nice to see new android apps coming from ios using the holo theme
Echofon Alpha Twitter Client Released on Android – Droid Life
Echofon Alpha Twitter Client Released on Android – Droid Life
New Nexus/Android 4.2 Anticipation Thread--October 29th
- Thread starter Rohiggidy
- Start date
Demonic Jenkins
Pro
Real talk...that optimus G actually has a few real nice exclusive features that I was unaware about...that transparent multitasking feature is DOPE.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S3
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S3
Quick Tip: How To Search Only Android Play Store Titles And Cut Out The Noise
I do so much searching in the Play Store on a daily basis that every little trick that helps surface relevant results faster and filter out things I don't want is priceless. Sometimes, you're searching for XYZ, which you know should be in the title, but instead get a ton of results back with XYZ in the description. This is especially frustrating when a new app or game gets released, and Google hasn't figured out it's popular yet. In that case, it's more than likely that searching for the name of the app will show it somewhere near the last results page.
As it turns out, the Play Store supports the intitle: query operator, which is part of my regular Google-fu search arsenal. I don't think it used to work before, so I haven't tried it for a while, until today. It now works beautifully.
If you have multiple search terms and you know the right order, you should surround them with quotes, like so:
intitle:"foo bar"
If you know a few keywords but not necessarily the order, just include several intitle operators or use the allintitle operator, like so:
intitle:foo intitle:bar
or
allintitle:foo bar
I do so much searching in the Play Store on a daily basis that every little trick that helps surface relevant results faster and filter out things I don't want is priceless. Sometimes, you're searching for XYZ, which you know should be in the title, but instead get a ton of results back with XYZ in the description. This is especially frustrating when a new app or game gets released, and Google hasn't figured out it's popular yet. In that case, it's more than likely that searching for the name of the app will show it somewhere near the last results page.
As it turns out, the Play Store supports the intitle: query operator, which is part of my regular Google-fu search arsenal. I don't think it used to work before, so I haven't tried it for a while, until today. It now works beautifully.
If you have multiple search terms and you know the right order, you should surround them with quotes, like so:
intitle:"foo bar"
If you know a few keywords but not necessarily the order, just include several intitle operators or use the allintitle operator, like so:
intitle:foo intitle:bar
or
allintitle:foo bar
Google Wallet Prepaid Refund Form is Live, Be Sure to Get Your Money Back
https://services.google.com/fb/forms/ppdrefundrequestform/
https://services.google.com/fb/forms/ppdrefundrequestform/
[Exclusive] Android 4.2 Alpha Teardown, Part 2: SELinux, VPN Lockdown, And Premium SMS Confirmation
We've got an LG Nexus system dump and endless desire to spoil every Googley surprise we can. Today's edition of the Android 4.2 Teardown could be alternatively subtitled "The Super-Serious Security Edition," because we're talking about the sort of stuff that should make your sysadmin jump for joy.
Please keep in mind this is just as forward-facing and time-ambiguous as all my other teardowns. This is a list of new stuff in the 4.2 dump, not a list of "confirmed for 4.2" features. Anything could be cut or not fully implemented by the time 4.2 rolls around; similarly to how bits of Android are currently multi-user aware, yet multi-user functionality isn't accessible. Some of this stuff may make it to 4.2, but probably not all of it. Got it? Good.
Now, get ready for a HUGE security push. I recently revealed the Play Store was getting "App Check," a client-side malware scanner, and Google already has "Bouncer" a server-side malware scanner, but they aren't stopping there.
SELinux
SELinux
Security-Enhanced Linux is a set of kernel add-ons and user-space tools first started by the NSA that brings mandatory access control to Linux, which basically means user programs and system servers only run with the minimum amount of privileges they need to function. Unmodified Linux uses discretionary access control. Users can grant high levels of access to files they own, and malicious software can do anything it wants with the files and controls the user has access to. If you run that malicious app with root privileges, it now has access to everything.
In SELinux, there is no concept of a root user. Security policy is defined by an Administrator and applied to every process and object, and nothing can override it. This means the potential damage a malicious program can cause is minimal. Basically, SELinux is serious lockdown-mode for the hyper-secure enterprise crowd.
