Database Users

Just how smart is the Big Brother in XDA?

For all those who are mildly paranoid about being monitored how much do we really know about the following: The XDA2 changes hands, is the original owner's info still linked to it; the XDA2 is barred, when using it as a PDA does it still send out signals? if so, can these signals be located? can the XDA2 be used to surf without a sim card, if so, are the signals posted to anyone? Can the XDA2 be unbarred? If it can be, is it hardwired to retain its original ID? Does all this sound like the Matrix ... well it may well be! :roll:

sounds like u got sum good dope
email me
LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
...but seriously...

Dead Ringer said:
For all those who are mildly paranoid about being monitored how much do we really know about the following: The XDA2 changes hands, is the original owner's info still linked to it; the XDA2 is barred, when using it as a PDA does it still send out signals? if so, can these signals be located? can the XDA2 be used to surf without a sim card, if so, are the signals posted to anyone? Can the XDA2 be unbarred? If it can be, is it hardwired to retain its original ID? Does all this sound like the Matrix ... well it may well be! :roll:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When the radio is switched on the xda sends the imei whether a sim is in place or not, the information of a previous owner is lost once a hard reset is carried out, however some people think that by unclicking permanant save, that the data is lost, well that isnt true because if the next owner switches it back on and you were using the feature before, he will have access to all your data, the only way I found was to delete all contacts, check permanent save, reboot then uncheck it. There is no way known at the moment that is public knowledge that allows you to manipulate imei on xda2. I understand that there are calls from the uk government to have all imei numbers in hardware rather than firmware/software to make it almost impossible to change identity. Just because you are paranoid doesnt mean they arent out to get you. :shock:

Thank you you seem to be THE authority on XDA! You say ""When the radio is switched on the xda sends the imei whether a sim is in place or not"" I am not sure I understand the concept of 'radio' in the xda2. can the radio be switched off/disabled? what signals are sent and how are these managed, by whom? because there is now billing requirement why should this radio signal be monitored? It has been also said that "Paranoia is the belief in a hidden order behind the visible." anon (why do u think he chose to remain anon?)

:arrow: All cellular phones are beacons :!:
If you suspect they are listening, well, they are and all you can do is to make a little harder, thus:
http://www.cryptophone.de/html/products_en.html
It is not paranoia when they are really after you 8)

I want whatever you are smoking man!

Wish I was smoking something man! Maybe some food poisoning from bad lumpia :?
I was in a security presentation and saw how a secuirty engineer from Motorola was able to pinpoint and triangulate 17 different phones in an auditorium and then go down to each unit and "clone" it for surveillance purposes with a GUI application in his laptop. ( With the users permission for the purpose of the demo!)
If they are showcasing this technology, then I guarantee Big Brother
( NSA and NRO specifically) have the capability in a more advanced form and blend it with Exchelon, key word analysis and the like....

have a look at www.followus.co.uk its excellent we use it to track the kids, ( the more cell sites close by the better the fix) its show us they are at near by to where ever they say they are

Yes, I am aware of that service.
It is a good thing for parents and businesses and is not infringing on privacy because it is consentual and voluntary.
It amazes me to see how many peope think cell phones are not easy to trace or tap because they are mobile!

Having started this thread, I was begining to think no-one cared!
Is it worth pulling together all the intelligence on remote monitoring in one place? The benefit of this will be to know what currently done and if it is at all possible tweak the systems to ensure a modicum of privacy.
There is all sorts of legislation protecting privacy and some ensuring civil liberties. What are the implications of mobile phone contracts, for instance? Do they have a duty of care to protect our privacy is there anything in the contracts that limit their liability in this regard, and if so, why?
oh ... and I don't smoke but I'm told that I don't need to!

Bluetooth Ranged Pair Finder

Hey there Developers...
I would like to ask if any of you guys know of a PPC applications that can calculate how near or far a Bluetooth pair is.
Tell me its cheesy but let me give you an example:
My sister and I do groceries and we split ways. The Hypermarket is huge and we split ways, she makes her way to the veggies, I make my way to the booze section. After sometimes she is gone and I need to give her a call. So I need a way to find her using my PPC through ranged BT "pinging" to indicate if she is near by or not. Is there a software or is there anyway that this can be developed?

