I have seen spies on TV hack into touchscreen and other keypads by guessing the code from fingerprints and smears. I always thought that was fake, but according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania it’s totally possible (link opens PDF).

The researchers used Android devices, cameras placed at several angles, and special software that analyzed images of the screen. In one case – an HTC G1 with a passcode pattern entered, then held in contact with the user’s face – they were able to discern a partial password pattern 96% of the time, and a full pattern 68% of the time. I’ll stop there so you can go and clean your screen now.

[via TheHill]

The wonderfully-named iSmudginator is a bit of interactive Flash that lets you simulate what will happen to your shiny new iPhone after you’ve put it through it’s paces. Not only does it do a glorious job of emulating smudges, but you can even enable a scratching option to do some real virtual damage. Heck, you can even “answer phone” and leave your nasty ear grease on the screen.

Now from what I’ve heard already, the real iPhone isn’t that much of a smudge-magnet. I suppose the author could always swap out the image and rename it the PSPsmudginator.

[via DownloadSquad]