So, now that we have a rough idea of what SELinux is, maybe this set of strings will mean something to you:
<string name="selinux_status">SELinux status</string>
<string name="selinux_status_disabled">Disabled</string>
<string name="selinux_status_permissive">Permissive</string>
<string name="selinux_status_enforcing">Enforcing</string>
This was buried in the Settings APK. According to the layout xml, SELinux will have a status readout tacked-on to the current About Phone screen. It will now list "SELinux Status" at the very bottom, right under "Kernel version" and "Build Number." If you're wondering why there are 3 options and not just "on" and "off," "Permissive" is a logging mode, which will tell you when it would have blocked something, but won't actually block things.
The other key piece of information to get from the string file is that this is an optional mode, don't go around saying that Google is shutting down root functionality or anything. This is for security conscious enterprise and government-types and probably won't be enabled on consumer phones.
Always-On VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides all sorts of benefits, depending on how you set it up. You can use it to beat government or corporate site filtering, access a remote computer, surf anonymously, or just to encrypt all your web traffic.
Right now, you can tell Android to funnel all your data through a VPN, and it will, but if you restart your phone, or if the VPN server ends your session, suddenly all your data will start beaming out over the regular internet. There's no way to say "only send data while connected to a VPN," until now.
<string name="vpn_menu_lockdown">Always-on VPN</string>
<string name="vpn_lockdown_summary">Select a VPN profile to always remain connected to. Network traffic will only be allowed when connected to this VPN.</string>
<string name="vpn_lockdown_none">None</string>
<string name="vpn_lockdown_config_error">Always-on VPN requires an IP address for both server and
The strings are pretty self-explanatory. VPN Lockdown will only allow your data to travel over the VPN. No VPN? No internet. There's a subset of VPN users that probably consider VPN functionality useless without this feature. They'll be happy.
Premium SMS Confirmation
A big incentive for the bad guys to write Android malware is that you can quickly and silently charge money directly to a phone bill with premium SMSs. That's a tempting target, so making it harder for malware writers to get paid would go a long way towards slowing down a virus-filled mobile future.
Google seems to want to do just that, I found these strings in the framework code:
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_title">Send SMS to short code?</string>
<string name="sms_premium_short_code_confirm_title">Send premium SMS?</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_message"><b>%1$s</b> would like to send a text message to <b>%2$s</b>, which appears to be an SMS short code.<p>Sending text messages to some short codes may cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services.<p>Do you want to allow this app to send the message?</string>
<string name="sms_premium_short_code_confirm_message"><b>%1$s</b> would like to send a text message to <b>%2$s</b>, which is a premium SMS short code.<p><b>Sending a message to this destination will cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services.</b><p>Do you want to allow this app to send the message?</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_allow">Send message</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_deny">"Don't send"</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_report">Report malicious app</string>
If you're having a hard time reading through the programming junk, the main message says " would like to send a text message to [number], which is a premium SMS short code. Sending a message to this destination will cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services. Do you want to allow this app to send the message?" It's a nice, clear message that will pop up whenever an app tries to send a text to a short code. You're then allowed three options, "Send message," "Don't send," and "Report malicious app."
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shortcodes>
<shortcode country="al" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="15191|55[56]00" />
<shortcode country="am" pattern="\\d{3,4}" premium="11[2456]1|3024" free="10[123]" />
<shortcode country="at" pattern="11\\d{4}" premium="09.*" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="au" pattern="19(?:\\d{4}|\\d{6})" premium="19998882" />
<shortcode country="az" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="330[12]|87744|901[234]|93(?:94|101)|9426|9525" />
<shortcode country="be" premium="\\d{4}" free="8\\d{3}|116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="bg" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="18(?:16|423)|19(?:1[56]|35)" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="by" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="3336|4161|444[4689]|501[34]|7781" />
<shortcode country="ca" pattern="\\d{5,6}" premium="60999|88188" />
<shortcode country="ch" pattern="[2-9]\\d{2,4}" premium="543|83111" />
<shortcode country="cn" premium="1066.*" free="1065.*" />
