Android app developer Trevor Eckhart discovered that hidden in his Android phone was tracking software by Carrier IQ, which he feels exhibits the traits of a rootkit. So what does it track? How about key presses, geographic locations, and messages received by its users.

On Monday, Trevor posted the following video to YouTube, exposing what the Carrier IQ software monitored on his stock HTC EVO handset:

Amazingly enough, the users are never informed of this app, nor are they given the ability to toggle whether the monitoring service should run. Instead they are forced to trust Carrier IQ, and Carrier IQ’s customers, for the privacy of any data collected.

Performing damage control, Carrier IQ has posted a Media Alert, clarifying how their software is used by customers. I find the following snippet interesting:

While we look at many aspects of a device’s performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools. The metrics and tools we derive are not designed to deliver such information, nor do we have any intention of developing such tools.

The video clearly shows the monitoring software is capable of recording keystrokes. What’s more concerning is how the software can see variables passed via an encrypted website as if they were never encrypted.

If you think that avoiding Android powered devices will exempt you from this privacy invasion, think again. In addition to Android, Carrier IQ also has software available and installed on BlackBerry, Apple iOS and Nokia devices.

Update: It has been determined that iOS devices also contain Carrier IQ.

[Via The Register]

Amazon’s newest tablet, the Kindle Fire, helped increase Kindle Family sales by 4x when compared to the same period last year, and was also the best-selling item at Amazon.com on Black Friday. The boost in sales wasn’t exclusive to Amazon’s online market, with both Best Buy and Target reporting increased demand for the new tablet. From The Next Web:

Nik Nayar, vice president merchandising at Target said that the Kindle Fire was so popular, sales of the device outperformed all other Android devices at its stores: “This was a great Black Friday for Target and for Kindle Fire, which was the bestselling tablet in our stores on Black Friday”

If you are wondering how many Kindle Fires were sold, Amazon will most likely let you down. Not because the number is low, but because they refrain from releasing sales figures. What we do know is that the number before Black Friday was in the millions, with unofficial 2011 sales estimated at five million.

The SF Gate—the online home of the San Francisco Chronicle—interviewed Tim Porter, Google’s patent counsel, on his perspective of the current patent system. Written in Q&A style, the article tackles topics including the patent system, Android, Apple, Microsoft and whether he thinks software patents make sense.

The article really focuses on Microsoft more than any other competitor. When pressed about Microsoft’s recent tactic to pressure Android partners into signing lucrative license agreements, Tim responded:

Unfortunately, the way it works is you don’t know what patents cover until courts declare that in litigation. What that means is people have to make decisions about whether to fight or whether to reach agreements.

This is a tactic that Microsoft has used in the past, with Linux, for example. When their products stop succeeding in the marketplace, when they get marginalized, as is happening now with Android, they use the large patent portfolio they’ve built up to get revenue from the success of other companies’ products.

It’s an interesting read on what Google’s legal team is currently facing, and their perspective on today’s patent system.

Are you looking to pick up a new Android phone, but concerned that your phone may never see an OS update moving forward? If history repeats itself, there’s a good chance your Android phone will stop receiving updates within two-years, in contrast to the iPhone which receives OS updates for the first three-years. Michael DeGusta posted an analysis of existing Android and iPhone models, and mapped out when their installed OS was current or outdated. From a simple glance, it is obvious the iPhone is easily the most supported and phones from Motorola are the most neglected.

Microsoft continues to pen licensing deals with Android device manufactures, with Quanta Computer being the latest. This is just another name on Microsoft’s list, seeing as they have already worked out agreements with Android device makers Acer, Amazon, HTC, Samsung and ViewSonic. From the article on The Next Web:

The dollar figures involved here are non-trivial. Rumors have floated that OEMs are paying between 5 and 15 dollars per unit shipped to Microsoft, effectively making Redmond a massively profitable player in the Android market. And all it has to do is collect the checks. With giants such as HTC and Samsung on board, the pattern appears to be set.

With Microsoft experiencing issues growing their mobile user base, it appears Android may actually be benefiting them more than they would like to admit.