Friday, October 1, 2010
Bluetooth Sheet Music Turner Could Help Readers With Disabilities
AirTurn?s Bluetooth foot-switch for iPad turns pages with the tap of a foot. It?s designed for keeping both hands free to play an instrument while reading digital sheet music. However, it may turn out to be an important technology for e-book readers with disabilities.
Gadget Lab wrote about AirTurn?s BT-105 prototype in July, but I discovered its accessibility potential in this thread at e-reading site TeleRead. A reader wrote the following email to TeleRead editor Paul Biba:
My friend?s grandson is bright, loves to read, but doesn?t speak and lacks the fine motor skill to turn pages on his iPad book reader. Is there any software or device that could turn the pages for him?
Could you also ask if they know of an input device, do they know how a non-technical person would hook the input device to the iPad or computer?
I did my own research and was discouraged not to be able to find any purpose-built software or hardware to do the job. Late last night, reader ?possentespirto? mentioned the AirTurn, which is still scheduled to be available sometime in Q4 of this year. Bluetooth pairing doesn?t require a great deal of technical wizardry, and the AirTurn foot pedal is already compatible with third-party software. This could be a terrific solution.
Users lacking either full control of their arms and hands or the limbs themselves could use the foot pedal to turn pages and zoom in on text; users with other disabilities could convert the foot clicker into a hand-clicker. In fact, the device reminds me of nothing so much as the clicker Stephen Hawking used to select text before he eventually lost control of his hands as well.
AirTurn?s foot-clicker may be too heavy or require too much force to be usable for some disabled users. Here?s where there?s a natural opportunity for an accessibility-minded company to build on this technology, make something explicitly for these readers and do it right.
See Also:
iPad Sheet-Music Foot-Switch is a Real Page-Turner
Poster Raises Funds for Disabled Gamer Charity
New Hand Controls Allow the Disabled to Fly
Disabled Web Access Made Easier
The Value of iPhone Technology for Young Blind People
Ray Kurzweil's Blio E-Book Launch Met With Confusion, Controversy ?
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Commuter Cycle Concept is Bike and Briefcase
Want to ride to the office, but can?t find anywhere to put your briefcase? Then try the commute with Marcos Madia?s Bikoff concept: it is both bicycle and briefcase.
Contrary to appearances, the bike doesn?t go inside the briefcase. Instead, the case is an important structural part of the bicycle, which is itself a very simple folder with a hinge in the main tube. When assembled, the case slots in, locks the bike open and provides extra support to that rather weak-looking tube.
Going on the computer-generated images, the specs include a carbon-fiber body, disk-brakes with the cables running inside the tubes, rear suspension and a rather neat-looking seat/seatpost combo. I like the simplicity, even whilst I worry that the rear brake-cable could easily be snipped by the scissoring hinge. If I was in the market for a folding bike, though, I?d likely choose a Brompton ? they fold up into a tiny package, and they seem to do it with nothing more than the flick of the wrist.
Marcos Madia?s Bikoff [Coroflot via Core77]
See Also:
City Concept Commuter Bike for Non-Cyclists
Commuter Bike with Built-in Laptop-Cage
Public Bikes: Fixed-Gear Style with Granny-Bike Ride
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
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UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS
SugarSync for Android is just like Dropbox... but better
Filed under: Utilities, web 2.0, Mobile, AndroidSugarSync for Android is just like Dropbox... but betterby Sebastian Anthony (RSS feed) Sep 30th 2010 at 2:00PMDropbox has received a lot of attention recently, mostly thanks to the rampant 'OMG 250MB referral!!' scheme that they've been successfully leveraging over the last couple of months. The thing is, just like Apple, Dropbox might be receiving the most press, but that doesn't mean it's better than the competition -- and there's a lot of competition!