<shortcode country="cy" pattern="\\d{4,6}" premium="7510" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="cz" premium="9\\d{6,7}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="de" pattern="\\d{4,5}|1232\\d{3}" premium="11(?:111|833)|1232(?:013|021|060|075|286|358)|118(?:44|80|86)|20[25]00|220(?:21|22|88|99)|221(?:14|21)|223(?:44|53|77)|224[13]0|225(?:20|59|90)|226(?:06|10|20|26|30|40|56|70)|227(?:07|33|39|66|76|78|79|88|99)|228(?:08|11|66|77)|23300|30030|3[12347]000|330(?:33|55|66)|33(?:233|331|366|533)|34(?:34|567)|37000|40(?:040|123|444|[3568]00)|41(?:010|414)|44(?:000|044|344|44[24]|544)|50005|50100|50123|50555|51000|52(?:255|783)|54(?:100|2542)|55(?:077|[24]00|222|333|55|[12369]55)|56(?:789|886)|60800|6[13]000|66(?:[12348]66|566|766|777|88|999)|68888|70(?:07|123|777)|76766|77(?:007|070|222|444|[567]77)|80(?:008|123|888)|82(?:002|[378]00|323|444|472|474|488|727)|83(?:005|[169]00|333|830)|84(?:141|300|32[34]|343|488|499|777|888)|85888|86(?:188|566|640|644|650|677|868|888)|870[24]9|871(?:23|[49]9)|872(?:1[0-8]|49|99)|87499|875(?:49|55|99)|876(?:0[1367]|1[1245678]|54|99)|877(?:00|99)|878(?:15|25|3[567]|8[12])|87999|880(?:08|44|55|77|99)|88688|888(?:03|10|8|89)|8899|90(?:009|999)|99999" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="dk" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="1\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ee" pattern="1\\d{2,4}" premium="90\\d{5}|15330|1701[0-3]" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="es" premium="[23][57]\\d{3}|280\\d{2}|[79]9[57]\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="fi" pattern="\\d{5,6}" premium="0600.*|0700.*|171(?:59|63)" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="fr" premium="[4-8]\\d{4}" free="3\\d{4}|116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="gb" pattern="\\d{4,6}" premium="[5-8]\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ge" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="801[234]|888[239]" />
<shortcode country="gr" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="54\\d{3}|19[0-5]\\d{2}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="hu" pattern="[01](?:\\d{3}|\\d{9})" premium="0691227910|1784" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ie" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="5[3-9]\\d{3}" free="50\\d{3}|116\\d{3}" standard="5[12]\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="il" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="4422|4545" />
<shortcode country="it" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="4\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="kg" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="415[2367]|444[69]" />
<shortcode country="kz" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="335[02]|4161|444[469]|77[2359]0|8444|919[3-5]|968[2-5]" />
<shortcode country="lt" pattern="\\d{3,5}" premium="13[89]1|1394|16[34]5" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="lu" premium="6\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="lv" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="18(?:19|63|7[1-4])" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="mx" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="53035|7766" />
<shortcode country="my" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="32298|33776" />
<shortcode country="nl" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="4466|5040" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="no" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="2201|222[67]" />
<shortcode country="nz" pattern="\\d{3,4}" premium="3903|8995" />
<shortcode country="pl" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="74240|79(?:10|866)|92525" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="pt" premium="6[1289]\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ro" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="12(?:63|66|88)|13(?:14|80)" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ru" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="1(?:1[56]1|899)|2(?:09[57]|322|47[46]|880|990)|3[589]33|4161|44(?:4[3-9]|81)|77(?:33|81)" />
<shortcode country="se" premium="72\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="sg" pattern="7\\d{4}" premium="73800" standard="74688" />
<shortcode country="si" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="[368]\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="sk" premium="\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="tj" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="11[3-7]1|4161|4333|444[689]" />
<shortcode country="ua" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="444[3-9]|70[579]4|7540" />
<shortcode country="us" pattern="\\d{5,6}" premium="20433|21(?:344|472)|22715|23(?:333|847)|24(?:15|28)0|25209|27(?:449|606|663)|28498|305(?:00|83)|32(?:340|941)|33(?:166|786|849)|34746|35(?:182|564)|37975|38(?:135|146|254)|41(?:366|463)|42335|43(?:355|500)|44(?:578|711|811)|45814|46(?:157|173|327)|46666|47553|48(?:221|277|669)|50(?:844|920)|51(?:062|368)|52944|54(?:723|892)|55928|56483|57370|59(?:182|187|252|342)|60339|61(?:266|982)|62478|64(?:219|898)|65(?:108|500)|69(?:208|388)|70877|71851|72(?:078|087|465)|73(?:288|588|882|909|997)|74(?:034|332|815)|76426|79213|81946|83177|84(?:103|685)|85797|86(?:234|236|666)|89616|90(?:715|842|938)|91(?:362|958)|94719|95297|96(?:040|666|835|969)|97(?:142|294|688)|99(?:689|796|807)" />
</shortcodes>
view raw gistfile1.txt This Gist brought to you by GitHub.
