Category: iPhone

Are You Concerned About Carrier IQ Privacy Issues?

Trevor Eckhart recently posted an alarming video and some scary results on Carrier IQ. The software is found on millions of phones and is used by three out of the four major American mobile carriers. According to Eckhart, Carrier IQ can track a crazy amount of information, including individual keystrokes. The company, of course, denies that the program presents a security risk. While the amount of information and what’s being done with it is still being debated, the bottom line is that carriers and phone makers do not provide a way for customers to opt out of the tracking.

While Carrier IQ is potentially evil, I don’t believe carriers and phone manufacturers are using it for malicious purposes. That would be suicidal. Any company caught compromising or selling information gathered by Carrier IQ would be sued to high heaven (is there a low heaven?) and would become a pariah. That said, I believe there’s a risk there. What if your phone is lost or stolen? Would a hacker be able to extract tons of information through Carrier IQ? If you’ve entered credit card or password information on your phone, would Carrier IQ present a backdoor for hackers to access it?

There’s a lot of misinformation floating around and a lot of information that has yet to be confirmed on Carrier IQ. Personally, I’m alarmed by the whole thing. Fortunately, I plan on switching to a Galaxy Nexus on Verizon in the near future. The phone and the carrier do not use Carrier IQ.

Are you concerned about Carrier IQ privacy issues?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After getting back from a harrowing trip that had me flying from Boston to Washington D.C. to Denver to Los Angeles, I’m back on the road this weekend. This time it’s Chicago and Boston. I want to be playing Infinity Blade II on my iPad 2. I’m sure I’ll start. I’m also sure that I won’t play it nearly as much as I’d like because I’m frickin’ tired. So this weekend’s gameplay will be a mix of Infinity Blade II and sleeping on (5) airplanes.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Coffee Talk #426: Games You’ve Lost Interest In

Are there any game genres, videogame series, or gaming platforms you used to love, but have lost interest in? Perhaps you used to be a Final Fantasy mark, but haven’t enjoyed the last few releases. Maybe you used to be into sports sims…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Cafecito Organico’s Guatemala El Carmen Estate, if the Rajon Rondo trade rumors will motivate him or crush his psyche, or Bryan Danielson getting a big push in 2012, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Are there any game genres, videogame series, or gaming platforms you used to love, but have lost interest in? Perhaps you used to be a Final Fantasy mark, but haven’t enjoyed the last few releases. Maybe you used to be into sports simulations, but have found that the never-ending march towards supreme realism has killed some of the fun. Whatever the case may be, I want to hear your story!

As for me, my interest in portable game consoles is definitely waning. Part of it is that the PSP is nearing the end of its lifespan. Part of it is that the Nintendo 3DS has one of the most underwhelming launches I can remember. The really big part of it is that my iPad 2 is just a brilliant entertainment device that gives me great gaming and so much more. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still play my portables for Japanese RPGs and first-party games from Nintendo, but I won’t carry them with me everywhere I go. That used to be the case. The iPad 2 has changed that.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what games, series, and consoles you’ve lost interest in.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I so want to be playing Skyrim this weekend, but I have a shoot in Chicago. Yes, it’s another one of those trips that has me spending more time in the air than on the ground. Good thing I enjoy flying. I’ll be counting on iOS games to entertain me in the friendly skies. The usual suspects of Civilization Revolution, Quarrel Deluxe, and Jetpack Joyride will be joined by newcomer TubeHero. It’s a cool music/rhythm game with futuristic graphics. Think of it as Guitar Hero meets Wipeout. Plus, the name totally cracks me up. I can picture Beavis and Butt-Head giggling for hours saying, “TubeHero.”

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Smartphone Gaming Growing Rapidly, Nintendo DS Declining

[Updated 9:21AM PST] Flurry Analytics posted a fascinating pie chart (as fascinating as pie charts get, anyway) that illustrates the rapid growth of Android and iOS gaming, as well as the decline of Nintendo DS gaming. According to the company, Android and iOS are responsible for approximately 58 percent of U.S. portable game software revenue in 2011. This is up from 19 percent in 2009 and 34 percent in 2010. Compare this to the Nintendo DS’ 2011 software revenue, which Flurry estimates to be 36 percent of the market. This is down from 70 percent in 2009 and 57 percent in 2010.

One thing to keep in mind is that the DS is an end-of-life product and has been replaced by the 3DS. As most of you know, the console market is cyclical, so it wasn’t surprising to see DS software sales declining over the last three years. Android and iOS games are more evergreen, since they’re not tied to a specific set of hardware. Also, Flurry vice president of marketing Peter Farago made no mention of the 3DS in his blog post. I’ve reached out to the company to see if 3DS software sales were included in the overall DS figure.

