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You might be able to unlock your next Chromebook with your smartphone
Can't remember your password? Someday, you might not have to. A new feature in Google's Chrome OS dev channel promises to instantly unlock a user's Chromebook whenever their phone is nearby. Unfortunately, the feature doesn't actually work. The verification tool, named Easy Unlock, offers only a brief description and an unfinished setup, which ends with in futile search to pair a device. The feature simply isn't ready, which is probably why it's disabled by default -- but it's certainly a novel idea.
House passes bill that legalizes phone unlocking, with a frustrating caveat
Still unsure where unlocking your mobile device falls under the eyes of the law? Legislation just passed through the US House of Representatives that might clear things up, but there's a catch. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition act would allow users to unlock devices for use on a new carrier after their subsidized contract expires -- but a late change to the bill tacked on an exclusion for "bulk unlocking." This last minute change spoils the legislation for companies that purchase, unlock and resell devices to consumers, and casts a shadow over a bill that could have helped free your mobile from the convoluted mire of US copyright law. Proponents of the change argue that it won't prevent the bulk sale of locked or previous unlocked phones - and it passed with a strong majority - but the change was significant enough to dissuade several previously supportive representatives from voting for the bill. "There needs to be a market in unlocked phones," Democratic Representative Jared Polis said, describing the late change as a "poison pill" for consumer advocates. Hopefully, the bill will see more positive tweaks on the floor of the Senate.
Moto X Touchless Control update lets you speak your unlock code
You no longer have to give up some of the Moto X's voice commands if you want to rely on security codes. An update to the smartphone's Touchless Control app lets you speak a PIN code to unlock the device; as long as you're not worried about eavesdroppers, you can check private messages without poking at the screen. You won't even have to unlock the phone as often as before, since the upgrade expands the range of Google Now voice instructions that work while the handset is sleeping. You'll need to be running Android 4.4 KitKat on your Moto X to use the improved Touchless Control, but it's otherwise ready to download through Google Play.
FCC FTW: wireless telcos agree to more consumer-friendly phone unlocking policies
About a month ago, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler gave the U.S. wireless industry an ultimatum: choose to get on board with unlocking people's phones or face regulatory action forcing it to do so. Today, the CTIA -- the wireless industry trade association -- and Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular have acceded to Wheeler's demands by recommending that his policies be incorporated into the CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service. According to a letter sent to by the CTIA to the FCC, this means that the telcos mentioned above "will move quickly to implement these principles" in total within a year. In case you forgot, this means that within 12 months those companies will: provide a clear, concise and readily accessible policy on unlocking unlock mobile devices for legitimate owners of those devices once their service contract has been fulfilled notify customers when their devices are eligible to be unlocked and/or automatically unlock those devices for free (but they can charge a reasonable if you aren't a current customer) unlock devices or provide an explanation of a denial of any unlock requests within two days unlock devices for military service men and women upon deployment For its part, the FCC was gracious in victory, with Chairman Wheeler stating during an open Commission meeting today that he was happy that a cooperative agreement was reached in a speedy manner and that "this is the way things should work." Fellow commissioner Ajit Pai chimed in as well, stating that he was glad that the "specter of jail time for those who unlock their phones" was now removed, but that the policy change isn't enough. Pai went on to call on Congress to fix the flaws with US Copyright law that are the underlying root of the problem, and he hopes that this shift in CTIA policy will "help expedite the legislative process." Time will tell if our governmental's legislative arm heeds the executive's advice -- don't hold your breath.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler tells carriers to get on board with his plan to let people unlock their phones... or else
Congress, the White House and the FCC's new chairman Tom Wheeler have all come out in favor of setting our phones free, but the telcos who can actually grant our handsets liberty have been slow to heed the governmental call. Because of that, Wheeler sent a veiled threat letter to the CTIA imploring it to amend its Consumer Code to include a policy ensuring our rights to get our phones unlocked once we're off contract. Apparently, the FCC has been working with the CTIA for eight months to craft a policy that requires telcos to: provide a clear, concise and readily accessible policy on unlocking unlock mobile devices for legitimate owners of those devices once their service contract has been fulfilled notify customers when their devices are eligible to be unlocked and/or automatically unlock those devices for free unlock devices or provide an explanation of a denial of any unlock requests within two days unlock devices for military service men and women upon deployment The two sides are in agreement with four of the five requirements, with the only sticking point being the bit about service providers having to notify us when our devices are eligible to be unlocked. Tom Wheeler, however, isn't willing to see The Wireless Association's side of things because "absent the consumer's right to be informed about unlocking eligibility, any voluntary program would be a hollow shell." Furthermore, he wants the new unlock policy put in place before the holidays this year, whether by the CTIA's voluntary or the FCC's regulatory action. Looks like we'll be getting phone freedom for Christmas this year. We like the sound of that.
