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Is 2012 the year app stores will break out in the enterprise?

The environment is certainly ripe for it. Over the past two years, there has been a proliferation of employees using smartphones and tablets to do work and more enterprises are implementing BYOD (bring our own device) programs that allow employees to use personal iPads, iPhones and Android smartphones to access business apps.

The company app store, which follows a consumer trend started by Apple’s iTunes App Store and Google’s Android Market (now called Google Play), is a logical extension of the BYOD movement.

But whether businesses are providing company-issued devices or letting users bring their own, mobile app stores still offer the same value: to efficiently and securely distribute mobile apps to employees and take the burden off IT to migrate apps to individual devices or upload each app onto a public app store.

Enterprise app stores are not widely in use (an estimated 10 percent of enterprises have their own stores). But enterprises such as CDW and General Electric have implemented private app stores, and smaller niche companies, particularly in the healthcare field, are also looking at private app stores with help from big vendors like Cisco and smaller players such as AppCentral and Virtusa.

The OS preference for enterprise app stores is mostly Android and iOS, although Rohit Sharma, Global Head of Mobility at Virtusa, recommends keeping an app store compatible with all mobile platforms to serve the various devices making their way into enterprises.

“It costs the same to maintain a cross-platform store so you might as well keep it as open as possible,” say Sharma.

With that in mind, here are 10 important features that should be part of any enterprise app store, according to Virtusa.

Support for Multiple Mobile Platforms

Apple iOS, Android (multiple versions including Honeycomb and ICS) and BlackBerry OS (versions 6.x, 7.x and future support for BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry PlayBook OS, QNX) should be supported, according to Rauf A. Adil, Chief Enterprise Architect at Virtusa. Some enterprises may also require support for other mobile platforms including Windows Phone or Bada OS (Samsung’s Linux-based OS).

Browser and Native App Support

An enterprise app store should allow the apps to be downloaded on the device from the browser via a URL or through an enterprise market app — similar to the Google Play Store or iTunes App store.

Secure It

Integrate the app store with the enterprise single sign-on or identity management system and MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution if available. App downloads should be on a secure SSL (HTTPS) or secure VPN tunnel. Your app store should NOT allow downloads via an unsecured network connection.

Access Control

Only users that are authorized should be able to download and install an app. Authorization can work off of a server side ACL (access control list) that is driven by user, role and designation and group authorizations. For example, an employee working in buildings and facility management should not be allowed to download a mobile app that is intended for sales operations.

Push Notifications

Administrators should be able to send notifications using the push capability of the supported mobile platforms. The notifications alert the user about available updates for apps installed on the device.

Over the Air Updates

Both Android and iOS (5.x) now support OTA (over the air updates) for updating existing apps, installing patches and other maintenance related fixes. An enterprise app store should include a feature to push the updates to the device and notify users through the notification system on the device.

Device Registration and Management

An enterprise app store should include the database of users, devices and apps. This can also be done by using MDM software and integrating it with the app store. In an enterprise, a user may have multiple mobile devices. Similarly, devices may be shared with different users, each having a different account and profile on the device.

Administrative Console, Centralized Management and Control

An easy-to-use, Web-based administrative console is an essential feature that allows administrators to approve new apps or updates to existing ones. It also allows them to retire, archive and remove apps when necessary.

Identifying Malicious Code

Malicious software including Trojan apps are a big problem in public app stores, and an enterprise app store could also be susceptible to such attacks from an internal party like a disgruntled employee, or from the packaging of third-party software and services bundled with in-house enterprise apps. The app store should provide ways to identify, prevent and take down apps that do not adhere to the organization’s code of conduct.

Publishing Process

There should be a clear and simple process for submission, approval and withdrawal of apps that are intended for the app store. A well-defined set of guidelines should be published as to what are the acceptable policies for approval of apps. This is also an area where the company’s best practices, polices and design guidelines can be validated and enforced.

Shane O’Neill covers Microsoft, Windows, Operating Systems, Productivity Apps and Online Services for CIO.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @smoneill. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Shane at soneill@cio.com

Modest specs likely aimed at developing market

Previously photographed for T-Mobile’s UK website, the speculation over the upcoming Blackberry Curve 9320 is over. The specifications of the phone have been revealed by Vietnamese mobile-centric website Sohoa, with the phone already confirmed for India and the UK sometime next month.

