It being the week of Thanksgiving, anyone looking for a bargain will have been eagerly anticipating Black Friday. The big names did not disappoint including Microsoft who had special prices on Surfaces. If you were undecided between buying a Surface or an iPad, Microsoft compared the two devices so you don’t have to -- and there are no prizes for guessing which comes out on top! If you give or receive giftcards as presents this year, they can now be used to pay for things through PayPal checkout.
Microsoft's Scroogled campaign may not be in the spirit of the season, but it continues apace. In one advert, the services of Pawn Stars were called upon to take a pop at Google's Chromebook -- Alan was less than impressed. Brian, however was pleased to be the recipient of a surprise, unadvertised mug having placed an order via the Scroogled store, and Joe is a big fan of the campaign. Speaking of Chromebooks, Acer announced an ultra-cheap touchscreen device in the form of the C720P.
In another ad campaign, Microsoft aims its barrels at the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 while speculation mounts about whether Windows RT might be on the verge of disappearing.
It may be the time of year when most people are thinking about presents and turkey, but at Time magazine it is when the Person of the Year is considered. There are a little under two weeks until the announcement is made, and the magazine is looking to Twitter for suggestions -- there's still time to nominate your suggestion if you're quick! Virgin's Richard Branson came out as the latest supporter of Bitcoin, saying that it will be possible to use the virtual currency to pay for a trip to space on Virgin Galactic.
It's not quite clear what may come of it, but Apple this week purchased PrimeSense, the company behind the Xbox's Kinect unit. Following on from the recent launch of the Xbox One, Microsoft responded to disappointed gamers who found themselves with a problematic console by saying that the issues are being looked into and that those affected by the problem will be entitled to a free game download. For anyone who does have a working console, Microsoft released a voice and gesture cheatsheet to help users learn the new commands.
The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 was introduced as the latest addition to Samsung's phablet range, although it is certainly not the largest devices to fall into this category. Samsung and HTC were delisted from Futuremark's 3DMark app after suspicions that the two companies were artificially boosting device performance when benchmarking software was running. For anyone on a budget who doesn't want to make too many compromises, the Moto G from Motorola looks like and interesting option. This wasn't the only cheap handset unveiled this week -- Nokia also announced the Lumia 525.
Following the recent rollout of KitKat to various Nexus devices, the HTC One Google Play edition also received the update. Elsewhere, Google has promised to make changes to the way the new Google+ commenting system works on YouTube.
This was a week in which we looked at quite a few pieces of hardware. Alan was impressed with the Kindle Fire HDX noting a number of improvements over its predecessor. Looking at peripherals, Brian was rather taken with the Feenix Nascita 2014 gaming mouse and Dimora mousepad. Looking for a cheap monitor? AOC's 27-inch e2752She could be what you’re looking for.
I entered whinge mode, complaining about the prevalence of online spoilers for TV programs -- bah humbug!
With Thanksgiving out of the way, this week should be even busier: bring it on!
Photo Credit: vinz89/Shutterstock
Helsinki-based security company F-Secure has released 
It’s happened to us all. You’ve found what looks like some great freeware, downloaded and installed it, only to discover that your browser has a new toolbar, home page, search engine and more. Many setup programs now include these "offers", unfortunately, and they’ll employ all kinds of tricks to fool you into installing them.
It’s Thanksgiving in the US today (as if you didn’t know) so I’m using that as a feeble excuse to give thanks to Microsoft for some of the best features found in its new operating system. As someone who pretty much detested the turkey that was Windows 8 from the moment I installed it to the moment I updated it, I’m constantly surprised by how much I like the new incarnation.
Antivirus software is generally seen as being about protecting your system from infection, but sometimes you get caught out and it's necessary to call on the product's removal capabilities. If you're lucky, or careful, you might never have to try out the malware removal ability of your security product, but it's good to know it can step up to the plate if needed. To help you see if your chosen solution measures up 
When it comes to the Android custom ROM community, CyanogenMod is considered by many to be the holy grail. If your smartphone or tablet receives official support for the ROM, you can be assured of regular updates. However, for many, the stock Android experience has now matured to a point where custom ROMs are no longer needed.
When Microsoft launched the Scroogled store, it was met with both criticism and praise. Even in the BetaNews newsroom, it was a polarizing topic -- Wayne called it a "
A total of six Android devices from Samsung and HTC have been delisted by Futuremark after suspicions were raised about their performance in 3DMark benchmarks. Although no specific details are given about why the handsets were removed, concerns surrounded the performance of particular phones.
This is the first in a series of columns on the strategic direction of several major technology companies that have faltered of late. We’ll start here with Intel, follow in a couple days with Cisco, followed by Microsoft, then see where it goes from there.