Enter SugarSync, a Dropbox competitor with a lot of tricks up its sleeve. If you take a quick look at the comparison chart, you'll quickly see that SugarSync easily outstrips Dropbox in terms of functionality. In fact, SugarSync does so much that today I'm only going to discuss the Android app -- if I were to wade into the Web-based and desktop-based side of the service, we'd be here all afternoon.First of all, the Android app is free (search for 'SugarSync' on the Market) -- as is the 2GB 'Free' SugarSync package. Unfortunately, though, the free version has almost no features. That's the defining difference between Dropbox and Sugarsync: if you don't want to pay for the service, use Dropbox. If you're happy to pay a few dollars a month, go with SugarSync -- it does so much more than Dropbox, and it's cheaper!
Once you've logged in, SugarSync for Android actually has zero configurable options. What you see is what you get -- but that's OK, because it's a very feature-heavy app indeed. From the home page you have access to everything currently stored on your account, and any files and folders that friends have shared with you. If anything, you have access to too much -- I quickly lost track of where my files were, and the differences between my Web Archive and Magic Briefcase. You can also quickly examine the contents of both your phone and your sync folders at home via the 'My Devices' section at the bottom.
SugarSync has two main focuses that it handles very differently: documents (as in Word docs, PDFs, etc.), and media (images and music).
For managing your documents, SugarSync keeps version histories of every file, making synchronization both easy and safe, no matter where you're working from; home, the office, or even while tapping away on the train.
The second focus, media, is equally as impressive. There's a built-in image viewer that's capable of handling high-res images with aplomb, and a music player that streams any music you have in the cloud -- and yes, your phone keeps downloaded images and music locally cached! The music player isn't great -- it only lets you skip tracks and pause -- but that's the kind of thing that will surely be upgraded in the future.
My favourite feature
Despite being by far the most basic feature of the app, the ability to send files via email with a single click is awesome. Every file has an envelope next to it -- click it, select a contact, and send the file. The file isn't sent from your phone, so it sends instantly. Very cool, if you're out of the office and need to send a document or photo to someone. Sent files expire in 21 days, which makes this particular feature rather like YouSendIt...
Also, when you open the app for the first time, it asks you to 'play a little game' -- if you successfully send a few files, and upload a photo, you get rewarded with 250MB of free cloud storage! Hooray!
My biggest gripe
Just like the Dropbox for Android app, you can't move files from one folder to another! There's no way to take an existing file and make it publicly shared without downloading it, and then re-uploading it.
SugarSync for Android Tech Specs
Installed Size -- 1.84MB, but obviously you need more space for any downloaded files
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent (Android 1.6 @ 600MHz, LG GT540 Swift)
User Interface -- Good, though I'm not a huge fan of the tabs -- they're a bit unnecessary in this case and provided plenty of accidental return-to-Android-home-screen errors...
Configurability & Extensibility -- Nope, nothing to see here
License -- Free, closed source. The service itself costs from between $4.99 and $24.99 per month, however!
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Enter SugarSync, a Dropbox competitor with a lot of tricks up its sleeve. If you take a quick look at the comparison chart, you'll quickly see that SugarSync easily outstrips Dropbox in terms of functionality. In fact, SugarSync does so much that today I'm only going to discuss the Android app -- if I were to wade into the Web-based and desktop-based side of the service, we'd be here all afternoon.First of all, the Android app is free (search for 'SugarSync' on the Market) -- as is the 2GB 'Free' SugarSync package. Unfortunately, though, the free version has almost no features. That's the defining difference between Dropbox and Sugarsync: if you don't want to pay for the service, use Dropbox. If you're happy to pay a few dollars a month, go with SugarSync -- it does so much more than Dropbox, and it's cheaper!
Once you've logged in, SugarSync for Android actually has zero configurable options. What you see is what you get -- but that's OK, because it's a very feature-heavy app indeed. From the home page you have access to everything currently stored on your account, and any files and folders that friends have shared with you. If anything, you have access to too much -- I quickly lost track of where my files were, and the differences between my Web Archive and Magic Briefcase. You can also quickly examine the contents of both your phone and your sync folders at home via the 'My Devices' section at the bottom.
SugarSync has two main focuses that it handles very differently: documents (as in Word docs, PDFs, etc.), and media (images and music).
For managing your documents, SugarSync keeps version histories of every file, making synchronization both easy and safe, no matter where you're working from; home, the office, or even while tapping away on the train.
