Operating Systems

OPINION

Apple Brings It

Apple on Tuesday rebuilt its iPhone foundation by introducing two new models with Retina HD displays: the iPhone 6 at 4.5 inches, and the iPhone 6 Plus at 5.5 inches. It launched Apple Pay, which promises to become the catalyst NFC mobile payment technology needs to become mainstream. It introduced ...

HTC (M8)s With Microsoft

HTC, which in recent years spurned Windows Phone for Android, on Tuesday returned to the Microsoft fold with the launch of a Windows Phone version of its flagship HTC One (M8) smartphone. The HTC One (M8) for Windows debuted as a Verizon Wireless network exclusive. The two-year contract price at Ver...

Specs of the forthcoming Moto 360 smartwatch from Motorola appeared briefly on a Best Buy Web page this week, sparking increased chatter about the device. Concerns about price -- the watch was listed at $250 -- tempered the usual gasps of delight from geeks. Amazon lists a Samsung Galaxy Gear for $1...

Microsoft is preparing to debut an update to its Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, which includes expansion of its Cortana personal assistant availability to more regions. The update introduces Cortana to China and the UK in beta form, and Canada, India and Australia in alpha mode. Cortana is only...

An Android vulnerability that exists in every version from v2.1 Eclair to v. 4.3 Jelly Bean could expose millions of users, Bluebox Security has warned. The flaw lets attackers fake the certificates of specially privileged parties, such as Adobe and Google Wallet, and serve them up with malware that...

In a rare move, Apple on Thursday rolled out a beta version of its upcoming desktop operating system, OS X Yosemite, to a million "testers." The company pulled the wraps off Yosemite at the World Wide Developers Conference in June and has been tweaking it for developers since that time, but this lat...

The long-held belief that Android is the least secure of mobile OSes was shattered by security researcher and expert iOS hacker Jonathan Zdziarski over the weekend. He unveiled a host of iOS vulnerabilities, the scope of which was staggering: undocumented services that bypass backup encryption and c...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Windows XP Hacked, Supply Chain Poisoned

A supply chain compromise is a security pro's worst nightmare. The thought of malware being planted on computer devices before they leave the factory sends shivers down a cyberdefender's spine. A disturbing case of such poisoning was reported last week by researchers at TrapX. The researchers found ...

As the anticipated April 2015 launch of Threshold, the next major version of Windows OS, draws closer, Microsoft is tightening up its features. One of the OS Group's main goals in the design and development of Threshold is to make it more palatable to Windows 7 users, it seems. New features aimed at...

As any Android user knows, the version of the operating system you're using can vary widely because it depends on parties other than Google. That's why nearly two-thirds of users are running a version of Android introduced in 2012 or earlier. With Android making the leap to wearables and the Interne...

OPINION

The Big Winners at Google I/O 2014

At last week's Google I/O, Nvidia was the big winner. It was showcased in TVs, mobile devices and automotive as the supplier of a key technology. Other brands were mentioned in the keynote, but it was Nvidia that was mentioned most consistently -- and its technology apparently was connected to most...

Google on Wednesday announced a plethora of opportunities for developers at its I/O conference. The upcoming version of Android, currently known as "L," will have 5,000 new apps. Android L offers a new design language consistent across Android, desktops, tablets and the Web. It will enable smooth an...

While there were two hours jam-packed with announcements at the keynote presentation kicking off Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference this week, you can count the really important announcements that will create lasting change on one hand. The new programming language, Swift, isn't one of them. Wa...

Apple managed to pull off a mean feat on Monday at its WorldWide Developers Conference. Without announcing a single hardware device, it teased consumers with dozens of updated features in iOS 8 and the next version of Mac OS X -- dubbed "Yosemite" -- then doubled-down with app developers by offering...

The Department of Justice last week unsealed indictments against five members of the Chinese military who were accused of hacking into the computer systems of U.S. companies to steal everything from trade secrets to confidential corporate correspondence. China's initial response was to deny any wron...

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