Preparing for DHL battle - Nexus One General

I am returning the Nexus one due to its inability to open password protected PDF files.
Just been told that although a full refund is given on the phone as per the distance selling laws, they WILL NOT REFUND THE VAT, you have to take it up directly with DHL.
Now i feel that as Google contract DHL to deliver the goods as part of the contract we pay for (ie the purchase of the phone), then Google should refund the VAT.
So there you go, we have been googled again......

pastypacker said:
I am returning the Nexus one due to its inability to open password protected PDF files.
Just been told that although a full refund is given on the phone as per the distance selling laws, they WILL NOT REFUND THE VAT, you have to take it up directly with DHL.
Now i feel that as Google contract DHL to deliver the goods as part of the contract we pay for (ie the purchase of the phone), then Google should refund the VAT.
So there you go, we have been googled again......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have to take this up with HMRC. I honestly don't think you will get this back - I guess you can only try.

pastypacker said:
I am returning the Nexus one due to its inability to open password protected PDF files.
Just been told that although a full refund is given on the phone as per the distance selling laws, they WILL NOT REFUND THE VAT, you have to take it up directly with DHL.
Now i feel that as Google contract DHL to deliver the goods as part of the contract we pay for (ie the purchase of the phone), then Google should refund the VAT.
So there you go, we have been googled again......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try beamreader PDF viewer? It claims to be able to open Password protected PDFs. Rather than scrapping the phone.

I'm pretty sure Documents to Go also supports password protected pdf-files, but I don't have a file to test it with.
RepliGo Reader also claims to have support for password protected files, so maybe not scrap your phone just yet?

liam.lah said:
Did you try beamreader PDF viewer? It claims to be able to open Password protected PDFs. Rather than scrapping the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use beamreader to open password protected PDfs without a problem

Its not google's responsibility to deal with local tax laws!
Speak to HMRC or customs. If you send them proof that it was returned (refund from google, return shipping number etc), they'll refund you. Its alot trickier for non business's because it doesnt happen that often.

pastypacker said:
I am returning the Nexus one due to its inability to open password protected PDF files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
krohnjw said:
I use beamreader to open password protected PDfs without a problem
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Click to collapse
LOL
Every person I see saying they are returning the phone has a stupid reason or is unwilling/unknowledgeable about the simple workarounds.

Is this the new funny monday thread??

Given you've already got it (I assume in the UK??) rather than sending it back try selling either privately or via somewhere like ebay/these forums etc.
You shouldn't loose money and if you're lucky may make a few quid

Paul22000 said:
LOL
Every person I see saying they are returning the phone has a stupid reason or is unwilling/unknowledgeable about the simple workarounds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No kidding. I'm returning my phone because it doesn't make calls.

Paul22000 said:
LOL
Every person I see saying they are returning the phone has a stupid reason or is unwilling/unknowledgeable about the simple workarounds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A stupid reason you say, who the hell are you to judge what is or isnt a valid reason?
I have tried beamreader etc etc, and the Nexus will not open these files.....
But i guess if you are not using a phone for more than messing around showing off to your mates, then real world useability issues wont bother you!
There are other reasons for sending it back, I didnt want to start slagging the phone off, and then be scalded by the likes of you for doing so!
The reception on the phone is bad
The notifications are bad
The battery life is bad
The sound quality from the speaker is really bad
These are my opinions, and I am fully entitled to them, you really shouldn't go round suggesting that people are not capable of solving problems, some of us dont have the time to solve what should work in the first place.
I have spent many hours with the HD2, and HSPL has made it into a far better device than the Nexus one!
The trouble with forums is that you really have no idea what the person writing the post is really like.
I never look down on anybody, and treat all people as equal, that way nobody feels insulted

pastypacker said:
A stupid reason you say, who the hell are you to judge what is or isnt a valid reason?
I have tried beamreader etc etc, and the Nexus will not open these files.....
But i guess if you are not using a phone for more than messing around showing off to your mates, then real world useability issues wont bother you!
There are other reasons for sending it back, I didnt want to start slagging the phone off, and then be scalded by the likes of you for doing so!
The reception on the phone is bad
The notifications are bad
The battery life is bad
The sound quality from the speaker is really bad
These are my opinions, and I am fully entitled to them, you really shouldn't go round suggesting that people are not capable of solving problems, some of us dont have the time to solve what should work in the first place.
I have spent many hours with the HD2, and HSPL has made it into a far better device than the Nexus one!
The trouble with forums is that you really have no idea what the person writing the post is really like.
I never look down on anybody, and treat all people as equal, that way nobody feels insulted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you had explained the real reason you were returning the phone (i.e. it is really bad in all those categories you mentioned), then we wouldn't have gotten a laugh off of you simply stating you were returning the phone cuz it wouldn't open password protected PDFs. The fact is that it DOES open password protected PDFs with any of those apps people pointed to... so your reasoning sounded suspect, and like a potential gag.
Anyway, it sounds like the real reason you don't want to phone is because you aren't used to Android (and perhaps willing to spend more time to get used to it). Android handles notifications better than any other platform. Period. Reception has more to do with your area than anything else... and battery life on this phone is superb! I easily get through a day with moderate to heavy use with at least 25% left, though generally more. I do agree about the speaker though, at least for playing music.