Phone unlocking sees sharp increase in popularity following ban in January
When the US Library of Congress ruled to make the unlocking of smartphones illegal, its motive was (obviously) to discourage the practice. But it seems that since the ban on the practice was put into effect in January, at least one phone unlocking service has actually seen a rather drastic increase in customers wishing to free their mobile phones from the grasp of a specific carrier. As VentureBeat reports, UK-based Mobile Unlocked -- a company that provides remote unlocks for a wide range of iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices -- has seen its US sales spike by 71 percent since the ban. What's more, the company hasn't been actively advertising to American smartphone owners, and yet the US is the only territory in which sales are soaring. So what is driving the popularity of the practice? There are likely several factors here, including an increased awareness of easy-to-use unlocking options, a larger number of used smartphones being bought second-hand and of course the fact that doing something illegal is just plain fun. Wait, did I say that out loud?
Google patent launches specific apps through pattern unlock
When you set up your Android phone with a secure unlock mode, it often means giving up app shortcuts. You won't have to make that sacrifice if Google implements a newly granted US patent, however. The technique lets device owners complement a basic pattern unlock with multiple customizable patterns that launch specific apps, such as the camera or dialer. It's a simple concept. The question is whether or not Google will ever use it -- when Android 4.3 still relies on a conventional pattern unlock, it's clear that the company isn't in a big rush.
FCC chairman nominee Tom Wheeler comes out in favor of legalized phone unlocking
He was nominated to replace Julius Genachowski as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission a mere six weeks ago, and before he's even got the job, Tom Wheeler's making headlines. Ars Technica reports that would-be chairman Wheeler wants what many (all?) cell phone owners want -- the ability to unlock our phones free from fear of legal retribution. The way he sees things, when folks have bought and paid for their phones and are contract-free, they "ought to have the right to use the device and move it across carriers." Unfortunately, while he's staked out his position on the matter, he has yet to say exactly how he plans to make phone unlocking legal, be it through legislation or other means. The good news is, he's not the boss just yet, so he's got time to address those niggling details while he waits to be confirmed as the new chairman.
Google Glass rooted and hacked to run Ubuntu live at Google I/O
Today at Google I/O the company held a session entitled "Voiding your Warranty" where employees demonstrated how to root Google Glass and install Ubuntu on it. What you're seeing above is a screenshot from a laptop running a terminal window on top and showing the screencast output from Glass on the bottom -- here running the standard Android launcher instead of the familiar cards interface. The steps involve pushing some APKs (Launcher, Settings and Notepad) to the device using adb, then pairing Glass with a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. After this, it's possible to unlock the bootloader with fastboot and flash a new boot image to gain root access. From there you have full access to Glass -- just like that! Running Ubuntu requires a couple more apps to be installed, namely Android Terminal Emulator and Complete Linux Installer. The latter lets you download and boot your favorite linux distro (Ubuntu, in this case). You're then able to use SSH or VNC to access Ubuntu running right on Glass. We captured a few screenshots of the process in our gallery. Follow the links below for more info -- just be careful not to brick your Glass okay? %Gallery-188641%
Apple receives iPhone unlock requests from law enforcement
The encryption on your iPhone is apparently secure enough that law enforcement agencies are waiting in line to have Apple "crack" the lock and provide data to be used as evidence. According to a report by CNET, Apple has the ability to decrypt seized iPhones and has created a waiting list to handle requests. At one point last summer, the wait was over seven weeks long and one ATF agent reported that it took his request at least four months to be processed. The ATF had tried to decrypt the iPhone 4S of a Kentucky man accused of distributing crack cocaine and became so frustrated that it contacted Apple for assistance. That's where the wait started... For those who are concerned about how secure their personal information is on an iOS device, the fact that the devices can't be cracked by federal agents is good news. No one is sure exactly how Apple can decrypt the information for police, whether there's a backdoor that only Apple knows about, has custom hardware for decryption or just has better-trained cryptologists. The CNET article notes that Elcomsoft sells an iOS Forensic Toolkit, which claims to crack a four-digit iOS 4 or iOS 5 passcode in less than 40 minutes. It's when someone uses a PIN or password with more characters that the decryption time takes a much longer time. The post cites Simson Garfinkel from the US Naval Postgraduate School, who estimates that cracking a 10-digit PIN could take as long as 25 years using common brute-force methods. The bottom line? For normal law-abiding citizens, a longer passphrase or PIN can keep your iOS data protected. For criminals, however, Apple knows how to free your data for law enforcement and will do so. [via TechCrunch]
New Kevo lock uses your iPhone for keyless entry
Kwikset has made a new lock it's calling Kevo that makes use of your iPhone to lose your keys for good. The idea on this one seems great, and apparently the company picked up some money from a pitch on the Shark Tank TV show. The lock has both standard key-based and wireless mechanisms, so instead of using your key, you can simply put your smartphone or a branded fob up to the lock, and it'll open up for you. You can also send a key to someone else's smartphone, so if they need to get in your house for some reason, you can send them a temporary key that only works for a given amount of time. That's great, and because the lock is still a standard mechanical lock, it'll work like a traditional lock as well if all else fails. The Kevo lock runs on two AA batteries for about a year, at which point those need to be replaced. Still, I'd love to have one on my apartment door. It's set to be available this summer.
