Whistleblower: Cellular carrier giving FBI unfettered access

Computer security analyst Babak Pasdar says that a major mobile telecommunications carrier has a built-in backdoor that provides an undisclosed third-party with unfettered access to its internal technical infrastructure, including the ability to eavesdrop on all calls through its network. In an affidavit that describes the circumstances and basis for the allegations, Pasdar provides evidence which could indicate that the FBI is on the other side of the secret line, engaging in warrantless surveillance of mobile communications.

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Whistleblower: Cellular carrier giving FBI unfettered access

50% of people on Earth are now connected via mobile

From Treo Today:

What’s the difference between yesterday and today? Nothing much, if you consider it on a day by day basis. Just 26 years after the first cellular (mobile) network was launched, we have reached 3.3 billion mobile subscriptions. That’s half the population of the world, many of whom never had any form of telecommunications just ten years ago. Today there are mobile networks in 224 countries.

The first mobile network was launched way back in August 1981 in Sweden and Norway. The network was based on the NMT-450 (Nordic Mobile Telephony) standard, and the first mobile phone was the Mobira Senator 450 by Nokia. The Mobira Senator 450 weighed 10 kilos! Think about that the next time you say a Nokia phone is “heavy”.

David Pogue (NY Times) covers the new Palm Centro

David Pogue (1) (2) offers one of the better synopses (what else is new?) of the latest device from Palm, the Centro. The Centro is a Treo, but has been rebranded in order, it seems, to reach a new demographic. It’s noticeably smaller than other recent Treos yet still retains all the features and the full QWERTY keyboard of its larger siblings. And while the screen has also been shrunken, it achieves the same resolution as that of the older Treos (320×320), making for a sharper display in a smaller space. It’s also $99 after rebates. Nice.

(Mostly) Good Things in a Small Package
By DAVID POGUE
Published: October 11, 2007

Keychain GPS fob & cell phone frequency jammer

Big releases in the world of mobile electronics lately. Check these out:

Freedom Mini Keychain GPS Receiver

This is frickin amazing. The world’s first keychain-sized GPS receiver AND it’s as accurate (or better) as its competitors. Here’s the full review by TreoCentral.com of the Freedom Mini Keychain GPS Receiver including some general background on the U.S. GPS system.

UPDATE (6 February, 2008):  The Freedom Keychain GPS receiver has been updated.

Brando Cell Phone Jammer

Here’s a product that’s been on my wishlist forever. I can’t exactly get one from Q since I’m not a “double-O” - whatever! damn elitists. But Brando came through and The SmartPDA let us know about it. What do you want to bet it’ll be illegal to purchase or own in the U.S. in the very near future?