Here's the data for it. They basically just have a giant list of premium shortcodes for each country. If you send to a shortcode that isn't in this database, Android will still warn you that this is a shortcode, and that "Sending text messages to some short codes may cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services."
This sounds like it will stop phone billing malware in their tracks, and instant, easy reporting will go a long way too.
We'll be back with more! Next time we've got a sneak peek at the new, work-in-progress Gallery design, and some other stuff. Stay tuned!
We've got an LG Nexus system dump and endless desire to spoil every Googley surprise we can. Today's edition of the Android 4.2 Teardown could be alternatively subtitled "The Super-Serious Security Edition," because we're talking about the sort of stuff that should make your sysadmin jump for joy.
Please keep in mind this is just as forward-facing and time-ambiguous as all my other teardowns. This is a list of new stuff in the 4.2 dump, not a list of "confirmed for 4.2" features. Anything could be cut or not fully implemented by the time 4.2 rolls around; similarly to how bits of Android are currently multi-user aware, yet multi-user functionality isn't accessible. Some of this stuff may make it to 4.2, but probably not all of it. Got it? Good.
Now, get ready for a HUGE security push. I recently revealed the Play Store was getting "App Check," a client-side malware scanner, and Google already has "Bouncer" a server-side malware scanner, but they aren't stopping there.
SELinux
SELinux
Security-Enhanced Linux is a set of kernel add-ons and user-space tools first started by the NSA that brings mandatory access control to Linux, which basically means user programs and system servers only run with the minimum amount of privileges they need to function. Unmodified Linux uses discretionary access control. Users can grant high levels of access to files they own, and malicious software can do anything it wants with the files and controls the user has access to. If you run that malicious app with root privileges, it now has access to everything.
In SELinux, there is no concept of a root user. Security policy is defined by an Administrator and applied to every process and object, and nothing can override it. This means the potential damage a malicious program can cause is minimal. Basically, SELinux is serious lockdown-mode for the hyper-secure enterprise crowd.
So, now that we have a rough idea of what SELinux is, maybe this set of strings will mean something to you:
<string name="selinux_status">SELinux status</string>
<string name="selinux_status_disabled">Disabled</string>
<string name="selinux_status_permissive">Permissive</string>
<string name="selinux_status_enforcing">Enforcing</string>
This was buried in the Settings APK. According to the layout xml, SELinux will have a status readout tacked-on to the current About Phone screen. It will now list "SELinux Status" at the very bottom, right under "Kernel version" and "Build Number." If you're wondering why there are 3 options and not just "on" and "off," "Permissive" is a logging mode, which will tell you when it would have blocked something, but won't actually block things.
The other key piece of information to get from the string file is that this is an optional mode, don't go around saying that Google is shutting down root functionality or anything. This is for security conscious enterprise and government-types and probably won't be enabled on consumer phones.
Always-On VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides all sorts of benefits, depending on how you set it up. You can use it to beat government or corporate site filtering, access a remote computer, surf anonymously, or just to encrypt all your web traffic.
Right now, you can tell Android to funnel all your data through a VPN, and it will, but if you restart your phone, or if the VPN server ends your session, suddenly all your data will start beaming out over the regular internet. There's no way to say "only send data while connected to a VPN," until now.
<string name="vpn_menu_lockdown">Always-on VPN</string>
<string name="vpn_lockdown_summary">Select a VPN profile to always remain connected to. Network traffic will only be allowed when connected to this VPN.</string>
<string name="vpn_lockdown_none">None</string>
<string name="vpn_lockdown_config_error">Always-on VPN requires an IP address for both server and
The strings are pretty self-explanatory. VPN Lockdown will only allow your data to travel over the VPN. No VPN? No internet. There's a subset of VPN users that probably consider VPN functionality useless without this feature. They'll be happy.
Premium SMS Confirmation
A big incentive for the bad guys to write Android malware is that you can quickly and silently charge money directly to a phone bill with premium SMSs. That's a tempting target, so making it harder for malware writers to get paid would go a long way towards slowing down a virus-filled mobile future.
