The Facts about LinkedIn Intro

This blog post is intended to provide more information and address inaccurate assertions that have been made as a result of a product we launched on Wednesday called LinkedIn Intro. Many things have been said about the product implementation that are not correct or are purely speculative, so this post is intended to clear up these inaccuracies and misperceptions.

When the LinkedIn Security team was presented with the core design of Intro, we made sure we built the most secure implementation we believed possible. We explored numerous threat models and constantly challenged each other to consider possible threat scenarios. Here are some of the actions we took in advance of the launch:

• We isolated Intro in a separate network segment and implemented a tight security perimeter across trust boundaries.

• We performed hardening of the externally and internally-facing services and reduced exposure to third-party monitoring services and tracking.

• We also had iSEC Partners, a well-respected security consultancy, perform a line-by-line code review of the credential handling and mail parsing/insertion code.

• Our internal team of experienced testers also penetration-tested the final implementation, and we worked closely with the Intro team to make sure identified vulnerabilities were addressed.

• We made sure we have the right monitoring in place to detect any potential attacks, react quickly, and immediately minimize exposure.

• All communications use SSL/TLS at each point of the email flow between the device, LinkedIn Intro, and the third-party mail system. When mail flows through the LinkedIn Intro service, we make sure we never persist the mail contents to our systems in an unencrypted form. And once the user has retrieved the mail, the encrypted content is deleted from our systems.

• We worked to help ensure that the impact of the iOS profile is not obtrusive to the member. It’s important to note that we simply add an email account that communicates with Intro. The profile also sets up a certificate to communicate with the Intro web endpoint through a web shortcut on the device. We do not change the device’s security profile in the manner described in a blog post that was authored by security firm Bishop Fox on Thursday.

With regards to the way we will handle e-mail data, documents like our Pledge of Privacyor the LinkedIn Privacy Policy, help clarify our intentions. We take them very seriously. Product design decisions and subsequent implementation are reviewed against those policies by our Security and Legal teams.

After having been a member of the security community for more than 15 years, I understand that healthy skepticism and speculation towards worst-case scenarios are an important part of the security discipline; however, we felt, in this case, it was necessary to correct the misperceptions. We welcome and encourage an open dialogue about the risks that are present in all Internet-based services that handle electronic mail and other sensitive data.

Cory Scott

blog.linkedin.com

Microsoft reaches $7.2B deal for Nokia handset business

Microsoft late Monday announced it is buying Nokia's smartphone and cellular handset business in a deal worth $7.2 billion.

As part of the deal, Microsoft will own the company which has been a leader in creating the Lumia line of smartphones that run Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. Microsoft is paying $5 billion to buy Nokia's Devices & Services unit and an additional $2.2 billion to license Nokia's patents for $2.2 billion.

The deal formally puts the two companies together after collaborating closely since Feb. 2011 to create handsets that compete with those from Apple and Samsung. The companies have made in-roads in many parts of the world, including Europe, but are still facing headwinds in the U.S. Windows Phone has already surpassed BlackBerry as the third largest smartphone platform according to some analysts.

The move is one of the boldest yet by CEO Steve Ballmer, who stated last month he plans to retire in 12 months. By buying Nokia's handset business, Microsoft is showing it's committed to turning itself into more of a devices company than a software company. The deal's total value makes it the second largest ever done by Microsoft, just behind the $9.3 billion buy of Internet phone service Skype in May 2011, says S&P Capital IQ.

"Nokia and Microsoft have always dreamed big," said Ballmer and Nokia chief Stephen Elop in an "open letter" blog post.

"We dreamed of putting a computer on every desk, and a mobile phone in every pocket, and we've come a long way toward realizing those dreams. Today marks a moment of reinvention."

Elop, a former Microsoft executive who took the helm of Nokia, will become Nokia Executive Vice President of Devices & Services.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014 subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

Usatoday.com

Samsung Galaxy S4 - Next Nexus device

Google I/O News: Samsung Galaxy S4, with cutting edge hardware from Samsung with Google’s latest software and services – including the user experience that ships with our popular Nexus devices – exclusively on Google Play starting June 26.