Play Battleblock Theater as a Castle Crashers knight, Alien Hominid guy
Battleblock Theater launches tomorrow on XBLA, but two previous games from The Behemoth have been taking up space (and topping the sales charts) for years, Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid HD. Finally, all the hours of enjoying these games pays off, in the form of special unlocks in Battleblock Theater. Owners of Castle Crashers can play as that game's knight in Battleblock Theater, and owners of Alien Hominid HD can get the alien for Battleblock Theater.Intrepid players are able to unlock the "Can't Stop Crying" pack in Castle Crashers on XBLA by earning at least one achievement in Battleblock Theater, as long as both games are up-to-date and installed on the same system. With the Can't Stop Crying pack, earning achievements in Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid HD unlocks special heads in Battleblock Theater, and earning achievements in Battleblock Theater unlocks Hatty Hattington, that game's protagonist, for Castle Crashers.Both Alien Hominid HD and Castle Crashers are on sale for 800 MS Points on XBLA, now through April 4.
US regional iPhone carriers band together to ease unlocking rules
Smaller wireless carriers in several US regional and rural areas are backing bills in Congress that would allow consumers to unlock mobile phones and tablets without a carriers' permission, according to Bloomberg. The support is in response to a January 26 law that made it illegal to unlock phones in the United States. That law was supported by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the country's two largest phone providers. A new effort to reverse the January 26 decision is underway and it has bipartisan support. In addition to the Competitive Carriers Association, which represents smaller wireless carriers like US Cellular and Bluegrass Cellular, other supporters of overturning the law include President Barack Obama's White House, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VA) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA). The Competitive Carriers Association says that a consumer's ability to unlock their phone would mean greater choice and better coverage for those in specific areas of the country. However, the CTIA (the association that represents the four largest wireless carriers in the United States, including AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint) says that "locking cell phones is an essential part of the wireless industry's dominant business model." Readers who want to help the Competitive Carriers Association overturn current laws making unlocking phones illegal can check out their call to action page here.
Bipartisan bill to re-legalize cellphone unlocking introduced in Senate
We should have known that it wouldn't take long for someone in congress to take up the fight to re-legalize cellphone unlocking. Those championing the effort on the floor of the Senate are Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) , Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) who introduced the Wireless Consumer Choice Act this afternoon. After the Librarian of Congress declared that unlocking a cellphone violated copyright law under the DMCA (that's Digital Millennium Copyright Act) activists kicked into high gear in an attempt to prevent or reverse the decision. Consumer advocates quickly collected 100,000 signatures on a petition, forcing the White House to take a position on the matter. To the relief of many, including the globe trotters and ROM fanatics here at Engadget, President Obama backed our right to circumvent carrier locks -- within reason, of course. This is after FCC chairman Julius Genachowski voiced concerns that the ban could hamper competition and innovation. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from California, is pushing a similar bill in the House of representatives, but its the bipartisan senate version that seems to be garnering the most attention. In a statement Blumenthal called the legislation "common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice and important for ensuring healthy competition in the market." Obviously this is just the beginning of a long long journey and all the sponsors can do is hope and pray their sad little scrap of paper will one day become a law. Update: It turns out that there's another bill that has been introduced in the Senate as well, penned by Oregon senator Rob Wyden.
