Microsoft has its listening ears on these days. When it comes to Windows Phone, Xbox One, and Office, the company has been far more responsive to user feedback than ever before. For Windows users who found Windows 8.x to be a disappointment, this bodes well for the follow-up release. Windows 9 (we can drop the Threshold placeholder now, I think) is now not all that far away -- we could see a preview release in just a couple of weeks. Now that Apple's iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch announcements are out of the way, this is going to be the next big launch in the world of tech, and the computing world eagerly anticipates what the operating system may have to offer.

One of the biggest complaints people levelled at Windows 8.x -- and there have been many -- was the lack of Start menu. Sure, there's the Start screen, but for Windows stalwarts it's just not the same. These complaints do not necessarily stem from an unwillingness to try something new, more that the Start menu's successor seems less powerful, poorly thought through, and a road hump to established workflows. Rather than helping to improve production and efficiency, many users found that it actually slowed them down.

Digital advertising intelligence firm Exponential Interactive analyzed the anonymous online behavior of 1.7 million Britons researching mobile phones in May 2014, and used this data to work out what the key interests of the different groups was.

For each of the brands -- Apple, Sony, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG and BlackBerry -- it noted the top interests in categories such as Celebrity, Movies, Cars, Travel, Home, Shopping and Sport. And what did it find? Those interested in Apple phones are 16x more likely to be interested in Brad Pitt than the average person online, apparently, while Samsung devotees are 12x more likely to be into Rafael Nadal, and Motorola fans are 89x more in love with Emma Watson. And that's just for starters.

Keeping your PC running smoothly can be a complicated, time-consuming business. There are so many important issues to consider that even expert users can struggle to monitor them all.

Iolo’s System Mechanic 14 claims it can help by cleaning up your system, optimizing settings, and then running in the background, fixing problems as soon as they appear. This isn’t just marketing spin, either, as over the years the suite has built up a very impressive feature list. There are tools to clean and defragment your hard drive, repair the Registry, find and fix system problems, tune your internet connection, even optimize running processes in real time.

AVG Technologies has updated its entire range of PC products, launching AVG AntiVirus Free 2015, AVG AntiVirus 2015, AVG Internet Security 2015 and AVG PC TuneUp 2015.

After the relatively major changes introduced in the 2014 versions, this year’s updates are restricted to a redesigned user interface and new Outbreak Detection feature, which helps block zero-day malware exploits.

A home-cooked meal is great, as it is often healthier than getting take-out or visiting a restaurant. While it is not impossible to eat healthy away from home, it can be difficult. Chinese food is typically very bad for you; the sauces can be high in fats and sugars and many things are deep fried. However, I find these types of restaurants the best for healthy eating too. For instance, where else can you get steamed tofu with vegetables and brown rice? Certainly not Taco Bell or McDonalds.

Unfortunately, many local Chinese restaurants do not take credit cards, and when they do, they have minimum dollar amounts for usage (often $10 minimum). Sometimes, language barriers can make ordering over the phone problematic, leading to incorrect orders due to misunderstandings. Today, Chinese food chain Panda Express is taking the pain out of ordering Chinese food with all-new online ordering.

According to the IBTimes, around five million Google Account credentials have been leaked online by hackers, with around 60 percent of the compromised accounts judged to still be active.

A user called "tvskit" made the announcement on the Bitcoin Security forum along with a link to the alleged email list. The majority of the leaked accounts seem to belong to Russian users.

Given the hype surrounding it, it’s easy to believe that the cloud is increasingly the first choice when it comes to business systems.

Yet a new survey by IDC reveals that a majority of European IT departments have yet to fully embrace its benefits. When asked about their readiness to move to a cloud-based strategy levels of confidence were low.

We all have photos and videos that we want to share with other folks. We do it all too often on Facebook, sometimes without even considering that it's a broad audience we are sharing them with, who may not want to, or should not, see all our intimate moments on display.

And let's be real for a minute: not all of us are in awe about someone drunk dancing on video, baby pictures, or mirror selfies (sorry that you had to hear that now) -- some of us may be, sure, but others may be more interested in, just as a totally and completely random example, seeing photos of fast cars (guilty as charged!). For those who want to fully control who can see their photos and videos, there is new app to consider, and it's called Cirqle.

The Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, there's a lot to see in Egypt. However, it may not be a place you wish to travel to right at this moment, though there are no official warnings against it from the State Department. Fortunately you don't need to make the trip now, thanks to Google.

Street View, the ever-growing portfolio of images from the Google Maps team, has visited the North African nation and captured the sites in great detail. Included are all of the things that drive tourists to this location -- Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, ancient burial grounds and more.

The Heartbleed bug has gone down in history as one of the most serious flaws to affect the internet. But new research reveals that prior to its disclosure in April there's no evidence of Heartbleed having being exploited.

The disclosure of Heartbleed sent websites scrambling to apply patches. However, a study by academics at a number of US universities allays fears that the flaw may have been exploited for surveillance by government agencies before it became public.

When Microsoft announced Lumia 830 earlier this month, it made no specific mention of the so-called "first affordable flagship" arriving in US stores. The price was also listed in Euros (€330, before taxes and subsidies) from the get-go, reinforcing the idea that, like many other Nokia-branded devices before it, Lumia 830 was destined for other markets.

However, that does not appear to be the case, as US mobile operator AT&T has revealed that it will offer Lumia 830. But it remains to be seen whether the new Windows Phone will also make its way to Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint.

So Apple has unveiled its latest flagship phone(s), and also finally taken the wraps off its first wearable. What you think of the products will probably depend on your view of Apple, but there’s no doubt the new phones will sell in great numbers, and the Apple Watch will likely be the first wearable that you see people actually wearing in the real world.

The base 16GB iPhone 6 will be priced at $199 on a contract ($299 for 64GB, $399 for 128GB), while the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus will set you back $299 on a contract (or $399 for 64GB, $499 for 128GB). Unlocked of course you’ll pay a lot more than that -- from $649 for the 16GB iPhone 6, and $749 for the same capacity 6 Plus. The price for the Apple Watch starts at $349, but you’ll probably need to pay more to get a decent looking model.

A new infographic created by social insight tool company Refresh looks at over 1,300 CEOs on social media to determine how they use the technology.

Not surprisingly it's younger CEOs that are most likely to embrace social media, with 61 percent being under 40. Some 89 percent are male though that perhaps reflects the low number of female CEOs rather than their willingness to use social tools.

The Apple iPhone 6 has finally skyrocketed into the spotlight after a long year of hiding in the shadows. The flagship smartphone was unveiled at the packed out Flint Center for Performing Arts in Apple's home town of Cupertino, California -- and the world went wild.

Still, regardless of whether you love, loathe or are simply laconic about it, one thing's for sure: The Apple iPhone 6 faces some stiff competition.

Holy cow, new iPhones! Yes, unless you are living under a rock, Apple dominated the tech news today with its new iPhones. However, unlike years past, there are two different screen sizes announced on the same day. Hoping to meet the needs of more consumers (and make more money), the fruit-logo company introduced a 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch model -- the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, respectively.

Unfortunately, the new iPhones do not come with sapphire screens as rumors suggested. Still, Apple promises that the screens should be tougher than ever. Nevertheless, only a fool would carry it without a case. Not only does a scratched and scuffed phone look bad, but it decreases resale value too. Here are some of the iPhone cases you should be considering to protect your investment.