BY NANCY RIVERA BROOKS
October 6, 2012
California’s average gasoline price set a record Saturday of $4.614 for a gallon of regular, up 12.8 cents overnight – but anyone who filled up in the last few days probably isn’t surprised.
Gasoline prices skyrocketed after the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance was knocked offline Monday by a power outage. Other lingering refinery and pipeline problems also contributed to the soaring costs at the pump.
Several service stations are charging more than $5 a gallon for regular gasoline. Some have stopped selling gas because they don’t want to pay the high wholesale price, which reached a record Thursday but eased somewhat on Friday.
Why are gas prices so high?
Saturday’s record, as measured by AAA’s daily fuel price survey, replaces the old record of $4.610 set in 2008. If it’s any comfort, and it probably isn’t, that's only a nominal record because when adjusted for inflation, the old record equals $4.93 in 2012 dollars.
Analysts say prices might begin leveling off next week as fuel traders digest the news that the Exxon refinery returned to service on Friday. But other refinery difficulties and maintenance could keep California’s prices significantly above those in other parts of the nation.
Around the state, Los Angeles drivers were paying an average $4.661, Orange County’s average was $4.650 and San Francisco was at $4.689.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
There's an app for that? The realities of EV driving.
New App Lets Chevy Volt Owners Calculate Charging Costs and More...
BY DOUG NEWCOMB
Electric vehicle owners have learned to adapt everything from driving style to trip planning after taking delivery of their new ride. But one aspect of EV ownership is often overlooked: how to calculate consumption. General Motors’ OnStar division is tackling the problem with a new app developed for Chevrolet Volt owners undergoing the shift from figuring out miles per gallon to the new “cost per mile.”
The amount of money it takes to operate an EV is more difficult to track, since an owner can’t rely on EPA MPG ratings or the convenient “cost per tank divided by miles driven” formula. The new OnStar EcoHub app should help Volt owners take the guesswork out of how much it costs to charge the plug-in hybrid, as well as answer other energy-consumption questions.
But before releasing the new EcoHub app to all Volt owners, GM plans to first put it through its paces by making it available to residents of the Pecan Street smart-grid demonstration project in Austin, Texas. The trial employs a mixed-used, sustainable neighborhood built on the site of a former municipal airport and includes the world’s first LEED-platinum hospital, green office buildings and businesses, and housing for over 1,000 residents. Like OnStar’s Smart Grid research, teams of researchers from the University of Texas, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Environmental Defense Fund that make up Pecan Street Inc. are supported in part by a $10.4 million Department of Energy grant for developing and testing clean-energy smart-grid technology
That’s where the EcoHub app comes in. It gathers data on overall home energy use supplied by local utility providers and also collects charging information culled from OnStar-subscribing Volt owners who opt in to supply the data. The app then aggregates the information to show Volt owners how much energy they’re consuming to drive the car on a daily, monthly or yearly basis, and also what percentage of their overall electrical use goes towards charging the car. The data is also broken down by dollars and cents to show the cost of total energy usage and what it costs to charge the Volt based on local electricity rates.
Paul Pebbles, global manager of Electric Vehicle and Smart Grid Services for OnStar told Wired that while the app accesses energy-use information from third-party utility providers, the vehicle-charging information is already available to owners through the MyVolt.com website, where they can view vehicle-charging and consumption information. “We’re just taking the data that’s already available to customers who have opted in and combining it with overall home energy usage to create this new view.”
The big difference is that for the first time the app allows Volt owners – or any EV owner – to see exactly what it costs to charge their vehicle.
“If you’re driving a gas vehicle, you have a pretty good idea of how much it costs to fill the tank,” notes Pebbles. “But one thing Volt customers don’t have is a good sense of how much it cost them to run the car. We talk generalities, like $3 a month to use the Volt, and it varies depending on how much utilities charge. With the energy usage for your home,” he adds, “you get a bill every month, but you don’t get a breakdown of what contributes to the number. The good thing about this app is it answers the question that customers have been asking us: How much does the electricity part of owning a Volt cost?”
