Mobile Portland

We've moved this month's meeting up from the 28th to the 21st, due to the 28th being Memorial Day.

There will come a time when it isn't "They're spying on me through my phone" anymore. Eventually, it will be "My phone is spying on me." ― Philip K. Dick

Every day our smartphones, laptops and other devices transmit invisible bytes of data across networks around the world, leaving a deep and permanent digital footprint. Some of this data we are aware of, such as information we post on social networks, or sharing GPS coordinates with a mapping app to locate the nearest restaurant. However, there is a less visible layer of data that at first may seem innocuous, but once aggregated can provide fragments of data that can be reticulated to unveil information regarding identity, location and other potentially invasive and incriminating evidence. This information can be used to solve crimes, as well as abused. Technology is rapidly increasing the rate at which this data is being used by law enforcement, governments, hackers and advertisers alike, with many surprisingly taking advantage of the hazy gray area where antiquated laws and advanced technology meet.

Ken Westin will be presenting several real-life case studies where he has used various technologies and techniques to track down suspects and stolen devices including laptops, smartphones, digital cameras, flash drives, iPods and more. The evidence and research he has provided to law enforcement around the world has helped unveil and solve larger crimes from organized crime rings, car theft, drugs, identity theft and even a violent car jacking. He will be discussing other technologies and information that law enforcement use such as facial recognition, cell tower simulators and access to wireless carrier and ISP customer records. He will also discuss instances where corporations have have used invasive methods and technologies to gain a competitive edge at the cost of your privacy.

About the Speaker

Ken Westin

Ken Westin is the founder of the popular GadgetTrak cross-platform mobile security and data protection software. Ken launched the first GadgetTrak product in 2007, which provided a way to track media devices such as iPods, digital cameras and external drives. He was awarded a patent for the technology in early 2009, which is has since been embedded in hardware by manufacturers such as Seagate and FLIR.

In 2008 Westin launched the first tracking solution for laptops that utilized integrated web cameras to capture photos of thieves and Wi-Fi positioning for location, resulting in a number of amazing recoveries. Last year the company launched a new mobile security platform that allows users to track missing devices, capture photos and remotely wipe, encrypt and backup sensitive data. He has also recently launched CameraTrace, an innovative free service enabling people to search the web for photos taken with their camera by serial number.

GadgetTrak’s technology has been featured on Dateline NBC, Good Morning America and many top news and tech sites including the New York Times, Forbes, TechCrunch, The Economist and more. The company was recently named in Entrepreuner Magazine's "100 Brilliant Companies" and has won honors and awards from MIT, Tech America, SXSW, CTIA amongst others.

We're all experts at using mobile devices. Many of us even know how to write software for them. But do you know what is going on "under the covers" in mobile phone technology, at carriers, and in the standards development world?

Why won't the new iPad work in Australia? Why is international roaming so difficult? What do developers need to know about future networks? What interesting technology is on the horizon that could contribute to new mobile experiences?

Rob Wilcox will give you a systems level view of wireless, competing wireless standards, and wireless futures, free of the marketing and jargon which can color the industry. He'll also propose some long term trends, both social and technical, your consideration in developing new use cases.

About the Speaker

Rob Wilcox

Rob works in product research, product management, and program management to successfully bring emerging technology into everyday use. Interests include consumer technology, cleantech, and wireless. Notable accomplishments include creating the first international project on the security and reliability of electronic voting with a public interest group of computer scientists at PARC. As a result of that work, he has worked as an analyst on elections planning in Africa and the former Soviet Union.

At last April’s meeting, we saw five cool demos from Mobile Portland members. This month, we’re doing it again. Please join us on Monday, March 26 at 6pm to hear great demos about everything from personal fitness to Tweeting a beer to your friend.

About the Demos

miCoach - Demoed by Amy Vaterlaus and Andy Axelrod, adidas

Adidas is launching an updated version of the popular GPS fitness app to include strength and flex workouts for those who train in the gym or in the privacy of their home. Get personal training by the same folks who train pro athletes.

AppThwack - Demoed by Trent Peterson and Pawel Wojnarowicz, Trellis

AppThwack is a web service for testing Android apps on real devices. When a developer uploads an APK to the site, it is automatically run through a series of smoke tests on real and emulated devices. It can also run custom tests defined in the uploaded APK or in a secondary APK that targets it. The demo will follow an app through this flow using real devices and display the results in real time. They'll describe how it works, give an overview of the service's back-end, Trellis, and where they're headed.

Encyclopaedia Britannica - Demoed by Cale Bruckner and Charles Augustine, Concentric Sky

Encyclopaedia Britannica recently announced it will stop publishing print editions of its signature product for the first time in its 244-year history. Concentric Sky worked with Britannica to make the content of the Encyclopaedia available in iOS app. They will demo the app and talk about a few of the challenges they had to overcome.

Tweet-A-Beer - Demoed by Daniel Wood and Erik Ratcliffe, tenfour

Tweet-A-Beer is a web and mobile web application that allows you to buy a beer for a friend from any computer or web enabled mobile device, regardless of the distance between you. It is powered by Chirpify, a commerce platform for Twitter. Chirpify is the magic that connects your Twitter account to PayPal in order to pre-approve payments. When you Tweet-a-Beer, you are sending $5.00 to another Twitter user, and ultimately, their PayPal account.

CommutePays - Demoed by Mark Peden, CommutePays

CommutePays has developed a mobile app for saving commuters time and money. Time? By providing real-time traffic information, specific to a commuter's route, with alternate route guidance to ensure they are taking the most time-efficient route. Money? By providing commuters with timely, relevant, hyper-local offers and promotions along the same routes they frequent. Two years in development, they have just completed the soft-launch of their free app for iPhone and Android. Although the app works anywhere in the US, they are looking for regional feedback to fine tune the UI/UX prior to rolling out nationally in the fall.