News

Apple, Google, Microsoft ask governments to reform surveillance practices

AOL, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and LinkedIn are also among the tech companies wanting the U.S. to lead the reform of surveillance laws and practices

Yahoo buys concert live-streaming startup Evntlive

The Internet company could expand its entertainment offerings through the deal

Apple tracks shoppers in its stores with nationwide iBeacon rollout

With the new location service, shoppers with the Apple Store app installed could start receiving notifications as they walk past the latest iPhones

Microsoft exec hints at separate Windows release trains for consumers, business

Resistance from enterprises, and Ballmer's departure, may be changing Microsoft's mind

Mobile chip speed wars have to end, Broadcom chairman says

Battery life will win out over ongoing performance upgrades, according to Henry Samueli

Linux users laugh at Microsoft’s commitment to open source

Today in Open Source: Is Microsoft committed to open source? Linux users don't think so. Plus: Android flashlight app violates user privacy, and have you been pwned?

Node.js keeps stealing Rails’ thunder

Rails founder isn't worried about Node.js displacing Rails, but more and more companies are making the switch

IBM lays plans to be a cloud storage broker

Researchers at IBM's Zurich facility have developed software to use cloud storage services as a backup

German court invalidates Microsoft patent used for Motorola phone sales ban

Microsoft can appeal the ruling that invalidated its FAT storage patent

Storage hardware sales hit by lower government spending

NetApp was the big winner as other vendors suffered from revenue declines

Should Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter really judge what’s news?

Some new features and high-profile hires demonstrate a growing interest in keeping users informed about current events

IT managers are increasingly replacing servers with SaaS

Cloud providers take on a bigger share of the servers as overall market starts declining

Why IT execs stick with cloud computing despite NSA snooping scandal

The benefits of cloud technology are a powerful draw, and IT execs are taking steps to mitigate their risk

New website lets users check if their online credentials were exposed in large data leaks

The site combines email addresses corresponding to accounts exposed in data breaches at Adobe, Yahoo, Stratfor, Gawker, and Sony

Microsoft ends Windows 7 retail sales

October 2014 is set as the cut-off date for sales to OEMs

Google to let users download portable file with all their Gmail messages

Capability is aimed at people who want to create Gmail and Calendar backups or move their data to other email and calendar services

GE Healthcare CTO: IT must embrace mobile, cloud to remain relevant

GE Healthcare's Nevin Zimmermann talks mobile, cloud, and big data; his team's evolution; and need for CIOs to welcome changes in tech

Oracle may get second chance to prove Google infringed on Java copyrights

Oracle's appeal of Judge William Alsup's high-profile ruling in the Android lawsuit was heard this week

Oracle integrates DTrace debugger into its Linux distribution

Oracle Linux administrators can finally take advantage of the powerful DTrace debugging tool, first designed for Solaris

Oracle may get second chance to prove Google infringed on Java copyrights

China bans banks from trading in bitcoin

The virtual currency has been growing in popularity in China as a new kind of investment

HP regains server lead but Taiwan vendors see big growth

Taiwanese server vendors that sell directly to Internet giants like Google and Facebook had the biggest growth in the quarter

Lenovo looking at acquisitions to expand its enterprise business

Lenovo wants to expand outside of China to build server, software, networking, and storage through acquisitions and partnerships

NSA is said to collect cellphone location data across the world

U.S. is collecting nearly 5 billion records a day on the location of cellphones, which privacy advocates say can reveal a lot about a person's activities

Microsoft to encrypt services, notify customers of government data requests

The company is encrypting information traveling on its services, which will be completed by end 2014

FCC approves Verizon purchase of Vodafone stake in Verizon Wireless

Verizon expects the deal to buy a 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless to close early next year

Europe clears Microsoft acquisition of Nokia devices business

FTC approval over the weekend means the acquisition of Nokia's smartphone business can move forward

Joyent polishes Node.js with commercial support package

Joyent promises to help solve tricky Node.js issues, no matter where they occur

Ruby on Rails security updates patch XSS, DoS vulnerabilities

The updates also strengthen the protection for a vulnerability patched in January

Two million log-ins stolen from Facebook, Google, ADP payroll processor

The attackers are using the 'Pony' botnet command-and-control server software

China passes Japan to become world’s 2nd largest IT market

The U.S. still has an IT market three times the size of China, though the latter is seeing far more rapid growth, IDC says

Critics to Congress: Put the brakes on patent bill

A patent reform bill targeting so-called trolls needs more time to mature, several groups say

Yahoo acquires mobile video app startup Ptch

Yahoo continues its string of acquisitions, will shut down the Ptch video service by Jan. 2

Fibre Channel hits key landmark on the way to 32Gbps

Specification calling for 32Gbps is finished, though faster SANs may not ship until 2016

NSA spying scandal accelerating China’s push to favor local tech vendors

Revelations about U.S. secret surveillance have put a strain on the China business of Cisco and Qualcomm, the companies say

How to stay one step ahead of phishing attacks

Phishers are upping their game, so end-users need to respond accordingly

JetBrains builds on Google Android collaboration for new IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA 13 has improved supports for the Java Spring framework

Experimental malware uses inaudible sound to defeat network air gaps

Researchers built a covert acoustical mesh network and used audio signals to transmit data between laptops

What will be in Ubuntu 14.04?

Today in Open Source: What to expect from Ubuntu 14.04. Plus: LXLE beta updated, and SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 released

BlackBerry upgrades BES to improve Android, iOS management

Version 10.2 of the management platform gives IT staff more flexibility when managing iOS and Android-based devices

Microsoft’s Desktop Optimization Pack gets Win 8.1 management capabilities

The suite of IT management tools also gained the ability to virtualize Office 2013

D-Link issues fixes for firmware backdoor in routers

Firmware coding goof means an attacker could change a router's settings and steal information if remote management is enabled

CareerCloud app aims to find job openings before they’re advertised

Hidden Jobs app uses open-source intelligence to track and map job opportunities

Google Compute Engine goes live

The company has cut the prices, improved reliability, and expanded options for its GCE IaaS

Apple buys Topsy for at least $200 million, gaining deep access to Twitter

Topsy analyzes social data across the Web, including all of Twitter's stream

Salesforce.com completes hackathon review, awards second $1 million prize

The probe came after complaints of unfairness from participants in the coding contest at last month's Dreamforce conference

Linux Mint 16 released

Today in Open Source: Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon and MATE available for download. Plus: A review of Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon, and Linux Mint 16 support

Windows XP migration window is closing fast

The clock is ticking on Microsoft's hugely popular OS; make sure your company isn't caught unprepared at XP's end

Microsoft simplifies volume licensing for businesses

Microsoft Products and Services Agreement replaces existing purchasing terms and conditions for three programs

U.S. antitrust regulators approve Microsoft-Nokia deal

Thumbs-up from the EU is expected Wednesday