The second focus, media, is equally as impressive. There's a built-in image viewer that's capable of handling high-res images with aplomb, and a music player that streams any music you have in the cloud -- and yes, your phone keeps downloaded images and music locally cached! The music player isn't great -- it only lets you skip tracks and pause -- but that's the kind of thing that will surely be upgraded in the future.
My favourite feature
Despite being by far the most basic feature of the app, the ability to send files via email with a single click is awesome. Every file has an envelope next to it -- click it, select a contact, and send the file. The file isn't sent from your phone, so it sends instantly. Very cool, if you're out of the office and need to send a document or photo to someone. Sent files expire in 21 days, which makes this particular feature rather like YouSendIt...
Also, when you open the app for the first time, it asks you to 'play a little game' -- if you successfully send a few files, and upload a photo, you get rewarded with 250MB of free cloud storage! Hooray!
My biggest gripe
Just like the Dropbox for Android app, you can't move files from one folder to another! There's no way to take an existing file and make it publicly shared without downloading it, and then re-uploading it.
SugarSync for Android Tech Specs
Installed Size -- 1.84MB, but obviously you need more space for any downloaded files
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent (Android 1.6 @ 600MHz, LG GT540 Swift)
User Interface -- Good, though I'm not a huge fan of the tabs -- they're a bit unnecessary in this case and provided plenty of accidental return-to-Android-home-screen errors...
Configurability & Extensibility -- Nope, nothing to see here
License -- Free, closed source. The service itself costs from between $4.99 and $24.99 per month, however!
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TECHNITROL TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS
Office Space: Technology's Good vs. Evil Battle, Part 2
Part 1 of this three-part series addresses the way technology has made prisoners of office workers, who spend large parts of their lives confined to spaces much smaller than the typical jail cell.
The very nature of humanity has been changed by the nature of modern work. Where once workers were lean, muscled and tan, now they are pudgy, stooped and wrist-warped. The problem comes from restricted movement over long stretches in the day.
"The human body craves movement," said Joseph J. Sweere, D.C., professor in the chiropractic clinical sciences division and chairman of the department of occupational health in the
College of Chiropractic at Northwestern Health Sciences University.
"We move in the womb and even in our sleep," he told TechNewsWorld. "It's necessary to dissipate waste and for our organs to function properly. Yet we sit at work with our joints locked in the loaded position for hours on end."
Computers have chained employees to one spot, effectively stopping hearts, blurring eyes, freezing joints, and lifting sugar levels. The damage is doubled as workers move home by car or public transportation and then sit chained to technology again, either in front of a television or another computer.
Given that technology has weakened man in innumerable ways, can it also restore him to his former state of health?
Experts say yes. The technological cure need not even be all that extravagant or even painful, according to
Mayo Clinic.
No Pain, Lots of Gain
The most benefit comes from non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), argues James Levine, M.D., a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic.
Basically, you burn more calories and get more health benefits overall from short bursts of everyday activity than you do from organized exercise, his research shows.
Levine's team used some very sophisticated wearable computing technology that measured every wiggle and every shift from bum cheek to bum cheek. These "data-logging undergarments" were filled with sensors that measured total body movement, a far cry from the standard-issue pedometer.
The gist of the recommendations that emerged from the study is wiggle while you work. Take frequent strolls down the hall to the water cooler. Tap your foot while sitting. Stretch often. Little movements like that, done frequently, will keep you healthy, says Levine.
Others have upped the ante on the heels of Levine's research. Take Nashville cyclist Steve Ferrusi, for example. He designed the
FitDesk exercise bike, which allows users to support their weight on the bike while keeping their hands free to use a keyboard or game controller. Users can stop and peddle the bike at random or peddle leisurely while working. It is designed to be a low-key movement exercise worked in randomly as users see fit.
In the Upright Position
Still other inventors are working to relieve the strain from sitting still. Where once ergonomic chairs were touted as the best way to accomplish this, now entire ergonomic programs -- complete with special computer glasses -- are the way to go. These total packages are designed to improve posture, relieve joint pressures, and reduce muscle and eye strain.
