Computerworld Editors Picks

Microsoft knuckles under, yanks YouTube app for Windows Phone

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Sat, 25 May 2013 15:54:00 +0000

Microsoft has bowed to pressure from Google and pulled the YouTube app from its Windows Phone Store that earlier this month triggered a cease-and-desist letter from the search giant.

What I learned using only Google products

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Columnist Mike Elgan spent three weeks using only Google products -- the Chromebook Pixel laptop, the Nexus 10 tablet and the Nexus 4 smartphone. Here's what he discovered.

Google ready to start shipping Glass to #ifihadglass Explorers

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:42:00 +0000

For the 8,000 or so people who signed up this spring to be Glass Explorers, your wait for the computerized eyeglasses may soon be over.

Vanishing into thin [MacBook] Air: Shortages signal WWDC refresh

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:20:00 +0000

Apple's lowest-priced MacBook Air was out of stock on Amazon.com as of Friday, hinting that rumors of a refresh in two weeks are on target.

IT weather forecast: Hurricanes with a chance of dead satellites

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:52:00 +0000

NOAA is working to fix a broken weather satellite -- the one that watches the Atlantic Ocean -- even as it gears up for what's expected to be an above-normal year for hurricanes.

U.S. urged to let companies 'hack-back' at IP cyber thieves

jvijayan@computerworld.com (Jaikumar Vijayan) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:08:00 +0000

U.S. companies should be allowed to take aggressive countermeasures against hackers seeking to steal their intellectual property, contends the private Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property.

Windows 8 users snub 'Modern' apps, stick to desktop

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:08:00 +0000

A majority of consumer and small business Windows 8 PC users launch fewer than one "Modern" app a day, signaling that they're spending most of their time on the classic Windows 7-style desktop, according to data released Wednesday.

Google engineer bashes Microsoft's handling of security researchers, discloses Windows zero-day

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:32:00 +0000

A Google security engineer accused Microsoft of treating outside researchers with "great hostility" days before posting details of an unpatched vulnerability in Windows that could be used to crash PCs or gain additional access rights.

A stinky onion blooms in the Senate, say H-1B critics

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:02:00 +0000

With the H-1B fight over and lost, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) lashed out, almost flailing in the minutes before the Senate Judiciary Committee's final vote Tuesday.

Apple to build Macs in low-tax Texas

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:24:00 +0000

Apple will build Macs in Texas using some parts made in the U.S., CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday, putting a little flesh on a pledge from last December.

Google trumpets small speed boost to Chrome 27

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:24:00 +0000

Google today upgraded Chrome to version 27, touting it as 5% faster as it patched 13 vulnerabilities.

The iPhone's big lead in customer satisfaction is gone

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Apple's dominance in smartphone customer satisfaction faded last year, with rivals like Samsung and Motorola dramatically closing the gap, a national survey said today.

Microsoft software satisfaction slumps

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:15:00 +0000

Customer satisfaction with Microsoft's software, primarily Windows, dropped slightly in the last year, likely part of the fallout over Windows 8, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

House bill would mandate guns with 007-style smart tech

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:00 +0000

Inspired by the latest James Bond film, a House Democrat has filed legislation that would require all U.S. gun manufacturers to build smart technology into handguns to keep unauthorized people from using them.

Boutique PC seller laughs all the way to the bank on the back of Windows 7

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:00 +0000

A boutique system builder has bucked the industry trend of slumping PC sales by continuing to focus on selling Windows 7 machines.

Review: StarTech's flash drive duplicator, eraser is fast and simple

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000

The 1-to-2 Flash Drive duplicator transfers data at up to 1.5GB per minute and like StarTech's hard drive duplicator, it's remarkably simple to use.

Lawmakers seek Google Glass privacy plan

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:46:00 +0000

Eight members of Congress have written an open letter to Google CEO Larry Page that outlines privacy concerns about the Internet vendor's computerized eyeglasses.

