Android tweak lets admins reset stolen devices

Google has enhanced the enterprise management capabilities of its Android smartphone platform, making it possible for administrators to secure and reset lost or stolen devices.
In a blog post on Thursday, Google Enterprise Mobility Product Manager Mayur Kamat wrote that Android already worked "quite well" with the Google Apps productivity and collaboration suite, but the company was working to provide more functionality for those organizations using both platforms.

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Microsoft Fixing 64 Security Flaws for April's Patch

Microsoft's massive April Patch Tuesday will tie the record for the most security bulletins released at one time. It is a dramatic contrast to last month's skimpy Patch Tuesday release, which only contained three security bulletins.

On April 12, Microsoft plans to release 17 security bulletins, including nine that are rated "Critical" and eight rated "Important." Fifteen of the bulletins address vulnerabilities that allow attackers to remotely execute code.

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Paying Taxes for Online Purchases?

You probably don't want to pay sales tax for online purchase, but you should. There's no strong argument that Internet commerce should receive more favorable tax treatment than shopping at a store in person. A post I wrote earlier this week argued this point. It posed the question: why aren't states doing more to pursue collecting sales tax from online retailers? In fact, some are.

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State Department Builds A Panic Button App

Sorry I haven't blogged lately, I had to take care of some personal things.


Anyway, imagine you are a pro-democracy protester on the streets of a repressive government. You’ve got your cellphone and you are messaging your friends. In the crowd near you, the police start making arrests. Fearing the government will confiscate your phone and investigate your contacts, you push a “panic button” on your phone. It deletes the contacts in your address book and sends out an alert. Such an app wasn’t readily available so the U.S. State Department, acting as a venture capitalist, decided to build one.
The State Department tells TechCrunch government funded work is underway to build an Android version of this “panic button” app. No release date has been set. Another version designed to work on low-cost Nokia phones, more common in the developing world, is being considered. No iPhone app is planned for now.

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Facebook to Buy Mobile App Developer Snaptu

Facebook has agreed to buy Snaptu, an application developer for mobile devices that are less sophisticated than smartphones, as the world's largest Internet social network focuses on expanding its mobile services.

Facebook will pay up to $70 million for the London-based Snaptu, according to the Israeli newspapers Calcalist and The Marker.

Snaptu confirmed the deal, which is expected to close in a few weeks, on its website on Sunday.

Facebook spokesman Jonny Thaw declined to comment on the deal's terms, but said in an email, "As part of Facebook, Snaptu's team and technology will enable us to deliver an even better mobile experience."

The site has been increasingly focusing on building up its mobile phone services for its 500-million-plus member online social network, and is in the market for more deals. Last week, Facebook said it had hired a member of Google Inc's corporate development team to lead its fledgling merger and acquisition efforts.

Snaptu, founded in 2007, develops applications for feature phones, which have fewer capabilities than smartphones. The company helped develop a feature phone Facebook app earlier this year.