Data breaches continue to make the news on a regular basis and payment details are high on the hacker’s shopping list when it comes to protecting information. We reported yesterday on Intel introducing a new secure solution for protecting payments and card providers are engaged in a continuing arms race to stay secure. The latest part of this is the introduction of more secure EMV (EuroPay, MasterCard and Visa) compliant payment terminals around the world. Banks are issuing the new chip cards as current cards expire or need replacement. Retailers are installing new chip-enabled terminals.

As the holiday shopping season approaches keeping your details safe as you hit the shops is at the top of many people's thoughts. We spoke to Carolyn Balfany, SVP, Product Delivery and EMV of payment card specialists MasterCard to find out about what consumers can do to help protect themselves as they shop.

AstonSoft has announced the release of EssentialPIM Pro 6.0 and EssentialPIM Free 6.0 for Windows, and EssentialPIM 3.5 for Android, the latest editions of its popular information manager.

The Android build sees significant improvements, including Contacts support and the ability to set start and due times, as well as dates, for to dos.

In times of natural disaster and chaos, people are increasingly turning to social media for news and updates. But while Facebook is a handy way to keep up to date with the latest news about Ebola, earthquakes, and other problems, it's also a valuable means of checking up on loved ones to make sure they're OK. Now the social network has a new tool that makes it easier than ever to let your friends and family know that you’re safe if you happen to be in or near a problem area.

It’s a simple idea. Facebook uses your statuses and check in details to determine where you are. If you happen to be in a disaster area, a message will pop up in your account or mobile app asking if you're OK. You can then indicate that all is well and your friends and family will be able to see that there is no cause for concern.

Norwegian browser developer Opera has released Opera 25 FINAL, a landmark release of its web browser. The headline new feature is support for bookmarks.

The feature -- long overdue -- attempts to steal a march on Opera’s rivals by providing thumbnail images for each site that’s bookmarked. Also new in version 25 is a redesigned Start page and built-in PDF viewer.

We have known for quite some time that the next incarnation of Android will pack a kill switch. This feature has long been requested, as it would prevent unauthorized reuse and, therefore, make a serious dent in smartphone and tablet theft. It is even imposed under Californian law, going into effect next year. But even though Google has not mentioned it yet, the kill switch is indeed baked into Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The kill switch in Android 5.0 Lollipop is officially known as "Factory reset protection", and is offered as an opt-in feature which only works in conjunction with a passcode. After it is enabled, the user's credentials (Google account and password) are required in order to reset the device, to allow a person other than the original user to use the device as intended.

It's not a watch. It's not a watch. It's not a watch. Despite appearances to contrary (it tells the time and is worn on the wrist for starters...), Black Eyed Peas' singer and tech fiend will.i.am is keen to assure us that his new wristband is most definitely not a watch. Unveiling the wearable, the smart cuff, the wristband -- call it what you will, as long as it's not a watch -- at Dreamforce in San Francisco, he showed off the fact that the Puls (pronounced Pulse, not Pulls) can be used to make calls without the need to be paired with a mobile phone.

It's a device that has been teased for quite some time now. Will.i.am has been seen on many occasions with the band on his wrist, but had resisted giving away too many details. Now we know it is a curved screen device complete with its own SIM card, 16GB of memory and 1GB of RAM, and a Siri/Cortana-bating voice recognition system called Aneeda (I need a...).

Google has just launched a shiny new addition to its signature Nexus range, the Nexus 6. At a whopping 5.96-inch, this is a beast of a phone that is bang on the phablet trend sweeping the global smartphone market. But how does it square up to the other large-screened powerhouses scrapping for your attention?

We pit its specs against those of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to see who (on paper) comes out on top.

Independent testing organization AV-Comparatives has released the results of its latest Real World Protection and File Detection tests showing which security products perform best at dealing with malware.

The Real World Protection test results are based on over 600 live threats including drive-by downloads, malicious URLs, and infected email attachments. 22 products were tested and rated against the 'out of the box' protection provided by Windows (80.4 percent).

Berlin-based developer O&O Software has announced the release of O&O DiskImage 9, its one-stop drive imaging and file/ folder backup tool.

The most obvious change this time is the completely redesigned Start screen, where the program’s core backup and recovery functions are accessed via six chunky icons.

Google (with a lot of help from Motorola) has released the much-anticipated Nexus 6, updating its beloved Nexus 5 with an all-new look and beefed-up specs. But how does the Nexus 6 compare to other smartphones on the market?

More specifically, how does it fare against Apple's iPhone 6 Plus? Let's break down the specs and take a look.

If you’re a fan of turn-based strategy games -- or just very old -- you might remember Panzer General 2, the 1997 classic which tested your tactics across a range of brutal World War II battles.

Its varied campaigns, scenarios and engrossing gameplay ensured that Panzer General 2 is still remembered fondly today, but it’s not just about memories. The game has also been remade and reimagined in various forms, and old fans and newcomers can try them out for free.

If This Then That, better know as IFTTT, is a system for customizing what happens with various devices. Pretty much anything you can dream up can be programmed in, and the service has moved now into the home automation field.

The company is announcing integration with Honeywell's new thermostat. The evohome systems now have a custom channel, bringing even more to the growing Internet of Things offerings from IFTTT. This brings the total products up by one more.

Many kids nowadays are lazy and sedentary. They come from school, sit on the couch, eat Go-Gurt and watch nonsense like Adventure Time. Actually, swap the Go-Gurt for Teddy Grahams and Adventure Time for Heathcliff and it sounds like my youth, but I digress. Kids don't play outside enough and thanks to smartphones and tablets, they don't get as much sleep as they should. Hell, can you blame them? If I had an iPad in the 80s, I never would have slept.

Today, a new product called KidFit from a company called X-Doria becomes available. In a nutshell, it is a watch-like wearable that you strap onto your kids, so you can track both their activity and sleep patterns. While some may claim the use of such a product is lazy parenting, I disagree; utilizing this technology is a proactive approach to combatting obesity and fatigue.

The web is truly worldwide, the epitome of globalization and the ever-shrinking world. As much as the McDonaldization of the world means that cultures are on an homogenizing course, there are still plenty of differences to embrace -- language is one of them. Spend just a little time surfing the web and there's a reasonable chance that you'll encounter a foreign language site, or at least a few words and phrases that are beyond your high school French and Latin.

Enter stage right Google Translate. This service of course n'est pas nouveau. In fact Google Translate has been around for ages. Mais maintenant il y a un Chrome extension that makes the translation process easier than ever. Oubliez visiting a dedicated website, now your translation is a mere click away.

From serving up free meals to providing on-site massages, companies are always looking for innovative ways to recruit and keep talented staff. But is paying for women to freeze their eggs a step too far?

Facebook and Apple, it was revealed this week, will help their female employees in the US pay for the cost of freezing and storing their eggs.