Microsoft clarifies that Lumia Denim update is just in-name-only for some

The Lumia Denim update is surely going down as one of the most confusing update ever from Nokia (now Microsoft). In the past where the new firmware like Lumia Amber or Lumia Black brough new features to all Lumias e.g Call and SMS blocker, Lumia Denim's exact feature set is only for newer pureview Lumias.

For months its been said that only the Lumia 830, L930 (Lumia Icon) and Lumia 1520 will be seeing the new Lumia 5.0 features brought by Denim.

In an FAQ message, Microsoft answers a presumably obvious question:

FAQ - I have updated Lumia Denim, but the firmware version number was not changed, why?

"Lumia Denim is the marketing name for latest Lumia software update, which is a combination of firmware, OS (operating system) and Lumia exclusive applications. Exact contents coming with Lumia Denim vary depending on the device model, and some devices are not requiring new firmware for the new features to be enabled, so firmware can in some cases remain unchanged."

This answer explains why many people are reporting their devices now say Lumia Denim even if they did not get an update. It appears that under Extras + Info, the change from Cyan to Denim can be triggered by hitting a particular OS version. For some people, this can change based on their Preview for Developerstatus (enrolled versus non-enrolled can change it).

The reason for that "trigger" is that some devices, like a Lumia 520 or Lumia 920, will not get new firmware. However, when they are at the right OS level – either through Preview or official Windows Phone 8.1.1 update – the phone will rightly "switch" to Lumia Denim.

This news may be a bit of a disappointment for the Lumia owners.

Microsoft does need to push newer technology to advance its platform, and Lumia Denim seems to be that evolution. 

Next week, all hopes are on Microsoft to unveil Windows 10 for mobile. Stay tuned for the Jan 21st event !!

Image Courtest : Windows Central

Another exploit in Windows 8.1 and 7 showcased by a Google security researcher

Few weeks ago, Google had outed a vulnerability in Windows. Well ! Google has done it again. This time by a Google security researcher detailed another vulnerability in both Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. Similar to the exploit that Google had previously detailed, this vulnerability could allow a user to impersonate another ID allowing encryption and decryption of data he or she wouldn't have access to.

From the report:

"The issue is the implementation in CNG.sys doesn't check the impersonation level of the token when capturing the logon session id (using SeQueryAuthenticationIdToken) so a normal user can impersonate at Identification level and decrypt or encrypt data for that logon session. This might be an issue if there's a service which is vulnerable to a named pipe planting attack or is storing encrypted data in a world readable shared memory section."

This news comes before a patch has been issued by Microsoft to fix the exploit just similar to the previous report by Google security research. However, it is important to note that the details of these security exploits are subject to a 90 day disclosure deadline. It appears, Microsoft was aware of the issue for quite sometime and fix for this is expected in February patches.

Image Courtesy : Windows Central 

Lumia Camera app shall be expanded to all Windows Phones for Windows 10

As the Windows 10 event is all set for next week to be Live, more information is slowly coming out. A new Camera beta app has been found at the store for internal use by Microsoft.

Images for the app provided to another tech site Windows Central by Leskinen reveal the familiar Lumia Camera app design , although it appeared that ffew features were unique to Lumia Denim like Rich Capture were not present.

Interestingly, the camera app listed HID (Human Interface Devices) bluetooth support, although it is not clear in what context that would be useful for this app.

Currently Lumia devices have minimum two main camera apps, including the Microsoft  default app and Nokia's Lumia camera. It makes sense that Microsoft would want to consolidate things for Windows 10, especially since they now own the Lumia camera app code.

As announced earlier, Microsoft is expected to announce a Phone Insider program this week for Windows 10 on mobile.

Till then , stay tuned

Image Courtesy : Windows Central