Inside Secure announces NFC chips to help distinguish knockoffs from the real thing
If you can’t tell if a Rolex or a knockoff Prada bag is fake, your NFC-enabled smartphone will be able to. Toking on a long-standing problem with counterfeiting, French company Inside Secure has released the Vault150 security module, a NFC-based chip that can be embedded into any product a retailer might wish to have authenticated by prospective buyers. This could become as easy as literally embedding the chip, as NFC chips require no power source, can collect RF energy from an NFC reader such as a smartphone and complete an authentication request for a potential buyer.
For more intricate products where the chip might have to be buried deeper, Inside Secure has also offered several antenna options that allow the chip to be placed well within an item and still communicate with an NFC reader. In cases where a module needs to be embedded in items like a bottle of wine or pair of shoes, the chip can use a slew of voltage, frequency or temperature change sensors to sense if someone has tried to alter the chip’s information and return a warning from there. Along with authentication purposes, the devices could also ping a shopper’s handset (in addition to doing cool things like opening doors) when they came within a certain range of a product, informing them as to the savings they might be about to pass by. Final pricing and availability has yet to be announced and there’s no guarantee that this will spot every fake, but it’ll probably be better at the task than the current champ (yes, Chumlee).
Continue reading Inside Secure announces NFC chips to help distinguish knockoffs from the real thing
Inside Secure announces NFC chips to help distinguish knockoffs from the real thing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Yale demos NFC-enabled residential locks, germaphobes rejoice (video)
Assa Abloy has already brought NFC-based door locks to some Swedish hotel rooms, but one of its subsidiary companies is now looking to bring them to your doorstep, as well. Earlier this month, Yale Locks & Hardware unveiled what it hopes will be the first NFC-enabled residential lock to hit the US market. With this system, all you’ll need to do is wave your smartphone in front of one of Yale’s Real Living line of motorized locks, which will then automatically open (as long as you’ve been authorized to do so). Demoed at this year’s CEDIA Expo, these revamped locks are also compatible with either Zigbee or Z-Wave home automation technologies and support Assa Abloy’s Mobile Keys software, which allows users to securely load all of their digital keys on their handsets. Pricing and availability remain unclear, but you can unlock more details in the brief demo video and full press release, after the break.
Continue reading Yale demos NFC-enabled residential locks, germaphobes rejoice (video)
Yale demos NFC-enabled residential locks, germaphobes rejoice (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kensington’s SecureBack case is like The Club for iPads (video)
Kensington already came out and admitted that employees don’t actually use the locks handed to them on their first day of work. And yet, it’s betting folks will want to swaddle their iPads in a thick layer of plastic and chain them to their desks. That, in a nutshell, is the idea behind the SecureBack, an iPad 2 case that allows you to lock down the tablet, armor and all, just as you would a laptop. That beaut you see up there is a three-part affair, with two pieces of plastic that come together to cover the back and are held together by a sliding slat. That’s just the case, mind, you — to lock it down you’ll also need one of Kensington’s ClickSafe locks, which the company already makes for laptops. It’s up for pre-order now, with a standard version fetching $50 and a souped-up one with a kickstand going for $70. If you don’t already have a compatible lock, you can also buy one bundled with the case, with that extra hardware adding thirty bucks to the cost. Full PR and a demo video after the break because really, what’s more hypnotic than watching a set of hands dissemble a case?
Gallery: Kensington SecureBack cases
Continue reading Kensington’s SecureBack case is like The Club for iPads (video)
Kensington’s SecureBack case is like The Club for iPads (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kensington’s SecureBack case is like The Club for iPads (video)
Kensington already came out and admitted that employees don’t actually use the locks handed to them on their first day of work. And yet, it’s betting folks will want to swaddle their iPads in a thick layer of plastic and chain them to their desks. That, in a nutshell, is the idea behind the SecureBack, an iPad 2 case that allows you lock down the tablet, armor and all, just as you would a laptop. That beaut you see up there is a three-part affair, with two pieces of plastic that come together to cover the back and are held together by a sliding slat. That’s just the case, mind, you — to lock it down you’ll also need one of Kensington’s ClickSafe locks, which the company already makes for laptops. It’s up for pre-order now, with a standard version fetching $50 and a souped-up one with a kickstand going for $70. If you don’t already have a compatible lock, you can also buy one bundled with the case, with that extra hardware adding thirty bucks to the cost. Full PR and a demo video after the break because really, what’s more hypnotic than watching a set of hands dissemble a case?
