In the run up to Apple's latest eagerly anticipated launch event, mobile benchmarking specialist Crittercism has released an Apple edition of its Mobile Experience Benchmark Report.

Focussing on statistics gathered from over a billion users across more than 120 countries it looks at key performance metrics including crash rates across iOS versions and devices along with latency by carrier and Wi-Fi.

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Primate Labs has updated its cross-platform, flagship benchmark tool with the release of Geekbench 3.2 for desktop and Android. Also available on iOS, the latest build’s main highlight is a redesigned results page.

The redesign aims to simplify how results are shown, particularly on mobile platforms. Version 3.2 also comes with added support for the forthcoming 32-bit ARMv8 processor due to launch on Android later this year.

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The Home Depot is the latest US retailer to fall victim to a major payment systems hack, which may have exposed its customers' credit card data since April of this year. The security breach is linked to its US and Canadian retail locations, but not its online store or Mexican chain.

The breach is publicly acknowledged by The Home Depot, with the company's CEO apologizing for what is yet another security disaster. "We apologize for the frustration and anxiety this causes our customers, and I want to thank them for their patience and support as we work through this issue", says Frank Blake. "We owe it to our customers to alert them that we now have enough evidence to confirm that a breach has indeed occurred. It's important to emphasize that no customers will be responsible for fraudulent charges to their accounts".

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A new malicious advertising network is affecting sites including Amazon, Yahoo and YouTube. Dubbed "Kyle and Stan" by the Cisco Talos Security Research group that uncovered it, the malware is able to mutate to attack both Windows and Mac systems.

Online advertising has relatively few major distribution networks, by getting ads onto one of these an attacker has the potential to get malicious content in front of large numbers of users.

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After months of rumors, leaks and even more rumors, the iPhone 6 is set to be unveiled by Apple in California today. As is the norm with Apple launches, the announcement has garnered a lot of excitement, with people going so far as to queue up outside Apple stores weeks in advance of the actual release.

However, despite these crazy levels of attention and raging anticipation, Apple is still having some rather serious questions asked of it. This one in particular: does the Apple brand still have the X-factor it once boasted?

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IBM has announced that SoftLayer will be the first cloud platform to offer customers bare metal service that provides monitoring and security down to the microchip level.

Working in combination with Intel's Trusted Execution Technology (TXT), the security platform will help businesses determine if a workload from a known location on SoftLayer infrastructure is running on trusted hardware.

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Running a batch file in Windows can be as easy as a double-click, and if the script is simple then the command window might open, run your file and disappear again in a fraction of a second.

Of course, if your script has a problem then this might be an issue, as error messages will pop up and vanish before you have time to notice anything at all.

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Nowadays, if you buy a laptop, it will have a built-in wireless card (desktops; not always). For the most part, these integrated cards work well -- on Windows. You see, most manufacturers build their machines with only Windows in mind. If you only use Microsoft's operating system, you should be golden. However, for nerds that like Linux (including myself), nonexistent or problematic wireless drivers can be an absolute nightmare.

This is why I recommend a USB wireless adapter to every Linux user; you never know when you may need it as permanent or temporary internet solution. Unfortunately, not all USB adapters work with Linux out of the box, so the model you choose matters. Today, Kinivo releases two USB wireless adapters that are promised to work with Linux-based operating systems.

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In New York, a dollar does not go a long way. Hell, if you are dehydrated, you may be hard pressed to buy a bottle of water at that price. If a dollar is all you have in your pocket, you are going to have a negative experience almost everywhere you go.

Today, your dollar may go a bit further -- at the AT&T store at least. You see, Amazon has slashed the price of the 32GB Fire phone to a shocking 99 cents. Early adopters are going to be mad, as they laid out $199. While discounts in technology are to be expected, please keep in mind, Amazon's phone only launched on July 25! Of course, the iPhone 6 is rumored to be announced tomorrow -- has Apple struck fear in the heart of Amazon?

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Did you ever see the 1991 Albert Brooks movie Defending Your Life? A movie that clearly could not be made today because it includes neither super heroes nor special effects and isn’t a sequel, it’s about a schmo (Brooks) who dies only to find heaven has an entrance exam of sorts in which you literally defend your life. Well the other day I watched a very good TED talk by my friend Bob Litan in which he defended his entire profession -- economics. I know no braver man.

Few of us would defend our professions. I’m a journalist -- what is there to say about that except that being a Congressman is worse? Yet Bob Litan volunteered for this gig, which he does with remarkable energy for a guy the size of a meerkat.

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Disclaimer: This is for educational purposes only, we do not recommend updating to iOS 8 before its official release (probably) on September 10. If you don't have a developer ID and install iOS 8 your warranty may be voided.

The iOS 8 release is likely to be announced alongside the iPhone 6 following Apple's trend of announcing devices on Tuesdays and releasing iOS updates on Wednesdays. A fairly safe bet would be that iOS 8 will be released on 10 September. But what if I told you that you could get iOS 8 on your iPhone 5s earlier than that?

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It has been the subject of speculation for some time now, but today Twitter finally announces that the rumored "Buy" button will soon be making an appearance in timelines. The feature has been made public through a blog post that explains that the button will initially be pushed to "a small percentage of US users", but reassuring everyone else that coverage "will grow over time".

What does this mean? Well, that you will be able to buy things via tweets, essentially.

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Wireless access points are basically magic. Well, it is actually science, but to early users, it was like something out of a fantasy. When I worked at CompUSA, people would buy a router and laptop and seem unable to grasp the concept of internet being everywhere in their home, including the front porch. Don't forget, at the time, we were not far beyond the days of dial-up and widespread AOL use.

Today, Wi-Fi is second nature to many people -- it is an expectation and no longer an interesting invention. This is no different than other mind-boggling technologies that turned mainstream, like the refrigerator or television. Today, the Wi-Fi Alliance celebrates 15 years of Wi-Fi; this technology deserves praise and thanks from all internet users. Hell, I love that I can access Netflix and my favorite websites while sitting on the toilet.

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Many of my friends don’t wear watches. Most prefer to whip out their phones when they want to know the time. I do wear a watch, and it’s partly for convenience (looking at my wrist is quicker than pulling my phone out), and partly just because I like wearing a watch.

Although I own numerous watches, my timepiece of choice is an Omega Seamaster Professional. It’s good looking, solid and reliable, and I cherish it. I’m not adverse to the idea of wearing a smartwatch, the problem is I’ve yet to see one that doesn’t appear cheap and/or ugly.

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Emsisoft GmbH has unveiled its first integrated security suite for Windows in the form of Emsisoft Internet Security 9.0. The suite comprises all the functionality of Emsisoft Anti-Malware, plus the core engine from its Online Armor firewall.

Emsisoft Internet Security promises the same lean and efficient protection as the standalone Anti-Malware tool, while adding in a user-optimised version of its firewall that -- unlike Online Armor -- is designed to be as beginner-friendly as possible.

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