Dell replays Windows 8 blame card as PC sales slide

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:31:00 +0000

Dell last week again blamed Windows 8 for contributing to a decline in PC sales revenue during the quarter that ended May 3.

Texas drone bill sparks a battle

jvijayan@computerworld.com (Jaikumar Vijayan) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:11:00 +0000

The battle to find a balance between privacy concerns and the beneficial use of drones for commercial and law enforcement purposes is in sharp focus in a bill that's winding its way through the Texas legislature.

Windows 8 is an enterprise 'non-starter' because IT sees no value in changes

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:26:00 +0000

Windows 8 faces a number of hurdles in the enterprise, but the biggest reason it won't replace the current corporate champion, Windows 7, is simple: IT shops don't think it's worth the upgrade hassle.

Software developer wages fall 2% as workforce expands

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:15:00 +0000

The U.S. tech industry added nearly 64,000 software-related jobs last year, but as the workforce expanded, the average size of workers' paychecks declined by nearly 2%.

Google steals march on Apple in music subscription

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:34:00 +0000

Google beat Apple to the music subscription service punch this week, perhaps the doing of record labels who wanted to put Apple in its place, an analyst said

H-1B politics shifts to backroom as vote nears

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:22:00 +0000

High-tech industry's leading advocate in the immigration bill fight, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), has bought himself some time, perhaps until Tuesday, to try get the immigration bill changed to the liking of the tech industry.

Google issues YouTube ultimatum to Microsoft as Hatfield-McCoy feud heats up

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:49:00 +0000

Google yesterday sent a cease-and-desist letter to Microsoft, demanding that its rival remove the YouTube app built for the Windows Phone platform.

Google weaves Larry Page's social strategy into Maps, Search

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:46:00 +0000

It became clear at Google I/O this week that Google is quietly but assuredly implementing CEO Larry Page's strategy to use Google+ to transform the entire Google experience.

How to keep the feds from snooping on your cloud data

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:49:00 +0000

A growing number of SaaS providers offer secure encryption log-in to Dropbox and other cloud storage vendors, meaning even they can't access the data you store. And neither can the government.

NASA's planet-hunting telescope is spinning out of control

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:47:00 +0000

NASA's Kepler space telescope, launched in 2009 to search for Earth-like planets, is now spinning uncontrollably in space.

Google CEO on innovation: 'We're at 1% of what's possible'

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Google CEO Larry Page took the stage today to wrap up a nearly four-hour long keynote that kicked off the Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco.

Windows 8 isn't New Coke, says top Microsoft exec; it's Diet Coke

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:47:00 +0000

Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft's head of corporate communications, defended his company's Windows information disclosure strategy, denying that Microsoft has adopted Apple's "cone of silence" approach to imparting news.

Mozilla to Firefox: 'Browser, heal thyself'

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:39:00 +0000

Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 21, adding more social media connections, tweaking the Do Not Track privacy setting and rolling out a new tool that long term, aims to create a self-healing browser.

Microsoft votes for free Windows 8.1, collects kudos

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:34:00 +0000

Microsoft today announced that Windows 8.1, the update later this year for Windows 8, will be free to current users of the operating system, confirming analysts' expectations.

Tech may sink immigration bill if unhappy, Sen. Hatch warns

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:09:00 +0000

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday began debate on more than 300 amendments to the comprehensive immigration bill, including a number of changes to sections on H-1B visas.

Windows 8 app store fails Top 10 test

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:50:00 +0000

Microsoft's Windows 8 app store failed a test touted by a former Microsoft manager and distinguished engineer as a way to determine an ecosystem's relevance.

BlackBerry Messenger is expanding to iOS and Android

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:10:00 +0000

BlackBerry's free Messenger service is being expanded to work with iOS and Android devices, the company announced today at its BlackBerry Live event.

