Yes, you won't be able to remove Optio's software just by resetting the phone or removing an app, but you might be able to remove it by reinstalling Android. Most users won't want to do this or know how to do it.
As for Optio releasing an app for anyone to use, we'll have to wait until later this year.
Mos t of the articles i read about Optio's Android, includin yours, say that its an OS(A version of Android), in that case it will not be as easy as resetting your phone. You will have to flash the phone whic again is not easy for normal users.
I hope that they make it more secure, but i also want them to release an app so people who want contextual awareness for some reason can also benefit from it.
From what I've read in an article by MIT Technology Review, the Optio software is stored in an area of the OS called the Android Framework. That means if the phone is rooted, the Optio software could be deleted.
Most users don't know how to root their phones, but it is possible.
Also, Optio could continue to improve its software's security to make it more difficult to remove, at least by most users.
I dobt that the optio's software will be easy to remove, other wise there is no point in having it in the first place. But this certainly does not mean that it cant be integrated into existing android phones.
There certainly have been reports of doctors, nurses, aides, etc. taking photos of patients and sending information that was unethical to transmit, if not downright illegal. I completely agree that there's a big difference between regulations prohibiting what employees may do and software that simply disables capabilities.
healthcare particularly needs this sort of cover. Just because a phone cam isn't allowed doesn't give the same protection as a system that disables it even when carried in without permission.. Thank you Alan, for the great info and for following up with answers to my questions
I guess we'll first have to determine if Optio's software can do what the company says it can. Then we could see who might be selling it (systems integrators, handset vendors) and also determine whether the software could be easily integrated into existing phones. Perhaps Optio will provide more information next year.
I think I read that completely resetting a phone to factory settings would wipe out the Optio software, so it's not buried so deep that it can't be removed. If that's the case, then perhaps it could be downloaded to existing Android handsets.
I can see a variety of enterprises that would be interested in this type of software. Any company that runs top secret or highly confidential new product labs, for example, might want to disable phones. Of course, any company with such labs already has security procedures in place, including forbidding camera phone or indeed any phones in specific areas.
And there are lots of financial companies, healthcare organizations, etc. that have extremely stringent policies in place.
I can understand and appreciate the company wanting to be in a wholesale market rather than retail. But I really hope that they aren't so narrow minded that they only see high security clients, such as govrnment and law enforcement as their only customers. More and more the corporate world is recognizing the need for more secure systems and this would fit nicely into many of the companies I have worked with.
I suspect you'd have to purchase a new device, but that's really just a guess. I also suspect that Optio isn't aiming at one-off sales, and it's going for B2B, with handset manufacturers and systems integrators being their customers, that in turn will sell the devices to secret government agencies and businesses with highly confidential data.
I'd suggest you contact Optio, but the only contact information I've seen is a Web form from Allied Minds, the investment fund for Optio.
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