SmartPhones

[Greg]

My wife and I both have Motorola droid Bionics. We love them.

Nice phones. But that model only came out 2 months ago, what'd you have before? I seem to remember you've gone through a number of phones and had some interesting things to say along the way....

Before that, we both had Droid X's which we also generally loved. Before that we both had iPhone 3gs's; which again, in general, we both loved.

The biggest issues we had with the iPhone were actually with AT&T. If Verizon had the iPhone at the time we moved (we moved to an area with no AT&T data service), we may have stayed with it; though we do prefer the freedom and options that Android offers.

We absolutely love the Android platform. We both strongly prefer it to the iPhone; however, we are also both advanced users who don't need the simpler interface and smoother UI experience that the iPhone offers. We're willing to trade those positives, for the extra options and flexibility that Android gives.

Thanks. Glad to hear that last bit.

It's funny, only 1 of my good friends has an Android phone- she's got an Evo Shift. She *hates* it. But she's weird. She's an MIT graduate who, believe it or not, *hates* (fears and loathes, really) computers. I think she should have gone with an iPhone, and she probably will now that Sprint has them. Whenever I borrowed her phone, I enjoyed it. Looking forward to the options and flexibility.

[Rich Jordan]

In case anyone is interested; the CarrierIQ software embedded on many mobile phones is back in the news.

Slashdot post

Long Video showing CarrierIQ logging everything

[Rich Jordan]

Aaaand there we go. Its in iPhones too but snoop features disabled by default (diagnosticsallowed disabled):

CarrierIQ in Iphone too

[Rich Jordan]

More fun. Just the slashdot link this time (the articles are linked from there). Popular and 'default' Android apps on Motorola, HTC, and Samsung exploitable. Google reference builds are either not or less exploitable so it appears to be the carrier/vendor specific changes.

[Jeffro]

And its not on verizon phones apparently... though frankly I'm sure Verizon is snooping in other ways.

I just installed the app to find out - Voodoo Carrier IQ detector - and it says my phone is clear. Although I agree with ya, Chris. I'm sure there is some other way Verizon is keeping tabs.

[308Mike]

And its not on verizon phones apparently... though frankly I'm sure Verizon is snooping in other ways.

I just installed the app to find out - Voodoo Carrier IQ detector - and it says my phone is clear. Although I agree with ya, Chris. I'm sure there is some other way Verizon is keeping tabs.

As long as you're traveling across their network, they're going to know where you're going and what sites are responding to your requests (until you throw a couple of anon proxies into the mix and use https, then they'd have no idea who and what you're talking to or about).

[esa5444]

I guess I should sound off too.

Got a Droid Razr recently. Love it. The build quality is high, I like Motorola's design, and I think the amount of crapware on this phone is pretty low, at least compared to HTC.

As for privacy, I think if you are concerned that big companies or the gub'ment might be snooping on you, you should stick to a payphone. A lot of the features that make smartphones smart are things that require them to collect data. On top of that, the network always knows which cell you are in, and likely with all these phones having GPS and Wi-Fi location detection, they can probably find you very quickly. They know who you call, they know how much data you are using. The phones know where they have been, and there is so much information flying between the phone and the network that, well, let's say if you value your privacy more than the features of a smartphone (or really a regular phone), you shouldn't have one.

[Nicodemus]

if you are concerned that big companies or the gub'ment might be snooping on you, you should stick to a paypy a regular phone), you shouldn't have one.

This...but keep in mind you can still be tracked to intersection at the least and address at the worst on a pay phone...both will have a time stamp.

[esa5444]

if you are concerned that big companies or the gub'ment might be snooping on you, you should stick to a paypy a regular phone), you shouldn't have one.

This...but keep in mind you can still be tracked to intersection at the least and address at the worst on a pay phone...both will have a time stamp.

When it comes to privacy online/on the phone, I worry more about the companies we deal with. The government has some restrictions on what info it can collect and what it can do with it. When user LoveToCrap, however, posts every bowel-movement he's had on his Twitter, he is sending this information, of his own volition, to Twitter, and they can do with it any damned thing they want.

[Aglifter]

I guess I should sound off too.

As for privacy, I think if you are concerned that big companies or the gub'ment might be snooping on you, you should stick to a payphone.

My father would never discuss important business matters over the phone - something he was taught by his, and a habit from when operators could, and did, listen in.

Then, in the days of when a scanner could pick-up a cell phone conversation, again, you never discussed anything important.

And now, apparently, again, you shouldn't discuss business over a cell-phone..