Posts in Mobile Phones
Phone that knows when it's upside-down
Damian Koh | Nov 20, 2007
Just the other day, my colleague John was showing me WND Telecom's Web site which he came across at one of the forums. It appears the Korean phone manufacturer has some pretty interesting offerings, one of which is the DUO Atom. Don't be mistaken, the DUO Atom has nothing to do with the O2 Xda Atom. It supports dual SIM cards and comes with a built-in gravity sensor. To switch between the two accounts, all you have to do is rotate the phone 180 degrees. The sensor will detect the change in orientation and automatically reverse the screen and keypad to the other phone account. We know some things are better seen than read, so head over to the official Web site for a demo. 
Concept Sony Ericsson mobile with full-size USB port
Damian Koh | Nov 19, 2007
Another handset that tries too hard? Not quite. We actually would like to see this mobile phone with a full-size USB port on store shelves. At least that's one designer Vincent Palicki's dream. But it's not a bed of roses. From the picture, the concept phone is shown together with a Sony Micro Vault Tiny with exposed USB contacts, so we're not sure if flash storage devices with shielded contacts will work. Also, the alphanumeric keypad could do with larger keys and the control panel more tactility. What were we thinking? This is just a concept model.
Via Yanko Design
A phone strap that gives a charge
Mike Yamamoto | Nov 16, 2007
The US$12 strap they advocate has a small cube that slides along its 7.5-inch length that opens up to reveal mini-USB connectors. Those can then be used to charge your mobile phone, media player, or other handheld device by connecting it to the computer's USB port. It's also made of black leather, so there's one less reason to worry about your masculinity.
Via Crave CNET
Shake mobile before use
John Chan | Nov 15, 2007
Ever had trouble trying to pair two Bluetooth mobile phones together so you can transfer files between them? While useful in many ways, Bluetooth pairing can sometimes be quite a chore. A couple of researchers think so, too, and have developed software to make it possible to pair two phones by shaking them together.
Using accelerometers found in the phones, two of them will be paired if they are shaken in the same way. This replaces the old method of having to key in a four-digit passkey on both devices for verification. In a video, this process is demonstrated and it also shows what happens when someone tries to do it without holding the two phones in the same hand. Spoiler: It won't work.
This is definitely a very innovative take on a problem which has fazed many. What will they think of next? Perhaps connecting to wireless hotspots by doing the funky chicken with your notebook? You never know.
New Scientist (via Productdose)
Apple patches image buffer overflow in iPhone, iPod touch
Robert Vamosi | Nov 15, 2007
Apple on Monday released a patch for the iPhone and iPod touch. The TIFF vulnerabilities associated with the patch are serious. However, in fixing the security flaws, users will no longer be able to apply Jailbreak, a software that allows for third-party applications on the iPhone. Further, Apple says the update is only available through iTunes, and will not appear in the Mac OS software update application, or on the Apple downloads site, and requires the latest version of iTunes to receive this update.
Image IO
This patch affects users of iPhone v1.0 through v1.1.1, iPod touch v1.1, and v1.1.1 and does not not affect Mac OS X v10.3.9 systems with Security Update 2006-004, Mac OS X v10.4.7 systems with Security Update 2006-004, or systems running Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later. The patch addresses vulnerabilities found in CVE-2006-3459, CVE-2006-3461, CVE-2006-3462, and CVE-2006-3465. According to Apple, "Image IO contains a version of libtiff that is vulnerable to multiple buffer overflows. By enticing a user to view a maliciously crafted TIFF image, an attacker may cause an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issues by performing additional validation of TIFF images."
Apple credits Tavis Ormandy of Google's security team for reporting this vulnerability.
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