Your Smartphone Is Spying on You

View this newsletter online | Newsletter Services | More Newsletters » Follow @pcworld on Twitter May 6, 2011 PCWorld.com The Best of PCWorld

It's been a great few weeks for paranoids, especially those of us who rely heavily on our phones. According to PCWorld's Ian Paul and Brent Rose (see "Smartphone Spying Reality Check"), "If you own a smartphone and download popular apps, the odds are good that your smartphone knows more about your day-to-day travels than your spouse does." Paul and Rose lay out just the kind of details Apple, Android, and Windows Phone 7 devices can glean about you, as well as what many popular apps can collect. It's sobering stuff. Even so, they don't advise panic. Instead, exercise some commonsense and discretion in the apps you download, and consider installing a security app for your phone. The only other option: Don't use a smartphone at all. But then how would we get directions to restaurants or play Angry Birds when we're supposed to be working? --Editorial Director Steve Fox Top Stories Smartphone Spying Reality Check Yes, your smartphone is spying on you. The real question is, should you care? 10 Biggest Tech Cover-Ups: Shut Up and Act Like Nothing's Wrong The list of tech companies that made business mistakes and didn't address them immediately includes Amazon, Apple, Dell, HP, Intel, and Sony, among others. 10 Best Free Hard Drive Utilities Take control of your hard drive and data with these free and effective utilities. For more free and trialware downloads visit PCWorld.com. News Exclusive: LastPass CEO Explains Possible Hack The company's CEO talks exclusively with PCWorld about a possible breach into its password storage service, what went down, and how worried its millions of users should be. Apple's Popular Apps Not Exclusive to iPhone: Analysis Think you have to buy an Apple iPhone to get all the great apps? Our analysis shows that you can get top apps on any smartphone. Osama Bin Laden's Death Key Topic on Internet People go online in volume to get information and discuss Osama bin Laden's death. For the latest reports, visit our News page . PCW Business Center 11 Free Microsoft Tools You're Overlooking From security tools to sync services, these freebies are surprisingly good. Visit the PCW Business Center. Blogs How to Build Better Passwords Without Losing Your Mind The rash of recent hacker attacks is a rough reminder that someone out there is always gunning for your private data. No password is perfect, but you can build a better password with these simple tips. Is Sony's PSN 'Welcome Back' Enough? Did You Already Buy an Xbox 360? Sony Japan apologizes for lengthy PlayStation Network outage, says PSN and Qriocity will be back in part this week, but is it too little, too late? Osama bin Laden's Death a Boon for Online Crooks The FBI is warning e-mails and links to alleged photos and videos of Osama bin Laden's corpse are fake and likely link to sites that will attempt to install a virus on your PC. For the latest news and opinion, visit our Blogs page . Reviews Cheap 'Jumbo' Ink Refills: Too Messy to Recommend Our Serial Refiller finds that a no-name, do-it-yourself refill kit creates ink spillage and subpar printed pages. Sony VAIO VPC L218FX: An All-in-One Desktop That's Made of Gold You pay a pretty penny for near-perfection. Little about Sony's VAIO VPC L218FX all-in-one is disappointing, save for its price. Compare prices on all-in-one PCs. For more reviews, visit PCWorld.com. How-To 8 Uses for an Old Smartphone Your first-generation smartphone may be old, outdated, and out of contract, but it can still serve a purpose (or eight) Hardware Tips: USB-to-IDE/SATA Adapter, USB Drives, Laptop Parts on eBay Tips for using a USB-to-IDE/SATA adapter, running programs from flash drives, and buying laptop parts on eBay. For more tips, visit PCWorld.com. Videos Casio Tryx: A Unique Shape-Shifting Camera Casio's Tryx camera has a unique, shape-shifting body that and can be twisted into a number of shapes to aid with different shooting situations. For more videos, visit PCWorld.com. Downloads Advanced SystemCare Free Anti-spyware, privacy cleaner, PC optimizer...this all-in-one tool does a great deal, though the paid version does more. For more free and trial software, visit PCWorld.com. PC World Community Graphics Card Overheating Join the discussion. Visit the PC World Community NAS Buying Guide Network-attached storage is becoming indispensable at work and at home. Find the right device for you. Quiz: How should you network your office? Wired, wireless, or both? When given the opportunity to network a new office space, the choices are tantalizing. Take the quiz! Advertisement No matter what you do, your hard drive is going to fail! Start protecting your digital life for FREE with 5GB of IDrive Online Backup - secure, fast and simple online backup for Windows and Mac. Most Popular Searches Downloads Windows 7 Tablet PC Facebook Sony Product Reviews Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2011 93 Pros Good interface; Strong malware detection Cons Scan speeds lag behind top performers Read Complete Review » Top 10 Paid Antivirus Programs for 2011 » Top 5 Paid Antivirus for 2011 » T-Mobile G2x (with Google) 91 Pros Excellent 8-megapixel camera; Thin, simple design; Super fast thanks to dual core Tegra 2 chip Cons Call quality was uneven; Android 2.3 update not coming until summer Read Complete