New Android Marshmallow bugs fixing update

Google has patched two critical remote code execution vulnerabilities as part of a suite of seven fixes in its fourth round of Android patching since August.

The over-the-air updates set to hit Nexus, Samsung, and Android Open Source Project (AOSP) devices first for Google's latest Marshmallow Android operating system.

Google informed "partners" on 5 October and patch source code is set to hit the AOSP soon.

Two flaws rated critical include libutils (CVE-2015-6609) and mediaserver (CVE-2015-6608) holes which grant attackers remote code execution.

Attackers can exploit the holes by sending crafted media files to affected devices.

Google says it is unaware of attacks targeting the patched vulnerabilities.

"The most severe of these issues is a critical security vulnerability that could enable remote code execution on an affected device through multiple methods such as email, web browsing, and MMS when processing media files," Google says in an advisory.

"During media file and data processing of a specially crafted file, vulnerabilities in mediaserver could allow an attacker to cause memory corruption and remote code execution as the mediaserver process.

"The affected functionality is provided as a core part of the operating system and there are multiple applications that allow it to be reached with remote content, most notably MMS and browser playback of media."

A vulnerability (CVE-2015-6610) was also fixed in the libstagefright library which was separate to the StageFright vulnerabilities reported by Zimperium researcher Joshua Drake that made headlines earlier this year.

Privilege elevation bugs are also closed in Bluetooth (CVE-2015-6613), the telephone app (CVE-2015-6614), and libmedia (CVE-2015-6612).

Google says exploitation is made harder on the security-improved Marshmallow Android platform. ®

Issue	CVE	Severity
Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities in Mediaserver	CVE-2015-6608	Critical
Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in libutils	CVE-2015-6609	Critical
Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities in Mediaserver	CVE-2015-6611	High
Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in libstagefright	CVE-2015-6610	High
Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in libmedia	CVE-2015-6612	High
Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in Bluetooth	CVE-2015-6613	High
Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability in Telephony	CVE-2015-6614	Moderate

Google Play Catching Apple's App Store in User Spending..Google vs Apple

Google has narrowed the gap with Apple in the amount spent on apps by users of its Android system this year, even though users of Apple’s iPhone and iPad remain the biggest spenders on digital content.

A new report from Distimo, tracking spending on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, also revealed the dramatic extent to which business models for app developers have shifted from upfront payments to in-app purchasing, in part driven by messaging apps in Asia.

According to IDC, Apple’s smartphone market share stood at 13 per cent in the third quarter, down from 14 per cent a year earlier, while Android’s had increased from 75 per cent to 81 per cent over the same period.

By contrast, Distimo found that Apple’s share of app store spending in November remained much higher at 63 per cent, compared with 37 per cent for Google Play.

However, Google’s share has risen from 30 per cent since June, eating into Apple’s lead. Many Android handsets are sold in China, where Google Play is not widely available and third-party app stores are more popular, which also accounts for some of the disparity.

Average daily combined spending on the 200 apps that generate the most revenue on Apple’s App store rose from $15m to $18m over the past year, Distimo estimates, while Google’s equivalent almost quadrupled over the same period, from $3.5m to $12m.

“The Apple App Store is still leading in terms of total revenue,” said Distimo analyst Christel Schoger. “However, during 2013 Google Play’s piece of the pie was consistently increasing month over month.”

A lucrative app store helps to attract developers, who create the software and services that can keep mobile phone buyers loyal to a particular platform.

Google overtook Apple by the volume of apps downloaded this year, analysts say, but Android has taken longer to catch the iPhone in terms of the amount spent on those apps. Apple’s legacy of selling music through iTunes helped it to accrue hundreds of millions of credit card details, enabling its customers to pay for apps much more easily.

Distimo’s report also showed the rapid rise of so-called “freemium” business models, which are particularly popular among game developers.

The portion of revenue from in-app purchases through apps that were initially free to download in the Apple App Store was 53 per cent two years ago. By January this year that had risen to 77 per cent, but by November it reached 92 per cent for freemium services. The dominance of the freemium model is nearly absolute on Google Play, where it accounts for 98 per cent of all spending on Android apps.

The move from paid to freemium apps has been accelerated by the growth of Asian customers. Spending in South Korea, China and Japan increased several times over the course of 2013. People in the US, Japan and South Korea are the biggest spenders on apps, Distimo found, followed by the UK for Apple customers and Germany for Android owners.

