First off, a big thanks to Charlotte and Kevin from SMobile for this exclusive. Today I had the opportunity to speak in conference call with Kevin Thomas, Vice President of Business Development of SMobile Systems, and the security concerns of the Apple iPad coming aboard to the Mobile World. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation of the great things Apple has in store, but what about the risks?

In speaking with Kevin, he discussed Apple and how there are big things to be expected because everything that Apple touches is with a Midas touch. Apple has revolutionized the wireless market and has caused a stir by moving other wireless technology to try and match and keep up. Apple in essence, is a product innovator.  The new iPad  is a 3G device, has the ability to access the WiFi connections. It is very much like the iPhone. It can connect to various networks, but the WiFi networks are open and unsecured connections.

WiFi is an open network, and carries the threat of the “Man in the Middle”. In other words, there’s a possibility of your information being intercepted. And WiFi is everywhere. It’s available everywhere from hotels and airlines like American Airlines, to certain places like McDonalds and even coffee shops. The Man in the Middle is a a reader that skims information as it’s intercepted. There’s no mechanism with the iPad to detect such a threat. SMobile has the software with a solution.

Apple uses Baseline technology, basic encryption is it. With companies excited such as Apple for their new products, they have the focus of the wow factor and revenue, but security tends to be lost in the whole factor. The underlying OS of Apples and even Android systems are an underlying UNIX type OS. The iPad appears to be a larger yet similar type of iPhone alteration. Apple is against restrictions, as the Android system is. They are about downloading all the apps you want when you want, with unrestricted use, and therefore not limiting functionality. And yet as you’ve read about the security issues of the iPhone beginning with Shoes and continuing especially on jailbroken iPhones. Apple has yet to provide security vendors the appropriate operating system permissions to function on non-jailbroken devices.

SMobile detects not only viruses and threats such as that, but Spyware and Adware that are potential threats. All app stores in the Eula state that they are not responsible for viruses or malware from the store. So example a banking app comes out and several users download it because it’s free, and so they put their information in. But guess what? It wasn’t an approved app from the banking institution, but a cleverly designed app by a very clever hacker and now your information is compromised. It’s scary because it’s happened. SMobile has the ability to detect these apps and delete them.

Now there is a Trend-Micro app available in the Apple Store for the iPhone, but it’s actually a browser that warns you of a site being a potentially threatening site. But it doesn’t stop you and you have to literally give up Apple’s revolutionary browser to use it. Most users don’t want to do that because the browser of Apple is part of the iPhone experience.  Now this app or browser is collecting data, so perhaps Trend-Micro has something else in the wings, but who knows. There are so-called “security” apps in the Apple store, but they are not true security apps.

SMobile has the SMobile Shield products for the following OS platforms: Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, and BlackBerry. They actually have the ONLY patented Security Shield available for BlackBerry and the Android. Now since the discovery of Google’s Android OS vulnerabilities that have become well-known , there have been other “security” apps available, but not one has come close to SMobile Systems either in name or as long as they have been doing what they do.  SMobile Systems was founded in 2002. They have experience in security and specialists who know what to look for. For instance, Daniel Hoffman, the Executive Vice Pres. and Chief Technology Officer. Dan is one of the world’s leading mobile security experts. He himself has had over 15 years direct experience securing mobile technologies. Dan is the author of two books. His book “Blackjacking: Security Threats to BlackBerry Devices, PDAs, and Cell Phones in the Enterprise” (Wiley 2007) is the most comprehensive guide available for securing mobile device-related threats. Dan is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and a Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI). Professionals like Dan with years of experience make up an organization dedicated to securing your mobile device and stay one step ahead.

So now I’m going to go into the mobile side of the conversation that leads to BlackBerry. RIM still has a focus on enterprise with 55% of the the smartphone ration being enterprise. They have 44% still in the consumer market. To make things simple and clear: BES is actually the only side of BlackBerry use that is secured. The policy driven BES restricts functionality but also protects the information on the device. BIS on the other hand has point-encrypted email. Functionality is not limited and therefore it’s open to malware, spyware, and such.  To check out what I’m referring to, go see the SMobile Systems Global Threat Center. Your BlackBerry under BIS is not secure, and is open to vulnerability each and every time that you download an app.

