Today’s topics include the discovery of a serious security flaw in Google’s Android mobile operating system, Best Buy beginning to sell the Apple Watch, Cisco shedding more businesses and the inclusion of some familiar Internet Explorer developer features in the DNA of Microsoft’s new Edge browser.
Security firm Zimperium today is publicly disclosing a flaw in Google’s Android mobile operating system that could expose 950 million users to security risks.
The vulnerability is found in the Android Stagefright media library, which is a common element in Android versions 2.2 and higher. Zimperium zLabs Vice President of Platform Research and Exploitation Joshua Drake will detail the complete vulnerability in a talk at the Black Hat USA conference on Aug. 5.
Best Buy will start selling the Apple Watch beginning Aug. 7 in the United States, marking the first time that Apple has struck a deal to sell its flagship smartwatches through a retail store chain other than its own.
The latest release of the Apple Watch, starting in about 100 Best Buy stores and through BestBuy.com, was announced by the retailer on July 26, as well as further plans to expand the availability of the devices to an additional 200 stores by the Christmas holiday shopping season.
Cisco Systems continues to shed businesses as Chuck Robbins takes over from retired CEO John Chambers. Less than a week after the networking giant sold its TV set-top box business to French media vendor Technicolor for $600 million, Cisco is getting out of the flash storage business.
The company is ditching its Invicta storage array line, which the company launched after its $415 million acquisition of Whiptail in 2013.
Microsoft may be distancing its new Edge browser from Internet Explorer and its contentious past, but it is inheriting at least some developer features.
In addition to an improved set of F12 tools, the company announced that Edge supports WebDriver, an emerging automated site-testing standard from the World Wide Web Consortium.
Windows Insiders, members of Microsoft’s beta program, can test the functionality in build 10240 or newer. The company first added WebDriver support to IE 11 a year ago.