"A lot of people promote the idea that sitting at computers all day long is a major cause of back pain, and that because people in less industrialized areas are more physically active, they have less pain,"
Dana Davis, certified balance method posture instructor and a certified yoga yeacher, told TechNewsWorld.
"However, the research of Noelle Perez-Christiaens in Paris, France, has shown that if people work at desk jobs and still have healthy posture like they do in Portugal, they don't develop back pain," noted Davis.
Smartphones also can cause human frame breakdown through poor posture. Text neck is a condition caused by tilting the head forward and down for extended periods of time while texting or emailing on the phone.
"This has been shown in medical research to cause early onset of spinal degeneration and arthritis as well as a long list of well documented medical conditions," Dean L. Fishman, D.C., of
The Text Neck Institute told TechNewsWorld.
Fishman invented an app for that. Neurotilt Text Neck App is available only for Android phones at the moment. It alerts the user to prolonged neck strain and offers a suite of exercises for alleviating neck pain. It also tracks and scores posture throughout the day, helping the user to correct problems while on the go.
Preventing Spidey-Senses
Other inventors are hard at work to defend users from less obvious problems associated with working with technology.
"The World Health Organization and European Commission have raised concerns about the health risks from everyday radiation," Aziza M. Ali, a spokesperson for
Belly Armor by RadiaShield, told TechNewsWorld.
"Similar to smoking or sun exposure, many of these risks occur over time; given the dramatic increase in radiation exposure over the past decade, we are only now starting to see the impacts," said Ali.
Belly Armor is a line of products developed to protect pregnant women and their fetuses from radiation from computers, printers and other common office technologies.
Still other inventors are looking at ways to relieve tingling extremities by eradicating repetitive movements entirely. Peter Freer, president of
Freer Logic, envisions total mind control, for example. "Hands-free," in his mind, equates to carpel-tunnel-syndrome-free.
Freer has invented a small armband sensor, the BodyWave, that monitors brain activity and wirelessly sends commands to the PC. You can't work everything on the computer with your mind -- at least, not yet. But you can operate avatars and equipment in 3D training simulations designed to reduce stress and increase focus on the training exercise.
If the user is too stressed or distracted, the exercise will stop and disengage. It cannot be engaged again until the user relaxes and concentrates on the exercise again. Biofeedback in the form of a bar on the screen functions as a gauge of the user's mental state, enabling self-adjustment.
No doubt more technologies are on the way to alleviate health problems for workers who spend all day strapped to one technology or another. The question is not whether such technologies exist, but whether they will be adopted by workers and employers alike.
Stay tuned for "Office Space: Technology's Good vs Evil Battle, Part 3"
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The very nature of humanity has been changed by the nature of modern work. Where once workers were lean, muscled and tan, now they are pudgy, stooped and wrist-warped. The problem comes from restricted movement over long stretches in the day.
"The human body craves movement," said Joseph J. Sweere, D.C., professor in the chiropractic clinical sciences division and chairman of the department of occupational health in the
College of Chiropractic at Northwestern Health Sciences University.
"We move in the womb and even in our sleep," he told TechNewsWorld. "It's necessary to dissipate waste and for our organs to function properly. Yet we sit at work with our joints locked in the loaded position for hours on end."
Computers have chained employees to one spot, effectively stopping hearts, blurring eyes, freezing joints, and lifting sugar levels. The damage is doubled as workers move home by car or public transportation and then sit chained to technology again, either in front of a television or another computer.
Given that technology has weakened man in innumerable ways, can it also restore him to his former state of health?
Experts say yes. The technological cure need not even be all that extravagant or even painful, according to
Mayo Clinic.
No Pain, Lots of Gain
The most benefit comes from non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), argues James Levine, M.D., a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic.
Basically, you burn more calories and get more health benefits overall from short bursts of everyday activity than you do from organized exercise, his research shows.
Levine's team used some very sophisticated wearable computing technology that measured every wiggle and every shift from bum cheek to bum cheek. These "data-logging undergarments" were filled with sensors that measured total body movement, a far cry from the standard-issue pedometer.