Distimo found that all 10 of the top-grossing apps on Apple’s App Store were games, while also making up most of those on Google Play. Supercell, the Scandinavian maker of Clash of Clans, and King, creator of Candy Crush Saga, were the games companies that made most money on Apple’s app store, followed by the more established console games publisher Electronic Arts.

On Google Play, chat app Line generated the most revenues, thanks to a variety of games that use its platform and sales of digital “stickers” to its users, many of whom are in Japan and South Korea. KakaoTalk, a local rival to Line, has also become a popular platform for games developers, something analysts say could present a nascent threat to Facebook, which has become the dominant site for social gaming in the US and Europe.

Moto X bamboo backplate available via Moto Maker for $100 extra

Motorola told us earlier this week that we wouldn’t have to wait too much longer for wooden Moto X back covers, and right on schedule, they have appeared on Moto Maker. Just in time for Christmas, Moto Maker has a new category of materials called “Neutral,” with bamboo as the only option under the category, currently. Choosing bamboo will add an extra $100 to the cost of the phone, and also a delivery delay of up to 14 days.

White edges are required with the bamboo back, but all other color and engraving options are available for the front and accents of the device.

iPhone 5s outsells the Galaxy S4 to top the charts in October

The October sales reports are in and they show Apple's has found its form. The iPhone 5s has outsold the Galaxy S4, according to the research firm, Counterpoint.

This was achieved, even though the iPhones weren't able to catch up with consumer demand, making many customers wait for their 5s goodness. The jump has been attributed to strong sales in China, where Apple raised it's market share by a whopping 9%, jumping from just 3% to 12% in October alone. Now that supply has increased, counterpoint expects a ramp up in sales.

"With a China Mobile deal on the horizon, Apple's iPhone 5s at all three [Chinese] carriers will for sure ignite a 'price war' boosting the overall iPhone 5s sales in China," Said Tom Kang, of Counterpoint. "This might allow Apple to even reach the No. 1 smartphone player in December or January in China."

Apple's iPhone 5 snagged second place, leaving the Galaxy S4 in third. The 5c was fourth, and the S3 and S4 mini claimed fifth and sixth.

Apple's aggressive move into China is clearly paying off for the Cupertino-based company. Let's see if the tech giant will continue to stay on top for the months to come.

Nexus 5 vs. iPhone 5s

If you want to pit the most popular iOS and Android phones against each other, then you'd snag an iPhone 5s and plop it down next to a Galaxy S4. But what if you'd rather look at the phones that best showcase iOS and Android? Then you'd be better off swapping that GS4 for the latest "pure Google" Nexus phone. Read on

Size

As is often the case when comparing an iPhone to an Android flagship, we're looking at a pretty big size difference. The Nexus 5 is much smaller than phablets like the Galaxy Note 3 and HTC One Max, but it's still 11 percent longer, 17 percent wider, and 13 percent thicker than the iPhone 5s.

Weight

The Nexus 5 is also 16 percent heavier than the 5s, but when you take that size difference into account, both handsets are going to feel very light in hand. No worries in this department.

Build

As far as construction and finish, we're looking at plastic vs. aluminum. But the Nexus 5's smooth matte finish feels much higher-end than the glossy and flimsy plastic you'll find on most Samsung flagships.

Colors

The Nexus 5 is sold in standard black and white options, while the 5s ships in three different hues. The space gray iPhone has a black front, while the silver and gold models sport white faces.

Display

The iPhone 5s only gives you 65 percent as much screen real estate as the Nexus 5 does. That discrepancy won't be quite that wide in regular use, owing to the Nexus 5's persistent onscreen navigation bar.

Both screens are sharp, and your eyes may not need anything sharper than the iPhone's 326 PPI Retina Display. With that said, the Nexus 5's 1080p IPS screen does pack in 185 percent more pixels.

Fingerprint sensor

Apple's Touch ID sensor is the iPhone 5s' killer feature. Set up a passcode, teach the phone up to five fingerprints, then simply rest your finger on the home button to unlock your phone. Anyone else will be locked out, giving you a nice balance of security and convenience.

Storage

The only difference in internal storage is the iPhone's 64 GB option. Neither device has a microSD card slot.

LTE

Last year's Nexus 4 lacked officially-supported LTE, but the Nexus 5 brings the speedy network back to the Nexus lineup. It's compatible with 1/2/4/5/17/19/25/26/41 LTE bands in the US, and the 1/3/5/7/8/20 bands everywhere else.

The big wireless caveat is the Nexus 5's incompatibility with the biggest carrier in the US, Verizon. It's supported on the other three major US carriers, while the iPhone 5s is available on all four.

