Google Makes "https://" Default for Gmail Security

Ricardo Trejo Jan 14, 2010 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Google

You may or may not have noticed yet, but on the top right hand corner of your Gmail page there's a link by your name that now says "More Gmail security". What's this all about and why should you care? Well, y'know that little lock you see on the bottom corner sometimes when you go to checkout of stores like Amazon or Newegg - that picture means that the information traveling between your computer and its destination is being encrypted, jumbled up into random 0's and 1's to help better protect you from people you don't want getting into your business. Google just made every single one of your email sessions require that type of security, and here's their explanation on the matter.

HTTPS encryption keeps your mail secure as it travels between your web browser and Gmail servers, so someone sharing your favorite coffee shop's public wifi can't maliciously read it. Banks and credit card companies use this same protocol to keep your online accounts safe. To protect your Gmail account, we've turned on the option to "always use HTTPS" for everyone. This added layer of security can make Gmail slower, so if you don't use unencrypted wireless connections, you can choose to disable this option in your account Settings. Even if you change this setting, Gmail will always encrypt the login page to protect your password. Learn more

                                                           -Google

This all is going down just a day after Google released information on how they plan to deal with China, and the recent investigation of the sophisticated cyber attacks that originated from there. Google as a company has always been ready to stand for their users at a moment's notice, so I'm glad they've come out and added this extra layer between us and not-so-innocent minded hackers. 

[TheRegister]

Video: How to Unlock and Root a Nexus One

Brandon Davenport Jan 14, 2010 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Google, How to, Mobile, Okay Geek, Videos

If you're up for getting root access in Android on the Nexus One, the Android and Me blog runs down how to do it. It's a simple sounding multi-step process that deals with unlocking the Nexus One bootloader, flashing a recovery image, and flashing an add-on to the default Nexus One firmware. It sounds simple, but it can seriously mess up your phone if you don't know what you are doing. If OTA updates stop, you can always flash your recovery image. All this just means your new rooted Nexus requires maintenance that a non-rooted Nexus does not.

Read -- the step by step instructions

Google Taking it Hard to China's Censorship Laws

Ricardo Trejo Jan 13, 2010 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Google, World

Google is down right fed up with communist China. A firm believer in the Open Internet movement, Google is taking it to the man and sticking up for uncensored search results. And it's no wonder they're sick of all the censorship; there's just too much shady activity coming from the East. Somehow Chinese hackers have found a way to peer into email accounts of users who are advocates of human rights. And no, Google isn't handing over the user information, but rather the computers of those effected have had built in phishing software - giving backdoor access to the attackers, keeping a watchful eye on the user's activity like a creepy cyber big brother - "Dude, stop looking at my screen!" So much for privacy policy.

Search giant, Google, knows the risks, however; If an agreement can't be made then they might have to close up shop in China, shutting down its offices there and forgetting the whole thing ever happened. If that were to happen I suppose they could walk away with their heads held high, but at what cost? Well, I'm sure billions of dollars in profits might be lost, so I'm quite sure Google is only considering that a worst case scenario. 

Interesting to note that in China you can't search up the words "freedom" or "democracy". 

[TechRadar via GoogleBlog]

Comparison: Nexus One vs iPhone 3GS vs Droid vs Pre

If you ever wondered “what the hell are all these smartphones about and which one should I get”? Your default choice would probably be the iPhone, because everyone under 27 has bugged you about it till you want to stab your ears off. Other then that, if your not a geek, you don’t really know what all these smartphones have to offer, even though they may offer even more.

The Nexus One namely has been all the buzz around the tech industry and for a good reason, it could be best deal, and the best smartphone out of all of them, or it could fail miseribly. In this very snazzy chart, you get an insiders look on this specs chart that is made out for humans to read and details the 4 big smartphones that you must know about.

Full chart after the break!

Nexus One Teardown - they found 802.11n WiFi and FM transmitter

You already know everything about the Nexus One, but what about what you need to know? Those crafty guys over at iFixit have torn the Nexus to bits. The weird part is they found 802.11n WiFi and an FM transmitter. The reason why no-one knew about the WiFi is because Google does list 802.11n on the specs page although HTC does not WTF! Also the bit that houses the WiFi chip is also capable of transmitting and receiving FM signals and is labeled "Broadcom BCM4329EKUBG". Links after the break!

Close up picture of the chip after the break

Video: Googles newer phone, the 'Fuck-you-iPhone' phone.

Brandon Davenport Jan 6, 2010 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Apple, Gadgets, Google, Humor, Videos, iPhone

This is the Google phone that nobody knew about. Truley a great device, and a strong companion in your hatred against the iPhone. [via Landline TV, Gizmodo]

Google Nexus One -- Carriers, Specs and Price

The Nexus one may be one of the most anticipated phones of the century. It features Google's flagship OS "Android" which powers the Motorola Droid and 99 percent of the new HTC phones -- on that note, the Nexus One's hardware is manufactured by HTC. It seems like there is a love affair happening between Google and HTC. Moving on, as for service carriers, its T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone. Not AT&T (but if you must you still can use their service, but with no 3G) and it will be around the same price point as the iPhone 3GS.

More after the break...