My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica

Thursday, July 25, 2013

@Google launches a 4G LTE Google @Nexus 7 and Google Chromecast Streaming Device - Uninspired Tablet upgrades but US$35 Google Chromecast is the Streaming World's Blue Jasmine

Google held their Launch Even in San Francisco on Tuesday July 24th 2013 and what a surprise it was!


They launched a pair of products that are certain to challenge everyone in both the Tablet and Television sphere, namely the 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet and the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick as stated in the article “Google unveils Chromecast along with slimmer Nexus 7 tablet”, published Thursday 25 July 2013 08.22 BST, by Reuters in San Francisco, The UK Guardian.


This is Google’s latest offering developed jointly with Asus as stated in the article “Google Nexus 7: world’s highest resolution tablet”, published 5:38PM BST 24 Jul 2013 By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor, The UK Telegraph and “Google Unveils Next-Generation Nexus 7 Tablet”, published 2013-07-24 16:22:10 UTC BY SAMANTHA MURPHY, Mashable. Check the Official webpage from Google for the  7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet.

Google Nexus 7 Tablet – One Upp on Retina Display fails to excite


The 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet boasts some impressive specs as well as the distinction of having a higher resolution screen than the Apple iPad Retina Display. Most importantly it now has 4G LTE as i’d predicted in my blog article entitled “Google Nexus 7 Tablet to upgrade to 3G or LTE - Google Nexus 7 is a ParaNorman Bladerunner to kill the Amazon Kindle Fire 2” would be necessary to keep paces with the9.7” Apple iPad 4 and the Amazon Kindle Fire family of Tablets.

Take a look at the specs below:

Hardware

1.      Processor: 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 8064 processor
2.      OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
3.      Memory: 2GB RAM Memory
4.      Dimensions: 144x200x9.15mm
5.      Screen: 323 DPI (Dots Per Inch) Resolution, 1920 x 1200 HD LCD display

Accessories

1.      Camera: 5.0MP rear-facing Camera, 1.2MP front-facing cameras
2.      Bluetooth 4.0
3.      Micro USB 2.0 port for power and data transfer
4.      10 hours battery life

The Google Nexus 7 Tablet comes in 2 versions based on hard-drive size:

1.      16GB
2.      32GB Versions

3.      4G LTE Version (Long Term Evolution, which is optional

This creates a different pricing point based on the prices on Best Buy  who leaked their prices ahead of time as stated in “Nexus 7 Leaked on Best Buy Ahead of Google Launch”, published 2013-07-24 16:22:10 UTC BY SAMANTHA MURPHY, Mashable as listed below:

1.      US$229.99 for 16GB Version
2.      US$269.99 for 32GB Version

3.      US$349.00 for the 4G LTE version




The Google Nexus 7 is no available in Google Chrome Store for pre-order and ships by Tuesday July 30th 2013 as stated in the article “New Nexus 7 now available in Google Play store”, published July 26, 2013 12:36 PM PDT by Eric Mack, CNET News. The Rest of the World that doesn’t live in the US nor has the facility to buy these cool gadgets will just have to wait.

Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick – US$35 Blue Jasmine of the Streaming World


But it’s their next product that seems to have everyone excited, as truth be told, it takes a little more than just an improved Resolution, thinner design as well as 4G LTE to get anyone excited about Tablets. We’re looking for something new and exciting – and the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick is now that new “Thing” as stated in “What’s so revolutionary about Chromecast? It’s cheaper than a tank of gas”, published July 25, 2013 by Jeffrey Van Camp, DigitalTrends.

So what’s the big deal here?

The price of US$35 for the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick which runs a striped down version of Google Chrome OS, the ability to work with any device from Tablets to Laptops and even Apple Products and coming Developer support means that this device is a “must-buy” for many especially as it’s the same price available on Amazon.


This is basically a product very similar to the US$99 Roku HDMI Streaming Stick that paired with the US$300 3M Roku Streaming Projector as described in my blog article entitled3M Roku Streaming Projector is the ultimate Mystery Machine for Parties and Corporate Show-and-Tell”. It comes with a mini-USB Port and associated cables needed to power the device, as its main port, the HDMI Port is not MHL Compatible, hence it needs separate power, something Google seems to have forgotten to make plainly obvious in their online advertisements.

