-supplied Android builds don’t trust this certificate by default, some older community-built versions might. Because the code is signed with a trusted certificate, users of such unofficial versions might not even see the permissions notification prompt when the Trojan is installed.

Some users might be understandably skeptical of the bleak predictions regarding mobile threats that were put forth in recent months by security vendors. “But to any skeptics out there, I can assure you some concerns, such as this threat, are not without merit,” Asrar said.

More than a year after the first Windows Phones launched in the United States, one of them may finally get star treatment.

Nokia’s Lumia 900, codenamed “Ace,” will launch in March on AT&T as a “hero” phone, Ed Oswald of Betanews reports, meaning it’ll get extra advertising and a big sales push at AT&T stores. Microsoft, AT&T and Nokia will reportedly spend about $100 million to market the phone.

The long delay in producing a prominent Windows Phone is understandable. Microsoft’s smartphone operating system had been half-baked up until last fall, with the launch of Windows Phone  7.5, an update that included multitasking, a more modern Web browser, threaded e-mails, Twitter integration and many other features.

Microsoft also lacked a hardware partner that wasn’t more interested in Android, until Nokia bet its future on Windows Phone. Nokia’s Lumia 800, which launched overseas last year, is an excellent phone, and the Lumia 900 will reportedly be quite similar, but with a larger screen and support for 4G LTE, according to PocketNow.

That’s where AT&T comes in. The company wants to feature phones that run on its new 4G LTE network, and Nokia’s Lumia 900 could fit the bill as one of the first Windows Phones to support those faster speeds (at least in cities where AT&T’s LTE network is up and running).

Since the launch of Windows Phone 7.5, Microsoft’s mobile operating system has been a critical hit but a commercial flop. Much of the blame has fallen on wireless carriers, who have done little to promote the phones in their stores. As PCMag reported last year, some retail employees have been steering customers away from Windows Phonein favor of Android and the iPhone. Hero status on a major wireless carrier is exactly what Windows Phone needs. If this doesn’t work, Microsoft and Nokia will really be in trouble.

LG has been evaluating its Optimus smartphone range over the past few weeks, in order to see which models would be blessed with an upgrade to Android 4.0. Initially, it was just a handful of phones on the list, but according to a new post on their official Facebook page, several other devices have been deemed suitable too.

However, while LG gives, it also takes away, as those in line for a taste of Google’s new version of Android are potentially in for a long wait. There are going to be two phases to the update, running through the second and third quarters of 2012.

The first wave of updates to Ice Cream Sandwich will consist of the brand-new Prada 3.0, the Optimus LTE, Optimus 2X, Optimus Sol, LG Eclipse and the LG my Touch Q. These will receive the new software sometime between April and June.

Next, LG will be dealing with the Optimus 3D, Optimus Big, Optimus Q2, Optimus EX and the Optimus Black; all of which are in the second wave of updates, potentially beginning in July next year. CNETpoints out that the Optimus Black’s update should cover AT&T’s Nitro HD and Sprint’s Marquee, as they’re essentially the same devices.

So, to recap, owners of relevant phones could get Ice Cream Sandwich as early as late March/early April 2012, or as late as September 2012. Put like that, it’s easy to see why the Facebook comments are less than complimentary of LG’s efforts.

However, it’s now understood how complicated the process can be and we’re still grateful that LG —and others — are so readily sharing their ICS plans, and that it’s getting done at all.

Motorola’s latest devices Droid 4 and Xoom 2 Media Edition have been circulating in the tech news for some time. We had informed you about both and now we have fresh information that the beauties have been sighted before the FCC doors.

In the FCC filings, an unannounced Motorola QWERTY handset was verified with “slider open” and “slider closed” configurations. The phone sporting the dual-mode roaming functionality shows the support for Verizon’s LTE and CDMA bands and also the GSM, EDGE and WCDMA networks.

A 1785 mAh battery was reported powering the device.  Going by these details and the previous stories, we assume that the handset might be the Droid 4.

Meanwhile, the tablet pointed in the FCC documents was found compatible with AT&T’s (850 / 1900) GSM / WCDMA bands. It is believed that the device is the 3G version of the Xoom 2 Media Edition as the Verizon’s Xyboard with LTE and CDMA bands had already passed the FCC certifications a few days ago.

Based on the previous leaked details, Droid 4, running Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, sports a 4-inch qHD screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and a five-row illuminated slide-out QWERTY keyboard. An 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and a HD front-facing snapper for video calling is integrated in the handset.

This is speculated to be the 8.2-inch version of the Xoom 2 that is the Media Edition. The 0.35-inch thin Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet comes with a 1.2 GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB inbuilt memory and dual cameras: a 5-megapixel rear snapper with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter for video chatting.

Though the Droid 4 is rumored to have a December 8 launch, details on the Xoom 2 Media Edition release date is still hidden.

You don’t need top military clearance or a degree from MIT to use some of today’s most advanced robots. From machines that clean your house to kits that transform your iPhone into a spybot, we take a look at some of the coolest robots currently on the market . Romo Romo first made waves on Kickstarter, where Peter Seid and Phu Nguyen raised...

Malware disguised as popular game apps were discovered in the Android Market yesterday by Google’s security team. Despite being removed earlier today by Google, over 10,000 downloads of the malicious apps had already been performed by unwitting Android users.

About a dozen free mobile versions of apps, such as Angry Birds and Assassin’s Creed, were published to the market yesterday morning by developer Logastrod. The author published the apps after including code to the games that would allow SMS messages to be sent to premium line numbers. Vanja Svajcer, of the blog Sophos, detailed the damage unaware downloaders can suffer after installing such apps:

Misusing premium SMS services is the most common model for malicious mobile malware. When a malicious app is installed, it starts sending or receiving messages, which makes the installation very expensive for the user. The damage is often seen only when it is too late, once a monthly bill is received.

Svajcer goes on to criticize Google for having regulations that are too relaxed and permit developers to easily sneak their malicious apps into the Android Market. The benefits of successfully publishing an app to the Market and therefore making money from it outweigh the consequences of being banned by Google from contributing any more apps to the Market. “The attacks on Android Market,” he adds, “will continue as long as the developer requirements stay too relaxed.

Google has implemented security screens that require the user’s acknowledgement that the apps were able to edit, read, and receive text and multimedia messages before the download of the app can be completed, but such a policy appears to not protect the users enough. Obviously, users are likely to breeze past such warnings and it’s not entirely surprising, either, given the wide popularity and reputation of games like Angry Birds. When everybody and their brother has probably downloaded Angry Birds at some point, who would seriously worry that the app they think they’re downloading is not an offering from a reputable developer. Other criticism directed at Google’s failure to protect its users suggest that Google should improve the way in which they educate users to protect themselves more effectively. As it stands, Google leaves its Android users in the lurch because their “caveat emptor approach means it’s up to users to make sure they don’t get swindled while shopping in the company’s official apps bazaar.

That they don’t have a stricter policy for app publishing is a disrespectful gesture towards their customers who clearly are not tech-savvy enough to be suspicious of every download. Worse than simply taking a knee on the issue, Google seems to have excused themselves with the equivalent of an Alfred P. Neuman security policy that simply shrugs, “What, me worry?”

What do you think? Should Google be doing more to keep their Android Market free of malware, or does the responsibility fall to the Android Users. Let us know below in the comments.