The Blackberry OS 7.1 phone has an as yet unnamed single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, a “better” QWERTY keyboard, a 2.44 inch qVGA display running at 320×240, a 3.2MP rear camera, and a 1450mAh battery. No release date nor pricing for this entry level phone has yet been announced for the US market.

United States marketshare of the Blackberry continues to fall, and has sunk to 13.4 percent of the smartphone market in recent surveys. During the same period of time, Android phone market share rose to 50.1 percent, and Apple’s iPhone climbed to 30.2 percent. [via Sohoa]

By Electronista Staff

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Developers can upload their code to the cloud-based service and get back mobile apps for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android

Windows Phone can now be targeted by PhoneGap Build, a cloud-based service for creating cross-platform mobile phone apps, according to a blog post from Nitobi, the service’s creators.

Developers first write their applications using HTML, CSS, or JavaScript then upload the code to the Build service, which sends back apps for Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry OS — and now Windows Phone, too.

[ Get the best apps for your mobile device: InfoWorld picks the best iPad office apps, the best iPad specialty business apps, the best Android office apps, and the best Android specialty apps. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]

Instead of configuring environments and installing platform-specific tools, developers can focus on writing apps, according to the blog post. Build is still under development, but developers that want to try it out can sign up to test the public beta version, it said.

Once the product has been launched, the main priority is providing PhoneGap Build as a Web service that can seamlessly integrate with existing technology infrastructure and tools, according to an FAQ.

The service will remain free for open source projects, and pricing details for commercial applications will be announced closer to the public launch.

Also, earlier this week, PhoneGap’s owner, Adobe Systems, introduced Creative Suite 6, which has better integration with Build. The integration allows developers who use Dreamweaver, an HTML editor, to target more platforms.

Adobe acquired PhoneGap’s creator Nitobi last October, and about a month later Adobe announced plans to ditch Flash for mobile app development and instead focus on HTML5.

Gaining the support of cross-platform tool vendors such as Adobe is important for Microsoft as it wants to increase the number of applications available for its mobile OS.

Soon two-thirds of the top 100 applications for competing operating systems will be available on the Windows Phone Marketplace, and that number continues to grow, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said last week.

Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com.

Computer scientists have devised an attack that logs phone numbers, Social Security IDs, and personal identification numbers entered into smartphones by monitoring the devices’ integrated motion sensors.

TapLogger, as their proof-of-concept application for phones running Google’s Android operating system is called, masquerades as a benign game that challenges the end user to identify identical icons from a collection of similar-looking images. In the background, the trojan monitors readings returned by the phone’s built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, and orientation sensors to infer phone numbers and other digits entered into the device. This then surreptitiously uploads them to a computer under the control of the attackers.

Based in part on a similar smartphone keylogger called TouchLogger demonstrated last year, TapLogger exploits a design weakness in Android that allows all installed apps free access to motion sensor readings. Because similar permission systems are found in Research in Motion’s Blackberry OS, there’s nothing stopping similar apps from targeting Blackberries according to researchers (Jailbroken iOS devices are also vulnerable.)

“The fundamental problem here is that sensing is unmanaged on existing smartphone platforms,” Zhi Xu, a PhD candidate in the Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, wrote in an email to Ars. “TapLogger shows that those unmanaged ‘insensitive sensors’ can really be used to infer very sensitive user information (e.g. passwords and PIN numbers). Inspired by TapLogger, we believe that more and more sensor-based attackers will be introduced in the near future.”

TapLogger works by using a device’s motion sensors to record subtle real-time changes of orientation as a user enters numbers to release a phone’s screenlock, dial a phone number, or provide a social security number during a call to a health-insurance service center. By logging the precise changes along three dimensions—azimuth, pitch, and roll—the trojan makes educated guesses about the touchscreen regions that were tapped to generate the orientation changes. TapLogger then maps those regions to the user interface of the screenlock or dial pad of a specific Android phone.

To accurately infer taps, the trojan first must learn the patterns of a specific person using a specific Android phone, since precise pitch and roll will be different for each user and smartphone model. Masquerading as a game called HostApp, TapLogger surreptitiously collects training data as players match the icons. The more rounds a user plays, the better the trojan gets at guessing the keys that are tapped when users’ are entering numbers into the screenlock or dial pad interfaces.

