Sony Xperia Z Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Update Leaks

The Sony Xperia Z Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update remains unreleased though those looking to get their hands on it early now have the opportunity to do so, thanks to an Xperia Z Android 4.2 update leak that has emerged.

All the way back in February of this year, Sony released the Sony Xperia Z onto shelves, a release that came shortly after its official announcement at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The device arrived with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board but at the time, Sony stated that the Android 4.2 update, which had been out since November, would be rolling out shortly after its arrival.

The Sony Xperia Z Android 4.2 update has leaked.

That has not panned out as Sony Xperia Z owners are still waiting for their upgrade to Android 4.2, with no release date in sight just yet. Those that wish to get their hands on the update early now have the chance to though as the Xperia Z Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update has been leaked though it’s not entirely clear whether it will be the final version that hits consumers.

Sony hacker and developer DooMLoRD has released the update through XDA-Developer forums, releasing it as build 10.3.A.0.407. The software, first noticed by XperiaBlog, is a consumer-grade update based on a test build that Sony has released. It’s unclear how functional the software is and the firmware does require an unlocked bootloader to install.

Those who don’t have an unlocked bootloader or don’t have the know-how to obtain one should simply wait for the final version of the update to arrive as this is unlikely to be final.

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Browse and Download Files from Your Android Phone Using Your Computer's Web Browser

Want to search through your Samsung Galaxy S III or other Android smartphone using only a web browser? Thanks to XDA-Developers member Metal Droid, you can now access and download anything from your phone through any browser on your computer using DroidXPlorer.

With DroidXPlorer, you can just push a button in the application and search through your phone using a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. From the web browser, you can choose to not only download files, but also stream video and audio.

If you're worried about someone else sneaking in to your phone, just go to Settings and activate password protection.

The application only works if both the Android phone and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Check out the video below to see how it works

You can download DroidXPlorer in the Google Play Store for free.

Crack Wi-Fi Passwords with Your Android Phone and Get Free Internet!

Want to take advantage of your neighbor's super fast Wi-Fi connection? If they're smart, they probably have it password protected (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, would you?). But if you have an Android phone, you can get back at them for always parking in your spot and slamming the door when they get home at 2 a.m.—by stealing...er, borrowing, their connection.

A group of researchers came up with a hack to get around hardware limitations and add monitor mode to Android devices to allow them to crack Wi-Fi passwords.

Monitor mode lets you see all the traffic going through a network and how many devices are connected to it, but it can also be used for more nefarious purposes. If you're patient enough, you can crack the WEP key on a network by capturing data packets in monitor mode.

To add monitor mode to an Android device, the researchers reverse engineered the Broadcom radio chip. They modified the firmware on the chipsets in the Nexus One and Galaxy S II, which are the same ones used in the majority of mobile devices. The code is posted on Google Code, but you'll need to know which chipset you have and download the right one for your phone.

Once you've downloaded the code, it's as simple as extracting the .zip file, then running the setup and configuration files. They've included instructions for each chipset and a few different devices on their blog, so head over there to find the specifics for yours.

After it's up and running, check out one of our tutorials to learn how to use it to crack the key. So, next time your neighbor wants to borrow your power drill, rest assured that you're "borrowing" something much more valuable from them!

Share Your Windows 8 PC's Internet with a Phone or Tablet by Turning It into a Wi-Fi Hotspot

If you have a Windows 7 or 8 computer connected to the internet, you can use it as your own personal Wi-Fi hotspot. Using a free, open-source application called Virtual Router Plus, you can turn any Windows PC into a free-flowing Wi-Fi enabling machine.

This is great if you paid for Wi-Fi for your laptop at the airport or a cafe and don't want to pay separately to get Wi-Fi on your tablet or smartphone. It's also great if you're at work or home and don't have a wireless router to already connect to. Nobody likes wasting their cellular data allowance!

It's also useful for boosting weak Wi-Fi connections. If you live in a house where the router is very far from your current location, your signal strength may not be the greatest. By using the virtual router, you are doubling up that connection, making it much stronger when connecting your phone or tablet to the virtual hotspot.

In the video below, CNET's Sharon Vaknin walks through the process of setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot with Virtual Router Plus.

All you need to do is download and install the application. Once installed, choose a network name and create a password (at least 8 characters), then hit Start Virtual Router Plus. Your connection should now be created and you can join it on your other devices.

Image by woodleywonderworks

How to Enable the Hidden 4G LTE Feature on Your Google Nexus 4

then the specs for Google's Nexus 4 came out, most critics were more than thrilled. A very fast processor, lots of RAM, a big display with very high resolution, and an 8MP camera made it the media darling of the smartphone world. It climbed the ranks of the best smartphones available, but couldn't quite reach to the top due to one reason—no 4G LTE.

Samsung's Galaxy S III and Apple's iPhone 5 both come with 4G LTE, so why couldn't the LG Nexus 4? While there are many reasons, Google was stated as saying, "Tactically, we want to make sure the devices are available for every network on the planet." Since 4G LTE is different for each network carrier, Google would have to build a custom phone for each of them. This would increase the price of the phone, causing it to lose some popularity.

When the phone finally came out, it was taken apart by many popular websites, as is the norm with new any new device. iFixit found that the phone does actually come with a 4G LTE chip, but couldn't function because of the missing 4G LTE radio. Well, thanks to XDA Developers forum member a1jatt, 4G LTE can now be activated on the Nexus 4.

