Snapchat has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity. But for software and apps popularity also means becoming a bigger target. There's been no shortage of news recently regarding systems being breached, with Kmart being the most recent victim.

In this case the victim isn't Snapchat, at least not directly, but a third-party app that uses the chat service's API. While the company is happy that so many want to use its API, it felt forced to issue a warning to the folks who decide to use these apps.

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Today is a big day for both Apple and Samsung, as the two are launching their latest flagships in three of the largest smartphone markets: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus officially hit China, and Galaxy Note 4 arrives in US and UK. It's a "finally" moment in both cases, as the handsets were announced more than a month ago.

For Apple, having its new iPhones officially available for sale in China, the largest smartphone market, is a huge opportunity to boost sales in what could very well be its best quarter of the year. The pair had to launch later in China this year, due to regulatory hurdles. Among other things, the local government has forced Apple to beef up the security of iOS 8 to give the new iPhones its nod of approval.

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One-hundred and three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x in the last seven days.

Big news this week was Microsoft's announcement that Halo: Spartan Strike will be released on December 12, 2014 for Windows 8.x and Windows Phone 8.x.

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To coincide with the release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, Apple has unveiled iTunes 12.0.1, the first major release of its media manager and player for almost two years.

The new release debuts a flatter, more modern look designed to tie in with Yosemite, which includes a new red app icon and some redesigned and restructured elements. The update also adds support for some iOS 8/Yosemite-only features such as Family Sharing.

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Apple has released the much-anticipated iPad Air 2, updating its beloved iPad Air with an all-new look and beefed-up specs. But how does the iPad Air 2 compare to Google's just-released Nexus 9 tablet?

Let's break down the specs and take a look.

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You can't go too far in the big data world without encountering Apache Hadoop. The open source framework was created in 2005 to handle large scale processing.

A new infographic from data management company Solix looks at what Hadoop is, the four modules that make it up, and how it’s used in the enterprise, along with a glimpse at its future.

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The tabloids are abuzz with tales of hackers stealing salacious celebrity selfies stored on the Cloud, and of course the furor dies with next week’s issue of People Magazine.

The thought of Cloud based business data being compromised is a different matter, and you’re right to be concerned about ubiquitous computing resulting in ubiquitous hacking attempts. Fortunately, efforts to secure the cloud are maintaining the pace of the unprecedented growth of the cloud itself.

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Google has officially announced Android 5.0 Lollipop alongside a brand spanking new range of Nexus devices including a phablet, tablet and set top box geared towards gaming.

Over the coming weeks the new OS will roll out to the Nexus 6 and 9 before landing on a raft of Android devices across various manufacturers including HTC, Sony, Samsung and many more. In order to be prepared for its arrival, here is a step-by-step guide to make sure it hits your device without a hitch.

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Apple has released the much-anticipated iPad Air 2, updating its beloved iPad Air with an all-new look and beefed-up specs.

But how does the iPad Air 2 compare against its insanely successful predecessor, the iPad Air? Let's break down the specs and take a look.

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Apple's OS X is a great operating system, but guess what? So is Windows. Yes, each are great in different ways, and it is OK to like both. Even if you prefer one over the other, it is silly to make fun of someone else's choice. In other words, don't be a fan-boy or bully.

Today is not about Windows however, as it is Apple's day to shine. The fruit-logo company has seen much success with OS X over the years; yes, success. Even though the operating system holds a very small percentage of the desktop market, it has impacted our overall culture and is instantly recognizable. Today however, Apple releases version 10.10 of OS X, dubbed Yosemite and it is quite possibly the most radical change to the Mac operating system. You see, much like iOS7, OS X is getting a "flat" overhaul.

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Acronis’s True Image has always been one of the more feature-packed backup tools around. Imaging, file and folder backups, syncing, online backup, continuous data protection: it’s all here.

Over the years True Image has piled on the extras, too: Try and Decide, disk editing, a secure file shredder, and more.

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When I worked at CompUSA, we had a dedicated Apple section filled with beautiful computers. I regularly sold Macs, but with nowhere near the frequency of the Windows-based computers. This was because Apple's machines were far more expensive than their Windows counterparts. This was reflected in the type of person that purchased a Mac -- they had money. As a commission-based salesman, this was awesome, as they never got rejected when applying for a store credit card or got denied when paying at the register.

Sadly, even though I sold Macs, I could not afford one. This was fine, as I was a Windows fan anyway, but still, it hurts to be a salesperson or factory worker that produces a product that is out of reach. This changed in 2005, however, with one magical product -- the Mac mini. It was impossibly small, super cute and best of all, affordable. When my mom needed a computer, I quickly talked her into the mini, as I was tired of fixing her Windows machine. Today, after what feels like an eternity, Apple finally refreshes the Mac mini line with Haswell processors and OS X Yosemite, while also bringing the starting price down to a mouth-watering $499.

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In addition to the expected iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, Apple today announced the latest update to the iMac range. The iMac with Retina 5K display's killer feature is the screen which packs a breath-taking 14.7 million pixels into its 27 inches. With a resolution of 5120 x 2880, the new iMac has two thirds more pixels than a 4K display, and four times the number of pixels found on a regular 27 inch iMac. Despite the colossal number of pixels involved, Apple has switch to ultra-efficient LEDs to keep power consumption, and heat production, down.

The system comes with AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics as standard, but this can be upgraded to AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics. This is backed up by 8GB of RAM and a 1TB Fusion Drive, and there is the option of upgrading various components if you're happy to part with a little extra cash.

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Twitpic was closing, then it wasn't. But now the champagne corks have been well and truly push back into the bottle after news of an acquisition turned out to be a false alarm. Users now have just one week to export their photos and data before Twitpic closes for good on 25 October. Company founder Noah Everett used the Twitpic blog to break the news, explaining that the photos and video sharing service will shut up shop in a week's time.

The last month and a half has been something of a rollercoaster ride for Twitpic and its users. After a trademark application dispute, the original closure announcement came on 4 September with the closure planned for 25 September. A lifeline appeared just two weeks later when it was announced that a buyer had been found.

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A couple of days ago, I wrote an article about my impressions of the redesigns of Bing and how it seems to be changing in reaction to Google. It was getting to the point where it seemed as if they were trying to confuse users.

Some of the commentators disagreed vehemently. Some denied the changes, and said Google was copying Bing (what?!). Some said that this was the natural progression of design to a more minimalist view. While that second point does hold some merit, it doesn't explain the discrepancies between the Bing web search versus the larger Bing theme, especially the navigation bar underneath the search box and why these discrepancies happen to mimic Google.

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