[App review] BOINC - donating cpu power

If like me you're a little (lot) cash strapped but feel guilty about not being able to donate to a good cause then this is a fantastic way of helping in a free(ish) but geeky way. It's an app called BOINC developed by Berkeley university with the help of others such as IBM.

What's the deal?
Instead of donating money, you are donating processing power. The app uses your phone's cpu (central processing unit) to help with various projects Berkeley are running in different areas such as astronomy, physics etc. You can choose which project to donate processing power too and when you want to donate (obviously!) so you can feel just that little bit better everyday.

How does it work?
Nowadays many projects require supreme processing power to complete, these are generally stuff like simulations, studying diseases or looking for a certain thing. A simulation in reality might happen over a few fractions of a second but in the virtual world, depending on the processing power of the device running it, generally take days to complete. While institutions like university may have funds for supercomputers, the power of volunteers all around the world willing to donate processing power is incomparable to these supercomputers. This is why there are quite a lot projects similar such as Folding@Home which as well as being available for desktop PCs, became available on the Playstation 3. This was mainly because that was also seen as a powerhouse and it was very successful, the developers with the help of PS3 users set a world record of one petaFLOP of computation power (a huge amount!). Considering how many Android devices there are compared to PS3s sold, surely it shouldn't be too difficult to top that?

Conclusion
In time this app will no doubt have more functionality in terms of a scheduler and more ease of use setting but for now the developers are ironing out a few kinks it has with some Android devices. It's still a solid, functional app that works very well, especially if you set it to work overnight but make sure that you're not relying on your phone as an alarm clock because the battery will almost definitely be drained, or if you are, connect your phone to a charger.

Mo

Android 4.3's permission manager

For those who have never tried Cyanogenmod, you probably won't have come across permission management. For those who have, you will know what I'm talking about and what a powerful tool it is. This is an attempt by Google to bring permission management on an app to app basis to the masses, so you won't have to go through the whole process of flashing custom firmware to be able to decide what an app can and can't do on your phone.

What's this you talk of?
Permission manager is a very nifty tool. You will have noticed when installing an app, that the Play Store presents you with all the permissions this app will be granted. Sometimes you want to install an app but you feel the permissions it needs are too intrusive and unnecessary. Depending on how much you want the app, or how much you want to protect your own privacy, or indeed how paranoid you are (Dad, I'm looking at you!) you'll make a conscious decision whether it's worth installing the app or not. But imaging if you no longer had to do that. Permission manager is the reason why.

How does it work?
It works by allowing you to revoke a permission an app has but targets that specific permission for just that specific app. It will not affect other apps (unless they are somehow linked) and the apps other functions should work fine given that you didn't do something like revoke the permission for a camera app to access the camera! So you can stop an app being able to read your call logs if you think it shouldn't have that capability. Why should a game access your logs or see who you're messaging any longer?

Things to look out for
While this is a fantastic tool, it's worth keeping in mind the permissions you are revoking and the apps you're revoking them for. It might be the case a few days or weeks down the line that an app doesn't function as it should and it may well be the case that it doesn't have all the required permissions to function properly. If you do experience problems like these then it's definitely worth checking out what you've revoked before blaming the developers for bugs they have in their apps. Similar to me getting frustrated that an app can't go online only to find I'm the one that's blocked its internet access using a firewall.

Conclusion
This has been a long time coming for Android users, especially for those who can't or don't want to play around with the firmware of their phones. It might take a bit of getting used to but this function will no doubt increase end user privacy and to some extent ease the worries of a lot of people. My only concern is that developers remain as they are with app permissions and don't start getting lazy with the permissions they include, expecting users to remove them after installing.

Mo

Bluebox uncovers Android's Master Key

If you've kept in the loop at all with news on Android, you will have noticed a security company named Bluebox who discovered a vulnerability in Android that allows a hacker to modify the code of an APK file, i.e. an app, without changing the signature of the app. Essentially they could change the code and we, the end user would be none the wiser when we download this app as Android would not be able to tell that the app has been tampered with. Obviously this is a problem but do we need to panic?

How bad is it?

According to Bluebox, this vulnerability affects 900 million Android devices or 99 per cent of Android devices out in the wild. Any phone with Android 1.6 or above possesses this vulnerability so more or less anyone with an Android smartphone. These at first are pretty scary figures and you are more at risk if you install apps from a third-party source as they are generally less well regulated and more susceptible to being tampered with. If you like to try new apps and venture into apps made by individuals then that probably increases your risk even more, but we could go on and on about what increases your risks. 

Is there a fix?

A fix has been released by Google but it is up to manufacturers to implement it onto their devices and some have been slower to do so than others. Given the seriousness of this, most manufacturers have patched their devices but some have still not. It would be worth finding out if the manufacturer of your phone have taken steps to patch this vulnerability and if not, getting in touch and letting them know your concerns. Most companies nowadays take customer opinions much more seriously than they used to so it is a worthwhile method of making yourself heard.