Commonly used for everything from program help to e-books, Microsoft’s Compiled HTML Help (CHM) format works very well on the PC. CHM files aren’t always as easy to browse on other platforms, though, so if you need to access their content elsewhere then you might be interested in 
When you need to read a long document then you could just sit at your PC, scrolling for an age, until you’re finally done. But having the computer read to you could make much more sense. There’s no eye strain, no document navigation issues, and you might even be able to do something else as you listen.
Finding the right disc burning tool for you can sometimes be a problem. The big commercial suites are expensive, but smaller freebies are often buggy, unreliable, sometimes weighed down with adware. So it’s good to find a small but capable alternative in 
December 1998. I started my Internet career at one of the first European e-commerce websites. At the time, we used to call it New Information and Communication Technologies. In 2013, 15 years later, some of these technologies are still seen as "New". But while in some countries seniors are stigmatized just when their experience is at its fullest, we refuse to see technologies age and be fully integrated. Ironic isn’t?!
In December 1998, Géraldine Maouchi started her career at one of the first European e-commerce websites, and quickly developed a strong interest in NICT. Since then she has built her career based on a vision of a mobile web that would unite functions and industries and reach across the the world -- something that is a reality today. She has also worked on innovative digital projects and created ones in digital music and NGO. Géraldine now focuses on helping companies to embrace the industrial and social revolution caused by these digital technologies, to leverage it, and to be more creative.
Sony PlayStation 4 hit the stores and Brian not only took a look at the 
For most people customer relationship management conjures up the idea of a massive database of sales information. But for smaller, especially one person, businesses who may spend only a small amount of their time in front of a computer, traditional CRM isn't a practical proposition and doesn't lend itself to mobile use.
As the use of smartphones and tablets becomes mainstream in enterprises, organizations need to address some fundamental security concerns. While we have yet to see these devices succumb to malware threats in the way that previous endpoints have, there are legitimate data protection issues associated with their use. Between June 2012 and June 2013, travelers lost more than 10,000 electronic devices, including laptops, mobile phones, and tablets, in just the world’s seven largest airports, according to Airport Lost and Found, a global database.
For the last 18 years, 
When it comes to Office 365, some people think I'm too soft on Microsoft because I'm always writing about the good things I see in the service. And don't get me wrong, I think the platform is leagues better now than it was just a year ago. Just peruse some of the 
It was only 
While Microsoft has its own mobile operating system with Windows Phone 8, the company generously supports its competitor's products too. After all, with its own OS having such a small user base comparatively, it would be insane not to.
My colleague Wayne Williams calls Microsoft Scroogled gear "pathetic" and a "
Working on your PC isn’t generally a great way to wind down, but if you’re stressed out after a hard day then 
While products are typically produced by corporations and businesses, the brands themselves are often adopted by societies and become icons. Some examples are Coca-Cola (USA), BlackBerry (Canada) and Nokia (Finland). Sadly, for the latter country, the associated company has been in talks to become acquired by Microsoft (USA).
It’s taken almost five years to get there, but disk cleanup and shredding tool 
Email is often cited as being the killer application that made the internet take off, and there's no denying it has changed the way the world does business. But using email for business means keeping an archive so that you have a record of conversations. Over time that archive can become substantial and take up a lot of expensive disk space so storing it in the cloud begins to look like an attractive solution.
Successful sales strategy is dependent on understanding the customer. But for small and medium businesses building up the kind of intelligence database needed can be time consuming and take staff away from the task of actually selling. It can be many months before the implementation of a traditional sales intelligence platform bears fruit.
To help fight the problem of child pornography online, Google and Microsoft are joining forces to block access to illegal content in the UK and then globally. Writing in the Daily Mail, Google's 
It would be a strange week if Google didn’t steal a few headlines, and this week saw the introduction of 
RaMMichaeL’s excellent 
Yesterday I wrote a story in which I said 
Following the lead of US airlines, the European Commission gives the go-ahead for the use of 3G and 4G services during flights. The Commission is permitting the use of UMTS and LTE data connections on aircraft above altitudes of 3,000 meters in the European Union (EU). Up until now, only 2G (GSM) usage has been allowed and the decision paves the way for passengers to make use of high speed data connections, although the decision about whether to permit this on individual flights lies with airlines.
The head of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), Tom Wheeler, is calling for phone providers to pass rules that will make it easier for handset owners to unlock their devices. In a letter to Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA The Wireless Association, Wheeler says that "enough time has passed, and it is now time for the industry to act voluntarily or for the FCC to regulate". He goes on to call for the unlocking policy to be put in place before the December holiday season.
