Latest Technology News

The European Union's Competition Commission surely isn’t on Microsoft’s Christmas gift list. Antitrust regulators are investigating the Redmond, Wash.-based corporation anew. The software giant allegedly failed to comply with a 2009 EU antitrust commitment to give Windows users option to choose their browser.

Microsoft is supposed to provide Windows users with a “browser ballot”. But that ballot is missing from Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and has been, for many users, for nearly 18 months.

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System optimization and maintenance tools are not exactly thin on the ground, but there are some names that are far more worthy of attention than others. One such name is IOBit, and their newly released Advanced SystemCare v6 Beta is the latest in a line of tools designed to help make it easier to look after your computer. If you’ve used the program before you’ll immediately notice that the beta boasts a new look, but there is far more to explore besides the aesthetics.

This is a tool that has all of the bases covered, from simple things such as deleting invalid shortcuts and cleaning up junk files, to defragmenting drives and the registry and even offering protection against malware and online threats. There are various components that can be called on whenever you need them, but one of the key advantages of using Advanced SystemCare v6 Beta over other similar tools is the fact that there is on-going monitoring and maintenance carried out for you.

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On June 27, Google announced the Nexus 7 and shortly after started taking preorders. I had been toying with the idea of upgrading my first-generation iPad. I liked, no, loved the iPad. However, it doesn't have a camera, and I slowly discovered that newer apps run slow on it.

So, the announcement of the Nexus 7 was well-timed in my life, and I preordered that day. I already am a Galaxy Nexus user and a big Android fan. I opted for the 16GB model. Tax, shipping and upgrade to the 16GB pushed the initial $199 advertised price to $285.67. "So what", I thought. This is the newest Android tablet, and I will be among the first to get it. Not to mention, I would get a bonus $25 credit to the Google Play store for preordering. I started dreaming about my new tablet.

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VMware CEO Paul Maritz (pictured right) has reportedly been ousted as the company's CEO, with current EMC Information Infrastructure Products division president and chief operating officer Pat Gelsinger taking his place. The news, first reported by CRN on Monday night, has so far gone unconfirmed. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday cited its own sources saying Maritz will take the position of vice chairman within EMC.

EMC acquired VMware in 2004. Insiders say that while the two companies initially stated its respective management teams would stay separate, many expected an eventual blurring of those lines and a shuffling of executives between the two companies. Maritz has been with EMC since 2008, and Gelsinger joining a year later.

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A letdown. That's the only way to describe Microsoft's Office 2013 announcement. With the fate of the Windows ecosystem hanging in the balance, the Redmond, Wash.-based giant is doing what it always does when faced with a tough, course-changing decision: It’s playing internal politics.

On one side you have the Windows division. Right now, they're facing an existential crisis, with Apple and Google poised to dominate the emerging post-PC landscape. Division head Steve Sinofsky and his team need all the help they can get to crack into this new territory that threatens to subsume everything that came before.

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Mozilla has updated both its open-source browser and email clients with the release of both Firefox 14.0.1 FINAL, and Thunderbird 14.0 FINAL.

Firefox 14’s most notable new features are the switching on of secure connections when performing Google searches for better privacy, plus an updated site identity indicator system in the Address bar. It also introduces silent updates for Windows users for the first time, while OS X Lion users can enjoy native full-screen support for the first time. Thunderbird 14 contains no new features of note, in line with its recent move to an extended support phase.

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Let’s assume you’re a big fan of the Samsung Galaxy Note and you want one, but you reside in the United States and your carrier happens to be T-Mobile. Well, take Note! T-Mobile has officially confirmed that it is coming online and to select stores. Phablet fans, rejoice.

There are no details on pricing or when it’s going to be officially available at the US carrier, but what we do know are the juicy details on specifications. You’re still getting that huge 5.3 inch AMOLED display, 8-megapixel back-facing camera with 1080p video recording; 2MP front-facing camera with video recording; 1GB of RAM; and HSPA+ connectivity (42Mbps download is a nice selling point, even better than the international version), among other things. And the biggest news is that it will actually come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box and Samsung Premium Suite preinstalled as well.