Anything else to do?
Bluebox have since released an app that scans your device, checks to see if it is patched, and whether or not you have apps that have been tampered with. To download the app, follow this link. If your device is patched then your phone manufacturer has taken steps to prevent this vulnerability and if you do not have any apps that are infected then you're pretty safe. Otherwise, take the advised steps given by the app.

Conclusion
We can't underestimate the importance of vulnerabilities like this. To put it into perspective, your phone data could be available to a hacker if you install an app that has been tampered with. Even if you have nothing to hide, you will no doubt not want all your personal information and perhaps sensitive information being available to a total stranger who is up to no good!

Mo

Bluetooth accessories for Android?

How many of us can say we use a Bluetooth accessory with our phone or tablet? Out of all my friends, I reckon it's just me and only it's only a  recent phenomenon that I've started using a Bluetooth keyboard with my tablet. I'm no stranger to Bluetooth accessories, I've been using them with my games console, PC and laptop for years now but didn't see the need for one with a tablet. I made a point of writing this post on my tablet, with my keyboard to prove that they are actually quite useful. I find carrying a keyboard and tablet much easier than lugging my Mac around. But why aren't more people doing the same?

How cool are they?
You rarely see people with Bluetooth headsets walking round do you? I certainly don't. Taxi drivers are about the only people I see with them sometimes and the odd few people in supermarkets (not sure why they lurk there with their headsets...). Maybe they're just not cool and so people don't want to use them? I think it's probably more to do with not really needing them, how often do you think 'I wish I could tap a button on my ear than take my phone out of my pocket'? Rarely. I admit it would be easier, but there just aren't enough scenarios for that to happen for it to be worthwhile.

The same applies with a keyboard, there aren't many times when you're on the move and a tablet and keyboard would trump a laptop, except for maybe on a busy train? Or when you're trying to travel as light as possible?

What accessories are there?
Keyboards, mice, headsets and I'd have to search online for more suggestions after this. I'm currently using a normal sized Motorola keyboard on my Nexus 7 but I certainly wouldn't use a mouse with it, what's the point of that?! So I guess maybe there needs to be more accessories? Bluetooth watches such as the Pebble watch are likely to be the next big thing with phone manufacturers all eyeing them up. If it wasn't for the price tag, I would probably purchase one, maybe if they didn't look so hideous too (sorry Pebble!).

Better productivity?
I am already more productive with this keyboard and I can write stuff up with more flexibility, like the type you would get with something like a Macbook Air or a netbook but for a fraction of the price and a touchscreen so there are clear benefits. It makes more sense than a Windows RT/8 tablet too since they are very pricey too. I wouldn't take a laptop on holiday but I might contemplate taking this combination on holiday just in case I wanted to check something up or perhaps if I wanted to blog about my travels abroad!

Conclusion
With smartphones and tablets become so powerful and rivalling laptops and desktops, I think the combination of a tablet and keyboard is an awesome idea and one that perhaps shouldn't be so quickly disregarded as being unworkable. It remains to be seen whether there will be demand for this but looking at online retailers and manufacturers, there is already plenty of devices which are there to help make the most of your phones and tablets which might be worth a look. You could end up surprising yourself. I know I did!

Mo

HTC and Samsung's Nexus experience - Less is more or less for more?

Ever wanted a Galaxy S4 or a HTC One without Touchwiz or Sense skins? Well now you can! It seems like both companies are eager to get rid of their skins on their phones and present a Nexus style phone alongside their skinned phones. The price tag for these phones are either the same as their skinned counterparts or more expensive. So why would anyone want to pay more to have less? It's a pretty simple reason as far as I can see, more timely updates.

The Nexus feel
If anyone's every used a Nexus phone they'd see how simple the interface is. Basically a no nonsense version of Android as Google meant it to be. Very clean and straightforward, with very few apps that come as standard.

For some, this might be a bit too simple, but for most, it's quite nice to have a clean canvas that you can paint on. You're not forced to use any specific software and everything on the phone except the core apps are added by the user. For those coming from Android which has been skinned, it usually takes some getting used to though it didn't take me long to fall in love with my stock Nexus 7 tablet.

Updates from Google
Arguably the biggest benefit of having a stock Android phone, you'll get updates as and when they are released by Google. This is in contrast to waiting for the manufacturer of your phone to decide whether they want your particular phone model to receive the update and then provide it for you in a few months time. Judging by how many phones are stuck in a past iteration of Android, i.e. Ice Cream Sandwich or older, it's easy to see why this is such a big bonus.

