Microsoft says Windows Phone experiencing 'impressive growth' -- wait, what!?

Windows Phone is a failure. Of course, the term "failure" is subjective, so let me explain. Very few consumers are buying them compared to Android and iPhone, and very few developers are creating apps for it. Yes, some people are buying them, and some talented developers are developing, but "some" does not make a success.

Ultimately, on all platforms -- desktops, mobile devices, game consoles, etc. -- it is the apps and games that move the hardware. Right now, there are no killer apps on Windows Phone compared to Android or iOS. In other words, what is the benefit of using Windows Phone to the average consumer? There arguably is none. Today, Microsoft chooses to proclaim that the platform is seeing "impressive growth". Like "failure", the word "impressive" is subjective, but I think everyone can agree, nothing about Microsoft's mobile platform is currently impressive.

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Do you know where Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev is? You could be $3 million richer

Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev is a Russian hacker who could make you rich in a couple of different ways. He is the gentleman who is thought to be the architect behind the Zeus botnet as well as the infamous CryptoLocker scam that holds data hostage for a ransom. Those are two of the largest problems facing today's computer users and each still persists while Bogachev remains elusive.

He has twice been indicted in US courts, once in Nebraska and, more recently, in Pennsylvania. The array of charges is quite long, including conspiracy, money laundering, computer fraud, identity theft and more. These indictments mean little as long as he remains on the run.

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You can now download Windows 7 ISOs directly from Microsoft -- here's how

Can’t find your Windows 7 disc but need it to do a fresh install or run a copy of Windows in a virtualized environment? The obvious solution is to download a copy of the operating system in ISO format.

Oddly though, Microsoft has avoided offering Windows 7 ISOs for download -- the only solution previously was to grab a copy from Digital River, Microsoft’s official content delivery partner for Windows 7. That’s all changed now though, as a new Microsoft Software Recovery center lets you download Windows 7 directly from the software giant itself.

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Suggestions that Twitter is not a valid news source are insane

Suggestions that Twitter is not a valid news source are insane

This morning, as I do most mornings, I started my day by firing up my phone and browsing the news headlines in bed. One story caught my attention -- and the reaction to the story in particular. As you'll have discerned from the headline, there were comments that questioned the value of using Twitter as a source of serious news.

The subject of the story doesn't really matter, but for the sake of completeness, it was this one in the Guardian. It's about the backlash that followed a Telegraph article which suggested suicides in newspaper journalists could be attributed to stress stemming from trying to hit commercial targets. This is a story that's not without irony.

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Dropbox users can get 100GB free bonus storage on OneDrive -- here's how

Earlier today my colleague Mihaita Bamburic explained how to get 100 GB of free OneDrive storage courtesy of Bing Rewards. It’s a great offer, available worldwide, and all you have to do is click a single link to claim your bonus storage.

Of course you can never have too much cloud storage, and the great news is Microsoft is giving away another 100 GB free, this time to Dropbox users (sign up for a free account if you don’t already have one). Make use of both free offers and boom, that’s 200 GB of free additional storage claimed in under five minutes.

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Bing predicts the 87th Academy Awards -- will Microsoft get an Oscar or a Razzie?

It's Oscar time, baby -- woo! It's time to start planning your parties and get-togethers. Hopefully you've seen all of the nominated films. Sadly, I have not seen any, which is tragic, as I love the cinema. Unfortunately, I can no longer afford to regularly go to the movie theater (who can, nowadays?), and I am opposed to pirating films. I've heard wonderful things about American Sniper, Whiplash and The Theory of Everything -- maybe I will try to see one of them on Saturday (Whiplash looks like the best of the bunch).

Microsoft announces that its search engine is predicting the Academy Awards. Believe it or not, Bing has a pretty good overall track record -- it predicted the Patriots to win the Superbowl long before New England was guaranteed a spot in the game. With that said, it predicted Beyoncé to win best-album Grammy, but the more talented Beck won instead. Will Bing see success at the 87th Academy Awards?

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New FAA rules could ground Amazon's package delivery drones, require operators to get certified

Drones for Good -- transporting transplant organs, detecting landmines and wiping out fog

We always knew that the US government would have a very tough time stopping civilians from using drones -- formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). First of all, they are easily available and can be had for very little money. You can order one today from Amazon for less than $100. And, second, flying does not require the operator to have any special skills, as proven by numerous videos posted by enthusiasts all across YouTube.

So, instead of taking on that Herculean task, the Federal Aviation Administration has come up with a proposed set of rules that aim to regulate the use of small UAVs, weighing less than 55 lbs (or 25 kg), by the civilian sector. And under this new set of rules, Amazon might have to ground its package delivery drones for good. What's more, operators will have to meet certain requirements just to get theirs up from the ground.

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Are we really in danger of losing our history to the cloud?

Are we really in danger of losing our history to the cloud?