Well if you had explained the real reason you were returning the phone (i.e. it is really bad in all those categories you mentioned), then we wouldn't have gotten a laugh off of you simply stating you were returning the phone cuz it wouldn't open password protected PDFs. The fact is that it DOES open password protected PDFs with any of those apps people pointed to... so your reasoning sounded suspect, and like a potential gag.
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Click to collapse
^^^ Pretty much what uansari1 said.
Also "The reception on the phone is bad". Um. No. If you had said "The reception IN MY AREA is bad", then ok, I can't argue against that. But you can't just say the phone has bad reception, period, when there are people who live in areas that have downright amazing reception.
"The notifications are bad". You're insane!!!!!!! Android has the best notifications of any smartphone OS. Again, if you said "I don't like them", fine. But to say they are bad, you're insane. Most likely, you're just not USED to them. Learn how to use them and I guarantee you will love this system
"Bad" by itself is pretty subjective anyhow, since the same issue could be great for someone else.

Look, at the end of the day the guy can return for any reason he wants... maybe he thinks the color is wacky. That's fine. Anyway, let's get back on topic now.

I really dont want to get into a tat for tat, I am not insane, just realistic, and not hung up so much on a bit of technologhy to get that uptight about it.
the reception on the Nexus IS bad, especially compared to the HD2, and yes i suppose my area of the UK has a bearing on this.
The notifications are not as good as winmo on the HD2, with the HD2 all types , ie mail, sms etc, are very easy to see, and very easy to act upon.
The calendar reminders are superb, very quick to snooze, reset or adjust, and i use 20-30 reminders each day, and this is where time is important, I just need a phone to work, not have to constantly find workarounds, ive done enough of this with the HD2.
when running a business, and being out and about in a van a hell of a lot each day, things like this are very important, but like I said, the guy that just has a phone because its the latest greatest show off tool won't really care.
I have MOD and private sector emails sent with protected PDF files, and I can tell you for a fact that the Nexus I have WILL NOT OPEN THEM, with or without beamreader etc etc blahh blahh, I have it here, and I know it wont open them!!
On the plus side though, the Nexus screen is very very nice, I love the skymap app, made walking the dog a lot more interesting, the youtube app is far better than the HD2, (would have liked flash though for web sites and webcams), I guess it really depends on what you want the phone for, and I think it's not really as much of a business tool as the HD2.

there is also a $45 restocking fee

sstang2006 said:
there is also a $45 restocking fee
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Click to collapse
Not in the UK, read the terms

double post upon edit, sorry

Ok, never let it be said I dont try.
I stopped the collection today on the Nexus.
I have retried getting my mail pdfs again, and here are the pics of the results.
This is an AOL account, and that may be the issue, i cant even open non protected pdfs from within it, just see the pics.
Now non protected files will open in the gmail account, strange....but I dont have protected pdf traffic on that account.
So guys, what do ya reckon? As I said, the files will not open.....

I would try to forward that email with the attachment to your gmail or another email account and see if it works then. As you said the AOL account might be the culprit.