Like the Roku HDMI Streaming Stick it basically connects to the HDMI port of you big screen TV and allows you to stream content from any device, be it smartphone, Tablet or Laptop or any Apple product. Your device basically becomes the remote control to control the content streamed to the device and the Television set, which now mirrors the display on your controlling device’s Screen.


Right now Google’s signed up Netflix and YouTube but that’s set to expand with further contract negotiations with other IPTV Service Providers. Here’s a quick setup for your Chromecast thanks to CNET TV:



And speaking of Apple products, It’s also cheaper than the  US$99 Apple iTV  and even the US$50 Roku Streaming Set top Box, making this Google best swipe yet at being a serious competitor in the IPTV Streaming Game as stated in the article “Chromecast: Google's best weapon to breach the TV biz”, published July 24, 2013 4:17 PM PDT by Joan E. Solsman, CNET News.


Google is throwing down the gauntlet challenge to both Apple and Roku in the growing IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) market as stated in the article “Chromecast isn't a Roku/Apple TV killer -- but at $35, it doesn't need to be”, published July 24, 2013 4:45 PM PDT by John P. Falcone, CNET News


Yes, as expected, as of yesterday it’s sold out online, with wait times as high as 4 weeks on Amazon as noted in the article “Super-hotcakes? Chromecast wait now up to 4 weeks”, published July 24, 2013 8:32 PM PDT by Eric Mack, CNET News. So this product is hot and is sure to become a must-have gift by the start of the Fourth Quarter – provided you can get your hands on one.

In summary the 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet upgrades failed to excite the Tablet crowd but the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick is the US$35 Blue Jasmine (2013) of the Streaming World.

Here’s the link to purchase:


Monday, July 22, 2013

Dr. Karsten Nohl reveals GSM Phones' SIM Cards can be hacked via a Text Message - Elysium of Jamaica’s nascent Mobile Money Banking and Cashless Society

“Sim cards generate all the keys you use to encrypt your calls, your SMS and your internet traffic. If someone can capture the encrypted data plus have access to your Sim card, they can decrypt it. Operators often argue that it's not possible to listen in on 3G or 4G calls - now with access to the Sim card, it very much is.”

Dr. Karsten Nohl, founder of Security Research Labs in Berlin, Germany, speaking to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) on Sunday July 21st 2013 on the issue of SIM Hacking

Breaking News folk!  If you though your Debit Card and Credit Card Hacks, especially those with the new supposedly more secure RFID versions were your main headache, especially if you live in a First World Country such as America, I’ve got more worries to pile on your plate. The video below is just a reminder.


The bearer of this bad news is Dr. Karsten Nohl, founder of Security Research Labs in Berlin, Germany and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Technology. His name should be familiar to you, especially if you follow Hacking and the Research Branch of Telecoms. And here’s  Dr. Karsten Nohl along with his PhD Research Credentials:


He’d revealed back in April 2010 that it’s easy to hack the 64 bit A5/1 Codebooks schema of GSM (Global System Mobile) Voice Networks using off the shelf hardware and Open Source software and eavesdrop on conversations as explained in Q&A: Researcher Karsten Nohl on Mobile eavesdropping, published January 1, 2010 4:00 AM PST by Elinor Mills, CNET News.

Now it’s 2013 and he’s up to no good again with news to rock your world or at least reveal how vulnerable Telecom Networks are! He’s revealed that SIM (Subscriber Identification Modules) Cards used in GSM (Global System Mobile) Phones can be hacked by simply sending a SMS (Simple Messaging Service) or Text Messaging faking the Telecom Networks Authentication Protocols.

Say what!

This at a time when Text Messaging is dying Worldwide, especially in Developed World Countries as stated in my blog article entitled CTIA reports a 5% decline in US Texting as Instant Messaging ramps up - WhatsApp's now Top Gun as The Dead Zone leads Star Trek Into the Darkness” albeit it may see something of a Renaissance in Developing World Countries. But shocking nonetheless!