Google seems to want to do just that, I found these strings in the framework code:
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_title">Send SMS to short code?</string>
<string name="sms_premium_short_code_confirm_title">Send premium SMS?</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_message"><b>%1$s</b> would like to send a text message to <b>%2$s</b>, which appears to be an SMS short code.<p>Sending text messages to some short codes may cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services.<p>Do you want to allow this app to send the message?</string>
<string name="sms_premium_short_code_confirm_message"><b>%1$s</b> would like to send a text message to <b>%2$s</b>, which is a premium SMS short code.<p><b>Sending a message to this destination will cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services.</b><p>Do you want to allow this app to send the message?</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_allow">Send message</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_deny">"Don't send"</string>
<string name="sms_short_code_confirm_report">Report malicious app</string>
If you're having a hard time reading through the programming junk, the main message says " would like to send a text message to [number], which is a premium SMS short code. Sending a message to this destination will cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services. Do you want to allow this app to send the message?" It's a nice, clear message that will pop up whenever an app tries to send a text to a short code. You're then allowed three options, "Send message," "Don't send," and "Report malicious app."
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shortcodes>
<shortcode country="al" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="15191|55[56]00" />
<shortcode country="am" pattern="\\d{3,4}" premium="11[2456]1|3024" free="10[123]" />
<shortcode country="at" pattern="11\\d{4}" premium="09.*" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="au" pattern="19(?:\\d{4}|\\d{6})" premium="19998882" />
<shortcode country="az" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="330[12]|87744|901[234]|93(?:94|101)|9426|9525" />
<shortcode country="be" premium="\\d{4}" free="8\\d{3}|116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="bg" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="18(?:16|423)|19(?:1[56]|35)" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="by" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="3336|4161|444[4689]|501[34]|7781" />
<shortcode country="ca" pattern="\\d{5,6}" premium="60999|88188" />
<shortcode country="ch" pattern="[2-9]\\d{2,4}" premium="543|83111" />
<shortcode country="cn" premium="1066.*" free="1065.*" />
<shortcode country="cy" pattern="\\d{4,6}" premium="7510" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="cz" premium="9\\d{6,7}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="de" pattern="\\d{4,5}|1232\\d{3}" premium="11(?:111|833)|1232(?:013|021|060|075|286|358)|118(?:44|80|86)|20[25]00|220(?:21|22|88|99)|221(?:14|21)|223(?:44|53|77)|224[13]0|225(?:20|59|90)|226(?:06|10|20|26|30|40|56|70)|227(?:07|33|39|66|76|78|79|88|99)|228(?:08|11|66|77)|23300|30030|3[12347]000|330(?:33|55|66)|33(?:233|331|366|533)|34(?:34|567)|37000|40(?:040|123|444|[3568]00)|41(?:010|414)|44(?:000|044|344|44[24]|544)|50005|50100|50123|50555|51000|52(?:255|783)|54(?:100|2542)|55(?:077|[24]00|222|333|55|[12369]55)|56(?:789|886)|60800|6[13]000|66(?:[12348]66|566|766|777|88|999)|68888|70(?:07|123|777)|76766|77(?:007|070|222|444|[567]77)|80(?:008|123|888)|82(?:002|[378]00|323|444|472|474|488|727)|83(?:005|[169]00|333|830)|84(?:141|300|32[34]|343|488|499|777|888)|85888|86(?:188|566|640|644|650|677|868|888)|870[24]9|871(?:23|[49]9)|872(?:1[0-8]|49|99)|87499|875(?:49|55|99)|876(?:0[1367]|1[1245678]|54|99)|877(?:00|99)|878(?:15|25|3[567]|8[12])|87999|880(?:08|44|55|77|99)|88688|888(?:03|10|8|89)|8899|90(?:009|999)|99999" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="dk" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="1\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ee" pattern="1\\d{2,4}" premium="90\\d{5}|15330|1701[0-3]" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="es" premium="[23][57]\\d{3}|280\\d{2}|[79]9[57]\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="fi" pattern="\\d{5,6}" premium="0600.*|0700.*|171(?:59|63)" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="fr" premium="[4-8]\\d{4}" free="3\\d{4}|116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="gb" pattern="\\d{4,6}" premium="[5-8]\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ge" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="801[234]|888[239]" />
<shortcode country="gr" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="54\\d{3}|19[0-5]\\d{2}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="hu" pattern="[01](?:\\d{3}|\\d{9})" premium="0691227910|1784" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ie" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="5[3-9]\\d{3}" free="50\\d{3}|116\\d{3}" standard="5[12]\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="il" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="4422|4545" />