Related

My Experience with Replacing the Nexus

Hi all,
This is not so much of a ranting thread (although I am really frustrated), but just a gentle reminder to please check your screen for dust, as well as any other known issues BEFORE rooting. Thankfully, I did that, and my phone had dust under the screen UPON arrival. I got it at 2pm, and returned it to HTC by 5pm.
The other problem is, do remember Google takes no responsibility with hardware related issues. As much as I hate it, find HTC. I had a horrible experience with them, and I just want to share it with the rest of you. Also, I'm from Singapore, just in case.
I got my phone at 2PM from DHL, and was really happy about it (who wouldn't)? I opened it, booted it, and it was really fast. Then I checked the screen. There was not one speck, but at least 5 specks of dust under the screen. I immediately called HTC Singapore's hotline, and it was outsourced to another country (I'm guessing China, cause when they called me back it was +86). I can speak Mandarin, but only barely, and it was really difficult trying to tell them my problem in English. They really tried to help, but the communication barrier proved to be very frustrating. In the end, I was told to go down to HTC Care (at Keppel Bay Tower) to return the phone.
At this point in time, I didn't really want to make a huge fuss or anything. **** happens, I can accept that. All I want now is my phone replaced, as quickly as possible. I reached HTC Care around 4.15PM, but was only served at 5PM. Even worse, the staff at HTC Care Singapore had NO idea what to do with the Nexus One. They told me it was dealt differently from other HTC phones. As a consumer, I seriously do not care. I just want my phone fixed/replaced/whatever. I then waited for 20 minutes while they tried to log into the Nexus One system of theirs or something.
As though that was not bad enough, they had no idea what to collect from me. Some of them said I should return only the phone, while others said the entire box set. In the end, I returned the entire box set. They did not even bother to check the contents inside. Also, the courier service used this time is M3 express instead of DHL, and I was not given any tracking number despite them telling me the order has already been placed.
Also, there were other discrepancies. The phone staff told me to expect it within 3 working days, while HTC Care staff said to expect it within 3 to 5 working days. To be fair to the HTC Care staff, I doubt they were even briefed on what to do with Nexus Ones.
Below is the email I've sent to HTC, although at this point in time I doubt the response will be good:
To whom it may concern:
I placed my order for Nexus One with Google on January 9, and finally got it today, January 15, at 2pm. I understand that weekends are not considered work days, so effectively it took 5 working days to reach, which is reasonable to me.
I opened the Nexus One only to find dust under the screen. Doing a quick search on Google shows that it is a common problem. In fact, I read on some posts that it is considered to be a DOA problem by HTC, as seen from http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=29bc1e80107f01f7&hl=en. The first thing I did was to call the Singapore HTC helpline. I had a hard time communicating with them, but they did their best to help. I was told to go down to HTC Care (Singapore) at Keppel Bay Tower. The person on the phone had also opened a ticket for me.
I reached Keppel Bay Tower at 4.15PM, and was only served at 5pm. The service staff were polite but very unsure of what to do with the Nexus One. Apparently, Nexus Ones are dealt with differently from other HTC phones, though I do not see the point of them informing me of that. I have already accepted that there is dust under the phone and instead of making a big fuss, my main aim is to get my phone replaced on a one-to-one basis since I am still within the 14 days.
Once the staff managed to retrieve my information using the ticket number given to me earlier by the person over the phone, I was told I had to return the phone, but they were unsure whether to collect the phone, or the entire box set. In the end, they collected the entire box set. I had been told to expect it within 3 days by the person over the hotline, but the staff at HTC Care informed me that it was 3 - 5 days.
I am now requesting that you replace the entire box set, and deliver it to me within 3 days. In addition, I would like to know why the courier service used
is M3 Express instead of DHL (which was used when I first got my Nexus One). Moreover, I was not given any tracking number to track the status of my delivery, despite the service staff telling me that the order has already been placed.
I find it disappointing that the service staff had no idea what to do with Nexus One cases. It seems to me that HTC does not care because it is not really HTC's phone and more like Google's phone in this case. I hope you understand where I am coming from. It is my first time dealing with HTC's service, and the experience has been a let down. I have always thought highly of HTC's products since my previous HTC phones were all well-built, and I never had to visit the service centre.
I will appreciate if you could get back to me by Monday.
My ticket number, as well as product serial number are as follows:
Ticket No.:
Phone S/N:
Thank you.
Regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To end it, please remember to check before rooting!
bro sad to hear this from you.
I also got my nexus one today and i notice the screen's bottom left and right corners are making loose noise when pressed with some pressure..
so i used some pressure on the problemic areas for 20secs and so far, no more loose noise..
Hopefully it will prevent my unit from dust..
I have been consistantly checking mine as well. This sucks
melterx12 said:
man now im really going crazy. it seems that everyone is having this problem. I cant seem to find any dust under the screen but what if im just not seeing it??? Whats the chance that my phone DOES NOT have this problem???
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Click to collapse
From what I understand, this is still a problem with a small minority of phones.
People who do not have this problem (as you might have noticed) are not going to be very vocal about not having it.
For the record, I have an N1 and have had zero problems whatsoever, screen or otherwise.
melterx12 said:
man now im really going crazy. it seems that everyone is having this problem. I cant seem to find any dust under the screen but what if im just not seeing it??? Whats the chance that my phone DOES NOT have this problem???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine doesn't have it either. If you can't see it, then why is it bothering you? Mine doesn't have jam (jelly if you're in the USA) in it either but I'm not going to keep checking for jam.
SC
ScaredyCat said:
Mine doesn't have it either. If you can't see it, then why is it bothering you? Mine doesn't have jam (jelly if you're in the USA) in it either but I'm not going to keep checking for jam.
SC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its bothering me because I REALLY want to root but REALLY will go out of my mind if I see this problem after rooting (because my warranty will then be long in the void ). So I want to track this problem down now and some how be 100% sure that my phone is safe.
Wow, this dust problem is become quite large. Small quantities doesn't sound like a good enough example of the problem. I don't have my Nexus One yet, but I do hope - that when I get it soon - the newer models (if they are starting to correct the issue) doesn't have this problem.
melterx12 said:
its bothering me because I REALLY want to root but REALLY will go out of my mind if I see this problem after rooting (because my warranty will then be long in the void ). So I want to track this problem down now and some how be 100% sure that my phone is safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you either wait for the warranty to expire or you root it before.
If you're really that worried power it off and check it with a magnifying glass. TBH Right now there are 1001 reasons not to root it and only a couple of reasons to root it. Unless there's something you really need/want root for you may as well wait.
SC
I know, I am waiting for now, probably until Cyanogen Mod comes out for N1. However I do not want to wait a year
ScaredyCat said:
Well, you either wait for the warranty to expire or you root it before.
If you're really that worried power it off and check it with a magnifying glass. TBH Right now there are 1001 reasons not to root it and only a couple of reasons to root it. Unless there's something you really need/want root for you may as well wait.
SC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly i think one of the main reason i root my G1 was to apps2sd....and then some themes...but with this much RAM on the N1 i do not see a reason to root...
DKM119 said:
exactly i think one of the main reason i root my G1 was to apps2sd....and then some themes...but with this much RAM on the N1 i do not see a reason to root...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres more to root than apps2sd. For example, Internet tethering is a feature I really want and only possible through root.
Since we're talking about rooting here, I just wanna root to upgrade to un-released Android firmwares, themes, changing things inside the phone that aren't possible stocked. There are lots of reasons to root in my eyes, and I really don't care about the negatives.
kozm0naut said:
From what I understand, this is still a problem with a small minority of phones.
People who do not have this problem (as you might have noticed) are not going to be very vocal about not having it.
For the record, I have an N1 and have had zero problems whatsoever, screen or otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Zero problems with mine.
Also I don't plan to root until the S-ON/S-OFF issue is either resolved or root without unlock is discovered.
melterx12 said:
Theres more to root than apps2sd. For example, Internet tethering is a feature I really want and only possible through root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i undertand you point but is not for everybody...like myself i do have wi-fi at home and at work...so i never used the internet tethering....so for me when i rooted my G1 is was only for the apps2sd and themes....
melterx12 said:
Theres more to root than apps2sd. For example, Internet tethering is a feature I really want and only possible through root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are always alternative. Although not as elegant of a solution, PDAnet allows you to connect your phone to your computer so it can use your data connection. Works pretty well.
as someone who had to unroot and use the warranty on my rooted G1 like 11 months after I got it, I definitely will not root my N1 when I get it unless there is a way to revert to the full factory settings. I'm not a dev but I have faith they will figure it out though.
I woke up to find this thread now has 3 pages of useless conversation :|.
Anyway, if you take a torch and shine it it'll be obvious if there's dust on it.
I need root cause of Market Enabler and internet tethering. Will update this thread when I get a response from HTC.
That's a truly depressing story!
The warranty situation is the main reason I use to keep myself from buying this phone. Since I had a hardware issue with my G1 that needed to be replaced (stopped accepting USB input, so it wouldn't charge or transfer data), this is kind of a deal-breaker for me.
Not repairing hardware defects because of a software issue is complete bull****.
My contract comes due in November, hopefully by then, HTC will have changed their policy. If not, the phone I buy definitely won't be unsubsidized! I've had good luck just contacting tmobile and saying the phone broke. Since it doesn't work, I'll have to cancel my contract and pay the ETF.....in the past they've given me a good price on a replacement. This probably wouldn't work if I wasn't on contract with them.
I agree and some of these pointless posts have been reported, so please keep this thread on topic.
I have cleaned this thread up so please refrain from from spamming and flaming. (and will continue to do so!)
Greetz.
i may be sending mine in for a repair soon, i have a stuck/dead baby blue pixel.

