Mobile phone reviews – Rated Mobiles

The Kill Switch: Why Our Gadgets Need It

Smart phone technology affords us plenty of things, abstract and otherwise. From information access to simple convenience to pure entertainment, these gadgets are designed and made with the end user in mind. The innovation does not end there, aside from good hardware, manufacturer’s also select great software as well. Together these two elements provide users with the power of smart phone technology.

Of course, things are not always perfect –especially with software. While the occasional errant software issue can fixed with a quick patch or update, there are some apps that actually manage to get past manufacturer’s unique screening processes and would perform tasks that they were not intended for.

The kill switch for apps has been developed in order to combat this issue. While Google has not open declared how the kill switch is actually activated, they have formally announced that the feature does exist and they will use it if it proves necessary.

Basically, a kill switch is a method by which apps can be remotely disabled and even uninstalled or deleted. This is use as a last-resort in order to combat malicious apps or apps with unannounced behaviors.

Some users might feel worried or even unsecure with a kill switch, and while that is a normal reaction, many should know that the technology has been around for quite some time –and Google is not the only company to use it. Even Apple’s Steve Jobs has announced that the iPhone also has a similar feature.

Many articles have stated that Jobs “admitted” having a kill switch, but that is misleading. The man announced it; having a kill switch is not an error that has to be confessed. In fact, it would actually be wrong for manufacturers to not have a kill switch as that would leave their devices openly vulnerable to attacks by malicious applications.