“When a user taps on the touchscreen, the display and its supporting hardware and firmware will report the coordinates of tap events to the operating system of the smartphone,” explains a paper titled “TapLogger: Inferring User Inputs On Smartphone Touchscreens Using On-board Motion Sensors.” Xu and two other researchers presented it last week to the Fifth ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks. “The coordinates of a tap event together with knowledge of the application view currently displayed on the touchscreen determine the corresponding user input. For example, a tap event with coordinates within the boundary of a button displayed on the touchscreen stands for a tap action on this button.”

Even after TapLogger has been trained to deduce the taps of a given user on a specific smartphone model, background vibrations and other variables prevent TapLogger from determining the exact sequence of numbers entered into a device. Despite this limitation, the trojan can still greatly reduce the number of guesses required to recover a user’s PIN, social security number, or other numerical string entered into the phone.

For example, trying every possible combination to crack a four-digit PIN would require a maximum of 10,000 combinations. By using the information returned by TapLogger, an attacker can narrow the number of tries to just 81 with an average of a 100-percent chance of success. Using TapLogger data to deduce a six-digit PIN, meanwhile, would generate a search space of 729 likely combinations with an average success rate of 80 percent. By contrast, it would require a maximum of 1 million possible combinations to crack the same PIN using brute-force methods.

The research is the latest to show the vulnerability of smartphones to techniques that could allow adversaries to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data stored on the devices. In addition to last year’s TouchLogger technique, attacks that analyze smudges to deduce password patterns have been adopted for devices running Android, and researchers say Windows 8 devices are susceptible to similar attacks.

The paper, which was co-authored by Kun Bai (of IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center) and Sencun Zhu (of the University of Pennsylvania), warns that the risks that arise from data leaked by integrated motion sensors won’t be curbed without fundamental changes by the OS developers. Whereas the Android and Blackberry OSes all have mechanisms to prevent one app from accessing privileged functions, data, and files of other apps, there are no such prohibitions on the access to the speed and orientation readings returned by a phone’s sensors.

“To prevent such types of attacks, we see an urgent need for sensing management systems on the existing commodity smartphone platforms,” they wrote. “Sensors, such as accelerometer and orientation sensors, should all be considered as sensitive to user’s privacy and need gaining security permissions to access.”

This article was updated to correct statements about iOS devices. They are not vulnerable to the attack unless they have been jailbroken.

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Signaling the increased seriousness with which it is entering the enterprise market, Apple launched late last week a section of its
site that outlines how the iPhone is a business tool. Titling its pitch as “Not just another day at the office,” Apple walks users through key business scenarios for using its device,
from organizing schedules to managing projects and arranging travel. Each area of work life highlights three apps — some by Apple itself, but most from third parties like Kayak, BillMinder, Cisco and
Tripit. Videos also accompany each task. A much less detailed site outlining the iPad’s business uses is also at Apple.com.

Since its release in 2007, the iPhone has always been
challenged by some enterprises and IT managers as more of a consumer than a business device. Concerns about security and the ability to integrate the phone and iOS with internal business systems
persisted even as Apple attempted to add and enhance these features with every version of iOS. In this site supporting the iPhone in the enterprise, Apple underscores its ability to integrate with
Microsoft Exchange, VPNs and office networks. Cases from companies like Dow are included.

Despite clear gains in the enterprise markets, the most recent impartial survey of enterprise
readiness still gives the nod to the struggling BlackBerry. Trend Micro, a leading provider of cloud security services, did a comprehensive study of built-in security, application security,
authentication functions, device wipe capabilities, firewalls, and virtualization among the major mobile platforms. BlackBerry 7.0 scored highest across the board, the company reports. Apple iOS was
second, followed by Windows Phone 7.5 and Android 2.3. Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS still excels at security and ease of enterprise integration, the research found.

The study,
which was carried out by The Altimeter Group and Bloor Research along with Trend Micro, praised both Apple and Microsoft for providing good security and integration. Android appeared to be singled out
for its fragmentation, which makes it difficult to issue operating system updates consistently and reliably across a fleet of diverse phones.  