Pebbles acknowledges that online calculators are available to help estimate the cost to charge an EV. “But you have to enter all kinds of data and I don’t think people use them because it’s such a pain,” he says. “And it pops out a number, so people are just kind of guessing.” The app is only available for Android devices although Pebbles says OnStar will be offering an iOS version. “We have some work to do to make that available,” he says. “But those will be the two primary platforms.”
John Voelcker, editor of GreenCarReports says the app will likely appeal to the segment of Volt owners who pay close attention to their energy use. “Especially those who have installed solar panels and are familiar with reverse metering,” he told Wired. “There’s another set of Volt owners, however, who will learn fairly quickly that their car only costs them 75 cents to $3 a day for 40 miles of range depending on their local rates, and won’t bother to worry too much thereafter. They’ll get the basic idea that driving on grid power is really cheap – and that’ll be the end of it.”
The EcoHub app, “may offer a valuable tool for early owners and the Volt evangelists,” Voelcker adds. Those true believers can also view the collective and comparative green good of their Volts by viewing the app’s “Ticker” screen that displays Total EV Miles Driven, Total Miles Driven and Gallons of Fuel Saved among those who opt in. Pebbles adds the app will eventually allow Volt owners to monitor their overall electricity consumption as it advances. “Getting this into real customer hands is just a first step for us,” he says. “We want to use the app to integrate other concepts, such as customers monitoring their home temperature. It’s starting as Volt-centric, but it will evolve beyond that.”
BY DOUG NEWCOMB
Electric vehicle owners have learned to adapt everything from driving style to trip planning after taking delivery of their new ride. But one aspect of EV ownership is often overlooked: how to calculate consumption. General Motors’ OnStar division is tackling the problem with a new app developed for Chevrolet Volt owners undergoing the shift from figuring out miles per gallon to the new “cost per mile.”
The amount of money it takes to operate an EV is more difficult to track, since an owner can’t rely on EPA MPG ratings or the convenient “cost per tank divided by miles driven” formula. The new OnStar EcoHub app should help Volt owners take the guesswork out of how much it costs to charge the plug-in hybrid, as well as answer other energy-consumption questions.
But before releasing the new EcoHub app to all Volt owners, GM plans to first put it through its paces by making it available to residents of the Pecan Street smart-grid demonstration project in Austin, Texas. The trial employs a mixed-used, sustainable neighborhood built on the site of a former municipal airport and includes the world’s first LEED-platinum hospital, green office buildings and businesses, and housing for over 1,000 residents. Like OnStar’s Smart Grid research, teams of researchers from the University of Texas, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Environmental Defense Fund that make up Pecan Street Inc. are supported in part by a $10.4 million Department of Energy grant for developing and testing clean-energy smart-grid technology
That’s where the EcoHub app comes in. It gathers data on overall home energy use supplied by local utility providers and also collects charging information culled from OnStar-subscribing Volt owners who opt in to supply the data. The app then aggregates the information to show Volt owners how much energy they’re consuming to drive the car on a daily, monthly or yearly basis, and also what percentage of their overall electrical use goes towards charging the car. The data is also broken down by dollars and cents to show the cost of total energy usage and what it costs to charge the Volt based on local electricity rates.
Paul Pebbles, global manager of Electric Vehicle and Smart Grid Services for OnStar told Wired that while the app accesses energy-use information from third-party utility providers, the vehicle-charging information is already available to owners through the MyVolt.com website, where they can view vehicle-charging and consumption information. “We’re just taking the data that’s already available to customers who have opted in and combining it with overall home energy usage to create this new view.”
The big difference is that for the first time the app allows Volt owners – or any EV owner – to see exactly what it costs to charge their vehicle.
“If you’re driving a gas vehicle, you have a pretty good idea of how much it costs to fill the tank,” notes Pebbles. “But one thing Volt customers don’t have is a good sense of how much it cost them to run the car. We talk generalities, like $3 a month to use the Volt, and it varies depending on how much utilities charge. With the energy usage for your home,” he adds, “you get a bill every month, but you don’t get a breakdown of what contributes to the number. The good thing about this app is it answers the question that customers have been asking us: How much does the electricity part of owning a Volt cost?”
