Dr. Bill | The Computer Curmudgeon

We are, correctly, becoming more and more security conscious, and Google is stepping up to the challenges.

Google: Android L devices will be “NSA-Proof” out-of the box

Inferse – By:Deidre Richardson – “Former NSA contractor-turned-fugitive Eric Snowden has changed the world of technology forever.

Having revealed how much information the NSA is privy to on personal mobile devices, Snowden has motivated tech companies Apple and Google are leading the way to prevent the NSA tactics that have allowed the federal agency to collect as much information on personal uses as it wants.

Apple, on the hit success of the iPhone 6 launch and sale this week, has said that iOS 8 will prevent the NSA from obtaining information the easy way. Now, search engine giant Google has joined the mix, stating that Android L will bring a feature to the forefront that, to date, has been available on Android devices but has remained an optional preference for consumers.

Google intends to encrypt data on all devices that run and receive the Android L update. As a result, only user passwords will grant access to user data. Not even police warrants will be able to access user data without user permission. While Google’s next big update is scheduled to arrive around October-November, it should also be pointed out that the data encryption will not prevent Google Hangouts text messages and chats from being intercepted by NSA tactics. The data encryption will occur for all other information on any Android smartphone and tablet, however, scrambling data so that it is not accessible by way of hackers.

Android L (still unnamed) has been said to have ‘Lollipop,’ ‘Lemon Meringue Pie,’ ‘Lemon Cake,’ and even ‘Lion’ (a Nestle treat) as potential names. Google has named its Android updates since purchasing the OS from Andy Rubin after desserts: Cupcake, Doughnut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, and KitKat. Recent results show that KitKat is growing in user base but that some devices still bear Froyo and Gingerbread as Android consumers use their smartphones beyond contract expiration dates.

Apple has called out Google for selling user data to the NSA, so it’s nice to see Google fighting the NSA on this one. Whether or not the NSA will have trouble ‘forcing’ users to hand over user passwords is another story entirely. Google has been accused in an antitrust issue of relaying people to its own answers on Internet searches to grab money from mobile ads.

Google is expected to have an HTC Nexus 9 in the works, with HTC planning to announce the new 8.9-inch tablet on October 8 and sales to commence on October 16. Google is also rumored to have a Motorola Nexus in the works as well, with the name of the device (Nexus 6 or Nexus 5.2, Nexus 5 –Second Edition) still up for debate.”

Apparently, people really like “phablets!”

Larger iPhone 6 Plus Sells Out, ‘Record Number’ of iPhone Pre-orders

Yep, lots of people tried to order new iPhones as pre-sales began just after midnight on Friday.

There were the usual reports of challenges ranging from sites not loading to error messages, with clear indications that plenty of phones were being ordered.

Demand for the new iPhones is higher than that seen in either of the past two years, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told Re/code.

In particular, Apple and all the major carriers appear to have sold through their preorder allotments of the larger iPhone 6 Plus with all quoting longer ship times for that model.

A 64 gigabyte iPhone 6 Plus from Verizon, for example, was quoting a mid-October ship date. On AT&T, the same model was listed with a ship time of 35-42 days, also putting it well into October. Apple’s site was quoting ship times of three weeks to four weeks for that model on all carriers.

Sprint’s website was having intermittent issues mid-morning on Friday, displaying a ‘We’ll be back’ error message at times.

Attempting to order a larger iPhone on T-Mobile generated this message:

‘Due to high demand, your Apple product may not be available for immediate shipping. Once we are able to complete your order, you will receive a notification when your product has shipped.’

Update, 9:25 a.m. PT: An Apple representative said that the overnight sales of the new iPhones set a record, though Apple did not say how many have been sold.

‘Response to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been incredible with a record number of preorders overnight,’ Apple told Re/code.

Sprint, meanwhile said ‘response has been strong’ but did not release any pre-order sales numbers.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere apologized on Twitter for any hiccups.

‘Demand has been huge but we are on it,’ Legere said. ‘Keep us posted if you are still having trouble.’

The traveling Google Chromebook display, at a school near you!

Google is promoting Chromebooks to US students with a traveling Lending Library

TheNextWeb – By: Paul Sawers – Google is making moves to promote Chromebooks in colleges later this year, as it announces a new Chromebook Lending Library initiative.

However, the library won’t be available internationally, or even nationally. It’s only being introduced to 12 institutions in the US – and even then it will only be available for 4-day stints. So in effect, it’s really more like a traveling pop-up shop.

Students will be able to borrow Chromebooks for use on-campus during the week. It’s an interesting endeavor for sure, but when most students will surely have their own laptops, it’s not clear how popular this will prove.

If nothing else, it will let students try them out for battery-life and general functionality, before deciding whether they’re a worthwhile investment for the long-haul.

The library will be arriving, at different times, at: Auburn University, ASU, Central Florida, GW, Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse at Walnut Park, Texas A&M University, Texas State University, UCLA, and the University of Colorado, Boulder.”

And, speaking of the new Start Menu and interface…