Arguably, Microsoft issued the first
self-titled smartphone years before the iPhone — which was aimed mainly at the enterprise, since it was assumed that few consumers would afford or want a computer in their pocket. RIM enjoyed
business market dominance mainly on the strength of its messaging, as the company failed repeatedly to make Web and app functionality appealing on its devices. Apple helped reinvent the category with
the iPhone aimed at a consumer audience, which then became the market thrust of the second smartphone wave.

But this consumer focus has delayed the proliferation of smartphones as enterprise
tools — and so perhaps the emergence of a massive market in b2b apps, marketing and services for these devices. Company IT managers have been slow to migrate employees to this generation of
touchscreen and devices, but are being pressed by their employees to integrate the phones the staff prefers to use. As Nigel Stanley, practice leader at Bloor Research, says in this report, “security
people I work with are scared witless by consumerization and the rapid adoption of these devices.”

Android and Apple’s iOS platform both gained share of the North American smartphone market at the expense of BlackBerry, according to the
latest data from mobile ad network InMobi. iOS maintained its narrow lead over Android in the first quarter, with as 36.8% share, up from 33.1% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Android came in at 34.1%,
up from 32.5% in the prior quarter.

By contrast, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS dropped from a nearly 12% share in the fourth quarter to 7.3% in the first three months of 2012. The
quarterly drop-off signals the troubled handset maker’s continuing decline as a result of Apple and Google’s growing dominance of smartphone operating systems.

RIM last month
reported sales plummeted 25% in the fourth quarter. 

Globally, Android was the top smartphone platform in Q1, however, with 22.2% of impressions compared to 18.2% for iOS.

The
iPhone, iPad and iPod alone accounted for 37% of impressions on InMobi’s network in North America, with the BlackBerry 8520 a distant third among individual devices, generating almost 2% of
impressions. Among phone manufacturers, Nokia was second behind Apple, with 14% share of impressions, followed by Samsung and HTC (both 9%), RIM (7%), LG (6%) and Motorola (5%).

“Apple
maintained its lead over Android and further increased its share of impressions and handset dominance; the new iPad certainly helped its overall position,” said Ann Frisbie, vice president and
managing director, North America, at InMobi “However, we know that fierce competition is created across the operating systems when new devices enter the market and this time last year Android
surpassed iOS globally.”

Apple should provide figures for iPad and iPhone sales in the quarter when it reports its latest financial results April 24. But sales of the Apple tablet
won’t reflect the full impact of the new iPad model, which was only launched last month. Frisbie suggested Apple could see heightened challenges in the U.S. market later this year with a rumored
launch of an Android-based smartphone from Amazon and a 7-inch Google-branded tablet.

Microsoft is also expected to introduce a much-anticipated Windows 8 during the latter half of 2012.

InMobi’s North American network grew impressions 18% in the first quarter to 52.6 million, the vast majority of which (84%) came from smartphones.

RIM just days away from picking JPMorgan: insider

Canadian smartphone maker RIM is closer to picking its financial advisor and JPMorgan Chase Co is the leading candidate, Bloomberg reported on Friday. A source who wished to remain anonymous said the decision may arrive in a matter of days. The company is considering a licensing deal for its tech or a strategic investment, sources indicated, and has even talked with Bank of America.

Representatives from all companies didn’t comment, calling the reports simple rumors at this point. The Canadian company would rather license its BlackBerry OS, said another source. It’s also developing a new version of the OS, BlackBerry 10, with the first handset running on it due to be released later this year.

The licensing deal doesn’t require a bank or financial partner, but it does take precedence over finding such a partner. The company doesn’t plan to sell itself, the insider said.

Analysts disagree, however, stating that a banker is always hired in order to help with the sale of a company or its parts, and never for licensing negotiations.

By Electronista Staff

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by Terrence T on April 22nd, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Posted in 9380 Curve 9790 Bold OS Releases

Low-priced stocks can often bring great investment values for investors. An undervalued company or one that is poised to make a big move can create nice returns. Let’s look at Micron Technology (MU), Nokia (NOK) and Research In Motion (RIMM) to see if any of them has the potential to climb to $20 per share.

