GigaOM » Exynos

Samsung admits smartphone chip vulnerability, working to fix

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:42:16 +0000

There’s a problem with Samsung’s Exynos chips that power its own smartphones and tablets, which the company is working quickly to fix. Last week, it was found that Samsung’s silicon — the Exynos 4210 and 4412, in particular - could allow for the device to be exploited by remotely providing admin access to the device. At that point, a malware app could be programmed to gather data from the phone or actually add data or other apps. On Wednesday, Samsung made a statement to Android Central, saying it was working on a fix.

Here’s the statement in full:

“Samsung is aware of the potential security issue related to the Exynos processor and plans to provide a software update to address it as quickly as possible.

The issue may arise only when a malicious application is operated on the affected devices; however, this does not affect most devices operating credible and authenticated applications.

Samsung will continue to closely monitor the situation until the software fix has been made available to all affected mobile devices.”

The important thing to note is worth reiterating, and I say this as a full-time Android user: Stick to apps in the Google Play store. Yes, malware has found its way there from time to time, but it’s safer than side-loading (installing an app with a direct .apk file) software from an unknown source.

Regardless of which devices are potentially open to this vulnerability — and the range includes certain Galaxy S 2, S3 and Note 2 handsets — it’s good to see Samsung take action quickly. And although here in the U.S. carriers can slow down the update process, I suspect the software fix for this will move rather fast through the update channel once its ready.

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Reported Google Nexus 10 tablet specs, pics leak early

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:27:13 +0000

Google is holding an Android event next week although some of the product details appear to be leaking early. Case in point: Brief Mobile, by way of Engadget, claims it has pictures of a 10-inch tablet aptly named the Nexus 10. An alleged screenshot shows a device running Android 4.2 with the same on-screen software buttons currently found on Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.

According to Brief Mobile, the Nexus 10 is a Samsung device and uses the same chip that the company uses to power the newest Google Chromebook, a 1.7 GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos. Other reported specifications include a super high-resolution 2560 x 1600 display, 2 GB of memory and 16 GB of storage, but no memory expansion slot. A number of screen shots from the reported device jibe with what I’ve been hearing about the next Android upgrade: a modified Gallery interface, quick settings, and user accounts for tablet sharing.

So is this legit? Obviously, we’ll know on Monday as we’ll be on site at Google’s event in New York City. My educated guess right now, however, is yes.

The specifications, for one, simply make sense. Samsung previously created one flagship tablet for Android in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and its new chip is already powering another Google product in the new Chromebook. As far as the screen resolution: the highest supported by Android officially is the same 2560 x 1600 that the Nexus 10 reportedly uses. And Google itself doesn’t yet have its own tablet to take on Apple’s iPad. The size and specs of this reported device change that. I’m guessing the Nexus 10 is real and I’m expecting a direct-sale price for a 16 GB model in the $379 to $429 range.

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Video hands-on with Google’s new $249 Chromebook

Kevin C. Tofel — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:24:36 +0000

Google introduced a new Chromebook on Thursday that costs $249 and runs on the same ARM chips that power smartphones and tablets. The new device, made by Samsung, looks extremely similar to the current Chromebook Series 5 550 model that I bought in June and have used as an everyday laptop since. The newer model is lighter, thinner and has no fan, however, and costs $200 less than the prior edition. In 2009, I suggested that Google would use these chips for ChromeOS; I was wrong — until now — but hardware advances make it possible.

I’ve spent a few hours with Google’s new device and have a short overview, comparison to the prior model and thoughts after some hands-on time. Take a look:

Watch this video for free on GigaOM

ChromeOS is still the same here, although it has a few subtle design tweaks that make it look more professional as a platform. The device comes with 16 GB of on-board storage, can be expanded with an SD card and gains 100 GB of free Google Drive storage; something we expected to see happen at some point. A faster USB port and full-sized HDMI jack for digital TV output is also here, but gone is the wired Ethernet port; it’s Wi-Fi or nothing for connectivity. Google will debut a 3G model in the future, however.

The new Chromebook is just under 2.5 pounds and is both sleeker and thinner. Battery life appears the same as Google says “up to 6.5 hours.” While the 1366 x 768 screen is 0.5-inches smaller, it’s not a detriment. Of course, the biggest change is the ARM processor inside. It’s a Samsung Exynos 5250, which is a dual core, next-generation Cortex-A15 chip of Samsung’s own design. It handles 1080p video just fine and runs the ChromeOS quite well. I’d say the performance is comparable to the Intel-powered Chromebook I have, but perhaps a half-step behind; at least in my few hours of using the device.

At this price, however, Google has a large opportunity for students and general consumers to pick up one of these new Chromebooks. I still believe that a Chromebook isn’t for everyone; I’d never suggest otherwise. For everyday web tasks and basic productivity, however, the device is perfect and attractively priced.

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Samsung Galaxy S III detailed with May launch date

Kevin C. Tofel — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:31:31 +0000

Samsung’s next flagship phone, the Galaxy S III, is expected to be super-thin and run on a quad-core processor, with availability in May. The alleged details appeared on the Korean site, Electronics Times News, found by way of the Boy Genius Report blog.

Whether the information is simply speculation or not, the details actually make sense when you look at Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones. Both were top sellers for Samsung and have helped the company compete with Apple for the smartphone sales crown. Each was a flagship Android handset combining capable hardware with Samsung’s custom user interface.

According to ETNews, the Galaxy S III will follow suit by using a quad-core processor with radio support for HSPA+ and LTE networks. That makes sense as back in October, it was discovered that Samsung’s newest Exynos chip, the 4412, will support four processing cores. Current top-end devices such as the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 7.7 use the dual-core, Exynos 4210.

The new Galaxy S III will reportedly be just 7 millimeters thick, which is thin, but still thicker than the Galaxy S II “clone” I saw at the Consumer Electronics Show last month: Huawei debuted the Ascent P1 S and I immediately thought it was a Samsung GS II.

I’d expect the Galaxy S III to also use Samsung’s Super AMOLED display technology with resolution at least comparable to, if not better than the 1280 x 720 screen on the Galaxy Nexus handset. That would also imply a large screen-size; I’ll go for 4.5-inches as a best guess.

I was hoping to find out all of the details later this month at the Mobile World Congress event, but Samsung recently said we’d be waiting until sometime in the first half of this year.

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