Tag: mobile technology news

SIM vulnerability could impact mobile commerce

| July 24, 2013

Mobile commerce continues to have a dubious track record on the security front

Security in the mobile commerce space may be more serious than previously thought. Like other computer systems, smartphones and tablets are susceptible to malware, viruses, and malicious attacks that seek to exploit the personal information of a user. Over the years, nearly every facet of mobile technology has been compromised in some form or another, calling for more robust security features to be introduced in every succeeding generation of smartphones and tablets. SIM cards have long remained resilient against conventional attacks, providing mobile devices with some degree of security that had not yet been overcome. That has changed.

Major security flaw uncovered with millions of SIM cards

German cryptographer Karsten Nohl has announced that he has successfully discovered encryption and software flaws that put millions upon millions of SIM cards in danger of hacking and other such attacks. Notably, these flaws could have a major impact on the mobile commerce space, much of which is based on NFC technology, which itself has been criticized for having lackluster security features. Nohl suggests that millions of mobile devices could be at risk of exploitation because of the flaw in SIM cards.

Mobile commerce and mobile securityMore information on vulnerability to be provided at security event

Nohl is expected to demonstrate his findings at an upcoming security event that will be help in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this month. During the event, Nohl will showcase the discoveries he has made over his three years of research into the matter. The event may shed some light on how SIM card vulnerabilities could affect the mobile commerce sector. Given that security continues to gain somewhat dubious attention in this sector, more consumers are becoming wary of participating in mobile commerce lest they fall victim to malicious attacks.

Mobile commerce may avoid disaster if companies take aggressive security measures

While the SIM vulnerability could prove very problematic for consumers, Nohl notes that two large telecommunications companies have already reached out to him for information on the issue. These companies are using this information to develop a security fix for the issue in an attempt to protect consumers. If more companies take similar steps, the SIM card vulnerability may have only a modest impact on the mobile commerce space.

Mobile games graphics could rival that of current consoles

| July 11, 2013

EA has high hopes for next generation mobile games

Major game publisher Electronic Arts believes that the next generation of mobile games will have the same graphical capabilities of games for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. This would have been a bold claim, if mobile technology had remained relatively stagnant over the past few years. Technology has, however, advanced at a very rapid pace and modern smartphones and tablets are equipped with hardware that could rival the current generation of consoles.

Mobile games manage to gain popularity with modest graphics

Mobile games are already quite popular among consumers, so much so that they have begun to cut into the sales of console games in some parts of the world. These games have not won consumers over by offering high quality visuals, however, as most mobile games are designed with very simple, approachable graphical content. The modest graphics of most mobile games is directly linked to the hardware capabilities of smartphones and tablets. Until very recently, these devices have not been designed with gaming in mind, thus did not boast of high performance graphics processing units (GPUs).

Mobile Games - Mobile game graphics may rival current console graphicsNew technology enables games to become more visually impressive

Because smartphones and tablets have become major entertainment platforms for many consumers, device makers have been working on making these devices more accommodating of mobile games. Electronic Arts notes that the progress these devices have made in terms of graphical power has improved significantly over the past two years and could lead to a new generation of mobile games that provide a visually stunning experience as well as one that is enjoyable for consumers from a gameplay standpoint.

Graphics engines could signal a bright future for mobile games

Electronic Arts notes that many of the graphics engines that it uses for console games can be modified to be used on mobile devices. These engines are common in games that have been made for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, but have seen minimal use in the mobile sector. As these engines become more available to developers and help usher in a new generation of smartphones and tablets, mobile games may soon become a much larger and more prolific part of the game industry in the near future.