Security software company Symantec reports that 13 Android apps, including several listed in the official Android Market, contain what could be considered to be malware.

The malware in question is called “Android.Counterclank”, and Symantec claims it to be capable of harvesting user information and making unauthorized changes to a user’s Android device, such as adding bookmarks to the web browser. Users of the apps in question reported having a new search icon randomly added to their device’s home screen that displayed a page very similar to the Google search page when opened.

There is some disagreement as to whether or not Android.Counterclank should be classified as malware. Free, ad-supported apps are far from unusual in the Android Market, and ad networks are notorious for toeing the line between permissible advertising and invasion of user privacy. Lookout Security, which focuses on Android security issues, believes Symantec’s accusation to be overblown and stated that Counterclank’s behavior is mirrored by as many as 10 competing ad networks.

Here is a list of apps containing the Counterclank software:

• Counter Elite Force
• Counter Strike Ground Force
• CounterStrike Hit Enemy
• Heart Live Wallpaper
• Hit Counter Terrorist
• Stripper Touch girl
• Balloon Game
• Deal & Be Millionaire
• Wild Man
• Pretty women lingerie puzzle
• Sexy Girls Photo Game
• Sexy Girls Puzzle
• Sexy Women Puzzle

Although Android.Counterclank may turn out to not be especially damaging, it serves as a reminder to be aware of what you choose to download on your smartphone or tablet. And be honest with yourself: is “Sexy Women Puzzle” really worth having if it comes with free malware?

Despite the Droid 3 by Motorola being released just last July, the Droid 4 has already made an appearance at CES to take its place.

The most immediate improvement over its predecessor is the inclusion of 4G LTE network support on Verizon USA. Droid 4 still sports a 4 inch QVGA display which presumably still maintains the less popular pentile sub-pixel arrangement found on the Droid 3 and most AMOLED displays. Increased from the Droid 3′s 1GHz dual-core processor, the new handset will feature a 1.2 GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor. Additionally, the Droid 4 will double the available RAM of the Droid 3 from 512MB to 1GB. There is an 8MP camera on the rear of the phone capable of recording video in 1080 and 16 GB of built-in storage, similar to that of its predecessor.

The slide out QWERTY keyboard is, of course, the Droid’s claim to fame and has been improved upon in every revision since its introduction in 2009. The Droid 4 has a slightly improved design in the backlighting functionality. The keys are edge-lit rather than simply back lit. So, instead of the letter on the key being illuminated only, the entire key’s boarder is illuminated to aid in low-light typing. Another notable feature not found in previous Droid models is the ability to dock to a webtop laptop like the Motorola Atrix.

The Droid 4 will ship running Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and say that an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is inevitable. Motorola have not supplied a solid release date, but say the new handset should be available in the coming weeks.

Droid X

Adobe Systems, the company responsible for such technologies as Flash, Shockwave, and the PDF format, have released a video demonstration of their Flash Player 10.1 running on an Android smartphone.

Senior Technical Evangelist for Adobe, Ted Patrick, hosted a brief video wherein the company’s Flash technology was shown running on an upcoming android handset by Verizon Wireless. Two simple games were demonstrated and showed the Android’s native web browser running the flash content embedded. A World Cup application was also shown to demonstrate how the technology can also be used for applications development as well as web content development.

The introduction does not come without its concerns, however. Many smartphone makers have long been concerned with Flash’s performance on mobile devices. In April, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs even went as far as to publish a lengthy article titled “Thoughts on Flash” explaining why his company will never adopt the Adobe platform onto its wildly popular iPhone, iPod, and iPad devices. His concerns, he says in the article, are of battery life and system performance. Jobs believes that the HTML5 open web standard is where the future of the internet lies, and not with Adobe’s Flash.

The video released on Tuesday shows notable lag as Patrick demonstrates the World Cup application, despite the device’s 1GHz processor.

The Droid X used in the demonstration will be available from Verizon Wireless on July 15^th. The Android 2.2 update with Flash 10.1 is slated to be pushed to phones around the end of this summer.

Geoff Livingston / Flickr

A new battleground has emerged in the technology war: Application development. It is no secret that mobile applications are the hottest ticket right now and two giants in the tech world are fighting for control of the lion’s share of the market.

Google, with its Android OS, and Apple, with the iOS, are trading punches in an effort to gain favor among the developers of the mobile based applications. A recent survey has Google slightly ahead as more than 2700 developers believe that Android OS has the greatest potential for long term usage.

However, 40% of those surveyed by Appcelerator said that iOS was going to be the long term operating system. The field is narrow according to most of the sources close to this new war and there is no clear cut winner in sight.

One thing that Google has, according to experts, is brand recognition. People know that Android is a Google product and the company has a long standing tradition in a leader of all things tech. While it is true that they went off script for the entrance into the mobile operating system world, few believe it to be a mistake.

Furthermore, the name Android appeals to the target audience, the young crowd from 16 to 25 years old. Some believe that the branding of the Google OS may be the ticket to winning this war.

Apple is far from down and out though. They are preparing for the launch of Iphone 4 which will run on the iOS platform. Apple is counting on the increased power and functionality of the Iphone 4 combined with the iOS system to win the hearts of developers and users the world over.

Still the battle is far from over. With more than 60,000 applications available the Android system is a tough competitor in the market. Google is adding more than 100,000 users on a daily basis and is in place to take the top spot in the mobile OS market in the coming years.