<shortcode country="it" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="4\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="kg" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="415[2367]|444[69]" />
<shortcode country="kz" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="335[02]|4161|444[469]|77[2359]0|8444|919[3-5]|968[2-5]" />
<shortcode country="lt" pattern="\\d{3,5}" premium="13[89]1|1394|16[34]5" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="lu" premium="6\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="lv" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="18(?:19|63|7[1-4])" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="mx" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="53035|7766" />
<shortcode country="my" pattern="\\d{5}" premium="32298|33776" />
<shortcode country="nl" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="4466|5040" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="no" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="2201|222[67]" />
<shortcode country="nz" pattern="\\d{3,4}" premium="3903|8995" />
<shortcode country="pl" pattern="\\d{4,5}" premium="74240|79(?:10|866)|92525" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="pt" premium="6[1289]\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ro" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="12(?:63|66|88)|13(?:14|80)" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="ru" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="1(?:1[56]1|899)|2(?:09[57]|322|47[46]|880|990)|3[589]33|4161|44(?:4[3-9]|81)|77(?:33|81)" />
<shortcode country="se" premium="72\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="sg" pattern="7\\d{4}" premium="73800" standard="74688" />
<shortcode country="si" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="[368]\\d{3}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="sk" premium="\\d{4}" free="116\\d{3}" />
<shortcode country="tj" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="11[3-7]1|4161|4333|444[689]" />
<shortcode country="ua" pattern="\\d{4}" premium="444[3-9]|70[579]4|7540" />
<shortcode country="us" pattern="\\d{5,6}" premium="20433|21(?:344|472)|22715|23(?:333|847)|24(?:15|28)0|25209|27(?:449|606|663)|28498|305(?:00|83)|32(?:340|941)|33(?:166|786|849)|34746|35(?:182|564)|37975|38(?:135|146|254)|41(?:366|463)|42335|43(?:355|500)|44(?:578|711|811)|45814|46(?:157|173|327)|46666|47553|48(?:221|277|669)|50(?:844|920)|51(?:062|368)|52944|54(?:723|892)|55928|56483|57370|59(?:182|187|252|342)|60339|61(?:266|982)|62478|64(?:219|898)|65(?:108|500)|69(?:208|388)|70877|71851|72(?:078|087|465)|73(?:288|588|882|909|997)|74(?:034|332|815)|76426|79213|81946|83177|84(?:103|685)|85797|86(?:234|236|666)|89616|90(?:715|842|938)|91(?:362|958)|94719|95297|96(?:040|666|835|969)|97(?:142|294|688)|99(?:689|796|807)" />
</shortcodes>
view raw gistfile1.txt This Gist brought to you by GitHub.
Here's the data for it. They basically just have a giant list of premium shortcodes for each country. If you send to a shortcode that isn't in this database, Android will still warn you that this is a shortcode, and that "Sending text messages to some short codes may cause your mobile account to be billed for premium services."
This sounds like it will stop phone billing malware in their tracks, and instant, easy reporting will go a long way too.
We'll be back with more! Next time we've got a sneak peek at the new, work-in-progress Gallery design, and some other stuff. Stay tuned!
Buy Google Play credit directly from the Google Play web store
It seems that Google has enabled an option in the web version of the Play Store that allows users to directly buy Google Play credit. If you're in the web version of the Play Store, scroll to the bottom and you'll see an option that reads "Buy Google Play Credit." You can purchase credit in increments of $5, $10, $15, $25 and $50 and it seems that you can only buy the credit for yourself thus far, so no gifting. No word yet on how many markets, if any, are supported outside the U.S., so if you are elsewhere and are seeing this option, let us know in the comments.
It seems that Google has enabled an option in the web version of the Play Store that allows users to directly buy Google Play credit. If you're in the web version of the Play Store, scroll to the bottom and you'll see an option that reads "Buy Google Play Credit." You can purchase credit in increments of $5, $10, $15, $25 and $50 and it seems that you can only buy the credit for yourself thus far, so no gifting. No word yet on how many markets, if any, are supported outside the U.S., so if you are elsewhere and are seeing this option, let us know in the comments.
A $99 Nexus tablet could spawn a new race to the bottom, but is it possible yet?