Legality of tracking stolen phone with Wavesecure etc.

I asked the police today about the legality of tracking etc your phone if stolen using wavesecure or similar in the UK.
The particular officer seemed to think it should not be a problem since it is your property and regardless of who's possession it's in you are allowed to track it.
The legality however of tracking its use is uncertain, their calls, SMS etc, but again, since the phoone is yours, it should not be a problem.
They are going to get in touch with me should further details arise.
It's good to know though that as long as one doesn't attempt to take the law into their own hands, you are ok with tracking your stolen phone and should, technically be able to use this data collected as evidence against the thief should you find yourself able to track them this way.
I don't know if this information is of use to anybody but I thought I would share what I discovered today.
Just because you own a webcamera for instance, doesn't make it okay to stick it into someones house and record their activities does it?
Tracking your phone, no problems at all with that. But i don't think you have any right to read their SMS, Calls. Its a touchy subject.
Just thought i'd add this to your post.
cymru said:
Just because you own a webcamera for instance, doesn't make it okay to stick it into someones house and record their activities does it?
Tracking your phone, no problems at all with that. But i don't think you have any right to read their SMS, Calls. Its a touchy subject.
Just thought i'd add this to your post.
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Click to collapse
No, but if they steal your webcam and it happens to be set up to record all activity around it (normally related to yourself) had it not been illegally removed from its original location, you're not to blame nor at fault should it keep recording wherever they leave it, and then provide this as evidence to the police in order to recover said stolen item.
Fair point. to be honest i'm just arguing for the sake of it. Im very bored.
Why not.
Well, we could argue technicalities, my mrs is a lawyer so I'm sure she would argue it out with me all day long about how their are laws against it, but to be fair, I think the law would take your side regardless, and you could even have it permitted on a technicality (i.e. that the server is set up to automatically back up all your data, contacts and SMS for your own data security, should someone elses end up there through illegally obtaining and using your device, that's through no fault of yours.)
Yeah fair play, I know what you mean. Even if its your phone and gets stolen i've no doubt any defence will pick holes in why you were able to have access to their personal information. We all know how good the justice system can be in our country sometimes.
It's true, it's always possible you could end up wit hthe wrong persons data and instead end up with some silly sod who bought a cheap stolen phone off someone (equally as guilty i'd say, but that's a different argument), but that is why the services such as Wavesecure offer options to simply disable the phone and prompt the (new) user to call one of your preset "buddies" or 999 (or any other message/number you care to give them) in order to return the phone.
Normally though I would suggest this would be a last resort, because a thief would probably just dispose of the phone or destroy it if they find it locked as such.
You could always track it down yourself and make a citizens arrest ;-)
Section 24A of PACE '84 :-D
^Don't really do this
Yes
Indeed, it would be perfectly legal to make a Citizen's arrest under those circumstances, however, to stereotype the nature of such a person that is likely to steal a mobile phone, particularly from the area in which I live, it is quite possible and somewhat likely that they are either A) a violent criminal (mugging), B) A drug abuser (mugging) or C) Just outright violent (any other person).
P.S. The moral is that it's not a good idea to try go after it yourself, you might get hurt, or worse......your phone might.
I was literally typing 'Are you from liverpool?' when i read your location on the right
Best leave well alone lol. Let your phone be the only Hero in your partnership.
Indeed
I personally am from the Wirral, but I work and study in Liverpool, and as anyone from Liverpool will tell you, we from the Wirral are considered stuck up c**ts and to us, Liverpudlians are violent criminals, personally, my mrs is from Liverpool, maybe I just want to have a hard life
But anyway, should my phone get stolen, no doubt someone would try sell it to her sooner or later.
A) Just phone your local police and give them the location of the thief and phone, they would love the easy collar.
B) Thieves rights? don't make me laugh. If someone nicks my camera they don't have any rights to the photo's on it when I recover it. I would be more than happy to photograph their cuts and bruises as I use "reasonable force" to excecute my citizens arrest and send them to them.
C) If they do send sms from your phone, just note down the numbers and pass them on to the police too, chances are they are thieving smackheads too so might be able to arrest more!
mantracom said:
A) Just phone your local police and give them the location of the thief and phone, they would love the easy collar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah sure...
"my phone is somewhere in a 600m circle around main street 145, can you get it for me?"
"absolutely sir, two S.W.A.T. teams are already on their way!"
lol kendon Good one!
As for the issue itself, I wonder how this would go in a country with slightly more relaxed laws (US for example). There, I can really see issues where someone jumps in their pickup with their 'shooting club buddy', tracks their stolen phone using a laptop etc. from the passenger seat, and go setting about making use of the second amendment (click here if you don't happen to know amendments to the US constitution off by heart like me) on the thief (or unsuspecting buyer of the stolen goods).
To be honest, I'd have little sympathy for the thief in that case, regardless of how outnumbered they were. If you steal, you really do deserve what you get. What happened to the concept of an outlaw, where the law affords them no protection from others due to their disrespect of it?
^BTW, don't go doing that just cos you saw it here.
And, for the record, I'm actually from Britain, so maybe a pickup wouldn't be used...
alias_neo said:
Indeed, it would be perfectly legal to make a Citizen's arrest under those circumstances, however, to stereotype the nature of such a person that is likely to steal a mobile phone, particularly from the area in which I live, it is quite possible and somewhat likely that they are either A) a violent criminal (mugging), B) A drug abuser (mugging) or C) Just outright violent (any other person).
P.S. The moral is that it's not a good idea to try go after it yourself, you might get hurt, or worse......your phone might.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahahaha "or worse your phone might"
cymru said:
I was literally typing 'Are you from liverpool?' when i read your location on the right
Best leave well alone lol. Let your phone be the only Hero in your partnership.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kendong2 said:
yeah sure...
"my phone is somewhere in a 600m circle around main street 145, can you get it for me?"
"absolutely sir, two S.W.A.T. teams are already on their way!"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL! This thread just made my day
Anyway, let's just hope you never have to use Wavesecure.

Security Issues...?

