Android gets an Antivirus suite…I know you care.

I’m skeptical about mobile security, and I’ll probably remain so until I get heinously infected with some malware that requires an OS reinstall…which, as far as I know, is really fucking annoying on a phone.

A few months ago, I wrote about how security providers are always running up and telling us that we’re gravely in danger, and how you sort of become numb to it. Of course you’re telling me I need Antivirus on my phone, it’s the product you’re known for making. I mean, do I look to the umbrella salesman for weather updates?

But ultimately, a compromised phone could be way more than just an annoyance. Someone could steal all your info, way beyond the stuff that the bank and phone company can protect. Think about that whole thread of sexts with that married person you had that little “thing” with, or all your calendar data listing when your kid is at a baby sitter…it’s fodder for humiliation or even worse, extortion. Or, your phone could be a part of a mobile botnet used to bring down Twitter for the forty millionth time this year. THAT WOULD BE TRAGIC!

But enough terror husbandry*, we’ve got phone stuff to talk about.

This week, DroidSecurity unveiled their $4.99 Internet Security Suite…a product it’s billing as “the first full-featured consumer anti-malware and physical security app for Google’s Android operating system.”

I don't know why the Sheriff would have a bandit mask on.

It comes with several components: VirusFree and VirusFree Pro for cleaning up malware, viruses and junk SMS, CheckMate, your average profile-based malware database, and FindR, a tool for tracking lost or stolen phones with the ability to run a remote memory wipe.

For some reason, all these components are listed separately on the DroidSecurity site, and FindR is listed as costing $20….I looked at that and was like “yeah..sure,” until I checked further and the whole thing is, in fact only $4.99. It’s a reasonable price if you’re genuinely afraid of having your phone compromised or if you want to have a remote killswitch for your device in case its stolen and your SD card happens to have several dozen naked pictures of yourself.

I saved my $4.99, though….well…not true. I saved $2.00 of it because I actually bought the Electrum Drum machine instead. That’s just me though, I’ll let you know how that goes later.

*NOTE: I intentionally avoid the term “FUD,” as I loathe it. As you read this blog, you’ll become acquainted with the many, many terms that I hate. Usually, they’re cliches, abbreviations, and convenient expressions that replace linguistic invention. Hence, my advocacy of the neologism “Sext.”)

Day one of Android Bakery v.1.0

Hey everybody!  My name is Tim Conneally and this is Android Bakery, a place where we’ll look at the exciting new developments in Google’s mobile operating system:  the hardware, the apps, and the lifestyle.

I chose the blog format because I’d like to write without having to limit my bias or tendency to think aloud.  So for the first post in Android Bakery before we delve into any awesomeness, I will provide a full disclosure.

I am primarily a writer for Betanews.com, a developer and co-founder of Baltimore-based event mapping site Localist.com and stockholder in several wireless infrastructure and software companies:  specifically Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nuance Communications.

I am a huge fan of Google and its services, so that’s why I got into Android even before the G1 was released.  Since it’s been out, I’ve followed a number of burgeoning software companies as they’ve helped the platform grow, and I really love to watch the ecosystem change as it fulfills the demands of the mobile user.

My primary goal for this site is to have a single post per day:  a review of  an Android App released that day, a video of me flipping out about something, or an interview with software developers.

If you enjoy Android as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you, and I’ll have my first real post later tonight.