This results in the Mobile UE (User Equiptment) i.e. Mobile Feature Phone, Smartphone or 3G or 4G Modem sending back the following pieces of crucial encrypted information as stated in the article “Millions of Sim cards are 'vulnerable to hack attack'”, published 22 July 2013 Last updated at 12:58 GMT, BBC News and “SIM card flaw said to allow hijacking of millions of Phones”, published July 21, 2013 10:46 AM PDT Steven Musil, CNET News:

1.      IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identification)
2.      IMEI (International Mobile Equiptment Identification)
3.      56-digit Network Authentication Code

In essence, with this information, a SIM Card for any Mobile Phone, SmartPhones included, can be cloned like a Debit or Credit Card and used to access the Customer Mobile Account. That means not only access to SMS Messages and making Voice Calls, but also 3G and 4G Internet and worst of all, Mobile Banking and Mobile Money Banking Platforms, allowing the hacker the ability to steal your Money.

He’s passed on this info to the GSMA (Global System Mobile Association) and the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) who are currently looking into the matter as it implies the unthinkable: 3G and 4G Networks that use the SIM Car to authenticate access are hackable.


Granted, according to Dr. Karsten Nohl, this vulnerability exists in 1 in 8 Mobile devices that uses a SIM Card and is made worse by the fact that the Telecom Provider still use older encryption schemas to encrypt the above information known as DES (Digital Encryption Standard), a cryptographic method developed by IBM back in the 70’s….and which is STILL being used today with no improvement.

So for those rushing the BOJ to a quick decision on Mobile Money Banking as noted in my blog article entitled “BOJ stalling on Mobile Money Regulations as new entrants appear - Herald for the Cashless Society as SmartPhones and Mobile Money are The Perfect Storm and Curse of Chucky”, this is yet another concern aside from the possibility of Money Laundering; it’s now possible to steal your Money using you Mobile Phones. This last note should be especially of concern to African countries, which use Mobile Money Platforms that are SMS based to send and receive Money all over the continent.

It also explains why the Librarian of the Library of Congress, the defender of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act)  on Saturday 25th January 2013 made it illegal to unlock your Smartphone and Tablet to place it on another Telecom Provider’s Network as explained in my blog article entitled Librarian of the Library of Congress makes Smartphone unlocking Illegal - How Jamaica can benefit from the Safe Haven of MNP by banning unlocking of smartphones and Tablets”.

Thus calls for the lifting of the Ban on Mobile phone unlocking by the incoming FCC (Federal Communications commission) Chairman Tom Wheeler to give people the freedom to unlock their Mobile phones as stated in the article FCC’s new chairman wants to end ban on cell phone unlocking”, published June 18 2013, 4:45pm EST by Jon Brodkin, ARS Technica and “Incoming FCC Chair Calls For End To Ban On Unlocking Cell Phones”, published June 19, 2013 By Chris Morran, The Consumerist will no longer carry and may actually get him in trouble, forcing him to retract his statements.

This imminent hacking threat means that allowing American citizens this basic right of unlocking their Mobile Phones as they please will allow them to Hack Telecom Networks using the method described above and thus disrupts the Telecom Provider Apple Cart.


Theoretically, they can make free Calls and access Free Data, resulting in Telecom Provider losing Billions of dollars using a vulnerability that affects 750 million Mobile phones worldwide. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is supposed to protect the interest of the Telecom Providers, not make them lose money due to a potential hacking threat. How his job goes from here depends on how he handles this case.

But it’s Dr. Karsten Nohl’s other declarations that are cause for concern among Telecom Providers and debutants to the Mobile Money Banking in Jamaica, quote: “We can remotely install software on a handset that operates completely independently from your Phone. We can spy on you. We know your encryption keys for calls. We can read your SMSs. More than just spying, we can steal data from the SIM card, your Mobile identity, and charge to your account.” All achieved using off-the-shelf equiptment and a standard PC.

This sound rather familiar….

