Android L to use device encryption by default

Although device encryption has been available as a security measure to Android users for a while now, Google is stepping up user security in Android L by turning on device encryption by default.

Niki Christoff is a spokeswoman for Google and has been quoted as saying “As part of our next Android release, encryption will be enabled by default out of the box, so you won’t even have to think about turning it on.”

There are many security benefits to encrypting your Android device, including, but not limited to, preventing would be thieves from accessing your data on device without your password, and even blocking law enforcement from accessing data like your stored messages and photos. Google makes it clear that they do not store any encryption keys off of device, so they cannot help law enforcement access your phone, even if they wanted to.



While the encryption process will be setup within the device activation process, thus making it a default setting, users will have to keep in mind that the security pin or password they put in place should remain private and secure. Let’s face it, if you lose or forget this password, you will be locked out too.

Another major benefit to device encryption, aside from being a theft deterrent, is that your personal files will no longer be able to survive a device factory reset. We recently reported that determined individuals were able to recover many personal files from a collection of devices that had been factory reset and were on their way for resale as used electronics. A little bit scary, but will not be a factor for new Android L devices.



As a default offering, this is a great move by Google to go a step above and beyond their Android Device Manager‘s remote locate and wipe functionality to protect users and their data. We also suspect that this is a part of Google’s overall strategy to comply with new California law requiring new devices to ship with anti-theft measures baked in. It may be of note that Apple has also just announced they will have similar measures in iOS 8.

Have you been using Android’s device encryption or other more drastic security measures?

Via: Ars Technica;

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Ahead of Alibaba IPO, Western retailers rush to do ecommerce in China

 
As the world awaits the highly anticipated IPO of Alibaba in the US, Western retailers are rushing to establish themselves in China’s ecommerce ecosystem. Today, American fashion brand Calvin Klein is launching a flagship online store on Alibaba’s brand-oriented marketplace Tmall (pictured above).

Just a week ago, H&M took a slightly different approach in its China expansion by launching a standalone online shopping store for China.

Both those moves again underscore the powerful draw of China’s fast-growing online shopping market. Chinese consumers will spend an estimated US$275 billion on B2C (business-to-consumer) sites such as Alibaba’s Tmall and arch-rival JD this year. That’ll rise to US$440 billion by 2016.

Since 2012, a number of major US-based brand names, including Apple, Microsoft, Bose, Nike, Gap, Levi’s, Disney, New Balance, and the National Football League have launched stores on Tmall. Earlier this year, European companies including luxury brand Burberry and ASOS joined Tmall as well.

See: Top Chinese messaging app makes big ecommerce leap with opening of WeChat stores

Companies are adopting different approaches to win the wallets of Chinese online shoppers. For example, British fashion retailer Topshop made a new move last month, striking a deal with Shangpin, a Chinese estore that sells multi-brand contemporary fashion from labels such as Lanvin, La Perla, and Diane von Furstenberg.


Offline-to-online: A young man at an H&M store in China scans a QR code. (Image: Tech in Asia)


Western retailers struggle to decide whether to open their own independent online store in China, or join an existing marketplace like Tmall or JD. However, given that Tmall accounts for around 50 percent of B2C online retail sales in China, it has been winning and is the preferred starting point for most foreign firms entering China’s ecommerce market.

Alibaba lists on the New York Stock Exchange today when Friday trading begins in the US. The company could raise as much as US$25 billion today. The world is waiting to see how influential Alibaba’s Tmall and other online platforms will become in the near term, and in the years to come, and major brands are weighing up how such estores should factor in to their broader retail strategy.

See: Alibaba IPO will make it biggest internet company in China and third biggest in the world

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Fintech startups in Asia might see an influx of new cash in the coming years

Fintech startups in Asia might see an influx of new cash in the coming years. Nova Founders Capital, an Asia-focused VC firm created by Rocket internet alumni Mads Faurholt-Jorgensen and Raphael Strautch, has announced it just received a US$50 million investment from Pacific Century Group, an investment company founded by Richard Li, son of Hong Kong’s Li Ka-Shing (aka“Asia’s richest man”).

A spokeswoman for Nova Founders Capital says that the firm will use the funding to tilt its focus towards fintech firms (that’s startup speak for “financial technology,” or firms focused on the finance industry). Not unlike Rocket Internet, it has committed not just to investing in companies, but also building new ones and possibly acquiring old ones.

“Fintech is the largest remaining internet frontier, presenting massive opportunities across Europe, Latin America, and Asia in particular,” says Faurholt-Jorgensen in an official statement. “We have so far identified twenty two billion dollar [sic] opportunities in financial services internet models worldwide. We have already begun work to build and invest in [the] first five of them. We firmly believe that the next tech superstars will come from the fintech industry.”

Even though Nova describes itself as a global-facing venture capital firm, its investment portfolio the far leans heavily towards Asia. Its portfolio includes the Compare Asia Group, which runs a batch of financial product comparison sites in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. It has also invested in Glasses Group, a glasses marketplace with operations across Southeast Asia, and Lion and Lion, a digital marketing agency that takes clients from Southeast Asia.

At the moment, it’s not quite clear what the implications of Pacific Century Groups’ investment in Nova are. It’s possible that Compare Asia Group might ramp up its staffing and marketing, or that Nova will start acting as a traditional VC firm that invests heavily in Asian fintech firms.

The Nova-Hong Kong connection also warrants attention. Touted as Asia’s financial hub, the city’s vibrant banking sector has led fintech to become a buzzword in the local community. Two of the city’s high-profile startups work in fintech – 8 Securities recently raised US$9 million from Velocity Capital and others, and in May DemystData raised US$5 million from a bevy of investors including Arbor Ventures, a Hong Kong-based VC firm that specializes in fintech. We’ve reached out to Nova to learn more about the deal and will update our readers when more information becomes available.

Editing by David Corbin, top image via Flickr user pamhule

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Android Silver on hold?

Android Silver on hold?

Android Silver was said to replace the Nexus program at some point. These rumors were quickly axed and we haven’t heard much about Android Silver since then. What happened? Even if it doesn’t replace the Nexus program, will it ever reach the market?

The Information has it in good faith that the Android Silver initiative was put on hold after Nikesh Arora’s departure from the company. He was said to be overseeing relations with manufacturers and carriers, which play a big role in Android Silver.

Android Silver’s future is now uncertain and it seems everyone (other than us) wanted it that way. Manufacturers were to eager to help Google out with advertising and Googlers believed the program wouldn’t create enough success in the masses.

Opinion: Like many of you, I was in love with the idea of Android Silver. It was a dream to all geeks – pure Android from multiple manufacturers and quick updates. We certainly hope this program is resuscitated at some point.

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