First California lawsuit over mobile privacy issues crashes

jvijayan@computerworld.com (Jaikumar Vijayan) — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:46:00 +0000

A California state court has dismissed a closely watched lawsuit charging that Delta Air Lines failed to comply with state privacy laws for mobile applications

Upbeat BlackBerry launches new Q5 qwerty smartphone

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:52:00 +0000

The annual BlackBerry Live conference was kicked off Tuesday with the launch of a new 3.1-in. qwerty smartphone, the BlackBerry Q5, that's slated to go on sale this summer in emerging markets, but not in the U.S.

After tweeting from space station, astronauts return home

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:23:00 +0000

A new crew is taking over the International Space Station after two NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut successfully returned to Earth Monday night.

Microsoft to squeeze more devs into BUILD

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:53:00 +0000

Microsoft today said it has increased the head count for its June developers conference, and will sell the extra tickets Wednesday.

Microsoft's counter-attack against Windows 8 coverage makes it 'look weak'

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:27:00 +0000

Microsoft on Friday called some media coverage of its plans to update Windows 8 sensationalist and an effort to drive website page views.

Why Microsoft won't charge for Windows 'Blue' ... this time

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:10:00 +0000

Sometime soon, Microsoft will tell Windows 8 users whether they will have to pay for the upgrade code-named "Blue," and if so, how much. Analysts don't expect it to charge anything for the update.

Lifelogging gets real

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

As privacy-invading technologies and location-aware applications become commonplace and accepted (and they will), and more products like Saga, Memoto and Glass become pervasive, the idea of lifelogging will become more appealing.

Bank security weaknesses led to cyber looting of $45M from ATMs

jvijayan@computerworld.com (Jaikumar Vijayan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:06:00 +0000

Alberto Yusi Lajud Pena, found dead in the Dominican Republic two weeks ago, was the leader of the New York cell of an international gang of cyber thieves that authorities allege stole a staggering $45 million from ATM machines around the world.

Microsoft sends gamblin' Pete Rose to the plate in swing at Google Docs

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Microsoft today took another shot at rival Google, calling its rival's online application suite, Google Docs, "too big a gamble."

Desktop chips zip past 4GHz; next stop 5GHz?

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:21:00 +0000

Mobility has all but eclipsed speed and anything else as the capability garnering the most attention in desktop processors.

Analysts challenge Microsoft's commitment to Windows RT

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

One of Microsoft's top Windows executives this week said the company remains bullish about Windows RT, but analysts remain suspicious of RT's chances unless Microsoft makes changes.

Google Wallet chief's resignation another bad sign for NFC

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:23:00 +0000

The chief of the Google Wallet operation has resigned to pursue new opportunities, another sign of continuing troubles in convincing U.S. smartphone users to adopt mobile wallets using NFC technology.

Backlash begins against Adobe's subscription-only plan

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:48:00 +0000

A petition on Change.org demanding that Adobe back away from its subscription-only model for its creativity software, including Photoshop, has collected over 4,400 signatures by late Thursday.

Houston, we have a leak. Space station losing ammonia

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:31:00 +0000

NASA ground engineers and astronauts aboard the International Space Station are working together to fix an ammonia leak on the station.

Galaxy S4's U.S. version needs added image processor for eye-tracking

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:21:00 +0000

Samsung has built several different Galaxy S4 smartphones, including a U.S. version running a Snapdragon processor that requires an extra image processor to enable heavily promoted user functions such as eye-movement recognition.

Best case, Mozilla's Firefox for Windows 8 will ship in October

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Firefox for Windows 8's "Modern" user interface (UI) will likely wrap up development this fall, Mozilla said on its website in a best case-worst case schedule.

Forget Apple v Samsung, coming soon it's Apple v Google

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:04:33 +0000

It's time to end the madness before it becomes even more destructive. Google and it's partners should take a big deep breath and reach licensing deals with Cupertino. There's better things to spend billions of dollars on than litigation.

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean: Hands-on impressions

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:54:13 +0000

Ready for a taste of Google's Android 4.1, a.k.a. Jelly Bean? JR Raphael takes the fresh new OS for a spin.

IT Salary Survey 2012

editor@computerworld.com (Computerworld staff) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:49:00 +0000

All you need to know about the world's most popular social network.