The gist of the recommendations that emerged from the study is wiggle while you work. Take frequent strolls down the hall to the water cooler. Tap your foot while sitting. Stretch often. Little movements like that, done frequently, will keep you healthy, says Levine.
Others have upped the ante on the heels of Levine's research. Take Nashville cyclist Steve Ferrusi, for example. He designed the
FitDesk exercise bike, which allows users to support their weight on the bike while keeping their hands free to use a keyboard or game controller. Users can stop and peddle the bike at random or peddle leisurely while working. It is designed to be a low-key movement exercise worked in randomly as users see fit.
In the Upright Position
Still other inventors are working to relieve the strain from sitting still. Where once ergonomic chairs were touted as the best way to accomplish this, now entire ergonomic programs -- complete with special computer glasses -- are the way to go. These total packages are designed to improve posture, relieve joint pressures, and reduce muscle and eye strain.
"A lot of people promote the idea that sitting at computers all day long is a major cause of back pain, and that because people in less industrialized areas are more physically active, they have less pain,"
Dana Davis, certified balance method posture instructor and a certified yoga yeacher, told TechNewsWorld.
"However, the research of Noelle Perez-Christiaens in Paris, France, has shown that if people work at desk jobs and still have healthy posture like they do in Portugal, they don't develop back pain," noted Davis.
Smartphones also can cause human frame breakdown through poor posture. Text neck is a condition caused by tilting the head forward and down for extended periods of time while texting or emailing on the phone.
"This has been shown in medical research to cause early onset of spinal degeneration and arthritis as well as a long list of well documented medical conditions," Dean L. Fishman, D.C., of
The Text Neck Institute told TechNewsWorld.
Fishman invented an app for that. Neurotilt Text Neck App is available only for Android phones at the moment. It alerts the user to prolonged neck strain and offers a suite of exercises for alleviating neck pain. It also tracks and scores posture throughout the day, helping the user to correct problems while on the go.
Preventing Spidey-Senses
Other inventors are hard at work to defend users from less obvious problems associated with working with technology.
"The World Health Organization and European Commission have raised concerns about the health risks from everyday radiation," Aziza M. Ali, a spokesperson for
Belly Armor by RadiaShield, told TechNewsWorld.
"Similar to smoking or sun exposure, many of these risks occur over time; given the dramatic increase in radiation exposure over the past decade, we are only now starting to see the impacts," said Ali.
Belly Armor is a line of products developed to protect pregnant women and their fetuses from radiation from computers, printers and other common office technologies.
Still other inventors are looking at ways to relieve tingling extremities by eradicating repetitive movements entirely. Peter Freer, president of
Freer Logic, envisions total mind control, for example. "Hands-free," in his mind, equates to carpel-tunnel-syndrome-free.
Freer has invented a small armband sensor, the BodyWave, that monitors brain activity and wirelessly sends commands to the PC. You can't work everything on the computer with your mind -- at least, not yet. But you can operate avatars and equipment in 3D training simulations designed to reduce stress and increase focus on the training exercise.
If the user is too stressed or distracted, the exercise will stop and disengage. It cannot be engaged again until the user relaxes and concentrates on the exercise again. Biofeedback in the form of a bar on the screen functions as a gauge of the user's mental state, enabling self-adjustment.
No doubt more technologies are on the way to alleviate health problems for workers who spend all day strapped to one technology or another. The question is not whether such technologies exist, but whether they will be adopted by workers and employers alike.
Stay tuned for "Office Space: Technology's Good vs Evil Battle, Part 3"
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MOODYS VERISIGN VERIFONE HOLDINGS VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES
Google expands paid app support to a ton of new countries
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SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES QUEST SOFTWARE
Use Your iPad To Manage Your Finances In Style
August 24th, 2010 at 2:18 am - Posted by admin
When it comes to budgeting and managing your finances on your iPad there are several apps to choose from, but very few compare to Checkbook by iBear LLC. This newly released app has everything you could want or even ask for when it comes to both style and functionality.
Easily keep track of your mortgage, credit cards, bank accounts and all other income and expenses from one simple location. Checkbook for iPad even includes a built-in option to import OFX (Open Financial Exchange) files directly from your bank account(s).
