Microsoft is hoping that within the first two to three years after launch Windows 10 will run on over one billion devices. Expectations are high, but the new operating system has a few things going for it which can help it reach that milestone. One of them is universal apps.

The idea is simple: developers can build a single app that works across all types of devices that support Windows 10, including PCs, tablets and smartphones. The software giant's efforts are already starting to bear fruit, as Todoist has just launched its to-do app in Store as a universal app.

If you ever needed evidence that the iPhone is a huge money maker, it’s safe to say that we now finally have it. On paper, in black and white.

According to a recently published Canaccord Genuity report, Apple has made 94 percent of global smartphone profits during the third quarter of the year, even though it had sold 14.5 percent of all smartphones in the quarter.

I'm a Gmail user. You are probably a Gmail user. Hell, I bet your dog uses Gmail. Here's the thing though -- unless you are really young, you probably didn't use Gmail as your first-ever email account, right? Right.

If you are like me, you probably pre-date web-based email, and got your messages from an email client. In fact, many people -- especially in businesses -- still do, using such software as Thunderbird, Outlook or Evolution. The unfortunate thing, you see, is that those old emails aren't available and searchable in your Gmail account. But what if they were? What if you could import your archaic email archives (if you were smart enough to save them), saved on zip disks in a closet, into Gmail? That would be neat, right? Well, with the power of open source, you actually can -- maybe.

Google+ is a big joke, right? No one uses it, right? Wrong and wrong. The search-giant's social network is actually quite good and has many active users. I would argue that it is the best such network, superior to both Facebook and Twitter, but I digress. True, it does not have as many active users as the aforementioned competitors, but its focused purpose arguably makes it a better resource. It is brilliant for meeting like-minded individuals by using the "Communities" feature.

With all of that said, the Google+ interface was a bit clunky and confusing. Heck, it was very heavy too, causing web browsers -- in my experience -- to use a lot of resources. Today, Google announces that it is refreshing the service -- a new coat of paint and improved interface. Will this lead to increased usage?

As you might have seen on other news sites over the past few days, hacktivist collective Anonymous has declared war against Islamic State following the massacre in Paris last Friday. The BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones has an interesting interview with one of the members which is worth reading here.

While Operation Paris -- which has the aim of tracking down members of IS -- is a new venture, Anonymous has actually been engaged in a cyberwar with the terrorist organization since February through its continuing #OpISIS campaign. A new video, posted today by the group behind that operation, Anonymous Red Cult, reiterates its aims, and reveals how you can join the fight.

The tech industry is well aware of the positive impact of diversity on business performance -- and of how its insidious misogyny is directly at-odds with diversity goals. In spite of this evidence, instances of sexism in tech are sometimes -- nay, often -- dismissed as a "women’s issue" to be addressed and solved by women, rather than by the men who overwhelmingly comprise the industry’s workforce and executive positions.

But it isn’t a "women’s issue" if solving it benefits all of us. And we’ve seen time and time again that fostering inclusive and diverse workplaces is not just a social issue relevant to minorities and their allies, but a business concern relevant to all who would reap the benefits of seeing their startup succeed, their web business pivot successfully, or their enterprise company increase revenue.

VirusTotal has announced the availability of sandbox execution for OS X apps, including DMG files, Mach-O executables, and ZIP files containing a Mac app.

Users may submit files via the website, OS X uploader app or API, but reports now contain a "Behavioral information" tab which lists details like the processes launched, DNS queries made, and any files opened, read or written.

Docker has unveiled some additional security features during the keynote speech of its DockerCon Europe conference.

The open source program will boast improved container safety without compromising developer workflows.

Pandora and Rdio are two of the major forces in the streaming music industry. It's a growing market now that CDs have become part of the past. Yes, sales of them still exist, just not what they once were.

Now Pandora is planning to acquire Rdio and consolidate the two services. It's an interesting proposition and will certainly have implications. Pandora and Rdio are different in certain ways. Pandora simply lets you create stations based on taste and does an excellent job of it. Rdio allows for streaming individual songs.

Apps on both Android and iOS can be great, although the ones for Apple's operating system are often better in design and performance. Even Google apps on iOS are sometimes better than their Android counterparts. This probably contributes to iOS users spending far more money on apps than Android users.

If you are an Android user, I have some good news for you -- the apps you buy in the future may soon be cheaper. You see, Google is lowering the minimum amount that developers can charge in the Play Store. Will this cause you to buy more apps?

Setting up a web server can be a lengthy and complicated process, with so many components to download, set up and manage.

A WAMP server (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) like VertrigoServ makes life easier by bundling together everything you need, and adding its own centralized management tools.

DevOps skills are increasingly sought after and as a result salaries for DevOps engineers are higher than for other IT job titles according to new research.

IT automation software provider PuppetLabs has released its 2015 DevOps Salary Report based on data gathered from its 2015 State of DevOps Report.

In a recent interview with the Irish Independent, CEO Tim Cook has once again said Apple will not weaken the encryption it uses in its mobile communication devices.

He did, however, say that the company he runs will work closely with the UK government to help create a quality legislation.

Businesses generally want IT management solutions that offer a complete overview regardless of the underlying platforms that produce it.

Atlanta-based OpsDataStore is addressing this need by launching its new big data back end for all IT management data.

Chinese tech behemoth, Huawei, came up with a technology that could revolutionize batteries, with smartphones likely to be the primary target.

In a test, two batteries, one apparently for a smartphone (3,000mAh) and one for a feature phone (600mAh) were charged up to 10x faster than traditional methods allowed.