PCWorld Latest Technology News

Twitter's Country-specific Blocking Brings Hazards and Hope

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:40:58 -0800

Twitter's move to comply with government requests and block tweets in specific countries could blunt its edge as a political tool, but there may be an upside in...

Apple Shatters Records, New Facebook App, and EU Data Protection Rules

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:46:00 -0800

On World Tech Update this week, the EU proposes new online data-protection rules, Apple shatters sales records under CEO Tim Cook, and a new Facebook app is to die for.

Marine Breaks Record for Biggest Lego Collection, Gains Huge Geek Cred

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:49:00 -0800

Think your Lego collection is expansive? Think again when you check out this guy's record-breaking brick bounty.

How Tweet It Isn't: Twitter's New Censorship Policies

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:35:00 -0800

Twitter has announced that it will allow governments to censor some (but not all) tweets. Did they really have any other choice?

How to Hack an iPad

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:20:00 -0800

Most iPad and iPhone owners rely on their Apple ID password to prevent access to their account details. This won't stop a hacker gaining access to your personal account and log in details.

Adscend Denies Facebook, AG Allegations

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:17:00 -0800

Adscend Media, the defendant in lawsuits filed this week by Facebook and the Washington attorney general, on Friday denied the allegations in the complaints and shifted blame to its affiliates.

Windows Phone 7 App Fights Malaria

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:05:00 -0800

Microsoft has awarded an Imagine Cup Grant to a team that developed a custom Windows Phone 7 and application that can diagnose malaria then upload the data to cloud servers that map the data to help track outbreaks.

Why e-Textbooks Could Cost Students

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:51:00 -0800

Will Apple's recent attempt to break into the textbook market, and other rapidly evolving e-book distribution models, help to moderate soaring textbook prices? From what I've seen so far, it could do just the opposite.

Macworld | iWorld: Game Your Video

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:48:00 -0800

App maker Global Delight wants to make mobile video editing less of a chore and more of a game. That’s the idea behind Game Your Video, an iPhone video-editing app introduced at this week’s Macworld | iWorld.

Security Roundup: The Triumph of Hactivists, the Sorrow of Symantec

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:40:00 -0800

It was another busy week for hactivists attacking the online targets of their ire.

Apple Reclaims Top Brand Spot After iPhone 4S Launch, Jobs' Death

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:15:00 -0800

Apple reclaimed the top spot in a brand listing by collecting an estimated $900 million worth of traditional media, social media and Twitter coverage in the fourth quarter of 2011, a measurement company said today.

Massive Android Malware Op May Have Infected 5 Million Users

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:55:00 -0800

The largest-ever Android malware campaign may have duped as many as 5 million users into downloading infected apps from Google's Android Market, Symantec said Friday.

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Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:55:00 -0800

Macworld | iWorld: iKeyboard for iPads

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:37:00 -0800

iKeyboard is a $35 device that attaches to your iPad's screen to provide a touch keyboard feel without needing a Bluetooth connection.

Amazon Merchant Caught Bribing Customers for Reviews

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:36:00 -0800

VIP Deals has been offering customers rebates for reviewing.

Salesforce.com Customers Say New Analytics Should Be Included in Core Fees

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:20:27 -0800

Salesforce.com customers are sounding off about the fact that an upcoming Analytics Edition of the CRM (customer relationship management) software will have an...

Cisco Aims to Simplify, Unify Collaboration Products' Design, Interfaces

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:10:58 -0800

Cisco is in the midst of a major initiative to better integrate its various collaboration products and to give their interfaces a uniform, consistent design in...

Wall Street Beat: Tech Shines as Earnings Come in Strong

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:01:02 -0800

This week's tsunami of tech earnings, led by Apple's jaw-dropping quarterly report, has given market watchers something to cheer about and also points to...

Microsoft Kinect Motion-Sensing Technology Coming to Laptops, Sources Say

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:23:00 -0800

If Kinect capability does arrive in laptops, you may soon be able to control programs with the wave of your hand.

Google Slammed for Tainting Search to Hype Google+ Social Networking

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:11:00 -0800

New "Search Plus Your World" Google feature, which shows Google+ data alongside generic search results, provokes anger.

Facebook IPO Could Come as Soon as Next Week

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:10:30 -0800

The Internet juggernaut Facebook could file papers for an initial public offering as early as Wednesday, hoping to raise as much as US$10 billion, the Wall...

Facebook Scammers Redirect Victims Through Amazon's Cloud

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:50:55 -0800

Facebook scammers have started redirecting victims through Amazon's cloud in order to bypass malicious URL filters, according to security researchers from...

Coming Soon: An 'IBM Edition' of Apache OpenOffice

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:34:00 -0800

Lotus Symphony 3.0.1, launched last week, marks the end of the line before IBM shifts its focus to OpenOffice instead.

Two Years of Apple's iPad: Happy Second Birthday, Innovative Tablet!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:29:00 -0800

Two years ago, Steve Jobs showed us the original iPad. Here are some of the milestones for the innovative slate over the past 24 months.

White House CTO Chopra Leaving His Post

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:20:42 -0800

Aneesh Chopra, who has served for the past two-and-a-half years as the first CTO for the U.S. government, is stepping down in early February.