Earlier today, perpetual rumor-mill DigiTimes reported that Google was readying a $99 Nexus tablet for release by the end of the year. It's not the first time we've heard such rumors: DigiTimes has already mentioned a $99 Nexus in the past, and CNET last week cited an NPD analyst as confirming a $99 Nexus would go into production before the year's end. Unlike some rumors, however, this one is fairly specific: it claims that Google is working with a trio of Asian manufacturers — WonderMedia, HannStar, and Quanta — to bring the tablet to market, and even goes so far as to name its processor, the WonderMedia PRIZM 8950. While there is a possibility that DigiTimes — which gets as many rumors wrong as it gets right — has this one nailed, it seems unlikely. Here's why.
The biggest problem lies in the processor, which would make powering anything more than a relatively low-resolution 480 x 800 (WVGA) display problematic. It's a single-core Cortex-A9 800MHz processor paired with a Mali-400 GPU, and regardless of Google's abilities to optimize its OS for lesser hardware, the combination of low-end CPU and GPU would likely make for a sluggish device.
"A $99 Nexus might not live up to its name"
With the right hardware choices Google might be able to put together a tablet at that price, and Chinese manufacturers have proved that to be true already. But what sort of specifications could we hope to see from such a cheap device? Many tablets intended for the domestic Chinese market are powered by the AllWinner A10 SoC. Although it's not the fastest chip around, we've spent some time with an AllWinner A10 device in the past, and found that it offered acceptable, although not stunning, performance. Google's would-be manufacturing partner, Quanta, also has a track-record for building devices on a budget: it's responsible for the OLPC's XO-1 and XO-1.5 notebooks. It seems entirely feasible that Google could throw a cheap tablet together, then, but why would it want to sully its Nexus brand with a third-rate chip from an unknown manufacturer?
It's probable that, should it be planning a cheaper Nexus tablet, Google would continue to turn to more-established chip makers like Qualcomm, Nvidia, or TI. Qualcomm has low to mid-range chips in its S4 Pro range that would be up to the task, such as the MSM8227 found in HTC's new 8S Windows Phone. Nvidia's Tegra 2 powered Google's first push into tablets last year and is still finding its way into smartphones from the likes of ZTE, and TI's OMAP 4 powers the $159 Kindle Fire. Amazon's tablet still sits $60 above the hallowed $99 mark, however, and it would be quite a feat for Google to bring a similarly-specced device to market, especially given the fact that the $199 Nexus 7 is already sold, with a low-price version of the Tegra 3, at cost.
"The race to the bottom is on, but is the Nexus 7 already there?"
Would a lesser processor and screen really enable Google to halve the price of a tablet without compromising its Nexus brand? Unlikely; but with strong competition from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the netbook-style "race to the bottom" is on, and the very existence of the Nexus 7 indicates Google's willingness to play along. Google matched the Kindle Fire's price when it launched the Nexus 7, but Amazon has since upgraded and dropped the price of its tablet by $40. The thought of Apple releasing an iPad mini priced uncomfortably close to the Nexus 7 must surely be a worry as well.
With netbooks, however, the race to the bottom ended being a lose-lose for users and manufacturers. Many customers snapped up the super-cheap laptops under the premise that they offered a full-PC experience, and were disappointed to discover that poor performance and tiny, low-resolution screens made them unsuitable for everyday use. Similarly, manufacturers discovered that high-volume netbook shipments ended up reducing the sales of their more expensive, more profitable product lines. It's easy to see a $99 tablet doing exactly the same thing: disappointing customers with a substandard experience at the same time as eating into the sales numbers of more expensive devices. Google has to strike a balance between price, quality, and performance, just as it did with the Nexus 7, which despite its price feels like a premium product. It can either take a hit and sell the right hardware at a stupidly low price, or risk alienating customers and damaging its Nexus brand, with a low-power, low-price tablet.
Earlier today, perpetual rumor-mill DigiTimes reported that Google was readying a $99 Nexus tablet for release by the end of the year. It's not the first time we've heard such rumors: DigiTimes has already mentioned a $99 Nexus in the past, and CNET last week cited an NPD analyst as confirming a $99 Nexus would go into production before the year's end. Unlike some rumors, however, this one is fairly specific: it claims that Google is working with a trio of Asian manufacturers — WonderMedia, HannStar, and Quanta — to bring the tablet to market, and even goes so far as to name its processor, the WonderMedia PRIZM 8950. While there is a possibility that DigiTimes — which gets as many rumors wrong as it gets right — has this one nailed, it seems unlikely. Here's why.