Staying on top of your budget is critical and very important. With this iPad app you?ll know where your money is located, what bills need to be paid and which accounts are being used to cover each of your expenses at all times. You can also schedule delayed transactions if necessary.
Exporting Financial Data From Your iPad
Another useful feature included with Checkbook is the option to export your financial data in either HTML or CSV (Excel) formats. You can also sync your financial data with other iPads. If security is a concern you have the option to protect your account entries by setting up a personal PIN as well.
Budgeting In Style With Your iPad
Not only is this cleverly programmed app loaded with many great features but visually it?s absolutely brilliant as well. The colors and design are very appealing and well done. You will enjoy the colorful bar graphs and pie charts too, definitely a great job in that department.
Pricing & Download Link
So I won?t waste anymore of your time telling you how amazing this app is, you just have to see for yourself, besides the app is currently being sold at a special introductory price of only $0.99 so the sooner you grab your copy the better.
Alright let?s get to it, click here to order and download your copy of Checkbook for iPad today from the Apple iTunes App Store and enjoy keeping track of your finances in style.
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When it comes to budgeting and managing your finances on your iPad there are several apps to choose from, but very few compare to Checkbook by iBear LLC. This newly released app has everything you could want or even ask for when it comes to both style and functionality.
Easily keep track of your mortgage, credit cards, bank accounts and all other income and expenses from one simple location. Checkbook for iPad even includes a built-in option to import OFX (Open Financial Exchange) files directly from your bank account(s).
Staying on top of your budget is critical and very important. With this iPad app you?ll know where your money is located, what bills need to be paid and which accounts are being used to cover each of your expenses at all times. You can also schedule delayed transactions if necessary.
Exporting Financial Data From Your iPad
Another useful feature included with Checkbook is the option to export your financial data in either HTML or CSV (Excel) formats. You can also sync your financial data with other iPads. If security is a concern you have the option to protect your account entries by setting up a personal PIN as well.
Budgeting In Style With Your iPad
Not only is this cleverly programmed app loaded with many great features but visually it?s absolutely brilliant as well. The colors and design are very appealing and well done. You will enjoy the colorful bar graphs and pie charts too, definitely a great job in that department.
Pricing & Download Link
So I won?t waste anymore of your time telling you how amazing this app is, you just have to see for yourself, besides the app is currently being sold at a special introductory price of only $0.99 so the sooner you grab your copy the better.
Alright let?s get to it, click here to order and download your copy of Checkbook for iPad today from the Apple iTunes App Store and enjoy keeping track of your finances in style.
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SPANSION SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES
Your Android Apps May Be Sweet-Talking Advertisers Behind Your Back
A study conducted jointly by Penn State University, Duke University and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) Labs has found that some Android apps surreptitiously send user information to remote servers at ad networks and analytics firms.
Some of the apps send users' geographic locations to remote ad networks; others send a unique hardware identifier and, in some cases, the phone number and SIM card serial number to developers, the team stated.
By doing this, the apps appear to contravene Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) best practices for Android app developers, which include suggestions that apps don't send data off the server or collect unnecessary information.
Android apps tell users what information they have to access and must get the users' explicit approval before they can be installed, Google spokesperson Jay Nancarrow told LinuxInsider.
However, that does not indicate what use the apps will make of the information they access. Could this be a problem?
Tainted Apps
The apps were discovered by researchers from Intel Labs, Penn State University and Duke University. Together, they launched a project to build tools to monitor how applications access and use privacy-sensitive data, then study and report the behavior exhibited by existing real-world apps.
The study was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The researchers randomly selected 30 of the 358 most popular free apps in the Android Market that have access to both the Internet and privacy-sensitive information, such as geographic location, the smartphone's camera and audio systems, and phone information. They built a monitoring tool they call "TaintDroid" to watch the apps while using them.
The team found that 15 of the 30 apps shared location information with remote ad network servers. Another seven shared phone identifiers with a remote Internet server.
Some apps shared location with ad severs only when displaying ads to the user, while others shared the information even when the user wasn't running the app. In some cases, location information was shared every 30 seconds.