Microsoft may also make smart watches

Microsoft is working on designs for a touch-enabled smart watch, joining a number of other large competitors like Samsung Electronics and Apple who are said to be working on similar devices, a newspaper reported.

Executives at suppliers to Microsoft told The Wall Street Journal that the company was sourcing components for the prototype of what could potentially be a "watch-style device."

Microsoft has, for example, requested 1.5-inch displays from component makers for the prototype, an executive at a component supplier told the newspaper. It is unclear whether the company will decide to go ahead with the watch, the newspaper added.

Microsoft could not be immediately reached for comment.

A large number of vendors are looking at new product categories beyond smartphones and tablets.

This isn't the first time, however, that Microsoft may be looking at watches as a product. It launched a smart wrist watch around a concept called Smart Personal Object Technology it unveiled in 2002, but withdrew it after a lackluster performance.

The Redmond, Washington, company is seeing its key PC market under threat from smartphones and tablets, and the failure of its new Windows 8 operating system to boost sales significantly. IDC said last week that first quarter PC shipments totaled 76.3 million units, down 13.9 percent compared to the same quarter last year. (The decline was worse than the 7.7 percent previously forecast by the analyst firm, and the market could be headed into further contraction, the research firm added.

Microsoft has been targeting new markets including by launching its own Surface tablets which by the fourth quarter of last year had not made a significant impact on the tablet market that was dominated by Apple and Samsung.

Gartner forecast in October last year that wearable smart electronics in shoes, tattoos, and accessories will emerge as a US$10 billion industry by 2016. Most of the revenue from wearable smart electronics over the next four years will come from athletic shoes and fitness tracking, communications devices for the ear, and automatic insulin delivery for diabetics, the research firm said. The new smart watches are expected to offer a variety of such applications besides telling the time.

Pcworld.com

Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 won’t be revealed until Thursday but the phone is already getting the buzz typically reserved for an Apple iPhone.

The Galaxy S3 was the first Android phone to truly tango with the iPhone; the S4 will be bigger, sharper and faster, trumping its predecessor in practically every regard. With the iPhone 5 getting refreshed this summer, Samsung needs to make a big statement if the company wants to sell the 10 million phones a month it is reportedly ordering from suppliers.

Here's what to expect from the next generation of the company’s blockbuster flagship.

5-inch HD screen

There’s no fighting the trend: Phones keep getting bigger and so is the Galaxy S4. A 4.99-inch Super AMOLED 1080p screen was spotted at CES, and tech watchers believe it's the screen for the new S4. That means the phone would have a resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 with 440 pixels per inch (PPI), up from the S3, which is already a substantial 4.8-inches. But bigger is better, right?

Here comes Jelly Bean

The S4 will be running Android 4.2. Code-named Jelly Bean, the latest update to Google’s mobile operating system promises a brand new camera experience and a novel new way to type.

An eight-core processor?

It’s possible that Samsung will equip its new flagship with its powerful Exynos 5 Octa eight-core processor, making the S4 one of the most powerful phones on the planet, but the company might save it for the Note III. Instead, recently leaked photos seem to indicate a quad-core processor running at 1.8 GHz, up from the 1.4-GHz chip in the S3.

13-megapixels by 2.2 megapixels

There aren’t too many details about the camera, but most reports indicate a 13-megapixel camera accompanied by a 2.2. megapixel front-facing camera.

Networked beast

4G LTE and 802.11 ac -- a faster Wi-Fi specification -- make sure the S4 keeps up the pace.

Eyetracking?

Perhaps the most exciting rumors is the prospect of eye-tracking technology that will enable the phone to detect when you are finished reading a page and automatically scroll for you, according to a New York Times report. It will even pause your video when you look away.

Still plastic

A big complaint against the Galaxy SIII was that its plastic materials felt cheap and lacked the heft of the iPhone’s sleek aluminum unibody. But fans hoping for a switch to metal are out of luck. Samsung is sticking with plastic, Y.H. Lee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile division, indicated to CNET, citing the need to balance aesthetics with durability and manufacturability.