If Google's vice president is to be believed, we are in danger of losing an entire generation of information to the digital realm. Look to the history books, and you do just that -- look in a real, physical book. Pictorial histories can be found in photo albums. The works of Oscar Wilde, Samuel Pepys, and Charles Dickens are stored in real, tangible formats.

But now just about everything is stored digitally. Photos are rarely, if ever printed; millions of words are published online each day on blogs, online newspapers, and message boards. These are all important social, political, literary, and historical records. There's no guarantee that the sites, apps and technology needed to access all of these records will still be available in 50 years or more. Could our history be lost to the cloud?

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Need a bigger cloud? Microsoft has 100GB of free OneDrive storage for you!

Need a bigger cloud? Microsoft has 100GB of free OneDrive storage for you!

It's difficult, if not impossible, to have too much storage space. There has been a slow, but steady move to the cloud, and there are numerous names vying for attention, from Google Drive and Mega to OneDrive. Numbers talk, and it's the amount of free space that can sway users to one service or another.

Google has been giving away Drive storage with Chromebooks for some time, and now Microsoft is getting in on the action. Agree to receive promotional emails through Bing rewards, and you can bag yourself an extra 100GB of OneDrive storage completely free of charge for the next two years. If you're in the US, that is. Or if you use a proxy...

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Android platform partners should think differently, or fail

Outside Apple Store, people excitedly line up to buy iPhone 6. The crowd is remarkably eclectic. Tattoos here. Mohawk there. Someone wearing a prim business suit chats with a burly biker wearing sleeveless T-Shirt. Everyone's clothes beam bright, vibrant colors. Loud laughter and uproarious chatter is everywhere. This is one happy group of buyers.

The store's doors exit onto a green pasture of sheep. Each wears a chain around its neck, with iPhone 6 attached. Cow bells appear on the screens, and clanging sounds against the chirping of birds. One animal looks up: "Baaaaaaa!" Then another, and another. An announcer asks: "Do you really want to be an iSheep?" Then the Android logo and robot flash across the screen.

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Microsoft's Bing is your source for the 2015 Grammy Awards -- Beyoncé, Sam Smith, and more!

Award shows can be rather lame, depending on many things; the host, the nominees and the overall presentation. The Grammy Awards are my favorite of them all, however, as music is one of my favorite hobbies.

Sadly, while I enjoy the overall spectacle and the show, I often disagree with the results. As a Hip-Hop fan, I was disgusted last year when Kendrick Lamar did not win best rap album. Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City should have won, but I digress. This year, Microsoft is making Bing your one stop shop for all things Grammy, including karaoke and predictions.

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Warning -- Microsoft's new iOS Outlook app is insecure

Warning -- Microsoft's new iOS Outlook app is insecure

After buying Acompli late last year, Microsoft didn’t take long to rebrand the mobile email app as Outlook and launch Android and iOS versions. But it seems that in the rush to get the app out of the door, Microsoft failed to ensure that it was suitably secure.

In fact, IBM developer René Winkelmeyer suggests that enterprise users stop using the app immediately. He was shocked to discover a trio of security issues in the mobile version of Outlook. Perhaps the most worrying discovery is that users' personal credentials are stored in the cloud -- username and password included.

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Is it cord-cutting, or just cheating?

Anywhere from two to three times a week, Cox sends offers to join Flex Watch, which would add $19.99 to my $59.99 Internet service. The cable company guarantees the price for 12 months—no contract—and would provide HD set-top box with access to local networks and some premium, subscription channels. Last year's offer: HBO and Starz. Last month's adds Encore. This week, Cox sweetens by tempting with Cinemax and Flix for just $5 more.

The HD box and local channel access doesn't tempt the slightest. Cox would have to rewire our setup to enable access from the living room, but I'm a believer in the "If it ain't broke don't fix it" approach to networking. I've got 120Mbps Internet pumping down to the bedroom, where there is no TV, and don't want to risk mucking up what we've got. But I am tempted to pay $19.99, or $24.99, for the subscription channels and stream to the tellie content in their apps—which I find offer better benefits. But does that cross the line? Is it still cord-cutting?

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Microsoft OneDrive is now the place for your photos

Microsoft wants its cloud storage service to be the best place for all of your photos, and so is debuting new ways to import, organize, find, improve, and share them.

According to Douglas Pearce, OneDrive’s Group Program Manager, major updates coming over the next couple of weeks include: "the ability for customers to curate photos from their phone, desktop and inbox quickly and simply; a new feature that allows you to view, manage, and share photos with Albums; and finally, through a partnership with Bing, customers can now search for their files and photos in a new and exciting way!"

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Securing business applications in real-time

As demand to access company information on the move and from mobile devices increases it places extra strain on security resources.

Existing web applications firewalls (WAFs) monitor traffic but don't have an understanding of the logic of data flows and the behavior of applications. This can make it hard for them to distinguish between legitimate traffic and attacks on apps such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

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