Nexus 4G LTE Activation

In order to enable the 4G LTE on the Nexus 4:

• Go to the dialpad/phone.
• Dial in the this number: *#*#4636#*#* (This will bring up "Phone info").
• Tap WCDMA from under "Set preferred network type".
• Select "LTE/GSM/CDMA auto (PRL)".
• The 4G LTE network should now be activated.

While this is very simple, it won't work for everyone. The LTE will only work if you’re on a wireless carrier that uses spectrum on Band 4 including Telus and Rogers & Bell in Canada. AT&T in the U.S. is not on Band 4, so U.S. users will have no luck with this. But try it out yourself to see if it works, it could work for other carriers.

• Note: Enabling the 4G LTE may decrease signal performance and drain battery.
• Note: In order to revert back to the 3G connection, choose “WCDMA” (or GSM) after dialing *#*#4636#*#*.

Photo by Gizmag

How Thieves Unlock Passcodes on Stolen iPhones (And How to Protect Yourself Against It)

Last year, iOS developer Daniel Amitay developed a camera security app for iPhones that used an unlock screen almost identical to that of the iPhone. From this now-nonexistent app, Amitay recorded the passwordsanonymously that users typed in, and these were the results:

These ten iPhone passcodes make up 15% of the 200,000 passcodes that his application recorded. The most popular code was "1234", which almost 9,000 people used. The rest of the codes are either very simple (0000), create a pattern (2580) ,or in the case of "5683", make up a word (LOVE).

Using Brute Force to Bypass the iPhone Lock Screen

These results are staggering, because according to this study, these ten codes are used by 1 out of 7 iPhone users. Merely attempting these 10 passcodes gives you a pretty high chance of getting into someone's iPhone.

Your chances can exponentially increase if you know the owner of the iPhone well. Many people use 4-digit pins that they are familiar with: birthdays, anniversaries, addresses, the last four of their social security numbers, and even the last 4 digits of their own phone number. iPhone users unlock their cell phones dozens of times a day, making a simple and memorable passcode beneficial.

You have 6 tries to access the phone before you'll see the red "try again" warning, and then a few more before the phone is disabled, so that gives plenty of chances for a good brute-forcer to gain access.

Even if you see the disabled screen, you still can hack into it. Scroll down to the Completely Resetting the iPhone with iTunes section for more info.

Protect Yourself

Much like any PIN (i.e. debit cards), you need to make it hard to guess by thieves.

• Don't choose any of the ten passcodes listed above.
• Don't use any important dates or any other numbers that can be linked back to you.
• Steer away from passcodes that make shapes, like "1397" or "7139" (a square).
• Instead of an easy 4-digit number, choose an alphanumeric code. Go to Settings -> General -> Passcode Lock -> Turn Simple Passcode Off, then enter a new alphanumeric passcode.

Using Siri to Bypass the iPhone Lock Screen

You can use Siri to bypass any code on the iPhone 4s and 5, but only to a certain extent, and only if the user has allowed Siri access when the phone is locked. If so, you can just press down on the home button and ask Siri to make a phone call, send a text, and look through notes. Simple stuff. You can't use Siri for things like looking through email, contacts, or the internet.

Protect Yourself

You can protect yourself from this by deactivating Siri while the phone is locked. Do this by going to Settings -> General -> Passcode Lock -> Turn Siri Off.

Completely Resetting the iPhone with iTunes

Resetting your iPhone can bypass the passcode, but will delete everything on the phone. This can come in handy if you forget your passcode and have everything backed up on your iTunes. So, if you get a message like this when connecting the device to iTunes...

You'll need to restore your iPhone back to factory settings:

• Connect the USB cord to your computer and open iTunes.
• Press and hold the Home and Power button to turn off the device.
• Press and continue to hold the Home button while you reconnect the USB cable to your iPhone. This will turn it back on.
• Continue to hold the Home button until an alert message in iTunes appears that an iPhone in recovery mode has been detected.
• Now that the iPhone is in recovery mode, you must restore the device.
• From iTunes, look under the “Summary” tab.
• Click on the “Restore” button within iTunes.

This will take off the passcode, but will delete everything on the phone. Make sure to back up your iPhone at least once beforehand, or it will wipe to factory settings.

Protect Yourself

It's tough to protect yourself from a hard reset, especially if your phone is stolen. What you can do is to make sure that Find My iPhone is turned on. That way you cannot only track where the iPhone is, but also remotely delete all the information before someone has a chance to bypass the passcode, granted they don't just turn the device off and sell it for parts.

Using Passcode Hacking Apps

You can unlock the phone using redsn0w, which also jailbreaks the iPhone without deleting anything. This article has a video that shows how to install redsn0w on any iPhone with iOS 5, while this one will show you how to do it on iOS 6 devices. It bypasses the code and doesn't delete any of the information stored on the iPhone.

You can also use a program called Gecko iPhone Kit (for iOS 5), which can be downloaded here. This will actually give you the code and doesn't jailbreak or delete anything from the iPhone. Below is a video tutorial of this process.

Have you found another way to gain access to the lock screen on your iPhone? Let us know.

Photo by NakedSecurity, Incase