Just read this piece of information...
http://www.thisandroidlife.com/2010...om-infected-iphones-and-android-handsets.html
I've always thought about this ever since a buddy of mine coded a little bot to do about the same thing to an online game.
Anyway,the real question I guess is, What can be done to prevent these types of thing from happening? What do you think?
Doesnt Android tell you everything a program is going to access before it's installed? I ALWAYS read that.
The only thing that this article is trying to point out is that non tech savvy users, which are probably a lot of Smartphone users won't really understand or care to know the "details" of the apps and what its all going to do, as such; they're more prone to installing these malicious apps. On top of that, they were showcasing that right now, they've only taken the GPS coordinates from the phone, but if they wanted to - passwords, messages, etc could be taken from the phone without anyone ever knowing.
I think this is good, it makes people more aware and allows us to be more cautious. Not mention, it's becoming obvious that Mobile data/traffic is easy to target and probably even easier to trick users (than on computers) because of lack of security and the notion that ones' phone cannot be "hacked" or what not.
hm
i had to go threw SlideMe.org to get a app because my bank blocked Android Market lol anyway. They sent out a server wide warning that app was bad last night.
BTW is there an app which logs where and what your phone sends? Like "littlesnitch"?
http://tinyurl.com/o9568k
There's not much that can be done about this, and it's a perfectly legitimate threat.
Yes, the app DOES tell you what it will be doing, but nearly any app that has Network access and Fine Location, especially if it does grab your GPS coordinates for something in the app itself, could send stuff behind the scenes and you'd be completely unaware.
I definitely don't think this will be the last time we'll hear about this sort of malicious app.
Negrito said:
Doesnt Android tell you everything a program is going to access before it's installed? I ALWAYS read that.
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Click to collapse
Of course but you don't know EXACTLY what the app is doing with the info(unless you tear it apart).Like in the example a weather widget,of course its going to use gps.So what if another app that can access your phones info that would typically need to, but is broadcasting that info to a remote server.If you get what I'm, trying to get at.
Edit: What kmart said...lol
The only truly saving grace of these phones about the sensitivity of location awareness with respect to paranoia of the same, is that we can pull the battery and remove any doubt that the phone cannot disclose its function or location.
There was an article I read a while ago that the Fed's had issued over 3 million location requests last year to Sprint on users - warrant-less! How's that for Paranoia!!!
But all these apps in the market has the Buyer Beware tag so, of course at some point or another it will be exploited! For the most part, the idea of location awareness and marketing/advertisement and or service oriented provisioning is a great concept. The openness of the Android system to provide the same - will undoubtedly have it's shortfalls. A Good Firewall app that notifies and asks for approval prior to transmitting info or accepting connections from an app would go a long way to controlling potential problems. Just like a PC, which basically these phones have become.
well, considering I don't go on any financial sites from my phone, there's not much they can get off it...do they want my school email password? Have at it...they can read those worthless emails if they want (heck, even send a nice threatening email to my profressors for all I care lol).
Not to mention that my phone gets wiped a few times a week, just like so many other people here, there's not much they can get unless they can manage to hack into my google account and steal my credit card info...in which case, they won't be able to spend much on that account, since there's nothing in it lol.
This is as bad as "big brother" listening to my phone calls. What do I care? lol. If someone wants to know where I am, then by all means, let them know where I am. I'm not doing anything of interest to them.
On a side note, we apparently have caught the attention of the mods in this sub-forum, and have become a "family forum" according to a different thread lol.
tatonka_hero said:
On a side note, we apparently have caught the attention of the mods in this sub-forum, and have become a "family forum" according to a different thread lol.
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Hey Tatonka! Lol, wassup? hahaha, but if you could, please elaborate? I know it's off topic, but I'm happy to be apart of the Android Family hehe...
And oh... is there any PGP type Android app that anyone might be familiar with? Lol, just thinking about it with this topic, lol...
I was thinking about that 'Firewall App' idea.Maybe that could be done,it would definitely be something worth looking into.
In response to totonka's post,i hear you.I'm the same way,BUT there are plenty of people who do have sensitive info/files/pictures(you know what I'm talking about) that surely wouldn't want ANYone to have access to.That's just how it is.I'm just thinking of the tons of people who don't even know that this is even possible.
casperlt1 said:
I was thinking about that 'Firewall App' idea.Maybe that could be done,it would definitely be something worth looking into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts also, but I don't know if it is a true Firewall or just handles calls...
A security issue is still a security issue even if it doesn't affect you, and an invasion of privacy is still an invasion of privacy even if you don't care about it. Not trying to start any sort of flame here, please don't take it that way. Just mean to say that if you wait to take a stance on a known problem until it becomes YOUR problem, haven't you maybe waited too long?