What if your sister has her phone in her pocket/bag? Then the ping won't be accurate, since it'll take more time to discover her. :?

agiorgitis said:
What if your sister has her phone in her pocket/bag? Then the ping won't be accurate, since it'll take more time to discover her. :?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i was at the booze section... i wouldn't want to find my sister! :lol:
hehe

[email protected] Wroet.
Anyways, I was just thinking if it would be possible. I mean basically I was thinking how the PPC would determine the distance between the 10m radius and also to which direction. But if it is possible... The it be a great tool.

Network Information / Cell Information ?

Hi All,
Received my XDA Exec yesterday and have been having a good read through this forum for hints and tips.
The first thing I did was play with the Exec in full blown 02 mode, noting how slow it was etc. etc. The good thing about doing that is when I switched to Corporate mode, I was amazed at how much faster it was!
Anyways, what I'm looking to do is to show what phone network i'm using in the Today screen.. Is it possible to do this from Corp. mode ?
The other thing I'd like to know if its possible, is on my Nokia 7610 it shows the cell information, or the Area code that i'm in. It's not life or death, but if it can be done i'd appreciate knowing how..
Other than that i'm mightily impressed with this pda/phone.. speed, size, quality. I guess as I've never used a PDA before, I don't know what i'm missing..
cheers

Have a look at Hudson IP Dashboard.
It displays the name of the network you are connected to and the signal strengh as a percentage. Very useful indeed.
I didn't know it did this until I installed it on my Exec.
I'd always just used it for counting GPRS data on my iPAQ.

Here it is:
Start>Settings>Phone>More>
Change Language to english and enable Broadcast Channels
Add any of the word like "Cell"
Then say no of Channels as "50"(w/o inverted commas)
You will start receiving SMS from that particular Cell where yr phone is currently logged...

hdubli said:
Here it is:
Start>Settings>Phone>More>
Change Language to english and enable Broadcast Channels
Add any of the word like "Cell"
Then say no of Channels as "50"(w/o inverted commas)
You will start receiving SMS from that particular Cell where yr phone is currently logged...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call me dumb, but what exactly does the broadcast channels do?
I tried changing the settings but nothing happened?

Call me dumb, but what exactly does the broadcast channels do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add me to that "dumb" list, because I couldn't see what it did either..
The Hudson IP dashboard is quite good though. It shows the network i'm connected to, but I didn't have a lot of luck with it showing bandwidth reading of my wireless connection. Can't have it all I suppose..
Thanks for the tips though!

I love my Wiz now, but why is it so lame 'out of the box'?

I love my MDA more and more now. But after my first week or two i was begining to think i had made a mistake buying it. Thanks to the kind and helpful folk around here and other forums, i now have it doing everything i wanted it to do and in the way i want it to do it.
I use it for TomTom, playing DIXed DVD's, music, podcasts, games, the usual email/web duties and more. And thanks to the great WiFi 'G' reg hack i can now stream my large lossles FLAC files (with the help of fantasitc Conduits Pocket Player) right into my Hifi system, just like my Squeezebox 3 media player. It's actually much better than an ipod (albeit with less storage when out of the house - although i could access my music at home from a hotspot). A fully fledged media streaming device for free! (well, a small fee for Pocket Player and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm jack adaptor).
Not only does this hack also enable 'g' speeds, but i can confirm that it also massively increases performance on 'b' speed networks too (which mine is limited to due to being an 'adhok' network).
Sure, a faster proc, better camera and maybe even 3G would be nice. But i have no wish to ever make video calls or use Skype (i'm the geek of the group and no-one else i know uses it).
I understand there will always be better third party software (Media Player is an utter waste of space for example) but why should we have to make techy and annoying tweaks to the registry, just to get the best from the unit? Why the hell do we need to hack the reg just to make a basic settings change, such as hiding SIM contacts (which is an option in just about every mobile from the last 5 years).
Is it just bad planning? Poor thinking on the manufactures part? or is there just a genuine reason for 'hiding' these settings and not making them accessable from standard menu's?
The older i get, the less time i have to mess around so much. I have better things to do these days to be honest.
Surely they would have more to gain by activating the performance increases themselfs, rather than us more tech savy types to figure out how to alter the registry. Half the things this device has been slated for in reviews can actually be sorted, but the average (make that normal) buyers of this device will be feeling a bit short changed if you ask me.
I guess the only thing left for me to do now is dump the T-Mobile ROM and use a more slimline one. Or maybe i should just figure out who to lose some of the crap from my existing install?
What is it with these companies? Don't they know when they are on to a good thing? Or maybe, just maybe it to keep us coming back for more and upgrading year after year? Hey ho...
/rant over.