The biggest problem lies in the processor, which would make powering anything more than a relatively low-resolution 480 x 800 (WVGA) display problematic. It's a single-core Cortex-A9 800MHz processor paired with a Mali-400 GPU, and regardless of Google's abilities to optimize its OS for lesser hardware, the combination of low-end CPU and GPU would likely make for a sluggish device.
"A $99 Nexus might not live up to its name"
With the right hardware choices Google might be able to put together a tablet at that price, and Chinese manufacturers have proved that to be true already. But what sort of specifications could we hope to see from such a cheap device? Many tablets intended for the domestic Chinese market are powered by the AllWinner A10 SoC. Although it's not the fastest chip around, we've spent some time with an AllWinner A10 device in the past, and found that it offered acceptable, although not stunning, performance. Google's would-be manufacturing partner, Quanta, also has a track-record for building devices on a budget: it's responsible for the OLPC's XO-1 and XO-1.5 notebooks. It seems entirely feasible that Google could throw a cheap tablet together, then, but why would it want to sully its Nexus brand with a third-rate chip from an unknown manufacturer?
It's probable that, should it be planning a cheaper Nexus tablet, Google would continue to turn to more-established chip makers like Qualcomm, Nvidia, or TI. Qualcomm has low to mid-range chips in its S4 Pro range that would be up to the task, such as the MSM8227 found in HTC's new 8S Windows Phone. Nvidia's Tegra 2 powered Google's first push into tablets last year and is still finding its way into smartphones from the likes of ZTE, and TI's OMAP 4 powers the $159 Kindle Fire. Amazon's tablet still sits $60 above the hallowed $99 mark, however, and it would be quite a feat for Google to bring a similarly-specced device to market, especially given the fact that the $199 Nexus 7 is already sold, with a low-price version of the Tegra 3, at cost.
"The race to the bottom is on, but is the Nexus 7 already there?"
Would a lesser processor and screen really enable Google to halve the price of a tablet without compromising its Nexus brand? Unlikely; but with strong competition from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the netbook-style "race to the bottom" is on, and the very existence of the Nexus 7 indicates Google's willingness to play along. Google matched the Kindle Fire's price when it launched the Nexus 7, but Amazon has since upgraded and dropped the price of its tablet by $40. The thought of Apple releasing an iPad mini priced uncomfortably close to the Nexus 7 must surely be a worry as well.
With netbooks, however, the race to the bottom ended being a lose-lose for users and manufacturers. Many customers snapped up the super-cheap laptops under the premise that they offered a full-PC experience, and were disappointed to discover that poor performance and tiny, low-resolution screens made them unsuitable for everyday use. Similarly, manufacturers discovered that high-volume netbook shipments ended up reducing the sales of their more expensive, more profitable product lines. It's easy to see a $99 tablet doing exactly the same thing: disappointing customers with a substandard experience at the same time as eating into the sales numbers of more expensive devices. Google has to strike a balance between price, quality, and performance, just as it did with the Nexus 7, which despite its price feels like a premium product. It can either take a hit and sell the right hardware at a stupidly low price, or risk alienating customers and damaging its Nexus brand, with a low-power, low-price tablet.
The event has been officially announced now 
Google 'opens the playground' for an Android event October 29th -- Engadget
Google 'opens the playground' for an Android event October 29th -- Engadget
The event has been officially announced now
Google 'opens the playground' for an Android event October 29th -- Engadget
something major might go down. I think they might release the Nexus Q, LG Nexus, A new tablet and the 32GB nexus 7 along with new features for android 4.2
Think they'll really unveil all that shyt? The lack of leaks of any other devices has me doubting it. I honestly think they'll drop the LG Nexus and an incremental update to Jelly Bean (4.2) and call it a day. I think they'll drop 5.0 sometime mid 2013 along with that Nexus 10 tablet that's been rumored.
I hope I'm wrong and they end up surprising everyone though
Where in NYC is this being held?
I'm trying to go to this.
I'm trying to go to this.
remember its holiday season. I doubt they will only drop the nexus but like you said Google I/0 is now their main event. I think the 16 Gb nexus 7 might get a LTE radio. 4.2 is a very neccessary update to me. They need to iron out the OS. Android 5.0 will bring new android features like cloud back up and google music updates. We need an update to the navigation, google voice, G talk etc....they are sticking out liek a sore thumb. Maps is getting redone, gmail, the gallery etc....android police has the system dump lol