Back in March 2010 I did an article on how easy it was to make a skimmer and with the help of a hidden Camera Clone Debit Cards or Credit Cards, be they stolen or swiped with a skimmer attached to your person as explained in my blog article entitled “Debit Card Cloning and the Cashless Society”.

In that article I’d mentioned another possibility; this info could be a threat to the Banking Sector, as it could be used to hack Wireless POS (Point of Sale) devices and be a future threat to Mobile Banking and then Mobile Money Banking and the development of the Cashless Society to incorporate the unbanked as stated in my blog article entitled “Telecom Providers and Mobile Banking - Christmas a cum me wah me llama”.


In both article I’d passed on the recommendation of Dr. Karsten Nohl for Telecom Providers to upgrade their 64-bit A5/1 Codebooks to 128 bit A5/3 codebook. I even went the extra mile and recommended the even-harder-to-crack 512 A5/5 codebooks, as computing power and multi-core Processors will make these old coding schemas obsolete. Most likely the local Telecom Providers may have ignored this, thinking that to be the problem of First World countries with easily available computing muscle and Technical know-how, which many Caribbean Nationals lack access.

In an unrelated incident, Telecom Provider Digicel MINSAT and DWS Databases had gotten hacked back in 2009 by then 26 year old University of Technology Computer student Philpott Martin.  He then repeated the hack under different circumstances and was arrested on Saturday January 26th 2013 by the Jamaican Police even as he awaited his Bail hearing on his earlier crimes as explained in my blog article entitled “Digicel's Voicemail Problems as their MINSAT and DWS Databases get hacked by Robin Hood - Upgrade Voicemail to Paid Advertising and Fiber Optic Backhaul as it's A good Day to Die Hard”.

He also hacked the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) files relating to his case in February 2013 as noted in my blog article entitled “Mr. Philpott Martin is the DPP and Digicel Hacker - Jamaica Cybercrimes first Django Unchained makes it clear that Digicel's MINSAT and DWS are hackable”. There’s more to the case than meets the eye and in fact may involve a Police cover-up to gain access to Telecom Provider Digicel MINSAT and DWS Databases. I’m still follow up on that story.

Interestingly 2010 is the same year as the revelation by Dr. Karsten Nohl of the vulnerability in the 64-bit A5-1 Codebook, the GOJ (Government of Jamaica) decided to implement the Cybercrime Act or 2010, the first piece of Cybercrime legislating as we awoke to a simple fact: First World Problems were now at our Door and are set to get worse once more Jamaicans had access to information from the increasingly pervasive Wireless and Wired Internet Networks.

To this end the Cybercrime Act of 2010 was not only updated to make Hacking have penalties equivalent to 2nd Degree Murder or Grand Larceny. The Ministry of Science, Technology Energy and Mining has also drafted Local Jamaican White Hackers to help assist with the security of GOJ Websites as well as warn of potential threats to Private and Public Sector entities as noted in my blog article entitled “GOJ amends the CyberCrime Act of 2010, enlists Ethical Hackers in a Cyber Emergency Response Team - White Hat Hackers are the Q.U.E.E.N Project Janelle Monae and Erica Badu Style”.

Hopefully the Telecom Provider, Banking Sector and those interested in Mobile Money Banking here in Jamaica are now in Meeting with regard to the issue and are linking with the ITU and the GSMA as to what provisions are they making to mitigate against this new and dangerous Mobile Hacking technique.

In essence the Elysium (2013) that threatens Jamaica’s nascent Mobile Money Banking and the development of a Cashless Society.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

ATL the Official Distributor of Apple Product in Jamaica as of July 2013

“With the increasing demand for the latest computer and consumer electronics we expect that the addition of the Apple products will enhance our portfolio in this category. Overall, computers and consumer electronics account for 20 per cent of ATL's overall business and project that Apple will form a significant part of this product grouping”

Comments by General Manager of ATL and assistant deputy chairman of ATL Group, Ian Neita in the Sunday Gleaner date Sunday July 7th, 2013

Great news for fans of Apple and ATL (Appliance Traders Limited) Jamaica, the appliance outfit owned by Gordon “Butch” Stewart and his son Adam Stewart.