The researchers restricted their research to Android because "it has many features in common with other popular smartphone platforms, and because it is open source, which was necessary for us to build our TaintDroid monitoring tool," reads a note on their site.
How TaintDroid Works
TaintDroid uses a scientific technique called "dynamic taint analysis." This technique marks information of interest with an identifier called a "taint." That taint, or tag, stays with the information when it is used. For example, TaintDroid can trace back the origin of the information, such as a smartphone's GPS system, when tainted information is sent to the Internet.
Dynamic taint analysis is not new. James Newsome presented a paper on using this technique for fast automatic detection of attacks by malware in 2009, for example.
The team will make TaintDroid open source and post information on the source code on its FAQ page later. It will present its findings at the USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation in Vancouver, Canada, Oct. 6.
The team is led by Jaeyeon Jung, a research scientist at Intel Labs; and William Enck, a doctoral student at Penn State. The paper's coauthors are Peter Gilbert and Landon Cox from Duke, Byung-Gon Chun and Anmol Sheth from Intel Labs and Patrick McDaniel from Penn State.
The Rights and Wrongs of Access
The researchers found that the Android apps they tested do ask users if they can access certain services and data, such as GPS data and the Internet, when they are installed. If the user says no, the apps can't be installed.
That puts the apps tested in compliance with Google's best practices for handling Android user data, which Google published on the Android developer blog back in August, Google's Nancarrow said.
However, the best practices include telling app devs not to collect unnecessary information and not to send data off the device, and the apps tested seem to breach these guidelines.
Further, the apps don't tell users how the data and services they access will be used.
There is no way to determine simply from the set of permissions how data will be used, and in some cases misused, the researchers claim.
That seems to contradict another section of Google's Android app dev guidelines, which says trustworthy applications are "up-front about the data they collect and the reasons for collecting it." A clear and concise privacy policy, with details about the type of information collected and how it's used, "goes a long way towards generating trust and good will," the guidelines state.
Users entrust some of their information to developers of apps on all computing platforms, Google's Nancarrow said, when asked about the tested apps not telling users what they do with data and services they access.
"Android goes a step further than others by informing users in advance what data and resources an application may access," Nancarrow pointed out. "We recommend best practices to further eliminate ambiguity for the user," he added.
Openness Is a Good Thing
News that some Android apps are surreptitiously sending out user information is "very disturbing, and customers should be on their guard," Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC, told LinuxInsider.
Concealing that information is "at the very least hoodwinking by omission," DiDio pointed out. "The developers are telling you the truth but not the whole truth," she explained.
"Other platforms also face this problem, but the difference here is the pervasive use and ubiquity of Android applications," DiDio pointed out. "Gartner Group is projecting that Android will catch Symbian as the top mobile operating system by 2014," she said.
While users of the apps tested didn't expect them to gather the data they did and transmit it, this behavior is not necessarily malicious, Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer and cofounder of Lookout Mobile Security, told LinuxInsider.
"Those acts may have a legitimate reason," Mahaffey argued. "For example, their purpose could be to serve targeted ads."
However, Mahaffey said the results of the study are "a wakeup call for developers to make their users aware of what their applications are doing."
Google may continue to face problems like this unless it changes its approach.
"Unlike Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google doesn't scan apps before putting them on the Android market," Carl Howe, director, anywhere consumer research at the Yankee Group, told LinuxInsider. "That's its schtick -- the market eventually corrects, and Google always has a kill switch to handle any egregious violations. It's certainly more of a Wild West approach."
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Some of the apps send users' geographic locations to remote ad networks; others send a unique hardware identifier and, in some cases, the phone number and SIM card serial number to developers, the team stated.
By doing this, the apps appear to contravene Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) best practices for Android app developers, which include suggestions that apps don't send data off the server or collect unnecessary information.
Android apps tell users what information they have to access and must get the users' explicit approval before they can be installed, Google spokesperson Jay Nancarrow told LinuxInsider.
However, that does not indicate what use the apps will make of the information they access. Could this be a problem?
Tainted Apps
The apps were discovered by researchers from Intel Labs, Penn State University and Duke University. Together, they launched a project to build tools to monitor how applications access and use privacy-sensitive data, then study and report the behavior exhibited by existing real-world apps.
