Microsoft has introduced Preview for Developers to give Windows Phone users early access to new releases, specifically betas, of the tiled operating mobile system. The program is also supposed to ensure a seamless upgrade path to the official firmware, once it is available.

While I have had no issues upgrading to an official firmware ever since I started using Preview for Developers in late-2013, it looks like there might be a problem in upgrading to Lumia Cyan for those of us who have relied on the program to install Windows Phone 8.1.

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Microsoft is the master of product placement. Watch almost any American-made TV show and at some point it’s likely one of the characters will whip out their Windows Phone, fire up their Surface, or use Windows 8.x. No one in those shows ever seems to own an iPad or an Android phone, which is odd considering that in the real world, most people do.

I caught up with the latest episode of CBS show Under the Dome last night, and for a brief moment thought I was watching an advert for Surface, so prevalent was Microsoft’s slate. The problem was… [spoilers ahead]

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PassMark Software has announced the release of OSForensics 3.0, a major update for its excellent PC investigation suite.

A stack of new viewers tell you more about your target system. The Prefetch viewer reveals when (and how frequently) applications have been run; the ThumbCache viewer displays thumbnails cached by Explorer, and the ESE Database viewer gives access to a host of low-level Windows information.

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Top Android manufacturers have made a habit of releasing smaller versions of their flagship smartphones. Samsung is doing it. HTC is doing it as well. And LG is no exception. But, unlike its fellow vendors, it is not calling it a "mini". Meet G3 Beat.

Also unlike Samsung and HTC, which give their mini-flagships small displays, LG opts for a 5-inch panel; it is as large as what One (M8) offers and not that much smaller than what Galaxy S5 comes with. Let us take a look at what G3 Beat has to offer.

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As businesses face new challenges from employees use of public cloud services along with demands to allow BYOD use, they're increasingly looking for ways to monitor and control the activity of staff on the web.

We spoke to Brian Azzopardi, founder and CEO of web filtering specialist Rawstream about how enterprises can meet these new demands and why existing products aren’t always up to the task.

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French developer David Thoirin has released FotoSketcher 2.90, an update to his freeware Windows program for transforming digital photos into works of art.

The major new feature is a second watercolor effect (Edit > Drawing Parameters > Painting 9), which Thoirin has described as using "a loose style (with transparency)… based on a new segmentation algorithm".

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Android is a very capable operating system. With it, Google accomplished the unthinkable -- widespread Linux use by average home users. Linus Torvalds popularized his kernel with nerds and the enterprise, but the search giant made it accessible for all. Here's the thing though -- the fact that Android is powered by Linux doesn't matter. No, to the average consumer, all that matters is the experience. What lies beneath is inconsequential.

Samsung recently released the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, its newest flagship tablet. The device's closest competitor is the iPad Air -- which is a tablet I love. Besides Apple's tablet, there is really no other product to consider at the $500 price point. So, if you are considering a $500 general-use tablet, the only question that must be asked is -- is it better than the iPad Air?

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A fan of Microsoft’s new gaming console? Prepare to rejoice. While up until now the Xbox One has been roundly thrashed by its arch rival, Sony’s PlayStation 4, it seems uncoupling the Kinect in order to allow the device to compete on price is paying dividends.

According to Microsoft, since the new Xbox One offering launched on June 9th, the company has seen sales more than double in the US, compared to May’s figures. Fantastic! But hold on… Maybe don’t start that party just yet.

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Hotel operators were warned in a non-public advisory from the US Secret Service to be alert to the possibility of maliciously planted malware in their business center PCs.

Brian Krebs of KrebsOnSecurity reports that an advisory had mentioned the arrest of several suspects accused of infecting several major hotel computers in the Dallas area. In the above-mentioned case the criminals used stolen credit cards to register at the hotels, whereupon they made use of the business centers and downloaded key logger software which captured log-in information for services used by other guests -- including online banking data.

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I am quite far removed from high school, but I recall the horror well. While hardly a war zone, the environment was definitely not conducive to learning. Many teenagers are not motivated for anything other than the opposite sex (or same sex in some cases). Not to mention, there are drugs and alcohol amongst other distractions. And so, it is imperative that the school keep the teens on-track.

Unfortunately, not all schools are created equally. Even worse, for the most part, where you live dictates where you go to school. In other words, if you live in a town with a bad school district, your child is pretty much out of luck. Of course, if you can afford it, there are private schools that may offer a better learning experience. The problem becomes, how do you know which schools are good and which are bad? Don't worry, Microsoft has your back. You see, starting today, Bing can tell you if a school sucks or not.

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Oracle has released VirtualBox 4.3.14, the latest in a series of maintenance fixes for its cross-platform, part-open-source virtualization program.

Version 4.3.14 includes a wide range of fixes and tweaks, including one that sees the Mac build now include Blu-ray devices when scanning for host CD and DVD drives. Windows hosts should also now be able to install or upgrade VirtualBox without having to reboot their system.

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For a tech nerd, there is nothing more fun than getting a new smartphone. When you get that little box home and carefully open it, it is like reliving Christmas as a child. For some, the contents of the box is just a smartphone, but to others like me and you, it is pure magic.

Sadly, smartphones can be a bit fragile -- dropping it on the concrete or other surface can crack the screen or make the device inoperable. This would be like a child witnessing Santa Claus' sleigh crashing into a tree and turning into a fireball on Christmas Eve -- a nightmare. Of course, you can get a case to protect it, but many of them are bulky and ugly. If you have a beautiful iPhone 5s or Galaxy S5, the last thing you want to do is make it unattractive. No worries, Logitech is once again here to save the day with the beautiful protection+ case for both of those phones.

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Google is no stranger to upsetting people, and it certainly managed to do this back when Google+ launched three years ago. The social network that finds itself the butt of many jokes has long been criticized for forcing users to reveal their real names. But this policy is no more.

As well as reversing the real name requirement, Google has also apologized for the restrictions that have been in place over the past three years. The change of heart was announced, of course, in a Google+ post, and has been welcomed by the + community.

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When Microsoft discontinued support for XP it left a large number of businesses, around 25 percent, needing to make a transformation of their IT environment.

As well as switching to a new desktop OS many are also moving applications to the cloud, changing hardware and introducing BYOD. In order to help IT decision makers with these choices, Israel-based software analytics specialist SoftWatch has introduced a new SaaS product.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is delivering a keynote today at the Worldwide Partner Conference and you watch what the tech giant’s new boss has to say here.

Monday's Vision Keynote covered a wide range of topics, including Windows Phone’s shipments, forthcoming Windows devices, and there was even some hints on what to expect from Windows 9.

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