Earlier this month, Korean smartphone manufacturer LG teased the G2 Mini, a smaller version of its flagship Android smartphone, the LG G2 . It seemed like LG Netherlands took the wraps off the G2 Mini yesterday , but now the company has made it official via an announcement on its website.
The G2 Mini comes in with a screen size of 4.7 inches — well, not really that small after all. Comparatively, the G2 sports a 5.2-inch 1080p display. The G2 Mini also comes with the rear-mounted power and volume buttons first introduced by LG with its G2 device.
The mini version of LG G2 is targeted squarely at the mid-tier segment, the company says — and will “introduce most of the G2’s premium UX features to a new global audience.” The G2 Mini comes equipped with a 2,440mAh battery and 1GB RAM, is powered by a quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat.
The G2 Mini will be introduced in several variations, including single/dual SIM, 3G/4G LTE and four color options, as LG says this is “because the global mid-tier smartphone was designed to meet the needs of millions of customers around the world.” It seems like LG is spreading the net as far and wide as it can with the G2 Mini, seeking to rake up overall sales of its devices.
LG is also introducing UX features from its flagship G series to the G2 Mini, including Guest Mode — which allows you to keep your content private when someone else is using your phone.
The G2 Mini will start rolling out globally in March with the 3G dual SIM model in Russia and other CIS countries , followed soon after by major markets in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia — including Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan — as well as Europe.
The device will make its global debut during Mobile World Congress later this month.
Images via LG
Netgear exploit found in 31 models lets hackers turn your router into a botnet
You might want to upgrade the firmware of your router if it happens to sport the Netgear brand. Researchers have discovered a severe security hole that potentially puts hundreds of thousands of Netgear devices at risk.
Disclosed by cybersecurity firm Trustwave , the vulnerability essentially allows attackers to exploit the router’s password recovery system to bypass authentication and hijack admin credentials, giving them full access to the device and its settings.
What is particularly alarming is that the bug affects at least 31 different Netgear models, with the total magnitude of the vulnerability potentially leaving over a million users open to attacks.
Even more unsettling is the fact that affected devices could in certain cases be breached remotely. As Trustwave researcher Simon Kenin explains, any router that has the remote management option switched on is ultimately vulnerable to hacks.
While the remote management feature is disabled by default in most devices, the firm has found more than 10 thousand affected routers, but the actual number could be “over a million.”
Kenin further warns that anyone with physical access to faulty Netgear routers can abuse their defensive mechanisms to obtain access to the device, including the ability to turn routers into botnets.
“The vulnerability can be used by a remote attacker if remote administration is set to be internet facing. By default this is not turned on. However, anyone with physical access to a network with a vulnerable router can exploit it locally,” the researcher said. “This would include public wifi spaces like cafés and libraries using vulnerable equipment.”
Trustwave has since reported the hole to the National Vulenrability Database. Netgear has also confirmed the flaw in a post on its website, releasing a full list of the affected models:
R8500
R8300
R7000
R6400
R7300DST
R7100LG
R6300v2
WNDR3400v3
WNR3500Lv2
R6250
R6700
R6900
R8000
R7900
WNDR4500v2
R6200v2
WNDR3400v2
D6220
D6400
C6300 (firmware released to ISPs)
In case you own one of the listed routers, you’re strongly advised to update the firmware of your device in order to avoid risking getting hacked. Netgear has already posted the updated firmware on its website .
This vulnerability marks a second blunder for the popular router-maker in a window of less than two months.
Back in December , the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team warned users against using Netgear R7000 and R6400 routers after discovering another high-profile flaw in the devices.
SwiftKey’s predictive keyboard accelerates beyond smartphones and tablets, into the car
SwiftKey , the much-praised smart keyboard for Android devices, is taking its first step beyond mobile devices and into the car. It will be included in Clarion’s AX1 Android-based in-car entertainment system.
The Internet-connected AX1 boasts GPS, a Web browser and 1080p video playback via its 6.5-inch capacitive multi-touch display. The benefit of a good predictive keyboard when entering text in a car is pretty obvious, although it’s easy to imagine voice control usurping text input for this use case in time.
The AX1 is currently available in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and India, with rollouts planned for countries in South Africa, the Middle East, the rest of South East Asia and the CIS.
UK-based SwiftKey says that the move represents its “transition into technology as a lifestyle brand,” indicating that we may well see its keyboard pop up on other Android-based devices in the future. It certainly makes sense as a growth strategy. Let’s face it, there’s no sign of Apple licensing its technology yet, even though iOS could definitely do with a better keyboard.