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The new iPad has many people breaking open their wallets to get one. While LTE is a new feature, the majority of traffic from the new iPad is coming from WiFi vs. LTE. Not really a big deal or a surprise, but what about those poor people that are using LTE, what is happening to them with that ‘blazingly fast’ wireless connection. Many of those users are starting to get their bills from the carriers for the LTE service, and many of them do not have unlimited data service. What does this mean? It means that once they hit that 3 or 5 GB limit for the month, they will be paying somewhere around $10 per GB. Still not a big deal right? Well think about this; one of the other new features of the new iPad is that really ‘beautiful’ display and with that new display comes larger program sizes. How much larger? About 3 times larger on average, some of the applications are over 1.5 GB in size. Now imagine that you just downloaded that app across the fast LTE connection, and a few other apps too, then watch a movie on that really nice screen with a fast connection. Now that you are past the 3 or 5 GB that you had for the month, what do you do? Quit checking your email, posting to Google + or Facebook (really you are still on Facebook?), or surfing the web in general, until the next month or face the higher bill.

Not many people asked about this or even thought about it when they signed up. Now they can stop using LTE since they are not under contract, but they just payed extra for LTE that they would not be able to use. Talk about a catch 22…

I think I will stick with my current tablet thank you very much.

The saga with Carrier IQ’s ability to procure information from your phone continues. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have all said that they use Carrier IQ to improve network and handset performance. Some security ‘experts’ have stepped forward to say that this whole thing is way ‘overblown’, that they are really only collecting metrics.

While I agree, that not enough information is known at this point, I would also like to point out that to collect metrics an application should not need to permissions that the Carrier IQ application has. Why would they need the ability to write a contact to your phone or intercept a call? Why would they need the ability to modify (write) the hardware settings on your OS? Why would the need to be able to create a bluetooth connection? They don’t need the permission for these things to collect metrics, they do need it if they want to control your phone from afar.

There are now lawsuits starting, we will see how far they get.

I will say it again, they got caught and are now trying to say ‘We only do <blank>.’ until someone can prove that they are doing more than they admit to. Wait for it…

Carrier IQ was outed when a developer (TrevE) started looking into what it really does. Now Carrier IQ claims that they are not collecting keystrokes (see this Media PDF for the claim), however TrevE shows (video here) that in fact the software collect each keystroke (both press and release) for each key (or button) that you press. Additionally, TrevE shows that the software collects data that should be encrypted (HTTPS) and forwards it in plain text before it gets encrypted. So any sensitive information is transmitted to where-ever Carrier IQ sees fit. It could be your carrier, one of the Carrier IQ auditing locations, or perhaps the government.

Another item that sticks out like a sore thumb, is the lack of a privacy policy or opt out option. What if I do not want to participate in their ‘research’? What if I want to keep my passwords private? Too bad is the answer.

While I understand the need to collect performance data to make better handsets, this is going to far. Having permission to hijack my phone calls, change my audio settings or bluetooth settings, and all without my knowledge or a by your leave. Pretty crass if you ask me, but not unexpected. Since the software is hidden, and rather ubiquitous, you can imagine that they have garnered quite a bit of personal data on everyone with a cell phone (and no it does not have to be active on the network). Now you no longer have to wonder how they know so much about how you live your life, they steal it.

They claim that they do not garner personal data, but the truth is already out of the bag. Now let’s see if there is a class action lawsuit for this…

This is my opinion and will not change until proven otherwise.

Netflix has released their streaming app for Android on a limited number of devices, and I just happen to have one of those devices. I have been a member of Netflix for years (since the beginning) and have always been happy with their service. When the streaming service became available, of course I was happy to participate and the service grew (not just because of me mind you). Now since I am one of the many that have a device that is supported on Android, I installed the app as soon as I heard it was on the market. While the app can be a little slow at startup (it is a little chunky) the GUI is well laid out and functional. However the quality of the streamed content is what this is really all about, and I have to say that I was surprised at the level of quality. Granted the screen is smaller, but only once did I experience any artifacts while watching about 5 hours of content during my test. I can see using this application on a consistent basis.

iRadar is a radar detector made by Cobra that I first experienced at CES, and waited patiently for the Android version to be released. The application is available in the Android market and is useful even without the detector. I have been using the detector for the better part of  a week, and the operation is much like any other detector on the market with the added bonus of alerts showing up on the Android device, giving a better experience to the user. The application also includes access to the Aura network from Cobra showing Speed Trap areas, Photo Light locations, etc. The one issue that I have had (and a few others based on feedback) is the application will put the device running the application in sleep mode when it receives an alert, but only if the device would have gone into sleep mode before the alert was received (does that make sense?). This makes it difficult to view the alert and requires that you power the device back on. Others have reported that they cannot have multiple blue-tooth devices connected while the iRadar device is connected. I haven’t seen this issue yet, but that does not mean it isn’t there. Overall, my experience has been positive, but I hope that the application issues will be resolved.

For the more part, there was a report that cell phone are killing honey bees. Are you kidding? While I would not say that it is pure drivel, as there are many ramifications of technology that are not understood, I will say that not many people using cell phones will not stand next to a bee hive for any period of time. So I am not sure how placing a cell phone under a bee hive is a relevant test. I would also suggest that any place the has continuous RF of this type would inhibit the bees from building a hive at that location. I will suggest that there are fewer areas that do not have RF transmissions, which may give some indication that the bees may be having a hard time finding places to build their hives, along with other environmental issues could certainly be having a great effect on the bee population. Maybe the scientists should get out of their box and see the big picture instead of looking for a smoking gun.

Location tracking has been in the news since the revelation that iOS keeps tabs on where the users are on a regular basis. While Apple is not alone in this (Android does this also), it is disturbing that they refuse to admit any wrong doing on their part. Now Apple is being sued for this, and Washington is asking questions as well. Really, no one knows how long companies have been doing this type of tracking, since most OS’s are not open to third party developers to go digging through. There have been reports that this tracking feature still works while the iPhone/iPad is powered off, since the device really isn’t powered off (unless you run the battery all the way down and do not recharge, but why would you do that) and you cannot remove the battery, additionally there is rumors that access to the device is available to retrieve this information as long as the battery has power to supply the system. My curiosity is: why are they just now figuring this out?

Really this information has been being gathered for quite a while, carriers keep track of what cell sites that you attach to for an undisclosed period of time and given a request that data will give them a picture of the subjects travels. Truly, this is just one more development that is behind getting public attention. Do you complain about the information that the grocery store gathers about you (and then sells to advertisers and credit companies)? Do you worry about the information that Google has compiled about your search and surfing habits? Or that Facebook sells advertising based on the information you post, your likes and dislikes, and any other information that you don’t think they have? Credit companies have been data mining for years and not many complain about their privacy being harmed. So why now?

Why should we be worried? Well, the information could fall into the wrong hands or already has. But that could be said for any data warehousing operation, data security is breached with more regularity and your sensitive information is then in the hands of hackers who sell it for profit (or use it for personal gain or both). You could argue that your privacy has been compromised. But I would argue that if you have ever used a credit/debit card, gotten a loan, signed a contract for services, registered a car, or paid taxes that your privacy has been compromised. This is just one more instance of data for profit. Sure you get some benefits, but are they worth it?

Don’t get me wrong, I have a phone, cars, and credit/debit cards, but I don’t have the illusion that I have any privacy.