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On July 16, Microsoft has released a preview of Office 2013. In one sense it is a continuation of the Office 2010 office suite.

In another it is a new direction for Microsoft products. The new office suite has the standard office products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access, but there is more to it. We highlight the many key new features and their potential benefits.

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Virtual desktops are a great alternative to having multiple monitors installed to gain more space to work with. Dexpot is a virtual desktop management tool and it has just been updated to include and impressive new interactive preview screen that can be used to move windows and program between desktops, and even perform more advanced options such as creating copies of windows. There’s also a portable edition of the same version of the app available Dexpot Portable.

The preview window also features support for mouse and keyboard controlled zooming, but one of the most intriguing new features is the Window catalog. This displays all of the windows that are included on a desktop as a series of tiles and if you start dragging windows around Dexpot will automatically switch to full screen preview mode. Old favorites such as the desktop manager and desktop preview have also been redesigned.

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Microsoft has released a Windows-only "Customer Preview" of Office 2013 and Office 365 (the subscription-based service), a major revamp which aims to move the suite firmly into the 21st century.

The interface is cleaner, more tablet-friendly, for instance: Microsoft claims that you’ll “experience Office at its best on Windows 8 devices”. But even if you plan to avoid Windows 8 for a very long time, there are plenty of interesting additions here.

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There's a reason CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled Office 2013 early this afternoon. Microsoft's productivity suite has a new face, so to speak. His presence communicates the company's commitment, particularly to businesses -- many of which are gun shy to big changes. The new version really isn't about applications after all but the cloud. Sure, the new suite is finger-licking good, however, it's what Microsoft offers beyond the device that matters more. The software giant is in process of completely reinventing Office for the cloud-connected device era.

The new Office is just that -- a new office for you to do you work. Your new cubicle is outdoors, or anywhere you want to be. In this new workplace Microsoft wants you to pay differently, too, by pushing subscriptions instead of your paying once for perpetual licenses. Ballmer and Co. prefers to collect monthly fees, just like your cable provider. Subscription computing is the Holy Grail sought by Microsoft since the 1990s and something of a pseudo-achievement a decade ago with business annuity license contracts.

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In a rather unexpected move, Samsung Mobile Display Co. is throwing a corporate espionage bomb, by accusing LG of stealing and leaking OLED technology secrets. The news comes as a shock indeed, because if found guilty of orchestrating it the consequences can be disastrous for LG.

Eleven people were indicted Sunday on charges of leaking or stealing core OLED technology from Samsung. The list also includes executives from LG, which currently trails Samsung as the second largest LCD panel manufacturer in the world. To top off bad news with more bad news, it is reported that six more suspects were formerly or currently working for Samsung.

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Sprint announced today it has flipped the switch on 4G LTE coverage in 15 cities in the Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas markets.

Running on the 1900 MHz spectrum, Sprint's LTE will not be as fast as competing networks of Verizon running on the 700 MHz Band 13 frequency or AT&T running at 700 MHz band 17  and 2100/1700 MHz band 4 frequencies. Also Sprint's service is limited by the backhauls to its towers, as well as limited to using only two 5 MHz bands for uplink and downlink. This will only allow speeds of 2Mbps to 3 Mbps on Sprint's current LTE network, far less than AT&T or Verizon.

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Suddenly there's hope for the iconic Internet brand.

After the market closed today, Yahoo named Marisa Mayer chief executive officer, someone with the chops capable of reviving the struggling online giant. Mayer is best known for her role at Google, where she has had huge influence over cloud products during much of the last decade.

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Microsoft unveiled the latest version of Office on Monday, intended to take advantage of the latest features of Windows 8 including touch, an ARM-based version for Windows RT, and two new Office applications including OneNote and Lync.

"We are taking bold steps at Microsoft", CEO Steve Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. "The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8".

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