Processor

Both phones have some of the fastest processors on the market today. You shouldn't have any performance issues at all here.

RAM

The Nexus 5 does, however, double the 1 GB of RAM in Apple's latest flagship.

Camera

The iPhone has the better camera, as the Nexus 5's shooter is one of its weaker points. But we're still waiting to test the results of Google's updated Android 4.4.1, which gives a shot of adrenaline to the Nexus 5's autofocus, white balance and shutter lag.

The iPhone 5s' camera isn't a huge improvement over the iPhone 5, but its dual LED flash does give you more colorful and evenly-lit flash photography shots.

Slow-motion video

The other big improvement in the iPhone 5s' camera is its slow-motion video feature. It records clips in 120 fps, then slows them down to 25 percent speed. If you have a pet or go to lots of sporting events, this can be a ton of fun.

Optical image stabilization

One area where the Nexus 5's camera wins is with optical image stabilization. Its OIS will help reduce camera shake when you're shooting video.

If you're talking about still shots, though, the 5s does have a nice feature where you can snap a burst of shots, and the phone's algorithms will automatically pick the sharpest one for you (you can also sort through them manually and keep as many as you want).

Battery

Battery life isn't terrific in the Nexus 5, but it should get you through a full day. The iPhone's battery holds less juice, but still delivers very solid uptimes.

Wireless charging

The Nexus 5 is compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard, so most commercial charging docks should work well with it. Google sells its own charger for a pretty hefty US$50, but you can find third-party versions for around $20-30.

NFC

Apple has yet to embrace near-field communication, but the Nexus 5 has an NFC chip in tow.

Software

The Nexus 5 was just updated to Android 4.4.2, with those camera fixes onboard. Apart from price (more on that in a minute) and stock Android, always up-to-date software is the biggest reason to choose a Nexus phone over other Android handsets.

Release cycle

No worries here, as there won't likely be another iPhone or Nexus phone release until late 2014.

Starting prices (off-contract)

Off-contract pricing is the Nexus 5's killer feature ... well, that is, if you can snag one from Google Play. At the time of this writing, the 32 GB model ships from Google within a couple days, while the 16 GB model is backordered by two to three weeks. You can also get the new Nexus from various carriers and retailers, but it won't have quite the same drool-worthy pricing.

Apple's pricing is aimed more at the carrier-subsidized model, and usually rings up for US$200 on-contract.

Google makes Android Device Manager app for mobile devices

In one of the more curious moves by Google, a few months ago when they launched the new Android Device Manager, users could only access the service via a web browser. That has changed with Google’s release of the Android Device Manager app to Google Play. The app brings all the same tools to your smartphone or tablet that you get from the desktop, like the ability to locate devices, lock devices remotely, reset lock PINs, and even erase all data on a device. This could be especially useful for users who have more than one Android device as they can now find, track and manage their other devices.

After the break you can check out some screenshots for the new app. Be sure to check out the reported location for the device you are using. I have also provided download links for the Google Play store so you can grab the Android Device Manager for free.

Some Screenshots.                                                    Google Play Store Link

[DEAL]Google Nexus 7 2012 Wifi 16GB 8000 INR

So guys, yesterday I posted  link about Nexus 7 for Rs 9000. Today it has become Rs8000. Grab it as it is the best deal at the moment.

Nexus 7 Deal

Specifications

• 16 GB Internal Storage
• Android v4.4 (KITKAT) OS
• 7-inch HD Display with 216 ppi
• 1.2 MP Front Facing Camera
• NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad Core Processor
• NFC (Android Beam)
• Wi-Fi Enabled

Play Store forming new game categories, launches February 2014

There are currently eight categories in the gaming section of the Play Store. In February, that is all going to change. According to the Play Store’s support page, the number of categories will expand to seventeen. The page says “Google Play game categories will be expanded to cover a greater variety of games when listed in the Google Play Store.” With a game playing set top box reportedly in work, it would be wise for Google to expand. Also, Android’s gaming categories could use some variety. After the change, the categories will be: action, adventure, arcade, music, role playing, simulation, strategy, puzzle, card, casino, casual, board, family, trivia, word, racing, and sports.

Nexus 7(2012 16GB) selling for 9,000 INR

The Nexus 7(2012) is a very good Tablet. When launched it was the best. It has an ok-ok  screen and slightly old Tegra 3 processor.But at 9000 INR it is actually the best tablet you can get here in India. Go get it before it is all gone.

Click Here to got the tablet selling page

Don't forget that it can be officially updated to Android 4.4 Kitkat as well