Messenger Lite app released for basic Android smartphones

Last Oct. 2, Facebook announced that a new version of its Messenger app would be released, targeted specifically for certain Android smartphones.

A “Lite” version of the Messenger app would be made available to users who only have access to basic Android smartphones. It would also benefit users that have slower than average internet access, as the app would have only the core features of Messenger. The slimmed down Messenger Lite would still allow the aforementioned users to send text, photos, links and stickers albeit faster than the standard app if run on a basic Android device.

Messenger Lite would only be under 10MB and have a reversed color scheme to the standard Messenger color similar to what Facebook did with the Lite version of its core Facebook app. Considering the size of Facebook Lite compared with the standard version, it can be expected that Messenger Lite will also enjoy a dramatically smaller footprint than its standard counterpart. After updates, the standard Facebook and Messenger apps tend to eat up a lot of storage space.

The app will first come to users living in Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Venezuela. More countries will be added to the list in the coming months.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

New Android bug discovered that can brick your phone

It's not a good week for owners of mobile devices running Google's Android operating system: a newly-discovered bug that could render your phone dead and unusable.

Security vendor Trend Micro said the vulnerability, when exploited, threatens to render the phone silent and its screen lifeless.

"This vulnerability is present from Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) up to the current version, Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop). Combined, these versions account for more than half of Android devices in use today," mobile threat response engineer Wish Wu said in a blog post.

Worse, Wu said the Android engineering team has yet to issue a patch even if it had been informed as early as May.

According to Wu, Trend Micro reported the vulnerability to Google May 15, and Google acknowledged the report as a "low priority vulnerability" on May 20.

Earlier this week, Motherboard quoted security researcher Joshua Drake as saying a texting bug may leave Android users prone to attacks from hackers.

Drake said the bug is found in an Android media playback engine called Stagefright.

"This vulnerability can be triggered while you sleep... Before you wake up, the attacker will remove any signs of the device being compromised and you will continue your day as usual—with a trojaned phone," Drake said.

Both bugs are related in that they are based on the way Android handles media files.

Trend Micro said the more recent bug can be exploited via a specially crafted MKV media file.

MKV files

Trend Micro said the newly discovered vulnerability can be exploited either via a malicious app installed on the device, or through a specially-crafted web site.

It said the malicious app The first technique can cause long-term effects to the device: an app with an embedded MKV file that registers itself to auto-start whenever the device boots would case the OS to crash every time it is turned on.

Nonresponsive device

Trend Micro said the bug, once exploited, can cause the device "to become totally silent and non-responsive."

"No ring tone, text tone, or notification sounds can be heard. The user will have have no idea of an incoming call/message, and cannot even accept a call. Neither party will hear each other.
The UI may become very slow to respond, or completely non-responsive. If the phone is locked, it cannot be unlocked," it said.

It also said this exploit could pave the way for ransomware.

"Further research into Android – especially the mediaserver service – may find other vulnerabilities that could have more serious consequences to users, including remote code execution," Wu said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Skype's picture-in-picture video chat comes to Android phones

 

Users of Skype, Microsoft's videoconferencing software, can now enjoy that picture-in-picture feature on their Android phones.

 

The latest Skype app dated Nov. 25 ports the feature - available earlier on Android tablets - to Android smartphones.

 

"Picture in picture view lets you keep a video call going – for phones now too!" read the description on Google Play.

 

It also allows one to receive photos from Skype for iPhone and other new clients, and supports formatted text.

 

Chats also load faster, especially when opened from a notification.

 

A separate article on PC World said the new app will be appreciated greatly by heavy users.

 

 "It’s nice to see Microsoft finally apply what it’s already done on tablets to its phone version of the app. And with phones getting ever bigger, there’s plenty of opportunity to put this to use," it added.  — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

 

source: gmanetwork.com

Google Camera intentionally makes your photos blurry

Good news for selfie addicts and photo enthusiasts: you can now take photos SLR-style photos with their Android smartphones, with a new camera app from Google.

Software engineer Carlos Hernández said the new "Lens Blur" achieves an optical effect that would have required a big lens and aperture.

"(Lens Blur is) a new mode in the Google Camera app (that) lets you take a photo with a shallow depth of field using just your Android phone or tablet. Unlike a regular photo, Lens Blur lets you change the point or level of focus after the photo is taken," Hernandez said in a blog post.

He said a user can make any object come into focus simply by tapping on it in the image.

Changing the depth-of-field slider can simulate different aperture sizes to achieve bokeh effects ranging from subtle to surreal such as tilt-shift, he added.

"The new image is rendered instantly, allowing you to see your changes in real time," Hernandez said.

Also, he said the algorithms used to create the 3D photo run entirely on the mobile device, and are closely related to the algorithms in 3D mapping features like Google Maps Photo Tours and Google Earth.

Google Camera

Meanwhile, tech site Mashable said Google has released "Google Camera," a standalone version of its stock camera app for Android.

It said the new app was first rumored to surface earlier this month.

Google Camera is available in the Google Play Store and is compatible with devices running Android 4.4 (KitKat), Mashable added. -Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com