Wireless charging capabilities

The Galaxy S4 will have the ability to charge its 2,600-mAh battery wirelessly with an optional dock, according to Samsung blog SamMobile.

Ready in April?

Although the SII and the SIII were both released in May, the S4 is expected to go on sale sometime in mid April after the 15th, one month after its planned announcement.

Leaked images on a Chinese forum seem to confirm most of the rumors. The photos showed a 5-inch phone with textured plastic and a metal band. And while the phone’s screen is bigger, some of that extra real estate is cancelled out by a smaller bezel. Stay tuned for our complete coverage Thursday.

Foxnews.com

Google begins another round of layoffs at Motorola Mobility

Unit plans to lay off 1,200 employees, about 10 percent of its work force.

Google is cutting back at Motorola Mobility again, with plans to layoff 1,200 employees, about 10 percent of the division's work force.

Employees were notified of the cuts this week via an e-mail that said "while we're very optimistic about the new products in our pipeline, we still face challenges," according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the cuts.

Focusing on costs, the email added "we're operating in markets where we're not competitive and we're losing money." The cuts are expected to workers in the U.S., China and India.

Motorola confirmed the jobs cuts in a statement this evening.

"These cuts are a continuation of the reductions we announced last summer," the company said. "It's obviously very hard for the employees concerned, and we are committed to helping them through this difficult transition."

Google bought Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion last May, motivated largely by having access to Motorola's valuable patent portfolio, which it has employed in its legal defense of the Android operating system. Google freely admitted paying a premium for such access, but since then, the company has been looking to cut costs.

Google sold the Motorola Home set-top business -- which it inherited as part of its acquisition -- to the Arris Group last December for $2.35 billion in cash and stock. The Web giant had apparently been shopping the business for several months.

The staff reduction comes a little more than six months after Motorola laid off 4,000 employees, about 20 percent of its work force. The reorganization announced last August included the closure of a third of the company's 94 offices, as well as a wireless strategy revamp that included exiting unprofitable markets and trimming the number of handsets it produces.

Cnet.com

Why the Galaxy S4 won't be shedding its plastic roots

Samsung likely will stick to a design aesthetic that has worked in the past, despite rivals opting to use metal and other premium-feeling materials.

There's one complaint that often crops up with the Galaxy S III: it feels "plastic-y."

At a time when competitors are using glass, aluminum, and even higher quality plastics such as polycarbonate, Samsung has stuck to its guns with a thin, bendable plastic body.

Which is why the Galaxy S4 won't stray too far from that design philosophy.

CNET sat down with Y.H. Lee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business, to discuss the company's thoughts on design. When Samsung looks at what materials to use, it isn't just taking into consideration the aesthetic quality of the device, Lee said. The company also assesses how quickly and efficiently it can manufacture the product, knowing that it will have to ship a high volume.

Lee said that because Samsung will ship large units, it must consider the smartphone's manufacturability and durability.

Samsung also has discussed the pros and cons of keeping a removable back cover so the battery can be replaced, an issue other companies deal with as well. An LG executive told CNET that the company had received customer complaints about the Optimus G because the back wouldn't come off. The back cover of the larger Optimus G Pro is removable.

Samsung has argued that the plastic back cover, which feels light, is more durable than those of other smartphones because it's bendable and can better absorb physical impact. CNET Editor Jessica Dolcourt noted in her review that it is "just about the nicest plastic phone I've ever seen."

Still, Samsung's plastic GS4 will roll out at a time when other smartphones are stepping up their designs. There's no mistaking that Apple's iPhone 5, with its thin metal frame, looks and feels like a premium product. Likewise, the One's all-aluminum body stands out among a sea of blandAndroid competitors.

In addition, Nokia is using a harder version of plastic called polycarbonate, and Lumia is introducing smartphones in more vibrant colors.

Lee said Samsung has attempted to strike a balance between practical demands and the desire for a more premium-feeling product.

"I think the next product has a nice balance between this," she said. "We listen to the market and try to accommodate."

Cnet.com