For some businesses who cannot afford the high costs of a BES server, or for those who want to secure their phones have another option. Especially if you have a cross platform of devices. This is happening more frequently. Whether it’s a small or large business, you might have a few employees with a BlackBerry, but then some that have a Google Android device, or a Palm device. So only the BlackBerry can be on a BES. But SMobile also offers the enterprise version which is like BES but supports all those platforms. You can log in, activate a firewall, activate the antivirus, set how often it updates, track the phone, do a remote wipe if it’s lost, lock it up, and back up and restore. All from a pc with a dashboard you control. The price of protecting your smartphone whether it be personal or enterprise is by far cheaper than finding you’ve installed a remote dialer trojan that will send your phone bill skyrocketing, or an app that a clever hacker has designed and cleaned your bank account.

I asked Kevin what recommendations he had for Mobile Security Tips.

• When not using your Bluetooth, turn it off. (Blue-jacking is possible).
• When using WiFi- make sure it’s recreational only, do not attempt financial transactions on it.
• Use a trusted security app for your phone.  Make sure the app you’re downloading is one that one that has reviews and is by a name you can trust.

You’re going to see more about mobile security because when you think about it, our smart phones are really miniature laptops with voice. They have the capability to do many things and leave us at risk. And while WiFi is a great thing, be careful what you’re putting out there. I’m going to be covering more about security because we need to be aware. It’s not true that what we don’t know won’t hurt us, and ignorance is not bliss. We need to be aware that every day there are hackers who are coming out with greater ways to retrieve information, and there are specialists out there who are trained “hackers”, ready for them to try.

SMobile Systems not only do Anti-virus, they also have solutions for Identity Theft, Anti-Theft, and monitoring your child. A special thanks goes out to Kevin and Charlotte who took the time to go over this information and allowed me to ask questions so I could present it to you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment and let me know what they are.

The Mobile Ninjas managed to score a couple great shots of the un-released BlackBerry Bold 9700 (Onyx) and Apple iPhone running on TELUS’ new HSPA network. Recently TELUS announced that they would be launching their new HSPA network this November, and that it would cover 93% of Canada. Even though they announced the network they have been fairly quiet on what devices they plan to release. All we know officially is that TELUS will get the iPhone, and hopefully they will follow Bell and launch the Bold 9700. Anyway enjoy a these two quick pics of the TELUS network up and going.

For some of us, the keypad of our BlackBerry is a little small, some consumers are put off by the size of the keys even. But soon there will be a solution for those of us who feel that way. The BlackBerry Laptop by Celio REDFLY. It is actually a mobile companion.

The companion when connected to your phone gives the user a 7 or 8 inch screen and a larger keyboard that you can type on in laptop form. This would be similar to a netbook. Now the company has had the Windows Mobile version, and it hopes to have the BlackBerry version available by Christmas of this year for BlackBerry devices with 4.6 or higher, such as the Bold, Tour, Storm, etc. It sports an 800 x 450 pixel resolution and weighs under 1k.

To use the device, you simply connect your phone to it by Bluetooth or USB. There will be two different companions available, C8N and C7. Now keep in mind that these units do not have a processor, no memory, no storage available, and no Operating System. They are only an extension of your phone.

What will expected battery life be like? It appears the 8 inch will have a battery life of 8 hours for the eight inch device and 5 hours for the seven inch device. The models are going to be priced at $199 for the 7 inch version and $249 for the 8 inch model, not bad when you think about it.

The device requires no contract, if it’s stolen there’s no personal information to be retrieved or exploited, and I don’t know how many times I hear “If I could just find a monitor and keyboard, I would have no need for my laptop when I take my trips.”

