Comment Re:Radio Shack (Score 1) 122
You've got questions?
We've got stupid looks.
Haha, the one I remember best is:
"You've got questions?
We've got blank stares..."
Which pretty much applies to any 'tech' chain store these days...*sigh*
You've got questions?
We've got stupid looks.
Haha, the one I remember best is:
"You've got questions?
We've got blank stares..."
Which pretty much applies to any 'tech' chain store these days...*sigh*
This article sums it up nicely, I think.
Nice going, Arizona. Or at least, Arizona politicians.
Do you really think you're going to be able to do a reasonable job of it, if you don't know which functions of your app users have enabled permissions for.
Yes, because a support email from the app can include what features are enabled - or I can just ask them.
But realistically there are not so many permissions choices you cannot test them. The iOS app reviewers do, so you have to test your app with all possible permissions disabled before you submit.
Ooops, your app crashes for the 3% of users who turn of contact searching
And one of the many crash reporters you can (and should) embed in an app will tell you that long before a user sends in a complaint, so it's fixed in the next update.
Assuming they have enabled network access...
I found that people judge you by your domain.
Custom domain -- professional.
@gmail/yahoo/hotmail -- hack.
You read the Oatmeal too, don't you?
To be sure, there certainly are many, many ways to break an egg, but this article is specifically talking about device-resident code that would take care of bricking the phone for you...no need to mess with HLR's. One-stop shopping, as it were
If so, they are barking up the WRONG tree. We don't want the handset software to do the banning. Banning an ESN is *easy* compared to what they are describing here. Carriers only have to check the ESN registry when the handset gets turned on, if it's not "bad" and a it has a valid SIM so you know who to bill, it's good to go. The other advantages is that it is NOT reversible by the criminal, while re-flashing the phone is something they might be able to accomplish. Yet, upon recovery of a stolen phone, a bad ESN registry might allow for the reinstatement of of an ESN by the owner so they can use it again.
Yeah, there's definitely lots of potential problems with this whole scheme, which is why most people here are saying 'hell no'.
Even if you ignore the potential for abuse (kill-codes being sent by someone not authorized by the user), how effective can it really be? Basically, unless the reset password is hard-coded *someone* will find a way to change it, and even if it is hard-coded, chances are a patient enough thief will recover it...eventually. Firmware can be flashed, chips can be swapped out and probed, etc. etc.
The only way I can see that this could be really effective at the stated goal of reducing theft is if the phone *physically* bricks on receipt of the kill code, like if an acid capsule were punctured to etch the boards beyond repair. It's non-recoverable by anyone, which sucks for the user, but at least the thief isn't getting more than parts value for the stolen goods and the user's data is safe from malicious intent.
Even in this case, though, the thief will simply make it a priority to get the device into a faraday cage right after 'acquisition', so the user doesn't have time to get the kill code sent...then they have all the time in the world to disable the theft countermeasures. Be suspicious of that man following you with the roll of tinfoil in his back pocket...
BTW: There was some research done a while back that did show that using spell and grammar checkers improved the bad english-skills people, but actually made the people who were already good english-skills people worse!
That's it, blame the spelling and grammar checkers...
You're looking at the wrong level. The proposal was for software embedded in the phone (not the HLR) so that it would brick if it received the right command. So no need to corrupt the HLR at all, just send the brick yourself command to the phones.
This.
Why do all that work, just tell the phone to do the work for you! If this gets implemented, that is...
I don't think that is what they where discussing. I thought it was about banning the ESN at the carrier level. This would effectively render the handset unserviceable by any carrier that refused to service the ESN. No need to put software on the phone.
Nope.
FTFA:
A proposal by Samsung to the five largest U.S. carriers would have made the LoJack software, developed by Canada's Absolute Software, a standard component on many of its Android phones in the U.S.
To work, the LoJack system requires two components. The first is code buried with the phone's firmware that ensures it remains active even if the operating system is reinstalled. The second is a desktop app through which users control the software.
To be sure, there certainly are many, many ways to break an egg, but this article is specifically talking about device-resident code that would take care of bricking the phone for you...no need to mess with HLR's. One-stop shopping, as it were
canada: you used to be cool. what happened?
Have you been up here lately??
-47 Celsius with the wind chill this morning...and we're getting damn tired of it already!
I could find a song on iTunes US, but not available on iTunes Canada, and because I do live in Canada, I could not easily order it off of iTunes US. If the right's holder decides to maintain the rights to a song, and not allow me to purchase it legally in my own country, then why should you be allowed to sue for copyright infringement, considering you're not making it available for me to purchase legally?
Interesting thought.
I wonder how exactly they would assess 'damages' if the material in question was never available for purchase in the first place?
You're looking at the wrong level. The proposal was for software embedded in the phone (not the HLR) so that it would brick if it received the right command. So no need to corrupt the HLR at all, just send the brick yourself command to the phones.
This.
Why do all that work, just tell the phone to do the work for you! If this gets implemented, that is...
The real solution here is for rights holders to get off their fucking asses and start giving consumers what they want.
Everything for free?
DRM free, certainly.
Y'know, like mp3's, which are still pirated but are at least available for purchase, unlike any DRM-free video that I am aware of...give true customers access without all the PITA usage restrictions, and the true fans will buy it simply to support the media they love. Yes, there will always be freeloaders, but those are the same people who would bum the DVD's from their friends instead of buying it anyways. At least you'd have the freeloaders telling their friends (who may be more flush with cash) about this hot new show they should watch...if the show's worth talking about, that is.
They probably know. It's not about money (they've been getting record profits), it's about control.
...pun intended?
Oh that is a nice thing!!!
Thank you!!!
Yeah a little pricey but not crazy expensive at all and totally worth it.
No problem, I had actually forgotten all about them, so thanks for the reminder! I was looking into them a while back for this very application but I ultimately went with an encrypted password manager on cloud storage instead. Might have to give them another look-see...
...that would be a security risk.
Security through obscurity? Has this site taught you nothing?!?
A text file, encrypted locally with a long password (something I can remember easily, but quite long) and then uploaded to Google Docs for easy access anywhere that I have the decryption software. If I need a password, I just open that file up and copy / paste the password needed - then close it again. If I make a change to a password I can just change it once and that populates to all the other locations where my Google Docs are stored, but it is fully and safely encrypted the whole time.
I even have an app for my phone in case I need it, but there is three factor authentication: my phone's login, a short PIN for the app, and then my full encryption password.
Just FYI, KeePass does basically the same thing for you, but in a user-friendly, searchable, generally-less-mucking-around-required database. Pop the encrypted database file into Google Docs or Dropbox or somewhere and boom, you're done.
I suppose one benefit of using a text file would be that you could theoretically use it on some new system that didn't have a KeePass client yet...if your encryption/decryption client worked on the new system, that is.
"The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl." -- Dave Barry