ATL Jamaica is not only selling Alternative Energy products in direct competition with JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service company) E-Store and everybody else as stated in my blog article entitled “ATL goes into Alternative Energy at the same time JPSCo goes into Retail of Energy Saving Gear - ATL Elite The Gransmaster in a burgeoning Alternative Energy Field in Jamaica”.

They’ve also branched out into something else: Apple products as stated in the article “ATL sells Apple”, published Tuesday, July 02, 2013 4:03 PM, The Jamaica Observer and “ATL to sell Apple products”, Published Sunday July 7, 2013, The Jamaica Gleaner.


ATL Jamaica is now the sole Authorized Retailer of Apple products in Jamaica and is able to use their Logo and Trademarks in advertisements as well as in the setup of a Store. The Apple products are supplied to ATL Jamaica on contract via a contractor named Tech Medic and can be viewed as a section on ATL Jamaica’s Website!

So we have ATL Jamaica APPLE Stores – Now what?

ATL Jamaica now has to live up to the very high standards of Apple in terms of not only their displays of Apple products but also servicing provided to repair their products.

No details of the deal from General Manager of ATL Jamaica and Assistant Deputy Chairman of ATL Jamaica Group, Ian Neita, save to say, quote:  “Apple holds their authorised dealers to very high standards, as is known worldwide. We are expected to conform to brand guidelines in product displays, etc. ensuring that the consumer is able to interact with and experience the product fully. As the premier custodians of international brands in Jamaica we are confident that our representation of this renowned brand will be compliant to their high standards”.

Hopefully this means that when the latest Apple iPhone, the much rumoured Apple iPhone 5S which is said to be packing a much improved camera as stated in the article “An iPhone 5S with better camera? Bring it” by published June 22, 2013 4:21 PM PDT Brooke Crothers, CNET News comes on the scene.

Telecom Provider LIME may be partnering with ATL Jamaica to launch the product at its Mobay, Kingston and Ocho Rios Stores. Not sure if this means that Apple products in Jamaica will be cheaper.

My disenchantment with Apple – All about the Benjamins or Innovation in their DNA

To be honest I’ve stopped writing about the Apple iPhone refreshes, the last article being on the cusp of the launch of the Apple iPhone 5 as stated in my blog article entitled “Apple iPhone 5 Event heralds 4G LTE and 4-inch Screen - New iPod and iMac Refresh possible as Apple becomes Lawless”. Much of what I expected didn’t materialized.

Worse, Apple pulled a fast one be debuting the Apple iPad 4 in October some 7 month after the launch of the Apple iPad 3 as noted in “Why did Apple launch the iPad 4 now?”, published October 24, 2012 6:12 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News , possibly in a bid to make sure it’s yearly refresh cycles occur in the same Fourth Quarter of the Year.

This is what upset me greatly; Apple thinking about the Benjamins instead of innovation. Which was understandable as under Apple CEO Tim Cook, the company Stock Values was falling, mainly due to a lack of performance in the other products and the saturation of the smartphone market as stated in the article “Apple Loop: Cook To Be Judged On Stock Price, PRISM Prompts Privacy Talk, Steve Jobs On Being Obsolete”, published  6/22/2013 @ 1:05AM Connie Guglielmo, Forbes Magazine.

CEO Tim Cook comes into his own: What’s cooking in the Apple Frying Pan

CEO Tim Cook’s developing his own style as well, now 2 years on in his job as CEO. He sees innovation as part of Apple’s culture, not the function of an iconic Steve jobs and tries to nurture this idea in his staff.

And now there is tantalizing clues that a few new products are really in the pipeline as noted in “Tim Cook's New Innovation Strategy For Apple, Right On Time”, published 7/02/2013 @ 8:08AM by Haydn Shaughnessy,  Forbes Magazine, namely:

1.      Apple iPhone 5S
2.      Apple iWatch
3.      Apple iRadio
4.      Apple iOS 7
5.      Apple iPhone Lite
6.      Apple TV Set


Then Apple’s much anticipated WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) came along and made some revelations, making hope spring anew again of innovative new products aside from the Apple iPhone.