Pebbles acknowledges that online calculators are available to help estimate the cost to charge an EV. “But you have to enter all kinds of data and I don’t think people use them because it’s such a pain,” he says. “And it pops out a number, so people are just kind of guessing.” The app is only available for Android devices although Pebbles says OnStar will be offering an iOS version. “We have some work to do to make that available,” he says. “But those will be the two primary platforms.”
John Voelcker, editor of GreenCarReports says the app will likely appeal to the segment of Volt owners who pay close attention to their energy use. “Especially those who have installed solar panels and are familiar with reverse metering,” he told Wired. “There’s another set of Volt owners, however, who will learn fairly quickly that their car only costs them 75 cents to $3 a day for 40 miles of range depending on their local rates, and won’t bother to worry too much thereafter. They’ll get the basic idea that driving on grid power is really cheap – and that’ll be the end of it.”
The EcoHub app, “may offer a valuable tool for early owners and the Volt evangelists,” Voelcker adds. Those true believers can also view the collective and comparative green good of their Volts by viewing the app’s “Ticker” screen that displays Total EV Miles Driven, Total Miles Driven and Gallons of Fuel Saved among those who opt in. Pebbles adds the app will eventually allow Volt owners to monitor their overall electricity consumption as it advances. “Getting this into real customer hands is just a first step for us,” he says. “We want to use the app to integrate other concepts, such as customers monitoring their home temperature. It’s starting as Volt-centric, but it will evolve beyond that.”
Suzuka 2012. Kimi Raikonnen.
@harrismonkey:
Suzuka interview. "Kimi, what happened?" "I spun". Ends.
Suzuka interview. "Kimi, what happened?" "I spun". Ends.
HP gets in the game. Will it make a difference?
HP Unveils Windows 8 Enterprise Tablet
By Gary Krakow - 10/01/12
Tickers in this article: GLW MSFT INTC HPQ
NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Most of the rumblings we've been hearing about the upcoming Microsoft(MSFT) Windows 8 tablets have been about consumer-oriented computers. But developers have also been hard at work creating new devices for enterprise users.
Take the ElitePad 900 announced this morning by Hewlett Packard(HPQ). The no.1 PC maker is calling this device its new "true tablet for business."
The tablet sports a 10.1-inch touchscreen display in a 16-by-10 aspect ratio protected by Corning's(GLW) Gorilla Glass 2. HP says that the display's maximized for business applications. The tablet weighs in at 1.5 pounds, measures 9.2 mm thick and will have a 8 megapixel camera on the back and a front-facing shooter capable of 1080p video.
The ElitePad 900 will run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system on a "next-generation" but unspecified Intel(INTC) x86-compatible processor. HP claims the device was created to handle popular business applications right out of the box.
In addition to a slew of enterprise-oriented software, including printing support for HP printers, ElitePad 900 also offers a choice of hardware add-on "jackets" which let business customers create their own, personal tablet experiences.
The ElitePad "Productivity Jacket" for example, includes an integrated keyboard, connectivity ports, SD card reader and adjustable viewing angles, while the "Expansion Jacket" offers USB and HDMI connectivity.
A "Rugged Case" option provides "military grade" protection, according to HP, which also offers a Docking Station and Tablet Pen for the device.
The ElitePad 900 tablet isn't expected to go on sale until January, 2013. Prices will be announced closer to availability.
HP shares rose 2.17% to $17.43 on Monday.
Written by Gary Krakow in New York.
>To submit a news tip, send an email to: tips@thestreet.
By Gary Krakow - 10/01/12
Tickers in this article: GLW MSFT INTC HPQ
NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Most of the rumblings we've been hearing about the upcoming Microsoft(MSFT) Windows 8 tablets have been about consumer-oriented computers. But developers have also been hard at work creating new devices for enterprise users.
Take the ElitePad 900 announced this morning by Hewlett Packard(HPQ). The no.1 PC maker is calling this device its new "true tablet for business."
The tablet sports a 10.1-inch touchscreen display in a 16-by-10 aspect ratio protected by Corning's(GLW) Gorilla Glass 2. HP says that the display's maximized for business applications. The tablet weighs in at 1.5 pounds, measures 9.2 mm thick and will have a 8 megapixel camera on the back and a front-facing shooter capable of 1080p video.
The ElitePad 900 will run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system on a "next-generation" but unspecified Intel(INTC) x86-compatible processor. HP claims the device was created to handle popular business applications right out of the box.
In addition to a slew of enterprise-oriented software, including printing support for HP printers, ElitePad 900 also offers a choice of hardware add-on "jackets" which let business customers create their own, personal tablet experiences.
The ElitePad "Productivity Jacket" for example, includes an integrated keyboard, connectivity ports, SD card reader and adjustable viewing angles, while the "Expansion Jacket" offers USB and HDMI connectivity.
A "Rugged Case" option provides "military grade" protection, according to HP, which also offers a Docking Station and Tablet Pen for the device.
The ElitePad 900 tablet isn't expected to go on sale until January, 2013. Prices will be announced closer to availability.
HP shares rose 2.17% to $17.43 on Monday.
Written by Gary Krakow in New York.
>To submit a news tip, send an email to: tips@thestreet.
BB Playbook OS update
HomeBlackBerry NewsNews & Rumors
Here's what has changed with PlayBook OS 2.1.0.1032
by Bla1ze on 5 Oct 2012 04:09 PM
87
By now, most people who own a BlackBerry PlayBook will have received the notification on their tablet to go ahead and update to OS 2.1.0.1032. The latest OS offers a broad range of changes but to the average user, not all of them are instantly obvious.
Luckily, between the information offered up by RIM and the folks in the CrackBerry Forums who have been picking apart the OS like there was no tomorrow, we have a good idea of all the changes implemented.
If you jump below, we've outlined most of the major changes with this release, though there is surely more that isn't documented. For that, there is also a forum thread set up by CrackBerry member ryacht which helps to summarize some of the finer (and not so finer) points of the update as a whole.
Software updates are no longer mandatory during setup. The customer can choose the best time to update for them.
Setting Up WiFi connection is no longer mandatory at setup.
Overall faster browser performance.
Faster boot / reboot times.
WiFi file sharing performance enhancements.
Portrait Mode can now be used with the Email, Calendar, and Contacts App.
Greater flexibility and control over which folders are wirelessly synced when using Active Sync
Full access to IMAP Email folders.
Print To Go - Now you can send content to your BlackBerry PlayBook even if it’s not connected to the same WiFi network.
Android Apps will now run in individual windows rather than being lumped into one Android Player Window.
Apps which require access to the camera are now supported.
In-App Payments can now be submitted in both BlackBerry and Android apps.
Video Store is now available in Canada. Thousands of movies and TV shows, new & old, available on demand to rent or buy New releases available same day as DVD.
Text Messaging is now supported with BlackBerry Bridge. When Bridged you can read, send and receive text messages on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
When Bridged, and connected to WiFi, the BlackBerry PlayBook automatically sends and receives data over the WiFi network to decrease cellular data usage, and increase performance.
Over-the-air (OTA) enrollment with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion enabled.
New IT policies for added security. - Enterprise configurations such as email, Wi-Fi, VPN profiles, or enterprise apps can be pushed directly to the device by IT administrators.
ActiveSync Certification Management - Certificate-based authentication can now be configured in order to allow access to work email, calendar, and address book data. These can be securely installed to the tablets over the air with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, which utilizes Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP).
Full device encryption, including personal data - From the Options menu on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you can now enable “Full Device Encryption” by navigating to Security and then Encryption.
As noted previously, this update is only for the WiFi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook. Overall, there is additional enhancements that have been added to the OS that are only applicable to 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook and as such, we've not noted them here. So, there you have it. A broader list of the changes. If by chance we missed anything on the list that you've noticed, feel free to drop it in the comments and let us and everyone else know.
Filed Under: News & Rumors;
Tags: BlackBerry Playbook, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1
Here's what has changed with PlayBook OS 2.1.0.1032
by Bla1ze on 5 Oct 2012 04:09 PM
87
By now, most people who own a BlackBerry PlayBook will have received the notification on their tablet to go ahead and update to OS 2.1.0.1032. The latest OS offers a broad range of changes but to the average user, not all of them are instantly obvious.
Luckily, between the information offered up by RIM and the folks in the CrackBerry Forums who have been picking apart the OS like there was no tomorrow, we have a good idea of all the changes implemented.
If you jump below, we've outlined most of the major changes with this release, though there is surely more that isn't documented. For that, there is also a forum thread set up by CrackBerry member ryacht which helps to summarize some of the finer (and not so finer) points of the update as a whole.
Software updates are no longer mandatory during setup. The customer can choose the best time to update for them.
Setting Up WiFi connection is no longer mandatory at setup.
Overall faster browser performance.
Faster boot / reboot times.
WiFi file sharing performance enhancements.
Portrait Mode can now be used with the Email, Calendar, and Contacts App.
Greater flexibility and control over which folders are wirelessly synced when using Active Sync
Full access to IMAP Email folders.
Print To Go - Now you can send content to your BlackBerry PlayBook even if it’s not connected to the same WiFi network.
Android Apps will now run in individual windows rather than being lumped into one Android Player Window.
Apps which require access to the camera are now supported.
In-App Payments can now be submitted in both BlackBerry and Android apps.
Video Store is now available in Canada. Thousands of movies and TV shows, new & old, available on demand to rent or buy New releases available same day as DVD.
Text Messaging is now supported with BlackBerry Bridge. When Bridged you can read, send and receive text messages on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
When Bridged, and connected to WiFi, the BlackBerry PlayBook automatically sends and receives data over the WiFi network to decrease cellular data usage, and increase performance.
Over-the-air (OTA) enrollment with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion enabled.
New IT policies for added security. - Enterprise configurations such as email, Wi-Fi, VPN profiles, or enterprise apps can be pushed directly to the device by IT administrators.
ActiveSync Certification Management - Certificate-based authentication can now be configured in order to allow access to work email, calendar, and address book data. These can be securely installed to the tablets over the air with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, which utilizes Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP).
Full device encryption, including personal data - From the Options menu on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you can now enable “Full Device Encryption” by navigating to Security and then Encryption.
As noted previously, this update is only for the WiFi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook. Overall, there is additional enhancements that have been added to the OS that are only applicable to 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook and as such, we've not noted them here. So, there you have it. A broader list of the changes. If by chance we missed anything on the list that you've noticed, feel free to drop it in the comments and let us and everyone else know.
Filed Under: News & Rumors;
Tags: BlackBerry Playbook, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1
RIM. Could it turn the tide with BB 10?
Over half of US phone owners are impressed with rumored BlackBerry 10 devices
October 4th, 2012 by Daryl Deino
Next article links
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Next article
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Credit: RIM
RIM hopes to make a comeback
CouponCodes4u.com has conducted another interesting industry survey to discover whether or not the latest rumored BlackBerry BB10 devices have enough in them to make Americans switch cell phones and if they are excited about the latest rumors and photos surrounding the new phones.
The study surveyed 1,092 Americans. Respondents were initially asked whether or not they personally owned a BlackBerry device, to which 39 percent said ‘yes’, while 61 percent said ‘no’. Those respondents who said that they did not own a BlackBerry device were asked to stipulate the type of mobile device they owned, with the majority, 53 percent said they owned a Samsung device, while 38 percent said they had owned an iPhone of some description, and 9 percent, of respondents said they owned a phone other than the top three devices mentioned in the survey.
According to the survey, the respondents were then asked if they were impressed by the proposed spec and photos of the BlackBerry 10 devices that have leaked online. 55 percent said that they were while 31 percent of respondents admitted that they were unsure and needed to see more information about the phone. Just over 14 percent said they were not impressed by the proposed device.
Those who said that they were impressed by the BlackBerry 10 devices were asked to explain which proposed features they were most excited about, choosing from multiple answers. The most popular answer, with 59 percent, said the “touch sensitive bezel and screen gestures” while 51 percent cited the “bigger battery” and 45 percent mentioned the 8MP camera. 37 percent of consumers liked the ability to choose between a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard device while 25 percent said the improved BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was an impressive feature.
Let's hope this survey indicates that RIM is about to make a comeback. They sure need it and the industry still needs them.
Twitter: @ddeino
October 4th, 2012 by Daryl Deino
Next article links
RIM
Next article
›
Credit: RIM
RIM hopes to make a comeback
CouponCodes4u.com has conducted another interesting industry survey to discover whether or not the latest rumored BlackBerry BB10 devices have enough in them to make Americans switch cell phones and if they are excited about the latest rumors and photos surrounding the new phones.
The study surveyed 1,092 Americans. Respondents were initially asked whether or not they personally owned a BlackBerry device, to which 39 percent said ‘yes’, while 61 percent said ‘no’. Those respondents who said that they did not own a BlackBerry device were asked to stipulate the type of mobile device they owned, with the majority, 53 percent said they owned a Samsung device, while 38 percent said they had owned an iPhone of some description, and 9 percent, of respondents said they owned a phone other than the top three devices mentioned in the survey.
According to the survey, the respondents were then asked if they were impressed by the proposed spec and photos of the BlackBerry 10 devices that have leaked online. 55 percent said that they were while 31 percent of respondents admitted that they were unsure and needed to see more information about the phone. Just over 14 percent said they were not impressed by the proposed device.
Those who said that they were impressed by the BlackBerry 10 devices were asked to explain which proposed features they were most excited about, choosing from multiple answers. The most popular answer, with 59 percent, said the “touch sensitive bezel and screen gestures” while 51 percent cited the “bigger battery” and 45 percent mentioned the 8MP camera. 37 percent of consumers liked the ability to choose between a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard device while 25 percent said the improved BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was an impressive feature.
Let's hope this survey indicates that RIM is about to make a comeback. They sure need it and the industry still needs them.
Twitter: @ddeino
Tablets and wireless security.
Tablet security study finds BlackBerry still good for something
iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab and PlayBook face off in BYOD probe
By John Leyden • Get more from this author
Posted in Security, 5th October 2012 08:58 GMT
A technology audit has identified security failings in three of the most popular tablets, raising concerns about the security implications of allowing workers to use their personal technology at work.
A study by Context Information Security looked at Apple's iPad, Samsung's Galaxy Tab and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, and concluded the Samsung device was the least enterprise-ready of the trio. While the iPad and BlackBerry PlayBook performed better, both still have security deficiencies – including desktop software that fails to encrypt backups by default.
The BlackBerry was the only device of the three found to provide good separation between personal and work data, something that ought to be a key feature in supporting the growing trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).
All three tablets supported Exchange ActiveSync, a factor that means their core security configurations can be managed from a central Exchange server. But differences in security controls affect their suitability for enterprise use. These security controls included data protection, software integrity and updates, access control, security configuration profiles and connectivity, along with backup and synchronisation.
The iPad has robust data protection and damage limitation facilities. However, its security shortcomings include the regularity of new jailbreak attacks, and ineffective disk encryption unless a strong passcode policy is applied. And although the iPad's disk encryption scheme is well designed, the default behaviour for iTunes backups is to store files in clear text, obviously unacceptable for the storage of potentially sensitive corporate data. Much the same back-up approach is adopted with the BlackBerry PlayBook.
The Samsung tablet does not ship with a locked bootloader but the built-in disk encryption provides weaker support, making it more difficult to use. Even when encryption is enabled on the Galaxy, it allows badly written apps to store sensitive information on any unencrypted SD card inserted into the device.
A lack of enterprise-level management tools beyond ActiveSync also means that it is very difficult to manage more than a small number of Galaxy Tabs in an enterprise environment, a shortcoming the kit shared with the iPad. The BlackBerry PlayBook, by contrast, provides "excellent logical and data separation between work and personal modes" thanks to its Balance architecture – which allows secure wipes of biz data from the device by the employer while leaving personal information intact – combined with its built-in Bridge content-porting application.
Context Information Security's report, entitled Tablets - A Hard Pill to Swallow (available here), casts a rule on the robustness of the security controls on the three popular tablet platforms.
We can't stop BYOD
Jonathan Roach, principal consultant at Context and author of the report, concludes that even though security controls are easier to apply on traditional desktops and laptops, the trend towards allowing working to bring their own devices into work is unstoppable.
“It is difficult to ignore the growing presence of tablet computers in the home and workplace offering a blend of productivity, connectivity and physical freedom which has never been achieved before,” Roach said. “The device format is perfect for social networking and creating and sharing documents, presentations and other content on-the-fly, but the same characteristics also present tough security challenges for organisations. Our research suggests that most tablet manufacturers still have a way to go before their products can deliver the high levels of security required for use in most corporate enterprises.”
Many security vendors are marketing third-party tools designed to overcome some of the security shortcomings surrounding the use of consumer devices in corporate environments.
Roach indicated that these tools are likely to help correct some of the issues the study outlined but it's not clear how much. The effectiveness of BYOD management and security tools was beyond the scope of Context's initial study into the security of tablet devices but may become the topic of follow-up research. ®
iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab and PlayBook face off in BYOD probe
By John Leyden • Get more from this author
Posted in Security, 5th October 2012 08:58 GMT
A technology audit has identified security failings in three of the most popular tablets, raising concerns about the security implications of allowing workers to use their personal technology at work.
A study by Context Information Security looked at Apple's iPad, Samsung's Galaxy Tab and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, and concluded the Samsung device was the least enterprise-ready of the trio. While the iPad and BlackBerry PlayBook performed better, both still have security deficiencies – including desktop software that fails to encrypt backups by default.
The BlackBerry was the only device of the three found to provide good separation between personal and work data, something that ought to be a key feature in supporting the growing trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).
All three tablets supported Exchange ActiveSync, a factor that means their core security configurations can be managed from a central Exchange server. But differences in security controls affect their suitability for enterprise use. These security controls included data protection, software integrity and updates, access control, security configuration profiles and connectivity, along with backup and synchronisation.
The iPad has robust data protection and damage limitation facilities. However, its security shortcomings include the regularity of new jailbreak attacks, and ineffective disk encryption unless a strong passcode policy is applied. And although the iPad's disk encryption scheme is well designed, the default behaviour for iTunes backups is to store files in clear text, obviously unacceptable for the storage of potentially sensitive corporate data. Much the same back-up approach is adopted with the BlackBerry PlayBook.
The Samsung tablet does not ship with a locked bootloader but the built-in disk encryption provides weaker support, making it more difficult to use. Even when encryption is enabled on the Galaxy, it allows badly written apps to store sensitive information on any unencrypted SD card inserted into the device.
A lack of enterprise-level management tools beyond ActiveSync also means that it is very difficult to manage more than a small number of Galaxy Tabs in an enterprise environment, a shortcoming the kit shared with the iPad. The BlackBerry PlayBook, by contrast, provides "excellent logical and data separation between work and personal modes" thanks to its Balance architecture – which allows secure wipes of biz data from the device by the employer while leaving personal information intact – combined with its built-in Bridge content-porting application.
Context Information Security's report, entitled Tablets - A Hard Pill to Swallow (available here), casts a rule on the robustness of the security controls on the three popular tablet platforms.
We can't stop BYOD
Jonathan Roach, principal consultant at Context and author of the report, concludes that even though security controls are easier to apply on traditional desktops and laptops, the trend towards allowing working to bring their own devices into work is unstoppable.
“It is difficult to ignore the growing presence of tablet computers in the home and workplace offering a blend of productivity, connectivity and physical freedom which has never been achieved before,” Roach said. “The device format is perfect for social networking and creating and sharing documents, presentations and other content on-the-fly, but the same characteristics also present tough security challenges for organisations. Our research suggests that most tablet manufacturers still have a way to go before their products can deliver the high levels of security required for use in most corporate enterprises.”
Many security vendors are marketing third-party tools designed to overcome some of the security shortcomings surrounding the use of consumer devices in corporate environments.
Roach indicated that these tools are likely to help correct some of the issues the study outlined but it's not clear how much. The effectiveness of BYOD management and security tools was beyond the scope of Context's initial study into the security of tablet devices but may become the topic of follow-up research. ®
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