Next time when you sell, recycle, or, retire your Android smartphone after performing a factory reset, keep in mind that the device may still contain some you thought you destroyed. That's because researchers at Cambridge University have found that the OS' factory reset feature is flawed and doesn't work as intended.

The feature was tested on 21 smartphones (sold by five manufacturers) running Google's mobile OS version 2.3.x to 4.3, and it was found that all devices retained at least some portion of the old data, including images, videos, SMS, emails, as well as contact information stored in phone app and third-party apps like Facebook and WhatsApp.

What's worth mentioning is that the researchers were able to access this data even if the device was protected with full-disk encryption. Additionally, in majority of the cases (around 80%), they were also able to retrieve the master token which is required to access Google user data.

Based on the experiment, it was estimated that around a whopping 500 million Android phones are at risk. The complete findings are available in a research paper titled Security Analysis of Android Factory Resets (click the Source link below).

Source |…

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Samsung carries several iterations of an entry-level to mid-range handsets in India. Its latest addition is the new Galaxy Grand Neo Plus GT-I9060, which quietly debuted in the country.

The Grand Neo Plus is now listed at the official Samsung India E-store for INR 9,990 ($157). As the successor of the Grand Neo, this model brings a 2MP front facing camera while keeping the rest of the specifications almost the same.

Grand Neo Plus packs a 5-inch WVGA display, quad-core 1.2 GHz mobile chipset, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage, memory expansion slot, and Smart Dual SIM support. It has a 5MP rear snapper with LED flash for imaging. Other features include A-GPS with GLONASS support, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi.

The handset runs Android 4.4 Kitkat with TouchWiz UX on top and packs a 2,100 mAh battery.

Source |…

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Two new Gionee Elife E8 teaser images have been released, focusing on the features of its camera. One image of the device is showing the gold finish on its back along with the alleged 23MP camera with dual-tone LED flash. Below it sits a fingerprint sensor.

The audio port is visible on the top in the center, while the microUSB port sits on its bottom. The speaker mesh rests just above the bottom, while the rear microphones are placed on top.

The 23MP image sensor of Gionee Elife E8 might offer lossless zoom, which was first spotted in Nokia Lumia 1020. With lossless zoom, magnification into the screen to get a better frame results in a negligible loss in quality.

Yesterday we reported about a purported render of the upcoming Gionee Elife E8 showcasing a metal body. Besides that, the buzz around the E8 is focused on the 23MP camera which is rumored to interpolate photos to 100MP.

Previous reports suggest that the Elife E8 will feature a 2K AMOLED display, MediaTek MT5795 chipset with octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, and 3,250mAh battery. Tipped to have a thickness of 9.6mm, the E8 will run Amigo 3.0 UI based on Android 5.0…

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Over a year after announcing it, Mozilla has given up on its plan to develop a $25 Firefox OS smartphone. The revelation was made by CEO Chris Beard in an email to employees.

"We have not seen sufficient traction for a $25 phone," he said, adding that "We will focus on efforts that provide a better user experience, rather than focusing on cost alone." However, that doesn't mean that the company will only focus on high-end devices, as Beard also made it clear that they will continue "exploring the feature phone opportunity."

In an effort to give Firefox OS a boost, Mozilla is also thinking on implementing Android app compatibility. However, rather than allowing all Android apps, Beard said the effort would only be limited to "a few key apps." Finally, stressing that the focus remains on FFOS, the CEO said, "We will aggressively invest in the Firefox OS…

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After quite a wait, it's now time to find out when the the LG G4 will be in stock at Sprint. This carrier is the first among the 'big four' in the US to announce availability information for the high-end handset. Hopefully the rest will follow soon.

The G4 is already up for pre-order at Sprint, and its release date is June 5. If you want to get it with a standard two-year contract, it will cost $199.99. The full retail price is $600.

You can also lease the phone from Sprint, thus paying nothing upfront and then $18 per month for two years or $28 per month for one year. There's also the option of going with Sprint's Easy Pay installment scheme, whereby you shell out $25 per month for two years to pay for the G4.

If you purchase the device before June 21, you'll also receive a free second battery, a battery charging cradle, and a 32GB microSD card, all courtesy of LG. Sprint says this is a $105 value, and in fact, this offer will apply for G4 units sold in the US regardless of which carrier you buy yours from. That said, to take advantage of the promo you need to register at this website before July 6.

As you may know, the G4 is LG's flagship offering for this year. It boasts a 5.5-inch QHD touchscreen, a 16 MP rear camera with LED flash and optical image stabilization, an 8 MP front cam, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a microSD card slot, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset, which has a hexa-core CPU with two 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57 cores and four 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 ones. The handset runs Android 5.1…

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