White House responds to petition: unlocking phones should be legalized
The recent ruling that effectively bans third-party phone unlocking has ruffled more than a few feathers, and the people have spoken with their electronic signatures -- 114,322 of them, to be exact. Now the petition to the White House, which asks that DMCA protection of phone unlockers be reconsidered, has finally received an official response, and it appears that it's for the positive. The author of the letter is R. David Edelman, Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation and Privacy. "The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties," Edelman writes. All told, the response matches that of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which wrote a letter to the Librarian of Congress in support of extending the exemption last year. So what does this mean for us? Edelman states: "The Obama Administration would support a range of approaches to addressing this issue, including narrow legislative fixes in the telecommunications space that make it clear: neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a service agreement or other obligation." We're not going to see immediate change, but it appears that a chain of events is now in motion in which the FCC and Congress potentially play a huge role. We're not out of the woods yet, but it's relieving to see such a positive response -- along with a call to action -- from the government. Read the response in its entirety below.
FCC Chairman voices 'concerns' about US phone unlocking ban, says he'll look into it
Bad news travels fast, so by now many US phone buyers ought to know about this country's depressing u-turn on phone unlocking. The latest policy -- which makes it illegal to unlock a phone without a carrier's permission -- looks to be set in stone for at least three years, but that isn't stopping people in high places from voicing serious reservations about it. The latest to pipe up is FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who told TechCrunch that the "ban raises competition concerns" and "innovation concerns." Genachowski said the FCC will look at whether it "can and should enable consumers to use unlocked phones" but he also admitted he isn't sure what kind of authority he has over the issue. It all feels a bit late in the day, frankly, especially when the FCC appears to have largely stood aside while the unlocking policy was being hammered out.
Engadget Primed: making sense of the US' new phone unlocking policy
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. On October 25, 2012, the US librarian of Congress ruled that the act of unlocking your phone was no longer allowed under copyright law. The ruling, which has been severely criticized by consumer advocacy groups and tech enthusiasts across the country, declares that it's a copyright violation if you unlock your phone without the permission of the carrier it's locked to. Why would such an unthreatening action result in heavy fees and possible jail time? After the break, we'll discuss what the ruling means for the future of the mobile industry, how it will impact consumers and if we should worry that our dentist's uncle's third cousin (once removed) is in trouble because he has an unlocked phone.
Rogers adopts sane device unlocking policy, $8 pay-per-use US roaming
Rogers has had an unlocking policy in place for awhile, but it isn't what most would call reasonable: an unlock isn't even an option until the contract is over, which could involve a 3-year wait and obsolete hardware that isn't worth the effort. Logic is about to prevail, thanks in part to pressure from proposed CRTC guidelines on customer rights. A policy change in March will see Rogers unlock devices as long as they've been on the network for at least 90 days, delivering freedom while the equipment is still relevant. Subscribers will just have to swallow the $50 fee, although that's a relative bargain next to buying outright. The provider is also making a gesture of goodwill to those who frequently cross into the US through a new roaming add-on launching this spring. Border-hoppers will have the option to pay $8 to get a quick, 50MB hit of data for one day. It's not quite the revolution the carrier claims when many of us could blow past the limit within minutes -- Instagram, anyone? Still, it's good enough for emergency directions or an email check among those of us who won't commit to a permanent roaming plan.
Unlocking new phones now banned under DMCA, the EFF weighs in
It was great while it lasted, but the days of users legally unlocking their own phones is over. Back in October of last year, the Library of Congress added an exemption to the DMCA to allow folks to free their new phones for 90 days. That three month window has now closed. Of course, carriers are still free to offer unlocked handsets themselves, and some will also unlock them for you as long as certain conditions are met. "Legacy" or used handsets purchased before today can still be unlocked without any finger-wagging from federal courts. So, what does this mean exactly? Well, Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Mitch Stoltz told us, "What's happening is not that the Copyright Office is declaring unlocking to be illegal, but rather that they're taking away a shield that unlockers could use in court if they get sued." This does make lawsuits much more likely according to him, but it's still up to the courts to decide the actual legality of phone unlocking. Indeed, it's a grim day for those who want true freedom over their own devices. Stoltz said to us, "This shows just how absurd the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is: a law that was supposed to stop the breaking of digital locks on copyrighted materials has led to the Librarian of Congress trying to regulate the used cellphone market."
Canadian Bell and Virgin Mobile will unlock iPhones for $75
According to documents obtained by Mobile Syrup, Bell and Virgin are now unlocking all versions of the iPhone for eligible customers. The policy allegedly went into effect on November 26 and requires you to pay US$75 to the carrier for the unlock. According to Mobile Syrup, customers must also own the iPhone outright, must not be on contract and must be a post-paid customer on Virgin Mobile or Bell Mobility. The unlock procedure requires you to call Bell's Credit & Prevention department or Virgin Care. If you are a Virgin Mobile or Bell customer and can't unlock now, then you might want to wait for a few months as the leaked document suggests these eligibility guidelines will be expanded in 2013.