Gallery: Kensington SecureBack cases
Continue reading Kensington’s SecureBack case is like The Club for iPads (video)
Kensington’s SecureBack case is like The Club for iPads (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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StayLocked prototype renders your stolen bike unusable, won’t buy you another
StayLocked prototype renders your stolen bike unusable, won’t buy you another originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HTC officially dissolves locked bootloader policy
The homebrew community may mourn HTC’s Thunderbolt, Incredible S, Sensation and EVO 3D, but the company’s controversial policy of locking bootloaders is no more. Following a tease yesterday, HTC CEO Peter Chou has decreed from on high — namely, HTC’s Facebook page — that future devices will be open.
There has been overwhelmingly customer feedback that people want access to open bootloaders on HTC phones. I want you to know that we’ve listened. Today, I’m confirming we will no longer be locking the bootloaders on our devices. Thanks for your passion, support and patience.
We’re holding out hope that this policy will also be retroactive, but this is very welcome news regardless. Ball’s in your court, Motorola.
HTC officially dissolves locked bootloader policy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 21:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Motorola promises unlocked bootloaders for future Android phones? (update)
Android users have spoken, and maybe, just maybe, Motorola actually heard — AusDroid claims to have a statement direct from the mobile phone manufacturer promising unlocked bootloaders later this year:
We completely understand the operator requirement for security to the end user, and as well, want to support the developer communities desire to use these products as a development platform. It is our intention to enable the unlockable/relockable bootloader currently found on Motorola XOOM across our portfolio of devices starting in late 2011, where carriers and operators will allow it.
Wonderfully corporate of them to pass the buck to the carriers, no? This quote comes by way of a gentleman who petitioned Moto for just such a thing, mind you, so please take it with a grain of salt, and you’ll be the first to know if we get confirmation from Motorola itself.
Update: AusDroid managed to get in touch with Motorola North Asia, and it sounds like we’re looking at the truth — let’s see if Sanjay Jha agrees when he wakes up tomorrow morning.
Motorola promises unlocked bootloaders for future Android phones? (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Android Quick App: Norton Smartphone Security
The hot app of the year appears to be one that will lock and/or wipe your phone. And as such, Norton — the longtime virus-cleaner (among other things) — has the Norton Security app in beta in the Android Market. We’re not anywhere close to declaring that we need to worry about spyware, malware and viruses on Android, and Norton’s app does well to go beyond that. Features include:
- Remote lock/wipe
- Anti-malware scan.
- Call blocking
- LiveUpdate
It seems to be fairly lightweight, though the lock/wipe feature will be built into Android 2.2, so it’ll have to fight that off somehow. More screenies after the break. [Norton]
Posted originally at Android Central
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Froyo Feature: New security lock options
For those of you who worry about locking down your phone — just in case it gets lost or stolen or your wife likes to check up on your calling and browsing habits — you now have a couple of new options in Android 2.2 Froyo.
The old pattern unlock is still there, and works as before. But new are the option for a numerical PIN unlock, or a password unlock. the PIN and password unlocks have to use at least four characters. Of course, using more than that will help keep your dirty secrets away from prying eyes for a little while longer. Check out the screen shots after the break.
(Thanks, Preston! Find a cool new feature in Froyo and want to tell the world about it? E-mail us here and we’ll make you famous!)
Android Quick App: Lockpicker
Android 2.1+ Along with the update to Android 2.1 comes enhanced Exchange ActiveSync support. This is great news for business users, especially the enhanced security features. There is one thing that was bothering me about it, though, and even caused me to take my work e-mail off of my phone: the Exchange lock screen. On my Sprint HTC Hero with 2.1, having my work e-mail on my phone means that instead of a pattern unlock I had to use an alphanumeric password. This quickly got annoying, especially considering the phone locks when the screen goes off.
Then I found Lockpicker [market link]. It allows you to set your unlock pattern, add your Exchange e-mail account, and then enable Lockpicker. From the developer:
I just whipped an app together that disables the Exchange lock screen as soon as the server has enforced its policy by using a background service and an observer on the system setting. This requires no polling, scripting, etc. and survives reboots/enforcements.
So there you have it. That’s all you do and the app does the rest. This has made my life just that much easier. There is also a donate version [market link] if you would like to help support the developer. Note: Your IT department might not be too happy with you if you use this. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.