Lookout integrates 'safe browsing' on Android

Socially engineered threats remain a major security concern on mobile devices, so to help protect its users Lookout Mobile Security (download) has added "safe browsing" to its premium version today at no extra cost. Safe browsing checks links you tap before they load in your device's Web browser to make sure they don't lead to phishing scams or malware.
Safe browsing is not quite widely available yet on mobile devices, even though it potentially can threaten mobile device users as easily as it does people using laptops and desktops. In an interview last week at CNET's San Francisco office, Lookout's Chief Technology Officer Kevin Mahaffey discussed what he thinks are the next big mobile security problems. "The two things we saw coming were drive-by downloads and exploits on Web sites. Since almost all web browsing on mobile is done with Webkit, Webkit exploits will affect almost everybody," he said. Webkit is the underlying rendering engine that powers the default mobile browser on iOS, most of the mobile browsers including the default on Android, as well as Google Chrome and Apple Safari on the desktop.
Lookout's Safe Browsing shows up as a new option on its main screen. Tapping it only reveals a brief description about the feature because it's designed to be baked right into the main interface, said Anbu Anbalagapandian, a senior software engineer at Lookout. "As Steve Jobs says, it just works," she added.
When you click on a link from within any app, Lookout will detect your browser opening and then check where the link is going to before the page loads. If the Web site is safe, Lookout will show a message stating as much in the notifications window. You won't see it unless you pull down the notifications window immediately after tapping a link.
If a malicious link is detected, Safe Browsing asks you if you'd like to Block the site or Proceed Anyway. In brief testing, Lookout's Safe Browsing successfully blocked the browser from loading five known malicious sites.
To get the update, either install the app and upgrade to the premium version, or update your current installation of Lookout. It is also available during the app's trial period. While adding the feature to Lookout isn't going to change the face of mobile security, safe browsing is absolutely a smart feature to include in any mobile security app.

HTC Desire Android 2.3 update delayed again

The HTC Desire Android 2.3 update will not meet its end of May deadline, according to 3 Mobile.
A tweet from the numerical network apologises for the ongoing delays to the Desire Gingerbread update.
It reads, "Re HTC [Desire] 2.3: V[ery] sorry to say that HTC hasn't been able to meet the late May timings that were set. We're awaiting extra info, more news soon."
Delicious gingerbread
At first Three didn't know when the update would arrive, and then it reckoned late April, then early May, then the end of May and now… well, it probably should have stuck with its first answer.
It's not clear exactly what's to blame for the prolonged delay, but Three is obviously quite keen to pass the buck on to HTC, which is yet to comment.
Unofficial accounts suggest that HTC is now working to a deadline of the end of June, at which point HTC Desire owners should hopefully be able to enjoy the improved copy and paste, WebM video playback, the redesigned Android keyboard and better battery life that Android 2.3 should bring.


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Samsung Galaxy S II I9101 spotted in the wild, could be the NFC 1

Another version of the Samsung's Galaxy S II has leaked, this time in a bunch of blurry photos. It goes under I9101 model name and looks just like the I9100 Galaxy S II. It could be the NFC version that's supposed to ship in June to UK and other select markets to support the introduction of NFC services.
For all we know, in addition to the original I9100 Galaxy S II smartphone, Samsung is preparing two more rumored versions to expand its market expansion. The first one is the I9103, which should be based on the Tegra2 chipset, while the other one is the NFC-capable Galaxy S II.
Since we know nothing about the I9101, we suppose it should be the NFC-enabled Galaxy S II. The forum user who posted the pictures claims the device is stuck on the boot screen, so there is no information on its specs.
Anyway, at least we know there is another Galaxy S II on the way and we guess it should be announced soon.

Samsung Galaxy S II, fastest selling smartphone in Korea

The Samsung Galaxy S II has already been blazing a trail in its homeland of South Korea, but its just passed another impressive landmark. It had already surpassed all previous pre-orders for Samsung in Korea and had doubled that of the iPhone 4.
Now, in its first month alone its sold over 1 million units which makes it the fastest selling smartphone ever in Korea. It's predecessor the Galaxy S took a full 70 days to hit that magic number and the S II promised great things early on when it passed 100,000 units by day three, doubled that by day eight and hit half a million in two weeks.
Part of the S II's one-upmanship over iPhone 4 came about as the Galaxy S II didn't suffer carrier support problems. KT were originally the only carrier for the iPhone until this month when SK picked it up as well. Despite this, it's still a great success for Samsung and one they no doubt hope to reproduce elsewhere with their S II family in the US and the S II's availability across Europe.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 gets an update, not the one you expected

Sony Ericsson has just released another update for its Xperia X10 former flagship. It’s not the Gingerbread release everyone was hoping for, but it seems to be a pretty major one nonetheless. There are plenty of changes brought and all early adopters claim to notice a substantial improvement in performance.

The update is version number is 2.1.B.0.1 and it seems to boost screen responsiveness and general performance with the effects being most prominent in Timescape. There’s also a new baseband in the package, which reportedly benefits signal strength and in-call sound quality. Switching between 2G and 3G networks is now said to be faster and initiating a call takes shorter time.
Some have noticed a change in battery life for the better (but then others claim that it’s worse) and there’s now voice search integration just about anywhere where you can need it – search bar, browser etc.
A pretty major change is the system-wide availability of multi-touch. The X10 got official multi-touch support with its previous update, but that only worked in some of the apps.
On the visual side of things Sony Ericsson introduced minor tweaks to the notification area, dialer pad and status bar. New animations have also appeared around the interface and they seem to be smoother than before.
Hackers will be pleased to know that the rooting solution from previous ROMs is compatible with this new one, so you won’t be losing control over your system by updating.
So what are you waiting for – go check out if the update has become officially available to your area. If it hasn’t you can always follow the source link to the XDA-developers forum, where you can find instructions on how to flash it manually. Mind you, you should only do this if you really know what you are doing.