It is pretty. I am perfectly satisfied with my Note 2, but am hoping that some of the software features get back-ported by Samsung or XDA.

Anyone use D-Link routers? Some of them have a backdoor.

Reverse Engineering a D-Link Backdoor

It's an interesting read on how the backdoor was found.

Here’s one true hack (Google cache link) for our dear Hackaday readers. On a Saturday night, as [Craig] didn’t have anything else to do, he decided to download the firmware of an old D-Link DIR-100 router (because who wouldn’t?). His goal was to see what interesting things he could find in it. He fired up binwalk to extract the SquashFS file system, then opened the router webserver on the multi-processor disassembler/debugger IDA. [Craig] discovered that the webserver is actually a modified version of thttpd, providing the administrative interface for the router. As you can see in the picture above, it seems Alphanetworks (a spin-off of D-Link) performed the modifications.

Luckily for [Craig], the guys at Alphanetworks were kind enough to prepend many of their custom function names with the string “alpha”. Looking at the disassembly of the http identification functions revealed that a backdoor is implemented on the firmware. If one malicious user has the string “xmlset_roodkcableoj28840ybtide” as his browser user agent, no authentication is required to gain access to the router. One of the comments on the reddit thread points out that reading that string backwords results in: ”edit by (04882) joel backdoor”.

What are the good podcast managers for Android these days? Does Downcast have an Android app yet?

(My mom wants to buy me a new phone for my birthday so I'm toying with jumping ship and abandoning iOS. Not a fan of iOS7, think I'm ready to try something else.)

The Note 3 is probably too big for me but it's SO SO PRETTY.

Go fondle the Note and use the stylus (if you have cursive, I don't have enough good things to say about the handwriting keyboards--just, why aren't there more alternatives in English??). It wasn't as big as I was expecting to hold, but the screen looks huge because it's taking every damned millimetre it can get. Also because it is. But I could manage it easily like my current Nexus--maybe they aren't that different in profile.

Hey, Apple people, is there a way to permanently turn off iPhone apps?My mother is complaining that her phone battery runs down even when she doesn't use the phone.

Jesse,

couple of things: she may have location services turned off for certain apps. Google's app is NOTORIOUS. When I turned off location services for that app, I actually had battery life. Before, that fucker was running down my battery from 100% to 20% in like 90 minutes.

She may just need to go to Settings and Location Services and turn them off for particular apps.

I really like PocketCasts on Android.

She may just need to go to Settings and Location Services and turn them off for particular apps.

Cool, I'll try that. Thanks!

Ok, the Note 3 is a big HELL YES from me. I'm not a huge fan of the faux-leather back, but that SCREEN! And at least the plastic fake leather is more comfortable to hold than Apple's sharp metal/glass corners. (Which I've hated ever since I upgraded to the iPhone 4. The 3/3gs was so much more comfortable to hold.)

Woot! Hopefully I can settle for vicarious Note 3 thrills and just love my perfectly fine Nexus longer.