Micron Technology manufactures semiconductors and memory for mobile phones, MP3 players, computers, and more. Trading at less than $8 per share, the company definitely fits in our price range, and offers the potential to be a strong growth stock.

The company experienced a drop in share price and revenue last year due to weak prices in the memory market. Fortunately for Micron, the drop may be short-lived as its all-important NAND flash chips are a key component in tablets and smartphones.

Micron has a very low debt-to-equity standing, meaning that it should be able to make money without overspending. The company is currently working to redeem nearly $139 million in Convertible Senior Notes due to mature by 2013.

Its financial position is being affected not by past debt, but rather by a legal battle with Oracle (ORCL). Micron recently settled a lawsuit brought by its rival over an alleged conspiracy to raise DRAM prices while violating antitrust and unfair competition laws. The suit cost shareholders $58 million in the second quarter, in addition to an undisclosed amount in the third quarter. This uncertainty could undermine the stock price until everything is resolved.

The stock is already selling below its book price; the forecast offers the potential of a hefty 25% upside over the next 12 months. While it does not look like a $20 stock in the near future, this is still an excellent investment option.

Nokia is another company that is struggling with intense competition in its business sector. Once the dominant cell-phone manufacturer, Nokia was unable to keep up with the smartphone revolution, losing ground to the likes of Research In Motion, Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG). The company’s value continues to tumble. Although it still sells the most phones worldwide, Nokia only holds about 1% of the smartphone market.

While it has gotten off to a slow start in this key sector, Nokia is trying to make its way back. The Nokia Lumina 900 is the company’s most significant offering in smartphones. Featuring the highly acclaimed Windows 7 Mobile platform, the phone is to compete against the Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android software.

In spite of its problems, Nokia still offers some good potential for investors. After a 40% drop in share price last year, the new push in the smartphone market has the company looking at 50% upside for the next 12 months. In addition, Nokia is still paying a dividend yield of 3.6%; although that is down substantially from previous years, the company’s low debt-to-equity ratio of 38 suggests that it can maintain its dividend going forward. With potential success in the market and solid financials, Nokia still has the ability to bring good returns.

Much like Micron, Nokia shares simply has too far to go to become a $20 stock in the near future. The good news for investors, however, is that it still has the potential to be a super pick for nearly any portfolio. An impressive yield, exciting upside potential, and an improving business climate all make Nokia a company to watch.

Research In Motion is another sub-$15 stock that interests me at this time. Once the dominant player in the smartphone industry, the company has been steamrolled by Apple and the iPhone. The defeat has been so devastating that Research In Motion was reported to have recently announced plans to leave the consumer market. While there are conflicting reports about the company’s intentions, there is no disputing the competition been difficult for Research In Motion.

After failing to win over the consumer market with phones that focus on business customers, the company has decided to reconsider on its core business. Whether it completely leaves the consumer market or takes a targeted approach, the company says it will focus on the things it does well. I think this effort by Research In Motion can actually bring it back to relevance, helping investors to make money once again investing in the stock.

In April 2011, company stock was near $60, a price that would fall by more than 75% in the following 12 months. Now trading for less than $13 per share, I believe that Research In Motion stock is ready to climb, with some analysis models showing shares at nearly 50% below their market valuation.

There is support for this position, with a number of fundamentals pointing to better days ahead for the company. Research In Motion stock is priced well below both its book and sales numbers, and its price-to-earnings ratio is below six. The company is debt-free and has nearly $3 billion in operating cash flow.

The corporate decision to focus on business customers is well-founded. The company’s solid approach has kept it in a position of prominence in the business world. Nearly half a million federal employees, including the president of the United States, carry a Blackberry. Research In Motion has also introduced its Mobile Fusion-RIM, a Blackberry OS that allows users to manage smartphones and tablets using not only its operating system, but also those on the Android OS and Apple’s iOS.

I think Research In Motion is a play that could be too tempting to pass up. The company’s stock appears to have bottomed out, and it appears as if Blackberry will get a boost in interest from consumers and businesses. Its undervalued status will likely entice investors in Research In Motion to take new positions. While it did not succeed in the tablet market or consumer smartphones, the Blackberry is ideal for its loyal following of business customers. This provides the company with a great economic moat, and I believe it has the potential to make the $20 level within the next 12 to 18 months.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.