Data-Miner Android L

I am starting to think that I am not going to use Android L.
Look at this. So, Search, from thegreatestdataminingcompanytheworldhaseverknown is now metasticized throughout the Android OS. Every page, every app, calls out to thatsearchengineeveryoneuses. It's even listening when the phone's OFF! I'll say that again: it's listening all the time. And there's no way to disable it! Coming from Intelligence, and as I've never trusted them, I've always deinstalled most G**gle apps, but now it appears their creepy circus-colored fingers have permeated throughout.
I realise that my point of view will strike many Upright Citizens as shocking because, after all, 'we can trust them'. All I can say is, our public education system has failed us. (Hint: If you are not paying for a product...
... you are the product)
Time for me to start looking into Linux options. Failing that, I'll just stick with Carbon 4.4.4, which serves fine. Oh, I'll probably try Andriod L, but I'm pretty sure now of what I'll find.
Interesting read. I never trusted them when it comes to your data and listening. Lol
If they want to watch me look at tits and asses, so be it
And the Moto X has had always on listening since release, better just throw the phone away and get a dumb phone...
Sent from my Moto X
How do they decide who to listen too? That's a lot of people to eavesdrop on. ?
Quantumstate said:
. . .
It's even listening when the phone's OFF! I'll say that again: it's listening all the time. And there's no way to disable it! Coming from Intelligence, and as I've never trusted them, I've always deinstalled most G**gle apps, but now it appears their creepy circus-colored fingers have permeated throughout
......./QUOTE]
Reading that post says to me that the phone listens when the screen is off, not when the phone itself is off.
There are also options to turn off the "search from any screen" feature.
So I guess I am not quite as paranoid as you, yet.
Maybe that's why fewer devices have removable batteries; so we can't turn them off all the way.
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Click to collapse
murso74 said:
If they want to watch me look at tits and asses, so be it
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Click to collapse
You have a misconception of your importance. This, you were trained into though, so you come by it honestly.
Darth said:
How do they decide who to listen to? That's a lot of people to eavesdrop on.
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Click to collapse
Doesn't matter. With a security mindset you assume it's always you. Ask Schnier.
marvin02 said:
Quantumstate said:
. . .
It's even listening when the phone's OFF! I'll say that again: it's listening all the time. And there's no way to disable it! Coming from Intelligence, and as I've never trusted them, I've always deinstalled most G**gle apps, but now it appears their creepy circus-colored fingers have permeated throughout
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading that post says to me that the phone listens when the screen is off, not when the phone itself is off.
There are also options to turn off the "search from any screen" feature.
So I guess I am not quite as paranoid as you, yet.
Maybe that's why fewer devices have removable batteries; so we can't turn them off all the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, but what proof do we have at this point that it's not listening when actually -off-? I have none. (ref: OnStar) If you deal in sensitive matters, would you give them the credit? I wouldn't.
Looking into this, I find there is no viable Linux alternative, as we used to have with Opie. So either I block everything G**gle with an independent app like Android Firewall, or do with 4.4.4.
Oh no! Now everyone will know about my life because I'm super-important.
I'm not going to even try to say that Google does no wrong and doesn't use most of the data we send to it for advertising, but they don't listen to you, the phone does.
The phone listens for certain frequencies of sound in certain orders, if it doesn't see those, it keeps looking. It doesn't record every single thing said and send it to Google, it only sends what you say to it (everything past "OK Google").
It's the same way a button works. Nothing records when a button isn't pressed, but things records when it is.
As for the rest of Google, they do make their living off of a free service, what more can you expect? I'd rather pay for a no ad version of their stuff instaid, but untill that's possible, that's just the way it works if you want those beautiful services.
i really couldnt give a flying hoot nannies @#$% about that i have got absolutely nothing to hide. i read an artical a while back that the CIA tracks anybody who is "tor curious" hi CIA i really dont care if you're reading this because im on you internet monitoring list or whatever. i am not doign anything that i dont have the right to do. Damn i love the US. anyhow if your concerned about that what about this than?
Quantumstate said:
You have a misconception of your importance. This, you were trained into though, so you come by it honestly.
Doesn't matter. With a security mindset you assume it's always you. Ask Schnier.
Ya, but what proof do we have at this point that it's not listening when actually -off-? I have none. (ref: OnStar) If you deal in sensitive matters, would you give them the credit? I wouldn't.
Looking into this, I find there is no viable Linux alternative, as we used to have with Opie. So either I block everything G**gle with an independent app like Android Firewall, or do with 4.4.4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's simple my friend...... A smartphone is not for you then. Get an old flip phone and no one will spy on you. ?
No tablet or computers with cameras or microphones either.
New cars have Bluetooth... Not good.
Some TV's and video game consoles have cameras. Gone.
Can't think of anything else just yet. ?
Yeah.. it's not recording and streaming everything you say. The always listening feature isn't going to decipher everything you say until it matches the hot word, that would kill your battery. It's only kicks in when it detects multiple tones in a certain order.. I don't even know why I'm typing this, think what you want dude, that's not how it works. Keep your conspiracy theories to yourself.