Dom
Very interesting topic, well put and one which I'm sure will be relevant to me very soon...y'see my Wizard arrives in two days and it was reading posts such as yours which helped me take the plunge.
I don't mind messing about with PDAs, phones, PCs etc to get the the best performance but (as you rightly point out) we shouldn't have to. However, given the thousand of threads and posts on this (incredibly good) site, I am somewhat confused about what to do first with my Wizard.
So, could you please take a few minutes to post what changes, hacks etc you have done to get yours where you (almost) want it to be?
Many thanks in advance.
Mos

mosgeo said:
So, could you please take a few minutes to post what changes, hacks etc you have done to get yours where you (almost) want it to be?
Many thanks in advance.
Mos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first things i would always do after a hard reset (format), after syncing back all my contacts/callender of course...
Reg hacks (main ones, i have forgot a few) -
*Hide SIM contacts (so the dont appear pointlessly twice)
*Enable 'g' speed Wifi
* Disable the annoying 'you are about to go online' message. You will understand when you get yours, VERY VERY annoying - you get it even when you are online and just switch back to PIE.
* There are some good performace tweaks to, which i forgot about.
Essential software i could not be without (some free, some not - unless you are naughty. Don't be naughty now )
*TomTom (Sat Nav)
*Memory Map Pocket Nav + GPS and the O.S. maps i use for walking
*TCPMP - The best video player
* Conduits Pocket Player - the best music player IMO (Streaming, gapless playback and OGG/FLAC support - nice). costs a few beer tokens, but free good alternatives are available.
*Resco File explorer and Reg editor.
*Opera Browser - Renders pages faster than PIE, handles java script etc better and Tabbed browsing makes GPRS speeds much less of a pain.
*Memmaid - for cleaing up temp files, dead registry entries etc.
*Storage tools - for formating and sorting out MiniSD cards - WM5 can't even format a bloody memory card!
*Wififofum - for finding WiFi networks (more for fun than anything).
*OMAPclock - for a bit of overclocking (more for fun again, i rarely feel the need is that great)
*And of course registry wizard for the good people of these forums
Thats about it really for me, but i am finding more cools things everyday to play with but those are my must have ones - i have had to install
A few must have games include, AOE, UFO, 3D pool and Soduko.
Personally i dont use a today plugin. I have not found one i like yet and most have icons etc that are to small on the MDA's small screen or just make clutter rather than really help me. A well organised start menu is enough for me.

Oh, and of course you can flash the ROM. But i have not done this yet. T-Mobiles version does not seem that bad but i hear the O2 version is a real dog and well worth doing. I just worry about lost Wifi and GPRS functionality i have heard about some people having.

Really wasn't expecting a reply so soon, and certainly not such a comprehensive one. Thanks for your time. I may be back with more questions once I actually get my mitts on a Wizard. Cheers!

yes I agree , it is great post, specially for new people like me, I got mine (Qtek 9100) just on Friday, and I am still figuring out its functions.
But I have question - if you have time to answer - I really don't know about WiFi function -which is in the device- , if I want to connect to the internet I should have a wireless router connected to my main PC, is that right ? I have read some of posts in here, that they can connect to the Internet - through their PPC - when they are outside or walking or traveling from area to another, by scanning for the nearby Connection, then they can use it to visit websites, does this cost money when they connect to the Internet using the WiFi ? And how can I do the same if it doesn't cost m money ? Can the "WiFi Fofum" program do this o is it only to scan any available connection nearby ? How can I connect to the internet (through WiFi) when this programm finds connection? And if it is really totally free..
I know this are bunch o Questions But I really want to use this function - if possible - specially that I work outside my city and I have to spend couple of hours travelling almost everyday. I appreciate any comment.

