Microsoft gives Office a 2013 touch-up
Microsoft has unveiled a touch-ready version of Office, the latest version of the company’s market-leading productivity software suite. In San Francisco, Steve Ballmer described Office 2013 as the firm’s “most ambitious release” to date. The software is primed for mobile devices, cloud computing, and social networking. Office is the globe’s most popular productivity application, with […]
Google’s Marissa Mayer becomes Yahoo CEO
Google’s longtime executive to begin her new job leading the struggling iconic Web company tomorrow. Yahoo has named Marissa Mayer, one of Google’s top execs, as its next CEO, ending a hunt that began after Scott Thompson was forced out in May for padding his resume. Ross Levinsohn, who has been the interim CEO, had […]
Google’s Larry Page back at work, recovering from illness
Web giant’s 39-year-old co-founder is reportedly back at work after an undisclosed illness caused the loss of his voice and sidelined him from public events for several weeks. Google co-founder Larry Page is recovering from an unspecified illness that sidelined him for several weeks and caused him to lose his voice, but he has returned […]
Android rules U.S. and Europe smartphone sales
For the first time ever, Android has dominated smartphone sales in several major markets, including the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia, according to data released today by market analysis firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. In all of these countries, Google’s mobile OS has taken at least half of smartphone sales, with the […]
San Francisco plans to ban officials from buying Apple Macs
City officials in San Francisco plan to block local government agencies from buying new Apple Macintosh computers. The move follows the firm’s decision to pull out of a green certification scheme designed to identify which electronic devices pose the least risk to the environment. CIO Journal reported the ban was designed to encourage Apple to […]
FBI net shut off has ‘limited’ impact on victims
More than 300,000 people, including many in the US and UK, may have lost net access as the FBI shuts down servers used by cyber thieves. The FBI seized the servers in November 2011 during raids to break up a hi-tech gang who used the DNS Changer virus to infect more than four million victims. […]
Ex-Nokia employees to launch Meego smartphone
A group of former Nokia employees has formed a company with the goal of bringing to market a smartphone powered by software discarded by their former employer. The Finnish startup Jolla plans to base its handsets on the defunct Meego operating system, which was developed in partnership with Intel but was essentially left for dead […]
Facebook invests in Asia Pacific Gateway underwater internet cable
The Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) is designed to improve internet speeds for citizens and businesses in the region. The cable will run directly from Malaysia to South Korea and Japan, with links branching off to other countries. Facebook said the move would support efforts to boost membership in what was already one of its fastest […]
Understanding the Higgs boson
The Higgs boson is an integral part of our understanding of nature. It is a particle that is an excitation of what is called the Higgs field. The Higgs field permeates all of space and when some of the fundamental particles travel through it they acquire mass. The amount of mass they acquire depends on […]
Will you sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom?
In advance of Independence Day, a host of groups and individuals have launched the Declaration of Internet Freedom, fighting for a free and open Internet. Do you believe the Internet needs protection against censorship and other threats? If so, then you may want to join in on the new Declaration of Internet Freedom. Launched by […]
With $60B in cash, Microsoft is set to blow up its business
With the recent announcement of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet, the decades-old network of partners that Microsoft and Intel built just got a formidable new asset-rich competitor: Microsoft. Like all successful partner networks, Wintel thrived because all of the players — the two principals, OEMs, the channel and other stakeholders — benefited individually from the association […]
Google unveils Nexus tablet made by Asus and Project Glass pre-orders
The device is made by the Taiwanese company Asus rather than the firm’s own Motorola hardware unit. It runs the new Jelly Bean version of Android. An 8GB version will be sold for $199 (£127) from mid-July pitching it directly against Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The firm also showed off its internet-connected augmented reality glasses revealing […]
Apple wants to build cloud data center near Reno
Apple is looking to set up shop in the Biggest Little City in the World, with local and state government footing the bill for a possible $89 million in tax breaks, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Apple is planning to open a data center in northern Nevada as part of the company’s plan to spend […]
Kindle Fire 2 may hit as soon as July
If you’re waiting for the Kindle Fire 2 or a new e-ink Kindle, you may not have to wait much longer. What’s next for Kindle hardware? Well, a credible source has told us that Amazon will unveil a second-generation Kindle Fire this summer and that it’s targeting July 31 for a launch event. While we […]
Apple Stores get their turn under NY Times’ investigative spotlight
A just-published Times report on pay and conditions at Apple Stores has at least one news outlet wondering if recent Apple activity around salary increases was meant as a kind of preemptive strike. Was recent Apple activity around raises at its retail stores a preemptive strike against a just-published New York Times article? That’s what […]
Microsoft serves notice to sites hosting Xbox 720 roadmap
The company’s takedown notices appear to confirm the authenticity of the huge document — a 50+ page PowerPoint file — that purported to lay out the roadmap for Microsoft’s upcoming console. Microsoft is playing hardball with companies that are hosting a purportedly leaked Xbox 720 document. A Czech tech site called Ihned.cz (Translate) said it […]
Windows Phone 8 system update announced by Microsoft
Microsoft has unveiled the next version of its smartphone operating system. Windows Phone 8 shares much of its code with the firm’s PC system, making it easier for developers to write programs for different types of devices. The company said it should mean there would be some “amazing games” for handsets running its new release. […]
Microsoft unveils Surface Windows 8 tablets
Microsoft has unveiled Surface – its own-brand family of tablets. The touchscreen computers will be powered by its upcoming Windows 8 system and contain a choice of an Intel or ARM-based processor. It allows the firm to challenge Apple’s bestselling iPad with a device that can run standard applications such as its own Office programmes […]
iOS 6 Passbook vs. Google Wallet
Apple’s Passbook will beat Google Wallet by killing the whole mobile-payment game. Sorry, Google Wallet fans, but Apple may have just pulled the mobile-payment rug from under Android’s feet. In signature Apple fashion, the new iOS 6 Passbook app takes a shockingly simple approach, which is just why it’ll prove a hit. Google Wallet’s dilemma […]
LinkedIn acknowledges security breach, asks users to change password
The professional social network LinkedIn said Wednesday some of its members’ passwords were stolen after reports said more than 6.4 million accounts were breached. “We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts. We are continuing to investigate this situation,” LinkedIn director Vicente Silveira said in a blog post. […]