bluebloomers said:
I'm not going to even try to say that Google does no wrong and doesn't use most of the data we send to it for advertising, but they don't listen to you, the phone does.
The phone listens for certain frequencies of sound in certain orders, if it doesn't see those, it keeps looking. It doesn't record every single thing said and send it to Google, it only sends what you say to it (everything past "OK Google").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone has a co-processor which is independent of the main system. Sure, its main function is to watch for keywords and instigate searches based on commands, but it can also be co-opted. I'm not saying any more because apparently I'm frightening a few people here who don't want to face it.
Darth said:
It's simple my friend...... A smartphone is not for you then. Get an old flip phone and no one will spy on you. ?
No tablet or computers with cameras or microphones either.
New cars have Bluetooth... Not good.
Some TV's and video game consoles have cameras. Gone.
Can't think of anything else just yet. ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice trivializing there, Darth. Of course I've hardened what I have, and since this is such a touchy subject I'm not giving any hints. You have no idea who I am or why I bring this up.
You guys just blithely hand over all your contacts, your network of friends, your calendar, the websites you visit, your searches, your location 24x7, hell your very phone calls. I feel sorry for younger people these days who have no idea that all their online activity will follow them around -forever-. The stupid things they say online, being victimized by bullies, all will follow them to every future job application, every romantic engagement, and their future neighbors will know more about them than they can imagine. And I feel sorry for those whose self-esteem is so low that they feel worthless.
You just have no idea what prostrating yourself to the authorities like this, means. You have no idea what it was like in East Germany or Soviet Russia, much less where we're headed. You've never read 1984 or Fahrenheit 451. And you will pay the price by a subtle enslavement which is too abstract for you to understand, without an education. Something will smell bad but you will never be able to figure out what it is nor do something about it.
I am not here to bicker or school you. I was just trying to do y'all a favor by giving you a perspective that you may not have seen, with everyone so anxious to be "licking your lollipops". I tried to help, but some of you are too cool for me.
Thanks for that. Maybe you should unmask yourself and make a proper point rather than misguiding, misinterpreting and mistakenly telling everyone that they are stupid. Oh yes, and telling everyone what they may or may not have read (wrong on both counts).
Where did you get your education? Were you ever told to think for yourself? Let's go back over that last one again, as modernity tends to gloss it... Were you ever told to think for yourself?
Sent from my XT1052 using XDA Free mobile app
^ completely agree
Yes, I know. I'm the bad guy, lol.
See, this is why no one any longer shares any real information with you on The Internets. You feel frightened of what you are doing when I demonstrate why... and so you senselessly take it out on -me- rather than getting your own sh*t together. Good job there.
kboya said:
Oh yes, and telling everyone what they may or may not have read (wrong on both counts).
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Don't lie. No one will believe you after a while.
Remember, privacy is an inherent human right, and a requirement for maintaining the human condition with dignity and respect.
Cardinal Richelieu understood the meaning of surveillance when he famously said, "If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged." Watch someone long enough, and you will find something to arrest -- or just blackmail -- with. Privacy is important because without it, surveillance information will be abused: to peep, to sell to marketers and to spy on political enemies -- whoever they happen to be at the time.
We do nothing wrong when we make love or go to the bathroom. (the adults here, anyway) We are not deliberately hiding anything when we seek out private places for reflection or conversation. We keep private journals, sing in the privacy of the shower, and write letters to secret lovers and then burn them. Privacy is a basic human need.
If we are observed in all matters, we are constantly under threat of correction, judgment, criticism, even plagiarism of our own uniqueness. We become children, fettered under watchful eyes, constantly fearful that --either now or in the uncertain future-- patterns we leave behind will be brought back to implicate us, by whatever authority has now become focused upon our once-private and innocent acts. We lose our individuality, because everything we do is observable and recordable.
How many of the adults present have paused during conversation in the past four-and-a-half years, suddenly aware that we might be eavesdropped on? Probably it was a phone conversation, although maybe it was an e-mail or instant-message exchange or a conversation in a public place. Maybe the topic was terrorism, or politics, or Islam. We stop suddenly, momentarily afraid that our words might be taken out of context, then we laugh at our paranoia and go on. But our demeanor has changed, and our words are subtly altered.
This is the loss of freedom we face when our privacy is taken from us. This is life in former East Germany, or life in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And it's our future as we allow an ever-intrusive eye into our personal, private lives.
Liberty requires security without intrusion, security plus privacy. Widespread surveillance is the very definition of a police state. And that's why educated people must champion privacy even when we have nothing to hide.
The level of stupid in this thread astounds me. If someone wants your information or something of yours, they're going to get it. It doesn't matter if your phone is always listening or not.
Sent from my Moto X
'Good job' there, eh, "imnuts".
Giving up is not the answer.
i love how, when everyone doesn't jump on this tools bandwagon, he turns on the forums.
Op is as a TROLL!
Thread is ridiculous!