Less for more?
Losing all the features Samsung and HTC put into their phones and gaining a stock feel seems odd at first. Even when you continue to think about it, there's not much that makes it that appealing so it will be interesting to see how sales of these phones progress. To lose features such as HTC Zoe on the One or all features Samsung have on their S4 camera and to have it replaced by the stock Android camera app seems crazy. I've used the Nexus 4 camera and the app is very restrictive compared to a skinned version. You might say, just take the app from either Samsung or HTC and put it on the stock version, if only it were that easy! Generally speaking, they work on a different framework and so this would only be possible if Samsung and HTC implemented it, but that would mean it was a modified version of Android and defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.

So...is it worth it?
No, I don't see how it is. When Google refresh their Nexus range, they'll probably bring out a phone that will be around the same spec as the One or S4 for half the price so save yourself the money and wait a few months until that happens. Either that, or go down the avenue of a custom ROM and wait until the Android developers get their hands on the stock ROMs for the two phones and flash it. I can't say for certain that this will happen but I bet it will be possible on previously skinned phones. Then you can try it out and decide which version you prefer.

Mo

HTC - are you coming or going?

So much news about HTC in this week, both positive and negative, shows the company is going through a very turbulent time. It's an absolute shame in my eyes because I could see them turning their fortunes around with the HTC One and at least attempting to compete with Samsung, not that it seems any other Android manufacturer is able to at the moment.

HTC First
Reports are coming in that the HTC First is not being launched here in the UK on the back of unfavourable reviews it has received in the US. Not surprising really, since there appeared to be a lot of excitement for a Facebook phone for a continued period of time but nothing ever came to fruition until a few months ago, at a time when people are leaving Facebook, rather than joining. It's a hit for HTC since they were the manufacturers and will miss out on the revenue of a phone which was widely publicised, but it seems everything about this phone was a mistake, including its price tag. The phone costs more than the Nexus 4 sim-free and that pretty much says it all. I don't know how much Facebook had a say in the various aspects of the phone, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are mostly to blame.

Mass exec exodus?
Maybe not quite an exodus, but several high profile executives of HTC have left over the past few weeks and it's a worrying sign for the company and its staff when something like this happens. Why would they leave unless they knew something we didn't is what I imaging some workers must be thinking, and who would blame them? Especially after one of their ex-employees went on Twitter encouraging his friends at HTC to leave and they would be much happier after doing so.

HTC One sells 5 million
An unnamed executive at HTC has gone on record to say that they have sold 5 million HTC Ones, a pretty impressive feat when in direct competition with the S4. Although Samsung may have sold 10 million S4's in under a month, it is still an achievement when you think about the relatively weak brand naming the One range has in comparison to the Galaxy range. Reviews for the One have been very favourable in comparison to the S4 and having both of the phones in my household, I for one (get it?) am much happier with the One than the S4.

Turbulent times indeed for HTC, let's hope their next quarter performance gives them some hope for the future otherwise who can stand in the way of the goliath that is Samsung at the moment? From a more selfish viewpoint, I want them to be around so they update the HTC One!

Mo

[App Review]Greenify - How Android should be

Since apps are a major part of Android, I thought I'd start doing reviews of apps that I use regularly. This is hopefully the first of many and I've based it on an app which does something I think Android itself should do, put apps to sleep until you need them. First things first, you'll need a rooted device to install Greenify.

What it does
In very simple terms, it does what iOS does to its apps. People regularly mention that iOS doesn't have proper multi-tasking and in a sense that's true. Once you leave an app on iOS, it takes that apps and put them in a suspended state until you open it up again. This app does something very similar, it takes any app you want and freezes it, until you need it. But instead of freezing it completely, it only disables the app from doing anything when you're not using it, as soon as you open it up it operates normally. It's only when it's sent to the background that the app is frozen.

Is it for me?
The developer describes what Greenify does as putting apps into hibernation, but claims to do it in quite a unique way so that you don't lose any functionality when you're using the app. Lets take the Facebook app as an example. I find no use for any of its background notifications and I only need it when I'm actually on it so for me, it's a perfect candidate to be hibernated. Once you put an app on the hibernate list, it won't be allowed to run any background processes at all and can't wake up your phone (gets rid of a lot of pesky wakelocks!) when its supposed to be asleep.

When the app first loads up, it scans to see which of your apps has woken up your device and how many times which makes it very easy to make a decision on which apps to hibernate. Personally, I picked all the games which woke my device up and some apps which I had no idea were waking my phone up!

Since installing, I have so fewer unexplained wakelocks and much happier knowing that if an app is running processes in the background, I won't necessarily have to uninstall the app, just Greenify it!

Conclusion
I've been waiting for an app such as this for years, finally it's here! I would make sure you bear in mind that if you hibernate an app, you will not get any notifications from that app so for something like the eBay app, you'll not get any activity updates. Apart from this, Greenify is an app worth having in your fight against background processes and I know I go on about battery life an awful lot (I promise I'll stop soon) but it will aide your battery life too.

Mo