Wireless router at home if you want to use it wirelessly or if you do what I do now and then..... connect via the USB cable to your PC. Out and about you can connect for free if someone has a wireless network within range that has no WEP security enabled
There are wireless spots around the country but you have to pay for the main ones via an account you have to set up (kind of pay as you go) Cloud is one company that runs WiFi hotspots on a PAYG basis.
If you leave your WIFI scanning it will tell you if you are within range of a network, it will also tell you if it is secured or not, if it isn't then 9/10 you can just connect and use it

I have been meaning to make a post just like the OP. You are on the mark, IMO! This situation really begs the question, how can this thing be so feeble out of the box?
Thank you XDA and all of the kind people on this forum. You have been the best!

Thomas1234 said:
if I want to connect to the internet I should have a wireless router connected to my main PC, is that right ? I have read some of posts in here, that they can connect to the Internet - through their PPC - when they are outside or walking or traveling from area to another, by scanning for the nearby Connection, then they can use it to visit websites, does this cost money when they connect to the Internet using the WiFi ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case, my service provider (Cingular) offers a service called GPRS/EDGE, which lets the Wizard access the Internet through the cell phone connection.
I use the WiFi when I don't have a good connection. Most of the time, for browsing mini-websites and sending e-mails, there isn't much speed difference between WiFi and GPRS. I don't think the Wizard is fast enough to process more than a few 100 kbps of data.
If you don't want to (or can't) pay for a GPRS service, it's possible to "war drive" for access points. The Wizard will find them, although its WiFi reception isn't as powerful as a laptop's.
On my phone, if I enable WiFi, the phone will automatically use WiFi instead of GPRS when WiFi is available. If you don't want to pay GPRS charges, you might want to configure the phone so that it doesn't use GPRS.

can you explain 'wardriving' please? is it just freely using wifi points without paying? bit confused
Thanks

Jamie,
You are correct in your assumption !! You would be amazed at the number of 'unlocked' WiFi routers out there....
Ever tried running Bluetooth detection in a pub and seen how many phones are out there too ?
If you can find an unlocked WiFi router running DHCP - 'Fill your boots' !! Sometimes it's even possible to guess IP addresses of other PC's on the network, access em and leave a kindly note to thank them for their hospitality but warn them of their folly and the potential for disaster......I know I have but then that's me: Mr Altruism

Ok how can I get any internet connection through WiFi ? Should I just enable my WiFi and it'll scan for any available connection nearby ? I did but nothing happened, it wants from me to fill form which I really don't know anything about it... Or do I have to use a program to scan for connection ? And if yes, should my WiFi be enabled ? What is the best program for scaning ? I wish if someone explains me all that and how can start using WiFi to get a connection and an access to the internet but slowly, will be thankful.

Im new to all of this, but what can you do with the registry wizard and how do you install it? I foud a zip file for it, but cant get it to load.
Thanks!

i have a question too if you have the time mate,
I don't exactly want to use the edge since i dont have an unlimited plan or something.how can i delete these settings and do you think any problems will occur?(sending recieving mms)
basicly i don't it to connect to edge(gprs)auto.is there a way to fix this
thanks so much.

Cell phone activity detector

Hello.
(sorry for my english)
I'm looking for a software that can detect the activity of other mobile phones near the mine (HTC Diamond).
I want to see if people use their phone in a place where it is totaly forbidden for security reasons. (exams for exemple)
Thank you in advance.
(no wifi and bluetooth ... SMS and Vocal )

darkatis said:
Hello.
(sorry for my english)
I'm looking for a software that can detect the activity of other mobile phones near the mine (HTC Diamond).
I want to see if people use their phone in a place where it is totaly forbidden for security reasons. (exams for exemple)
Thank you in advance.
(no wifi and bluetooth ... SMS and Vocal )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...we won't tell you -> you are a teacher ;-)
Just kidding; I don't know such a software or tool

and ... no, i am not a teacher, and not a cop too

This sort of software is hard if not impossible if not illegal to make with the tools at our disposal.

