InsideTech

Security is a serious concern now more than ever, with hackers and cybercriminals becoming more organized and looking to profit on a wealth of stolen information.  Typically problems fall into the PICNIC variety - Problem In Chair, Not In Computer - but that does not change the fact that some platforms due to design are more vulnerable to attack. Typically vulnerability ...

In the early days of social networking, the dominant player was MySpace. As time went by, MySpace was joined by other players like Facebook and Twitter. MySpace has since lost the top position in the social networking world to Facebook. In October, traffic numbers for September 2009 for social networking sites came in and Facebook had over 300 million users, pushing ...

AT&T's Christmas wish to take its main competitor's aggressive ads off the air has been met with disappointment. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Batten Sr. handed the telecom a lump of coal, denying their request for an injunction, commenting that while Verizon's commercials were "sneaky" they weren't misleading. Judge Batten Sr. commented that people might "misunderstand" the commercials, "but that doesn’t ...

Apple has long opted for a system of closed computer hardware, disallowing third party OS X computers.  Nonetheless, small companies retailing cheaper OS X boxes have continually popped up, the latest of which is Psystar.  Legal pressure from Apple has typically succeeded in eventually killing such companies, but it typically isn't long before a new one pops up. Individual users also ...

It may only be early November but the holiday-themed ads are already on TV and the more excitable retailers are dusting off their decorations. Likewise, it may seem a little early to be making predictions for the coming year, but a lot of what is likely to happen can already be seen. It's a bit like the unlit Christmas lights that ...

It is fitting that Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system arrives ahead of Halloween. When Microsoft buries Windows Vista for good on Oct. 22 and replaces it with Windows 7, the ghostbusters in Redmond will have exorcised a demon. If you haven't experienced the frights of Vista firsthand, you've no doubt heard about them: how it takes forever to power ...

Forget that Apple has been carefully courting businesses and business users; forget that the iTunes App Store has over 78 pages of business-specific applications.  Apple is insisting to one very disappointed Swedish customer, J. Martin Wehlou, that its iPhone Apps aren't business tools and are not meant for business use. The incident began when Mr. Wehlou contacted Apple seeking details on ...

Nov. 2 - There are more than 100,000 iPhone applications in existence. Some provide users with valuable media and information. Others plaster fake mullets on photos of friends. Here are a few you just might want to check out. COOL AND INNOVATIVE In 2002, James Hom was working on a lab assignment at Stanford University when he mentioned to teaching ...

If there's one thing clear from the Google Voice iPhone debacle, it's that there's no love lost between AT&T and Google.  AT&T, to date, is accusing Google of everything from political and news manipulation, to violating net neutrality. The drama surrounding the rejection began shortly after when the Federal Communications Commission opened an inquiry into who was responsible for the rejection ...

BEIJING - Apple's iPhone is making its long-awaited formal debut in the world's most populous mobile phone market, without a key feature and at higher prices than widely available black market models. Apple's local service provider, China Unicom Ltd., hopes the iPhone will give it an edge against giant rival China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone company by subscribers. ...

Apple has always tried to promote an image of high quality products and boasts a slogan "It just works" - in reality, the company has its fair share of quality control issues.  The release of the Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) operating system was supposed to be a momentous occasion for Apple, but was marred when it shipped with an ...

Apple is in a constant battle with unlockers in the form of both independent enthusiasts and rival companies.  It recently succeeded in killing iPhone jailbreaking for the time being and cutting off the Palm Pre from iTunes.  However, to its dismay, Psystar is selling a software hack to trick Apple's Snow Leopard OS into being easily installed on PCs. Now, Apple ...

SEATTLE - Apple Inc. updated its iMac desktop computer line Tuesday and introduced a mouse that responds to the touch of fingers instead of using buttons or scroll wheels. Those were among the finishing touches on a holiday lineup Apple hopes will help maintain the momentum of the past several quarters, in which the company has grown stronger despite the economic ...

News of Microsoft's experimental Courier tablet broke last week and turned a number of heads.  With Apple reportedly racing to release a similar tablet, Microsoft has stolen the thunder of its competitor. Speaking of which, it now appears the tablet's interface is running on top of a modified version of Windows 7.  And it's reportedly a "incubation project" not a "Microsoft ...

SEATTLE - Personal computers are changing - and not just because of the recent launch of Windows 7. Visit an electronics store and you might also find laptops are missing a familiar component. You could experiment with new ways of controlling some computers. And you'll see portable PCs slimming down. Even with all the attention lavished on Apple's iPhone and ...

Once viewed as a plaything, the Macintosh is now the PC of choice for many hard-core technology professionals, and Macintosh skills are now an in-demand specialty among IT pros, rather than an afterthought. "The Mac will be coming soon to a company near you, if it hasn't already," says Brian Vaughn, executive vice president of Dataprise, a network support and ...

There appears to be no rhyme or reason to how or why Apple approves or disapproves apps that are allowed into its App Store. To make things even more confusing, Apple has approved apps and then turned around and forced them to be removed from the store later. Vonage announced today that it has received approval for its new calling application ...

'The Apple monster keeps sating its appetite for growth on the PC retail market.' - Somewhere, Apple CEO Steve Jobs must be smiling. The iconic and controversial electronics figure, rarely skips a beat in his tireless promotion of the Mac computer. Q1 2008 also brought some very impressive numbers for Apple. This time it wasn't Jobs who was hailing the Mac's ...

Jan. 17--Because the Consumer Electronics Show and Macworld run back to back, it's easy to make comparisons between the two men who headline the big tech trade shows. As a journalist, I had barely unpacked my bags, mentally speaking, before I had to move on from listening to Bill Gates to hearing Steve Jobs. This year is the last when I ...

LOS ANGELES - Apple Inc. says a new consumer study shows its iTunes online music store vaulted past Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in February to become the top overall music retailer in the U.S. Apple said Thursday that consumer surveys conducted by market research firm The NPD Group show iTunes' music sales surpassed those of the discount retailer in January and February. ...