According to Linux Insider - dozens of new Android Phones are found to have malware pre-installed. Malware has been discovered pre-installed on 36 Android phones belonging to two companies, security software maker Check Point reported. "In all instances, the malware was not downloaded to the device as a result of the users' use -- it arrived with it," noted Oren Koriat, a member of Check Point's Mobile Research Team. The malicious apps on the phones of a telecommunications company and a multinational technology business were not part of the official ROM supplied by the vendor, he explained. They were added somewhere along the supply chain. Six of the malware instances were added by a malicious actor to the device's ROM using system privileges, meaning they couldn't be removed by the user and the device had to be re-flashed, Koriat added. Most of the preinstalled malware consisted of information stealers and rough ad networks, he said. Included in the malicious software array was Slocker, a mobile ransomware program that encrypts all the information on a device and demands a payment to decrypt it.Loki malware also was part of the mix. It not only generates revenue by displaying bogus ads, but also steals data about a device and can take control of it.

Consumers Helpless

 Those that truly know me know that I have been itching to get my hands on a small inexpensive computer device that I could use to help to take Peach OSI to the next level. Late in January of this year I got wind of a new Asus creation dubbed the Asus 90MB0QY1-M0EAY0 Tinker Board which at that time I was hearing that it was coming into the fray to compete against the Raspberry Pi. Well I’ve been using a Raspberry Pi myself now since the Pi 3 came on the scene for an inexpensive HTPC alternative for the bedroom. My Peach Pi TV was created for just this reason. It’s been about 7 months now and I have to say that the Raspberry Pi 3 has performed flawlessly. I use it with Kodi and what once was a special skin I modified for Kodi and coupled with a HD Homerun Prime device from Silicondust I not only enjoy the Raspberry Pi as a Kodi HTPC but it delivers 720P live television broadcasts of over 500 channels. (the HDHomerun box delivers the separate Cable TV service that I pay for). This eliminated the need for any rental equipment from the cable company and gives me the ability tun the Raspberry Pi 3 much like you would use any DVR. The caveat being that the Raspberry Pi 3 can only deliver 720p to my 42” 1080p television. So I am itching to get my hands on the Asus Tinker Board so I can conduct a side by side comparison. From my reading and searches it seems that the exclusive handling of this little Asus board is going to be entrusted to the people at Farnell or farnell.com. If you are reading this and you know differently – please advise – as I have searched the Farnell site and it appears that they are not offering as of the writing of this article. So with no device to test I’m going to try to summarize what I’ve read about this Asus Tinker Board. Click on "Read More" below to see the specs and more info.

The Document Foundation just released version 5.3.0 of its fully open source office suite called LibreOffice. This release brings many new features and UI improvements. But here's the one thing that I must admit: I'm also a user of Microsoft Office. Yes - from the beginning of Microsoft to present day, I've relegated myself - just like so many others - to paying countless fees and payments for the - deep breath here - privilege - of using their software. That deep breath made me pause and consider why I use LibreOffice when I am forking over so much money per year to Microsoft. I'm an unabashed open source and Linux fan - as well you all know - but I am also kind of stupidly robotic when it comes to the - weapons of personal destruction - that I use. I use what I have become accustom to using. So I decided to look at the most practical reasons for using LibreOffice. In short, in order to help myself to look at the practical reasons for making a total switch to LibreOffice - perhaps those reasons could be of value to you as well. So let's take an in depth look at LibreOffice.

Ok the most obvious advantage of LibreOffice is that it is open source and free to download. Eh, OK, that doesn't say a whole lot to me. I guess I have that interminable inner belief that anything free must not be of any value. Yeah, even me, sitting here writing an article on a site that I freely give away my Peach OSI distros day after day, year after year working countless hours trying to create a better operating system - and here I sit saying that something free must not have value. So I have to look at why I do what I do and maybe that will give me some insight into why the people at The Document Foundation do what they do for LibreOffice. It's pretty simple really, at least it is for me. As far as a reason for Peach OSI - I wanted a free, safe and easy to use operating system that I myself could use without being tied into a constant pay to play scheme. Hum - I couldn't have said that better.... But let us set the free part aside and look at what may very well be the best reasons to making the switch to LibreOffice, whether you're a normal PC user or an entire educational organization with hundreds - if not thousands - of daily document producing individuals. Click on the Read Me below to read the entire article.