I would contact the KGB, they may have something of that nature.

hitenpatel227 said:
I would contact the KGB, they may have something of that nature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just talked to the KGB and they told me that we have to stop talking about this NOW

kgb is now dead, if any1 have this then is the mossad for sure ^^

iRiKi said:
kgb is now dead, if any1 have this then is the mossad for sure ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wasn't us, as the director I never signed for such a thing... MI5?

So you would be the first to use it in the "forbidden place" to snoop on others? Funny request, but surely for someone who needs to know this kind of info "for security reasons" would be able to afford a good programmer to do such a program.
darkatis said:
Hello.
(sorry for my english)
I'm looking for a software that can detect the activity of other mobile phones near the mine (HTC Diamond).
I want to see if people use their phone in a place where it is totaly forbidden for security reasons. (exams for exemple)
Thank you in advance.
(no wifi and bluetooth ... SMS and Vocal )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

So you would be the first to use it in the "forbidden place" to snoop on others? Funny request, but surely for someone who needs to know this kind of info "for security reasons" would be able to afford a good programmer to do such a program. Well I got a laugh out of this thread. Thank you guys for the great sense of humor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have wrote "security reasons" because my english is very light, and it's more easy to say that for me.
So... no we dont have good programmer, and we dont have unlimited money for pourchase one.
i know many wifi-snifer, blutooth snifer ... so i try to find a "gsm" detector ...
i know that some cell phone can make vocal transmission without provider, si they are in the same aera.
if you want to joke about my request, you can ...
i just try to find a solution to a (small) problem we have with my work : people using phone in forbidden place.
good luck with fbi, mi5 and cia.

Now i dont think that it is possible, but i dont understand why people find this request so funny?
There are plenty of tools that measure radiation. The radiation of a phone in use should be much higher than one not in use or one using bluetooth. Not sure about wifi though...
Anyway, to have this type of measurement in the phone is maybe hard/impossible to develop given the way phones are built. But the idea of something measuring radiation is nothing new and these devices can be bought at many places (most for corporate or media usage). Now if you could just set the frequecy to monitor and a specified minimum threshold you should be there
But as previously mentioned... dont know if this is actually possible to do with a phone.

Heliosjiee said:
This sort of software is hard if not impossible if not illegal to make with the tools at our disposal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for this no-joke answer
i know that this is hard. (not illegal)
but no victoiry without try.

darkatis said:
thanks for this no-joke answer
i know that this is hard. (not illegal)
but no victoiry without try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
while this is very possible depending on the extent of the intend program this could be VERY illegal considering that the US goverment(idk about laws in other countries) got in trouble for monitoring phone calls.
If the program was meant to only detect GSM activity it is probable possible but at the same time there would be no accurate way to determine if the active phone was in your room or down the hall unless you knew which phone was where and what its info was. But in doing that im pretty sure you have already breakin a few laws lol.
If you are worried about phone activity im fairly positive there are phone jammers which block phone calls for a certain distance around the device. Though i do not know the laws around this.

I don't know how you'd do it with the phone...but there are DIY circuits that you can find online to make one with a 555 timer chip and a few resistors and capacitors. I did the same thing as a final project for an electronics class I took last year.
Just google "Cell Phone Call Detector circuit". It lights up an LED when it detects a call.

hello!
i don't know of a program to use with your phone, but i did a quick search on the net and found this for example: http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/detector.htm
maybe that can help you?

Here is your solution:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355
and here is one for GPS:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8758

try to use a big speaker so you can hear if somebody uses the telephone

Well...
this is not really the thing you need.
Proof of GSM usage around you cannot be provided to 3rd party (your device). The reason is hidden in the GSM1.1 standard.
To monitor the activity of the radio devices surrounding you you should need to download statistics from the closest BTS units which is actually hard enough and the Diamond's CPU is not able to break the provider encryption in realtime (trust me. i've tried it hard enough
Back in the days we faced similar problem. From the other side, I was the student
The principal of our high school designed an emitter of 900/1800MHz signal and had it equipped with a clocking device. For that reason we could not use our cell phones during class... for two days (yeah, nothing is impossible!)
The question you should ask is. Do I want to monitor cellular activity or I need to ban the usage of mobile devices in the range of XY meters around me.
If the answer of the second question is positive jut get a pal of yours who knows something about solidering and within a few dolars you have the item you need.