Even considering the cyclical nature of consoles, the rapid growth of smartphone gaming is extremely impressive. It will be interesting to see how standalone gaming systems like the 3DS and the upcoming PlayStation Vita will perform. With smartphones and tablets becoming fantastic gaming platforms, it’s looking like the audience for specialized gaming is shrinking.

Let me know what you think of Flurry’s study on U.S. portable gaming revenue when you have a chance (please!).

Update 9:21AM PST: Flurry VP Peter Farago confirmed that the 2011 Nintendo figure includes 3DS software sales. He told me via email, “This is total Nintendo portable data, including 3DS.” Even though the 3DS stumbled out of the gate in the U.S., sales have been picking up and there are several hot games that will sell well this holiday season. In light of that, the number is even more fascinating.

Source

Watch the 60 Minutes Steve Jobs Segment Here

Last night 60 Minutes ran an outstanding piece on Steve Jobs and the man’s biography by Walter Isaacson. The segment contains insights from the author, audio clips from Jobs, and more. If you were on the fence about the book then you’ll want to give these clips a watch. As a Jobs admirer, I found them completely fascinating. Check ’em out and let me know what you think (please)!

Today’s Poll: Are You Buying the Steve Jobs Biography?

Walter Isaacson’s biography on Steve Jobs comes out on Monday and the Internet is already swimming with juicy quotes from people with early copies. The book, Steve Jobs, contains loads of great stories and insights, including Jobs going ballistic on Google over Android and telling President Obama that he’s headed for a one-term presidency.

As most of you know, I’m fascinated by Jobs and admire his work. I’m looking forward to reading lots of behind-the-scenes dirt and learning more about the (extremely private) man. How about you? Are you going to pick up the Steve Jobs bio? Kindly take today’s poll and let me know!

[poll id=”137″]

Sprint and Verizon iPhone 4S More International Than AT&T’s

[Updated 10/13 3:37 PM PT] If you’re a world traveler that’s also an iPhone fan then you might want to considering picking up an iPhone 4S on Sprint or Verizon instead of AT&T. The iPhone 4S is SIM-locked on AT&T, while CDMA carriers Sprint and Verizon will allow customers to use foreign SIM cards. This allows globetrotters to enjoy cheaper data and voice rates in other countries. Here’s the deal from MacWorld’s Jason Snell:

There’s a new wrinkle that potentially makes the international-roaming experience better on Sprint and Verizon iPhones than it is on AT&T. Sprint plans to sell the iPhone 4S with its micro-SIM slot unlocked; Verizon’s will be initially locked, but if you’ve been a customer in good standing for 60 days, you can call Verizon and ask for an “international unlock.” (A Verizon spokesperson told me that this is Verizon’s standard policy for all world phones — it’s just the first time it’s manifested itself on an iPhone.)

As someone that enjoys hopping to different countries (you know, back when I had money), this makes the CDMA iPhone 4S models terribly appealing. When I travel, I always get a local SIM for those times you meet cute foreign chicks in a bar networking purposes. In the past, I’ve use an unlocked GSM phone for foreign use to ensure global compatibility and to not be annoyed by carrier bloatware that’s unnecessarily munching on data. A CDMA iPhone with an unlocked SIM slot sound perfect for world warriors (like Ryu).

The only downside is that the CDMA data rates on Sprint and Verizon iPhone 4S are much slower HSDPA rates on the AT&T model. For some people, domestic slowness is worth the international bliss.

Do any of you find the international capabilities of the Sprint and Verizon iPhone 4S appealing?

Source

[Update 8:59AM PT] According to Engadget, the Sprint version will not have an unlocked SIM slot. A Sprint rep told the site:

Our SIM does not come out of the device — I believe the same is true of Verizon’s iPhone but you would need to confirm that with them. Customers can sign up for one of our international rate plans and use this phone all over the world. When traveling internationally, there is a setting that must be turned on within the device to connect to GSM. The phone will work with a SIM that is provided within the device out of the box. International voice and data charges are on a pay-as-you-go basis and vary based on the country where the customer is using their phone; a list of rates is available at www.sprint.com/international.

Well that sucks….

[Update 10/13 3:37 PM PT] Sprint released a statement saying that it will unlock the SIM slot for customers in good standing. The SIM slot is shipping unlocked, but will be locked by a future software update. If you’ve been paying your bill on time, Sprint will then unlock it…again. That seems incredibly stupid. Just leave the damn thing unlocked in the first place! Anyway, here’s a clip from the statement:

Sprint’s policy is to have the iPhone 4S SIM locked to our network domestically and internationally. At launch, the International SIM will be unlocked. We do expect a SIM lock to be pushed to the devices shortly after launch. We will then allow existing customers in good standing to unlock the SIM for international use if needed in the future.