Review » Top 10 Android Phones » Top 10 Cell Phones » Apple 16GB iPhone 4 (CDMA, Verizon) 85 Pros Beautifully designed hardware and software; Fast processor with lots of RAM; Excellent still and video camera Cons Can't play back HD video to external display; No simultaneous voice and data Read Complete Review » Top 5 Verizon Phones » Get Big Savings When you Shop at PCWorld.com Shop online at PCWorld.com, where you can compare product information, read trusted reviews, and find the best prices on consumer electronics. Pavilion Slimline S5710f Small Form Factor Desktop Price: $349.99 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Essential H320-40411EU Small Form Factor Desktop Price: $599.00 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Browse more Best Prices on Desktops, Monitors, Printers, Laptops Top News on PCWorld.com LastPass CEO Explains Possible Hack The company's CEO talks exclusively with PCWorld about a possible breach into its password storage service, what went down, and how worried its millions of users should be. Share: Intel's 3D Transistor: Why It Matters Intel's 3D transistors are no small feat, and they're a pretty big deal. Share: Top Reviews on PCWorld.com First Impressions: Asus Transformer Tablet The latest Android 3.0 tablet shows off an innovative design with its keyboard dock. Share: Using the Versatile Olympus XZ-1 May Take Some Practice With an F1.8 lens, a full array of manual controls, and some creative in-camera extras, the Olympus XZ-1 is a very versatile camera, though not the easiest one for novices to use. Share: Gateway FX6850-51U: A Strong Performer Gets Lost in the Crowd Its low price and solid benchmark results are great, but the Gateway FX6850-51U ultimately fails to stand out in a crowded pack. Share: Samsung Replenish Review: A Smarter Green Phone Although you might feel like a better person for buying an ecofriendly phone, the Replenish's specs and features are largely underwhelming. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection The 10 Best Free Hard Drive UtilitiesMost users are satisfied with the hard drive utilities that ship with Windows--especially the more powerful partitioning and defragging tools found in Windows Vista and 7. Since you're reading this, though, you're obviously not a "most" type of user. Here are our favorite free utilities for partitioning, monitoring, and optimizing hard drives (as well as a few inexpensive for-pay alternatives). Despite some high-end features, they won't bust your budget. EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition   187515 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Hard Disk FREE and ALL-IN-ONE magic partition solution and disk management utility. Parted Magic   3776 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Hard Disk This may just be the best partitioning utility/boot disc on the planet. Partition Logic   14465 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Hard Disk Partition your hard disk with this free program. See (10) more The 10 Best Free Hard Drive Utilities » Browse DownloadsAntivirus & Security • Design & Multimedia • Utilities • Games • Chat, Email, & the Web • Sponsored Downloads PC Tune-UpBrings your computer back to life by removing the items that can cause crashes, slow speeds, freezing, & impact the overall health of your computer. A perfect tool for novice users & experts alike, PC Tune-Up will improve your computers speed and reliability. PC Tune-Up will walk you through four easy steps to clean your PC, optimize your settings, and keep it running smoothly. Plus, our exclusive Magic Button will do all the work for you with one single click. Speeds up your computer. Makes a quick backup of your system. Scans your computer for errors and bad files. Clears the clutter to increase space on your hard drive. Includes bonus security tools. (Compatibility: Windows 95/98/ME,Windows XP,Windows Vista,Windows 7) Use discount code LARG-VPWU-LHMQ to get $10 off! MediaWidgetTakes over where iTunes leaves off, adding critical back-up and security features you dont get out of the box. With Media Widget you have an easy way of saving a copy of all the contents on your iPod, such as your favorite audio and video files. With MediaWidgets recover feature, you can quickly get your iPod back to its original configuration in the event of a major device crash. Media Widget allows you more easily to move audio and video files onto your iPod. And finally there is an easy way to take files off of your iPod with Media Widget software. (Compatibility: Windows 95/98/ME,Windows NT/2000,Windows XP,Windows NT/2000/2003/SBS2003,Windows Vista,Windows 7) Use discount code BOOT-O4RY to save 30% on this essential iPod tool!

Newsletter Subscription Resources You are subscribed to this newsletter as: jonsan3511@gmail.com Unsubscribe from this newsletter here. To add or remove newsletters, change your address, or change your format (HTML or text-only), please go here. If you have questions or comments about PCWorld e-mail newsletters, please contact: webmaster@pcworld.com PCWorld Privacy Policy © 2011 PCWorld Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of PCWorld Communications, Inc. is prohibited. PCWorld is a registered trademark of International Data Group, Inc. All other trademarks used on PCWorld are the property of their respective owners. PCWorld Communications, Inc., 501 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94107.