Rubinstein Leaves HP

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:10:28 -0800

Jon Rubinstein, known for his role developing the original iPod for Apple and for running Palm, has left Hewlett-Packard, where he's worked since the company's...

Chinese Hackers Led Western Attacks, Symantec Charges

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:16:00 -0800

Researchers report finding more links from Chinese servers to attacks on defense contractor sites.

Juicebox Could Be Your At-The-Bar Smartphone Charger of the Future

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:01:00 -0800

Prototype credit card-operated charging systems are currently being tested in New York bars, so you can one day free your smartphone from wall sockets.

Symantec's Security Slips

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:52:00 -0800

Analysis: The recent record includes two major hacks, two major delays admitting fault, and risk to customers.

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Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:52:00 -0800

White Spaces: The Next Generation of Wireless Broadband Has Landed

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:42:00 -0800

North Carolina community gets first taste of lightning fast "Super WiFi" or "TV Band" broadband speeds base on TV white spaces technology.

Hackers Ride Radio Waves to Hack Smartphones

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:20:00 -0800

Encryption keys on smartphones can be stolen using a technique involving radio waves, says one of the world's foremost crypto experts.

French Telecom Regulator Steps Into Dispute Over Free Mobile's Coverage

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:10:22 -0800

ARCEP, the French telecommunications regulator, has promised to investigate whether new network operator Free Mobile is still offering the level of coverage...

Drive-by-download Attack Exploits Critical Vulnerability in Windows Media Player

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:01:00 -0800

Security researchers from antivirus vendor Trend Micro have come across a Web-based attack that exploits a known vulnerability in Windows Media Player.

Apple Accused of Ignoring 'Human Cost' of Manufacturing

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:34:00 -0800

Some former executives and contractors join in the chorus questioning the operations of Apple's international suppliers.

Google Defends Privacy Changes as Questions Mount

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:04:00 -0800

While Google touts its new policy as good for users, others argue that the real beneficiaries are advertisers.

Warner Bros. Says 'No' To Early Netflix Queuing

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:34:00 -0800

Video fans can't even ask to see the newest releases until nearly two months after they've been out ... except at the pirate sites, of course.

Google Earth Update Smooths Over Patchwork Landscapes

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:02:00 -0800

Google upgrades Google Earth 3D mapping program with a new rendering engine that smooths out patchwork quilt images of the Earth's surface during navigation.

CloudPassage Launches New Security Product for Public Clouds

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:01:07 -0800

CloudPassage is launching a new security product for virtual servers in public clouds such as Amazon Web Services that it says takes care of the all-important...

Valve Releases Steam Mobile App for iOS and Android Devices

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Valve Software has released a beta version of their Steam mobile app as part of an insidious plot to enable us to spend even more money on Steam sales.

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Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Google+ Opens Its Doors to Teens

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:45:00 -0800

Introduces enhanced safety features, such as warning teens when they're about to make public posts.

First 'Super Wi-Fi' Network Goes Live in North Carolina

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:14:00 -0800

Lucky residents of Wilmington, N.C., will be the first in the nation to have access to a 'Super Wi-Fi' network.

Samsung Loses Again in German Patent Suit Against Apple

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:30:00 -0800

The district court in Mannheim, Germany, has again sided with Apple in a patent suit brought by Samsung Electronics.

Apple Number One Smartphone Vendor Again, Say Research Firms

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:00:00 -0800

Apple has emerged as the number one smartphone vendor worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2011, by a small margin, after earlier losing ground to Samsung.

Nintendo: Wii U Will Launch in Time for 2012 Holiday Season, Use Touch-card Tech

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:30:31 -0800

Nintendo said Friday its next-generation Wii U game console will launch in time for the holiday season in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Samsung Smartphones, TVs Help Drive Strong 4Q Profits, Even as Rivals Falter

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:10:38 -0800

Samsung said Friday profits shot up in the three-month period through December, with a big boost from its burgeoning lineup of smartphones and tablets.

Twitter Can Now Block Tweets in Specific Countries

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:20:26 -0800

Twitter can now remove tweets from users' feeds in specific countries while keeping them visible elsewhere, according to a post on the company's blog on...

Twitter Prepares To Censor Tweets, Country by Country

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:18:00 -0800

The microblogging service says it will block tweets when asked to by "an authorized entity."

Your Kitteh Means Business in This DIY Cardboard Tank

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:15:00 -0800

Make your cat the most badass feline in the neighborhood with a quick cardboard tank project.

Panasonic Offers Wireless Broadband Service to Connect Its Products

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:10:46 -0800

Panasonic launched a wireless broadband service in Japan this week that is intended to encourage customers to use its coming wave of Internet-ready appliances...

Lego 'Astronaut' Takes One Giant Leap for Brick-kind

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:50:00 -0800

What were you doing when you were a teenager? These two Canadian teens launched a Lego minifigure into the edge of space.

15 Worst Internet Privacy Scandals of All Time

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:45:00 -0800

In honor of National Data Privacy Day this Saturday, Jan. 28, we've put together a list of the 15 worst Internet privacy scandals of all time.