Nokia Smartphone Hacks: Tips & Tools for Your Smallest Computer Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first heard about the book, I honestly wasn't excited. I've been very disappointed by my Nokia 3650 dumbphone. (the os is slow, ugly and hard to use and the bluetooth is nearly unusable, etc...) I haven't yet gotten to the point of replacing it, but when I do I planned to get anything but a Nokia. Naturally, I really saw no point in having a book about such the wretched Nokia 60 series phones.
As I was flipping through the book, I was quite surprised by how much the phone could do that I didn't know about. I read through some of the hacks and was so intrigued that I took the book with me to lunch and played with it a while. Since then, I've been trying to download some of the applications mentioned and have been playing with the phone non-stop. The book has definitely brought new life to my 3650.
The book is a mixture of advanced usage tips and cool applications that can make a Nokia phone much more useful. Normally I wouldn't want to see general tips in a Hacks book, but Nokia does such a poor job at providing information about how to use their phones, that most of the coverage of the standard stuff was brand new to me. I had no idea how to store numbers on my sim card or quick dial from it, for example. Maybe I'm slow, but I was happy for that coverage.
Despite only having 75 hacks, I got a lot of value out the book. I would recommend it to anyone with a Nokia phone that wants to get the most out of their phone. If this were a $40 book, I don't know that I could recommend it. But for a $16 book, it's an easy buy for any Nokia user. I think I've seen faceplates cost more than that. If you aren't sure, go browse through it at a local store. Like most hacks books, the value (or lack thereof) will be quickly evident.

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Nokia's smartphones pack a powerful computer into a very small space. Unlike your desktop or laptop, your smallest computer can be connected to the Internet all the time, and can interact with the world around it through its camera, voice recognition, and its traditional phone keypad. Nokia smartphones combine these features with impressive storage options and a host of networking protocols that make this smallest computer the only thing a road warrior truly needs.

If you're still cracking open your laptop or pining for your desktop while you're on the road, you haven't begun to unlock your Nokia's full potential. Nokia Smartphone Hacks is dedicated to tricking out your smartphone and finding all the capabilities lurking under the surface. Learn how to:

Unlock your phone so that you can use it with any carrier
Avoid and recover from malicious mobile software
Watch DVD movies on the phone
Use the phone as a remote control
Use the phone as a data modem for your notebook
Check your email and browse the web
Post to your weblog from your phone
Record phone conversations
Choose mobile service plans
Transfer files between the phone and your computer

Whether you want to use your smartphone as your lifeline while you're on the road, or you're just looking for a way to make the most of the time you spend waiting in lines, you'll find all the user-friendly tips, tools, and tricks you need to become massively productive with your Nokia smartphone. With Nokia Smartphone Hacks, you'll unleash the full power of that computer that's sitting in your pocket, purse, or backpack.

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Wi-Foo: The Secrets of Wireless Hacking Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)'Wi-Foo' is the wireless book the security community needs. The book mixes theory, tools, and techniques in a manner helpful to those on the offensive or defensive side of the wireless equation. After reading 'Wi-Foo,' I'm glad I didn't try to cover similar topics in my 'Tao of Network Security Monitoring' -- these authors have written the definitive wireless 'hacking' text.

Several aspects of 'Wi-Foo' make the book a winner. First, with the exception of crypto topics in chapters 11 and 12, they tend to defer to previously published works rather than rehash old topics. For example, rather than exhaustively explain 802.11i, they refer readers to 'Real 802.11 Security,' an excellent defense-oriented wireless book. 'Wi-Foo' also assumes readers are familiar with TCP/IP and system administration, leaving out potentially redundant material.

Second, the authors demonstrate the degree to which they are plugged in to the wireless hacking community. They discuss developments from security conventions like Def Con, and explain tools and techniques not yet released (at time of writing) from the 'underground.' The number of tools explained by 'Wi-Foo' well exceeds that found in other wireless books, and the authors clearly explain why they prefer certain tools and discard others. This 'use what works' mentality is pervasive and effective, and I was very glad to see BSD tools featured along with the usual Linux suspects. I was particularly impressed by ch 9, where readers learn what to do next after compromising a wireless network. Other books stop at 'cracking WEP,' for example. Ch 4 and 7 also give the best advice I've seen on different aspects of wireless hardware, on a chipset-comparison level.

Finally, the authors complement their advice on wireless vulnerability assessment and penetration testing with sound defensive strategies. Ch 13 explains how to combine FreeRADIUS, open1x, and OpenLDAP to make an open source wireless authentication system. NoCat is discussed as an alternative. I was very happy to see an entire chapter on wireless IDS, especially the layer-based requirements listing. This serves as a good guide when checking the capabilities of commercial wireless IDS products.

The only drawback I see to 'Wi-Foo' is the inclusion of two chapters on crypto (ch 11 and 12). I would have preferred the authors to refer readers elsewhere, perhaps to a book like 'Cryptography Decrypted' or a heavier tome by Schneier or the like. I also noticed slightly rough English in some places, but these did not bother me like other books I've reviewed.

Overall, 'Wi-Foo' is the best book available for wireless assessment teams, explaining tools in an exceptional manner and smashing myths behind which security administrators hide. (Think your wireless network doesn't produce enough packets for WEP to be cracked? Read ch 8.) I'm adding 'Wi-Foo' to my 'Weapons and Tactics' Listmania List, and I recommend readers add this surprise hit to their bookshelves.

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