Apple iWatch – Time is on Apple’s Side


Which meant Apple was going into Wearable Computing and Streaming Radio, possibly reviving the Apple iPod line as well. 



Samsung and a motley crue of competitors consisting of Google, LG and Microsoft all caught wind of this low hanging Wearable Computing fruit and are now in hot pursuit of Apple’s alledged iWatch as noted in my blog article entitled “Samsung’s apparently into Wristwatches along with Google and LG as smartwatch-smartphone Tango Catches Fire”.

Now news has surfaced Since early July 2013 that Apple has filed for the name iWatch in Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey and Russia to name a few.

A strong indication that Apple’s got an iWatch (I’m calling it that from now on!) “Cook”-ing in the oven as stated in the article “Apple extends iWatch trademark filings to more countries”, published July 2, 2013 5:07 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News and “So The iWatch Is Coming After All (Maybe)”, published 7/01/2013 @ 4:34AM by Haydn Shaughnessy, Forbes Magazine.

iRadio and iOS7 – WWDC Debutants with great Expectations

We didn’t have long to wait to hear news of the iRadio.

Apple brought that to life at Apple’s WWDC, with the name morphing into Apple iTunes Radio after Apple completed final negotiations to get the service up and running as stated in the article “Meet iTunes Radio, Apple's long-awaited streaming-music service”, published June 10, 2013 11:50 AM PDT by Paul Sloan, CNET News.



iOS 7 which came out at WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) as stated in “iOS 7 beta 3 brings bug fixes, other improvements”, published July 8, 2013 12:16 PM PDT by Desiree Everts DeNunzio, CNET News was more eye-candy than innovation, offering little more than a new interface that seemed to take its cues from Google Android.

Apple iPhone Lite and Apple Television Set – The Conjuring to spook the Established Order

With the Apple iPhone Lite and the Apple Television Set being little more than rumours, little is known of these products.

The Apple iPhone Lite appears to be a plastic, multi-coloured watered down version of the Apple iPhone aimed mainly at Developing world Markets as detailed in the article “'Apple iPhone Lite' pictured in two versions -- report”, published July 19, 2013 5:16 AM PDT by Don Reisinger, CNET News, if rumours are to be believed.



The Apple Television Set is expected sometime in 2014 in a variety of sizes and will be a 4K HDTV based on the gathered rumours in the article “Apple HDTV rumor roundup”, published April 8, 2013 4:14 PM PDT by Josh Lowensohn, CNET News.

Apple Mac Pro – 2 Fast 2 Furious pleases the Pro Apple Crowd

A surprise product that made its debut at Apple’s WWDC was a much improved Apple Mac Pro, amazingly sporting the exact specs I’d predicted in my blog article entitled Fiber Optic Thunderbolt Cables are coming by the Third Quarter of 2013 – Apple Mac's to finally get upgraded as Optical Computer now closer to practicality”.


Its unusual Central Heatsink Cooling design caught my eye.


It’s the perfect system to do high end Animation as explained in my blog article entitled “Animation after KingstOOn - How to get free Video Editing Tools to breath life into you Animation Project”.  


The a video on the assembly process indicates that is was assembled in the US of A, not China!

ATL Apple Stores – The Observer’s Fashion Night Out just Got interesting

So that’s what seems to be what bubbling in Apple innovation workshop, all slated it seems either for a Christmas debut or in the first Quarter of 2014 as in the case of the Apple Television set. Prices are still a bit fuzzy and are a mystery until Apple announces on their webpage.

With our own Apple Stores here in Jamaica to support Telecom Provider LIME, hopefully as these products come to light, they’ll win up here in Jamaica at the same time as well instead of months later. No webpage required to order anymore!

Apple’s Cupertino Kids surprised me yet again with innovative products that have the Apple Fanboys Drooling, if now wetting themselves with anticipation of The Jamaica Observer Fashion Nigh Out. Jamaica can now share in the innovation with Apple’s Despicable Me 2 (2013).

Here’s the link: