Posted on 03/04/2011 6:09:30 AM PST by est1995
Edited on 03/04/2011 7:05:16 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Tens of thousands of users of Android-based smartphones have downloaded applications capable of taking over their phones with malicious software designed to steal data or send expensive messages, security experts have warned.
The apps mimicked legitimate programs and carried such names as Chess, Bowling Time and Super Guitar Solo, but allowed the developers to exploit a security flaw in most versions of Android.
(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...
Being on-call for my job is the only reason I have a cell phone. If/when it comes down to it, I plan to ditch my personal cell and go back to landline. In a true emergency, cabled-phones will have a better chance than cell, and being that I’m a HAM operator, I’ve always got my trusty HT or base station for when the SHTF.
(And yes, that vid is not real and is made by the guy who does the Annoying Orange)
A quick search of the Android Market reveals approximately 700 distinct "Bank", "Credit Union" and "FCU" (common acronym for Federal Credit Union) apps. Most of them are specific to a particular bank.
Using data compiled from the feds, this URL pegs the total number of banks in the US at over 9,400, which would mean most banks do not have a smartphone app. I know mine doesn't.
Regardless, there would be no reason to assume that a smartphone app for banking is any less secure than an online bank's website.
There are lots of things to use the phone for other than banking and shopping.
GPS
MP3 player
kindle reader
mobile FreeRepublic reader.
Yellow and white pages.
That is 99.9% of my smart phone use. No information there that would change my life if it got out.
GPS - I use an atlas or map it out before I leave the house.
MP3 player - I have an iPod for that.
kindle reader - I prefer paperbacks
mobile FreeRepublic reader. - I love you guys, but I'll take my FR from the office or the home office. FReeping can get heated.
Yellow and white pages. - Same as above.
Of course, I could probably rebuff any use for a smartphone with its former equivalent. Being an IT guy, I'm one of the few who eschews advancement in lieu of contemporary, proven technologies. I just don't trust smart phones.
*Highfive*
You are free to do things as you like, but you sound like an old farmer saying he’ll stick with the mules because he can grow his own fuel. Nothing wrong with the statement, it is actually true but you miss out in ways you probably can’t concieve.
I’m 31, so I fit neatly into their demographic. However, I work in the IT industry and see what’s going on with IT security, new devices, etc. I stick with what I know works and is secure. I do adopt new technologies as they come along, but I’m not an early adopter and don’t play into the marketing hype.
I’m also old-fashioned in many ways. I prefer to spend my free time reading, doing carpentry and home improvement projects, and spending time at the range. I sit at my computer for 8 hours a day and have to be on-call during the weekends. Every moment I can be disconnected is a moment of freedom for me. I refuse to be digitally tethered to the world. There’s so much more out there that you appreciate when you’re not bombarded by the always-on nature of the world.
Think of it more like a blind man. He may not be able to see, but what he hears is infinitely more important to him and much clearer to him than what the “sighted” take for granted.
To me it is a tool. I carry a pocketknife with me all the time too. That being said, I don’t necessarily pay attention to it. It will ring if my wife or kids call, otherwise it goes directly to voice mail where it is transcribed and sent to me as an Email. I have Email notification off. On my schedule, I can conveniently check messages to see who has called and why. I am actually more free from interuption with the smart phone than I was with my cell phone.
As far as personal information, I am much more concerned about somebody breaking into my house and making off with my laptop.
I’m as about disconnected as a functioning adult can be. I’ve never seen a facebook page. I’ve never answered my phone in a reliable way even the land line, which about freaked my prospective wife out, she couldn’t understand how you couldn’t answer a ringing phone. I check email a couple times a week. That being said, warning about severe weather, my accurate location, a phone number when I’m running errands, Free Republic when I’m stuck getting my oil changed, a handy book when I’m in the john, those are all advantages that were a surprise to me when I bought my phone.
We could go around and around the bush on this, doc, and please don’t misunderstand my comments here; I’m completely cool with your assessments of it as a tool. I am a tech nerd at the office, and I love technology. I simply refuse to get one of these out of fear of becoming an addict.
I’ve spent the last 10 years trying to remove myself from the net and get off the grid. Like you, I don’t do the Facebook/Twitter stuff and have no taste for much of anything else the web has to offer. I love that I can order pizza online. I love that I can get a step-by-step map from Google when I need it. I love that I can order ammo and read FR on the web, but I personally don’t need a smart phone for all of that. I prefer to sit on my porch with my laptop and a cigar over driving and checking FR for pings or Drudge for news.
Plus, I have my home PC connected to my 52” HDTV and prefer bigger over smaller. I’m already near-sighted, I don’t need to be squinting at a 2.5” screen.
We fundamentally agree, smart phones are neat and cool toys. I’m just personally averse to them knowing full well that I’ll become addicted, and I just don’t want to be part of that group; otherwise, I become what I despise: a hypocrite.
iOS is a subset of OSX. OSX is BSD UNIX based.
I personally lump UNIX and Linux under *NIX anyway. Forgive me for misspeaking, but we’re talking about very little baseline difference between the two except proprietary license.
Oh I see, what you need my FRiend is a tablet. ;)
Lord! Don’t get me started on tablets. I’m actually shocked that they’ve come this far seeing as they were supposed to be “the thing to have” 10 years ago. I think the fact that Apple created one and slapped their brand on it, the tablet has thus far thrived.
Again, I’ll stick with my lightweight laptop for low-level browsing needs and my high-end, custom-built gaming rig for multimedia and video games.
LOL. I was given one for free and I still can’t find a legitimate purpose for it. It usually sits collecting dust next to my laptop.
Thank you for the disambiguation. Yeah, I try to minimize the amount of personal data on my phone for just that reason.
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