The b**tard snooping advertising

I know it is bad and one reason I have always rooted, but this is getting ridiculous.
I take a certain medication. It is not a well known medication and besides my doctor, only my wife and mother know I take it and the name of it.
I can't even recall discussing it much, or ever even emailing about it to anyone except my Insurance company to file a complaint about them not covering it.
To my utter disbelief it started appearing in ads when I surf the web.
I knew it was bad and privacy is not real, but this actually got to me.
I am still trying to figure this one out.
Anyone had a similar experience? This is friggin nuts.
That was one of the main reasons why I would root my phone, to get rid of CarrierIQ or anything else that might have been added by Verizon to collect information on searches I may have previously done.
Hardknockz313 said:
That was one of the main reasons why I would root my phone, to get rid of CarrierIQ or anything else that might have been added by Verizon to collect information on searches I may have previously done.
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Click to collapse
rooted with the DE edition- how do i get rid of carrieriq ?
There is a way to manually remove carrier iq from phones, but I honestly don't know how to do it myself. I've seen threads in the past that told you step by step how to do this process, so I'm sure you could probably search XDA for a "How to Guide". I know that most roms that developers make have Carrier IQ removed, so if you don't want to remove it yourself, then using a custom rom would be your best bet.
first see if you have it
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.simplecarrieriqdetector
sprintuser1977 said:
I know it is bad and one reason I have always rooted, but this is getting ridiculous.
I take a certain medication. It is not a well known medication and besides my doctor, only my wife and mother know I take it and the name of it.
I can't even recall discussing it much, or ever even emailing about it to anyone except my Insurance company to file a complaint about them not covering it.
To my utter disbelief it started appearing in ads when I surf the web.
I knew it was bad and privacy is not real, but this actually got to me.
I am still trying to figure this one out.
Anyone had a similar experience? This is friggin nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you have Google interest specific ads enabled still. Try this:
https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en
KennyG123 said:
Sounds like you have Google interest specific ads enabled still. Try this:
https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for showing me this!
I'm not sure Carrier ID is on the Note 4... well atleast my Dev Edition
sprintuser1977 said:
I know it is bad and one reason I have always rooted, but this is getting ridiculous.
I take a certain medication. It is not a well known medication and besides my doctor, only my wife and mother know I take it and the name of it.
I can't even recall discussing it much, or ever even emailing about it to anyone except my Insurance company to file a complaint about them not covering it.
To my utter disbelief it started appearing in ads when I surf the web.
I knew it was bad and privacy is not real, but this actually got to me.
I am still trying to figure this one out.
Anyone had a similar experience? This is friggin nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can you even say it was your device, it could have been from 100 other sources. I agree that's a big reason to run root to have control but these days even if u think you are carefully 100s of vendors know what you use, like, buy.....

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