How To: Lockdown Your Mobile E-Mail

Update 2015-04-27: _We now recommend OpenKeychain over APG, the app described in this blog post. The set up is drastically easier, so you probably don’t even need this HOWTO anymore. Start by downloading K-9 and OpenKeychain, then go into OpenKeychain and start the config there._ Over the past few years it’s become increasingly popular to sound the call that ‘email is dead{#y8a0}.’ And while many complementary forms of synchronous and asynchronous communication – from IM to social networking – have evolved since email first came on the scene, it’s hard to see email suddenly disappearing from its role as the most important way organizations communicate. [Read More]

aPad / iRobot / Moons e7001 Teardown

This is the aPad or iRobot Android 7″ tablet device from www.hiapad.com. I decided to tear mine apart, as the unit I received has a battery issue, and I hoped to see if I could find a bad solder point. In addition, I was curious to see just how hackable or extensible the hardware was. In the end, I was mostly surprised by how much of the thing is put together with tape. [Read More]

Tor on a Tablet

We recently acquired a Moons e-7001 “iRobot” tablet which runs Android 1.5. This device is also known as the “aPad”. It is a very basic iPad-clone, though honestly, it can’t really compare with the iPad in terms of quality of screen, build or general use. However, it does only cost $185, supports USB host mode, has a built-in camera, and it is running Android, an actual open-source operating system! It should also be pointed out that you can also now get the Archos 7 Android tablet, which is basically the same thing as this, from Amazon for $199. [Read More]
tablet  tor 

Orbot goes Beta

As announced on the Tor Blog, an important development: The Tor Project has been working very closely with Nathan Freitas and The Guardian Project to create an Android release. This is an early beta release and is not yet suitable for high security needs. The Android web browser is not protected by Torbutton and we have not yet developed an anonymous browser on the Android platform. Please be cautious with this release, it’s probably pretty fragile and it’s certainly not ready for serious use. [Read More]

MobileActive Helps Secure Citizen Journalists

While we appreciate the mention in this new guide from MobileActive, we appreciate even more the hard work put into documenting practical solutions for citizen journalists that are available today. This guide covers both low and hi-tech approaches to using a mobile phone to document and share media, while still trying to protect your identity and safeguarding communication: Mobile phones are used to compose stories, capture multi-media evidence and disseminate content to local and international audiences. [Read More]

Orbot main screen redesign

Here’s a few screenshots of the new “ACTIVATE ORBOT!” user interface. Just polishing up some of the features and doing a last few days of diligent testing before we release to the wider public. Overall, we want Tor on Android to be a one touch type experience, while still offering all the necessary options for configuration of bridges, rate limiting, etc. The coolest Android-only feature, which unfortunately requires your device to be rooted, is the ability to choose which apps on your device will be “Torified” automatically and transparently. [Read More]

Orbot: Initial Release (repost)

This was originally posted in October 2009. I’d like to make this post without much fanfare. Just looking to share information on the work I’ve been doing with the fantastically radical team over at the Tor Project, as part of my work on the Guardian Project. We have successfully ported the native C Tor app to Android and built an Android application bundle that installs, runs and provides the glue needed to make it useful to end users…. [Read More]