What are your thoughts on these devices? Yay or nay? Will you be looking into purchasing one or not? Share your thoughts, we’d like to know.

[via: Pocket-Lint]

I must admit I’m usually not one for posting stuff about other products, such as the iPhone, but this video was just too sweet. It seems a very angry iPhone user decided to take his Beretta 9mm handgun and shoot his iPhone 3 times, then burn it to ensure its dead. The iPhone owner appears to be angry over Apple denying the Google Voice app in their app store. All we can say is get a BlackBerry…

Here’s what the poster wrote:

Dear apple, We are sick and tired of your dictatorship. We refuse to be suffocated by your iron fist. Google Voice was the last straw. From now on I am a PC where I have my freedom.”

Enjoy the video (It’s also available in HD)…

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db7pKjUrNXQ]

[via MobileSyrup]

T-Mobile is releasing the Curve 8520 early next month, and apparently Vodafone will be releasing it soon as well. The 8520 is a more updated addition to the Curve series, and with the optical trackpad, it’s certainly a very comfortable one. The above add states: “Priceless business tool at an affordable price”.

The phone may not be top of the line as the Storm or the Tour, but nonetheless is a refreshing change and very stylish compared to the Curve series. And the optical trackball is a very nice welcome. There’s also the 8530 (Aries) waiting to be released someday too. So we’re curious….what do you think of the trackball becoming an optical trackball?

[via: CrackBerry.com]

Oh Snap! I’m sure thats not quite the PR that Palm was looking for. Howard Stern has gone public saying after testing both the BlackBerry Bold and Palm Pre that he prefers the Bold. Stern has been a long time Palm fan, but the lack of Lotus notes is holding him back from Palm’s new toy. His exacts words “They’re going to show me the Pre and then take it away. They’re trying to build excitement for this thing. If people don’t buy this I don’t see how Palm keeps going.”

Doesn’t really seem like the type of PR that Palm wants to start with?

[via RIMarkable]

Even though this usually is stricly a BlackBerry blog from time to time we do talk about some of the other smartphones hitting the market. The BGR team is on location of CTIA 2009 and they got a little hands on time with the upcoming Palm Pre smartphone. The Pre is Palm’s next generation device running an all new OS with a sweet curved body making it similar to the iPhone. The Pre features some really interesting things such as Touchstone, the wireless charging pod. Sprint is getting ready to launch this bad boy in the United States very soon so enjoy Boy Genius Report’s quick photo shoot for now…

So what do you think? Would you leave BlackBerry for Palm’s new Pre?

No pricing has not been announced as of yet, however the device should be launching very soon. If you want to find some more details on Pre head over to Palm.com or Sprint.com.

The specs on this device certaintally take a stab at both Apple and RIM but the question all over the interent is will it save Palm? Any readers here thinking of giving one a test drive?

- The iPhone uses multi-touch technology / Storm uses haptic feedback technology
- iPhone was Wi-Fi / Storm doesn’t
- iPhone has an app store / Storm doesn’t (maybe coming soon?)
- iPhone syncs with iTunes / Storm will be able too but not as well?
- iPhone users Safari for browsing / Storm uses RIM’s browser
- iPhone is GSM/3G / Storm is CDMA/GSM/Dual band HSDPA

Check out the full release below

[Source]

“It’s a little hard to put this but… we absolutely loved the Nokia E71. It was the best S60 we’d ever used. And it still is, some would argue. There is no doubt it is the finest QWERTY device Nokia has made. Don’t bring up the E90, ok? Even though we had used a Bold prior to our Nokia E71 first review, it wasn’t until we had both devices together that we really had our mind change. This is a personal opinion here, but the BlackBerry Bold smokes the E71 out of the water in so many ways. The E71 is fine as a personal communication device, but once you enter into the realm of corporate email, or even small business, for that matter, the Bold is the reigning king, and will stay that way for a pretty long time.”

Check out BGR’s review of them both