The study was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The researchers randomly selected 30 of the 358 most popular free apps in the Android Market that have access to both the Internet and privacy-sensitive information, such as geographic location, the smartphone's camera and audio systems, and phone information. They built a monitoring tool they call "TaintDroid" to watch the apps while using them.
The team found that 15 of the 30 apps shared location information with remote ad network servers. Another seven shared phone identifiers with a remote Internet server.
Some apps shared location with ad severs only when displaying ads to the user, while others shared the information even when the user wasn't running the app. In some cases, location information was shared every 30 seconds.
The researchers restricted their research to Android because "it has many features in common with other popular smartphone platforms, and because it is open source, which was necessary for us to build our TaintDroid monitoring tool," reads a note on their site.
How TaintDroid Works
TaintDroid uses a scientific technique called "dynamic taint analysis." This technique marks information of interest with an identifier called a "taint." That taint, or tag, stays with the information when it is used. For example, TaintDroid can trace back the origin of the information, such as a smartphone's GPS system, when tainted information is sent to the Internet.
Dynamic taint analysis is not new. James Newsome presented a paper on using this technique for fast automatic detection of attacks by malware in 2009, for example.
The team will make TaintDroid open source and post information on the source code on its FAQ page later. It will present its findings at the USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation in Vancouver, Canada, Oct. 6.
The team is led by Jaeyeon Jung, a research scientist at Intel Labs; and William Enck, a doctoral student at Penn State. The paper's coauthors are Peter Gilbert and Landon Cox from Duke, Byung-Gon Chun and Anmol Sheth from Intel Labs and Patrick McDaniel from Penn State.
The Rights and Wrongs of Access
The researchers found that the Android apps they tested do ask users if they can access certain services and data, such as GPS data and the Internet, when they are installed. If the user says no, the apps can't be installed.
That puts the apps tested in compliance with Google's best practices for handling Android user data, which Google published on the Android developer blog back in August, Google's Nancarrow said.
However, the best practices include telling app devs not to collect unnecessary information and not to send data off the device, and the apps tested seem to breach these guidelines.
Further, the apps don't tell users how the data and services they access will be used.
There is no way to determine simply from the set of permissions how data will be used, and in some cases misused, the researchers claim.
That seems to contradict another section of Google's Android app dev guidelines, which says trustworthy applications are "up-front about the data they collect and the reasons for collecting it." A clear and concise privacy policy, with details about the type of information collected and how it's used, "goes a long way towards generating trust and good will," the guidelines state.
Users entrust some of their information to developers of apps on all computing platforms, Google's Nancarrow said, when asked about the tested apps not telling users what they do with data and services they access.
"Android goes a step further than others by informing users in advance what data and resources an application may access," Nancarrow pointed out. "We recommend best practices to further eliminate ambiguity for the user," he added.
Openness Is a Good Thing
News that some Android apps are surreptitiously sending out user information is "very disturbing, and customers should be on their guard," Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC, told LinuxInsider.
Concealing that information is "at the very least hoodwinking by omission," DiDio pointed out. "The developers are telling you the truth but not the whole truth," she explained.
"Other platforms also face this problem, but the difference here is the pervasive use and ubiquity of Android applications," DiDio pointed out. "Gartner Group is projecting that Android will catch Symbian as the top mobile operating system by 2014," she said.
While users of the apps tested didn't expect them to gather the data they did and transmit it, this behavior is not necessarily malicious, Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer and cofounder of Lookout Mobile Security, told LinuxInsider.
"Those acts may have a legitimate reason," Mahaffey argued. "For example, their purpose could be to serve targeted ads."
However, Mahaffey said the results of the study are "a wakeup call for developers to make their users aware of what their applications are doing."
Google may continue to face problems like this unless it changes its approach.
"Unlike Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google doesn't scan apps before putting them on the Android market," Carl Howe, director, anywhere consumer research at the Yankee Group, told LinuxInsider. "That's its schtick -- the market eventually corrects, and Google always has a kill switch to handle any egregious violations. It's certainly more of a Wild West approach."
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