Android phones record user-locations according to research

Smartphones running Google's Android software collect data about the user's movements in almost exactly the same way as the iPhone, according to an examination of files they contain. The discovery, made by a Swedish researcher, comes as the Democratic senator Al Frankenhas written to Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs demanding to know whyiPhones keep a secret file recording the location of their users as they move around, as the Guardian revealed this week. Magnus Eriksson, a Swedish programmer, has shown that Android phones – now the bestselling smartphones – do the same, though for a shorter period. According to files discovered by Eriksson, Android devices keep a record of the locations and unique IDs of the last 50 mobile masts that it has communicated with, and the last 200 Wi-Fi networks that it has "seen". These are overwritten, oldest first, when the relevant list is full. It is not yet known whether the lists are sent to Google. That differs from Apple, where the data is stored for up to a year.

n addition, the file is not easily accessible to users: it requires some computer skills to extract the data. By contrast, the Apple file is easily extracted directly from the computer or phone.

Google had not responded to requests for comment at the time this story was published.

Senator Franken has asked Jobs to explain the purpose and extent of the iPhone's tracking. "The existence of this information - stored in an unencrypted format - raises serious privacy concerns," Franken writes in his letter to Jobs. "Anyone who gains access to this single file could likely determine the location of a user's home, the businesses he frequents, the doctors he visits, the schools his children attend, and the trips he has taken - over the past months or even a year."

Franken points out that a stolen or lost iPhone or iPad could be used to map out its owner's precise movements "for months at a time" and that it is not limited by age, meaning that it could track the movements of users who are under 13. Another security researcher, Alex Levinson, says that he discovered the file inside the iPhone last year, and that it has been used in the US by the police in a number of cases. He says that its purpose is simply to help the phone determine its location, and that he has seen no evidence that it is sent back to Apple. However documents lodged by Apple with the US Congress suggest that it does use the data if the user agrees to give the company "diagnostic information" from their iPhone or iPad.

Apple has still not commented formally on the purpose of the file, despite repeated requests from the Guardian.

The discovery that Android devices - which are quickly becoming the best-selling products in the smartphone space - also collect location data indicates how essential such information has become to their effective operation. "Location services", which can help place a user on a map, are increasingly seen as important for providing enhanced services including advertising - which forms the basis of Google's business.

Eriksson says he uncovered the files after seeing coverage about the iPhone file. "Following the latest days internet outrage/overreaction to the revelation that iPhone has a cache for its location service, I decided to have look what my Android devices caches for the same function," he wrote at the site where he has provided computer code to examine the file.

参考：http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/21/android-phones-record-user-locations?CMP=twt_gu

'iPhone 5' expected in this year

Apple's next generation iPhone will have a faster processor and will begin shipping in September, according to three people with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain.

The production of the new iPhone will start in July or August and the smartphone will look largely similar to the iPhone 4, one of the sources told Reuters.

The iPhone - introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen, on-demand application template now adopted by its rivals - remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market.

Reports on the timeline of the new iPhone launch vary, though it is largely expected that Apple will likely refresh its iPhone4 later this year. It was introduced in June 2010 by chief executive Steve Jobs and shipped in the same month.

The timing would mean a delay from the usual 12-month refresh cycle for the iPhone since its introduction in 2007, when new versions have been shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. That is presently scheduled for 6-10 June.

The sources declined to be identified because the plans for the new iPhone were not yet public. An Apple spokeswoman in Hong Kong was not available for comment.

he sources declined to be identified because the plans for the new iPhone were not yet public. An Apple spokeswoman in Hong Kong was not available for comment.

The iPhone is one of Apple's most successful products, with more than 16 million sold in the last quarter of 2010. It accounted for more than a third of the company's sales in the quarter.

Apple sources many of its components from Taiwan-based suppliers, many are expected to benefit from a rise in sales as some of them rely on the US company for about 20-40% of their business, said Vincent Chen, an analyst at Yuanta Securities.

"For some suppliers, Apple is their cash cow, or their bread and butter," Chen said. "With all these versions being launched so frequently, it will be the so-called low-margin suppliers, such as those that assemble the phones, who will benefit the most."

Suppliers to the new iPhone include camera module maker Largan Precision, touchscreen panel maker Wintek Corp and case maker Foxconn Technology, two of the people said.

The companies would begin production either in July or August before shipping components to Hon Hai Precision Industry, flagship of Foxconn, for assembly, they said. Officials at Largan, Wintek and Foxconn declined to comment.

On Wednesday, Largan's Taipei-listed shares ended up 3.7%, Hon Hai rose 4.3% and Foxconn rose 6.6%, outpacing the benchmark Taiex share index's 2% advance.

Apple, a big purchaser of touchscreen displays and flash memory, is also dependent on Japan for some of its key components, sparking concern that the disruption due to the crisis there may hurt its gross margins.

But other reports have suggested it moved quickly after the earthquakein March to secure supplies from other sources.

Apple is expected to report another spectacular quarter on Wednesday evening, tempered by growing caution over how supply constraints will squeeze margins and restrain iPhone and iPad sales. Early estimates suggest it will have sold 18m iPhones and between 4m and 7m iPads in the quarter.

Google activating 350,000 Android devices per day

During its first-quarter earning call, search giant Google offered a few more insights into its mobile initiatives, but much of the proceedings involved Google's unexpectedly low profits and its efforts in social media.

Specifically, Google's Jeff Huber said the company's mobile search traffic has increased 5,000 percent during the past two years, and that company is now activating around 350,000 Android smartphones per day. Separately, Google's Susan Wojoicki said Google's AdMOb mobile advertising platform is now recording 150 million ad requests per month from Android and Apple iOS devices, a figure she said has increased 50 percent during the past four months. She also said the company now counts more than half a million advertisers using company's click-to-call mobile advertising function.

"These are just a few examples," Wojcicki said of Google's mobile business.

Google executives also briefly discussed the tablet market, highlighted by the success of Apple's iPad. In response to a question on tablets, Google's Huber said that "tablets are doing very well. There's certainly been a lot of growth in that segment." Specifically, he said Android 3.0, dubbed Honeycomb, is built for the tablet form factor, and that Google recently introduced an advertising product that allows online advertisers to specifically target their ads to tablet devices.

But analysts attending the company's quarterly earnings conference call continued to question Google's social strategy, apparently worried about the growing dominance of Facebook on the Internet. Google launched its new +1 button earlier this month in an effort to challenge Facebook and its ubiquitous "like" button. Google executives repeatedly noted the company's social networking efforts will continue.

Further, analysts worried over Google's lower-than-expected profits. Google's net revenue rose during the first quarter, but the company's profits fell below Wall Street expectations, according to Reuters. Google's net income in the first quarter of 2011 was $2.30 billion, up from the $1.96 billion the company earned in the first quarter of 2010.

Google executives said the company continues to invest in new functions and areas. "I'm very, very optimistic about our future," said Google CEO Larry Page during a brief appearance on the conference call.

参考：http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/google-activating-350000-android-devices-day/2011-04-14?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal