Bugs in anything are often annoying things, and rarely amusing. The recently released Android G1 phone wasn’t free of such (being a first-gen device), but I’m not quite sure whether I should file it under annoying or amusing.
A newly discovered bug in its software apparently makes each and every word typed on its keyboard “silently and invisibly interpreted as a command and executed with superuser privileges.” Put simply, this means that any user might unknowingly issue and execute commands before he or she even knows it. Might seem pretty lowbrow at first, but such a bug could actually result in a lot of backfiring. Such as when a user types in the word “reboot,” which automatically makes the phone reboot–no questions asked.
Go ahead, try it (if you’ve got a real phone, and not just an emulator). Type in the word “reboot.” Yep, every single keystroke, the eight of it. “-r-e-b-o-o-t-” Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
A report regarding the said bug has already been filed in the Android pages of Google Code, and here I’ve pasted an excerpt below:
“I was in the middle of a text conversation with my girl when she asked why I hadn’t responded. I had just rebooted my phone and the first thing I typed was a response to her text which simply stated “Reboot” - which, to my surprise, rebooted my phone.”
While the story of how this bug was discovered is funny, for some users the effect could be anything but. Imagine you were working on or doing something really important on your Android G1, and this happened. Woe to all the data you will have lost. And you.
Fortunately, this bug only seems to affect phones with firmware version 1.0 TC4-RC29 and earlier. So any phone that has received the latest firmware update pushed over-the-air by Google should be immune to it. Some users are also reporting that it only works for them while the USB cable is plugged in and the phone is in debug mode. In any case, this is definitely not supposed to be a feature, so it would probably be best if Google or T-Mobile worked to fix it pronto.
Via Dev Connection
Similar Posts:
Written by David Gonzales on November 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Android and G1 and Google and Reboot and Software&Services and T-Mobile and Wireless and bug and command line and rc29 and root.
If you don’t happen to have enough room for one of those 22-foot tall styrofoam robots to defend the homestead, that’s okay. Thanks to the wild and wonderful creations of robot insect builder TinyMinds, you can get your hands on some little robots which should do the trick just as well.
Whether its the flapping wings of the mosquito-like Gonzo, or the wobbling octopod legs of Cthulhu, each of these BugBots is truly unique.
Every lumpy, bumpy member of the BugBot family is handcrafted from a variety of found materials and electronic componentry, and runs entirely on solar energy.
While I do love the mechanical winged and legged critters, I have to say that my personal favorite are the googley eyed light-seeking bots (Ernie and Bert), who amble around on a single-minded mission to find the brightest light source around.
TinyMinds’ current menagerie of tiny robotic bugs range in price from about $60 to $80 a piece, and can be found over on their Etsy shop.
Share This
Written by technabob on July 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on bug and craft and etsy and fun and geek art & craft and hack and hacks-mods and junk and just plain fun and mechanical and recycle and robot and solar.
There’s nothing worse than trying to swat an annoying fly with nothing but your hand. What better way to obliterate buzzing, disease-carrying insects but with this delete key flyswatter?
Created by German industrial designers Ding3000 for Fred, the delete key flyswatter will keep your typing hands clear of that sticky goo from smashing flies with your bare mitts. And of course, it’s much better for you than inhaling DDT.
The swatter comes in both charcoal grey and ivory to match your computer keyboard color, and can be found over on Amazon
for $8 bucks a pop.
Now if only they produced an Insert key version too, I could finally release a plague of flies on the guys in the accounting department down the hall.
Share This
Written by technabob on June 14th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Fred and Gadgets and Keyboard and bug and design and fly and insect and plastic and swat.
I’ll start out by telling you that I used to live in the Deep South, home of cockroaches the size of small mice. Oh yeah, did I happen to mention that they could fly? Every time I saw one of those airborne six-legged nasties, it made my skin crawl. No wonder this gigantic flying insect sets my teeth on edge.
Created by Japan’s Taiyo Toy, the Mecha-Chu HeliBug buzzes around the place with its brightly colored body, dual copter blades and transparent insect-like wings. Measuring in at over 6-inches long, it definitely puts those Southern flying bugs to shame. While it doesn’t really take flight like a real insect does, it’s still creepy enough to give me nightmares.
The flying bug can ascend/descend or turn left or right around its helicopter-like rotors. Oddly enough it doesn’t offer forward or backward flight. It’ll fly for about 5 minutes on a 30-minute charge, and is controlled using an included infrared transmitter.
Entomologists and other bug lovers can get their feelers on one from GeekStuff4U for about $50.
bug, flying, infrared, insect, radio, remote control, toy
Share This
Written by technabob on March 10th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Flying and Gadgets and bug and infrared and insect and radio and remote control and strange and unusual and toy.
USB memory sticks are a dime a dozen these days, so you’ve really got to stand out from the crowd if you want to get noticed. These soft, fuzzy critters will definitely latch on to your digital memories in a way you won’t soon forget.
Designed by artist Nifer Fahrion of NifNaks, these invertebrate USB drives are handmade using wool felting techniques. Her creations include such charming characters as Maggie the Maggot and Gizzy the Data Worm.
According to Fahrion, “Maggie is smart as a whip, and can recite pages and pages of poetry… Maggie is very calm and patient and loves to solve problems. She strives to fill her life with the new and fresh in her life, and this reflects in her eating habits too. Maggie can be found dining at all the new trendy restaurants every night, and has even been occasionally accused of being a food snob. She makes a loyal and loving friend to anyone who will have her.”
On the other hand, “Gizzy will astound you with his ability to remember things – 4 gigabytes worth, in fact! He loves super tart gumballs, and won’t eat anything orange. He enjoys bungee jumping, but most days he’s content just to sit around and read a book. Gizzy is of course an amazing speller and will knock your socks of in Scrabble.” Being one to frequently assign personalities to the inanimate objects around me, I can certainly relate.
Each data worm stores 4GB, and prices range from $66 to $68 each. Since each NifNaks creature is handmade, expect to wait about 10 days to get your hands on one.
bug, craft, felt, flash, furry, insect, memory, nifnaks, storage, usb, wool, worm
Share This
Written by technabob on March 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Gadgets and USB and bug and craft and felt and flash and furry and insect and just plain fun and memory and nifnaks and storage and wool and worm.
Filed under: Laptops
There’s not a whole lot to go on here, unfortunately, but according to the folks at 51nb.com, the slim-looking ThinkPad you see above is real, and set to go into production sometime this year. Nothing too unusual there, except that the full versions of the slides (which unfortunately seem to be unavailable as of this writing) are clearly marked “(C) 2006,” which sure is a little longer than most laptops take to make it from the prototype to production stage. Still, 2006 or not, the form factor is certainly nice, as is the supposed LED-backlit 13-inch screen, but we’re inclined to wait for something a little more concrete before getting our hopes up too much.
[Thanks, Alpha]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Written by Donald Melanson on January 2nd, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Sci-Fi and bug and crossbow.
Filed under: Laptops
We’re not sure why Lenovo is feeling so particularly jolly this holiday season, but we’re certainly not complaining. The company just slashed prices on its ThinkPad R, T and X series laptops, and its ThinkCentre A desktops. All models have received a 25% price cut, except for the R series with a still-lovable 22%. Yeah, you know the person on your list with everything? We bet they don’t have seven ThinkPads courtesy of their new favorite nephew.
[Thanks, Joe K.]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Written by Paul Miller on December 8th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on 713 and bug and crossbow and mocks.
Filed under: Laptops
It’s not like ThinkPads have been immune to the notorious overheating battery issue, but a fiery incident in Ohio may not be IBM’s fault. In a somewhat bizarre tale, it’s reported that an Ohioan purchased a replacement battery from Shentech for his ThinkPad, only to later have it overheat, catch on fire and damage his machine. After discovering that the faulty cell was actually a counterfeit, IBM took the liberty of ordering a dozen batteries from the Flushing, New York-based company, and it soon discovered that all twelve received were indeed fakes. As you can probably guess, IBM has filed suit against the outfit and has asked the court to require Shentech to hand over all of its batteries for destruction, profits it made from selling the fakes and a million dollars “per counterfeit mark per type of item sold.” That’ll teach ‘em to mess with Big Blue.
[Via TGDaily]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Written by Darren Murph on November 30th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on 1623 and 1696 and Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Mobile, and Communications, Cellphones, Gadgets / Other and G400 and Health and Klimt and bug and crossbow.
« Older articles
No newer articles