There is nothing wrong with Google scanning millions of book and making that text available as snippets in search results. This is the ruling made today by a judge in New York, bringing to an end an eight year legal battle between Google and The Authors Guild in conjunction with several specific authors. Starting back in 2004, Google has scanned more than twenty million books -- and permission was not obtained from the copyright holder in many cases.
Alex Thuring has released 
It's only been a week since its 
I own an iPad, and despite not rushing to buy a Surface, I actually quite like Microsoft's slate. A couple of days a week I work on my iPad (mostly remote accessing my PC via Parallels Access) and it's not a great experience. I know I'd get a lot more done if I was using a Surface Pro 2 instead, but Apple's tablet is far better in other areas, so for me it wins on balance.
RITLabs has announced the release of 
Two days ago IDC released its latest 
Backing up data can often seem like a chore and is something which isn't always top of the agenda, especially for smaller businesses. New research commissioned by cloud backup and disaster recovery company 
While I love Linux, quality magazines about the kernel are few and far between. Over the years, my favorite has been Linux Format. I was attracted to the magazine by the quality articles and interesting content. However, the price of the magazine was particularly high in the USA, which often deterred my purchase (it is printed in the UK). After all, Linux is free but the magazine cost about $13/month at Barnes and Noble -- a tough sell. Not to mention, with the explosion of tablets, reading paper magazines feels a bit outdated (I still enjoy a hard-copy of Reader's Digest on my toilet tank though).
Launched earlier this year in Barcelona, 
The rise of intelligent machines has long been fertile ground for science fiction writers, but a new report by technology research specialists 
It’s a regular web annoyance: you’re busy online, a line of browser tabs open, when suddenly one of them starts playing a Flash video ad. Which one? Normally you’d have to check each tab in turn, but that’s all about to change with 
The growth of the cloud and the use of software as a service (SaaS) has had a dramatic effect on both businesses and individuals, allowing people to access corporate applications and data from anywhere and on any device. But it also gives IT managers a security headache as it becomes harder to build and enforce consistent policies, especially when employees are using their own devices.
for a massive proportion of Internet traffic, but it looks as though the global spread is switching somewhat. According to data published by 
If you just click on a link elsewhere -- in an email, say -- then the Web Shield steps in, hopefully detecting and blocking any malicious sites. Avast has never impressed us with its antiphishing abilities, but this time it did reasonably well, blocking 65 percent of our test URLs.
As usual with this kind of whitelisting scheme, Hardened Mode blocks plenty of legitimate applications (Cloudmark DesktopOne, our perfectly safe spam filter was disabled). It also blocks all malware, though -- even the very latest threats -- and so could be a simple way to protect a basic PC with just a few known applications.
It seems that everyone is keen to get in on the big data trend at the moment. If you're still unsure of what it is and where it comes from take a look at the handy
There is an ever-growing list of benefits that Amazon provides for its Prime customers. For a $79 yearly fee users enjoy Netflix-like streaming video, Kindle book rentals and free two-day delivery service. The latter has only one simple drawback -- if you order an item on a Friday, you need to wait until Monday for the product to land on your doorstep. Well, at least that was the case, until now.
This week, November 12th to be precise, is that holiday we have come to call Patch Tuesday. It's the day when Microsoft rolls out fixes for bugs, both small and large, in its software, from Windows to Office and more. This month's releases are of particular interest, not because of what the company is fixing, but what it has chosen to leave unpatched.
Another busy week with more news than you could shake a stick at. Following the release of KitKat, Google was riding high as figures revealed that Jelly Bean is now installed on 
November 9, 2004. The date may not mean much to you, but it was rather big in the land of Mozilla. It wasn't the 'start' of the Firefox web browser, but it was the official ship date of version 1.0. That makes today a birthday celebration for the browser that dared to take on the Internet Explorer-giant.
Microsoft is actively looking for a new CEO to replace Steve Ballmer, and one of the potential candidates is Stephen Elop. In an interesting story published earlier today, 
The days of some third party extensions for Chrome may be numbered. While most people will head to the Chrome Web Store as their first port of call for downloading extensions to add new features to the browser, this is far from the only means of obtaining add-ons.
When Google announced it was changing the comments system for YouTube, users should have been thrilled, after all that aspect of the site has been in need of an overhaul for a very long time. The update Google created adds "smarter" sorting, and "meaningful" conversations, allows comments to be moderated, and for the most part the change just makes things look tidier.
The battle between Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 is set to begin later this month. At BetaNews we’re still split as to which console we think is best, leading to some spirited debates in the newsroom.
Data breaches and cyber attacks frequently make the news when well-known companies are the target.
Next week’s Patch Tuesday will see a number of security patches for Windows 8.1 including three that get the top Critical rating. According to Microsoft’s 
Sameer Singh is an M&A professional and business strategy consultant focusing on the mobile technology sector. He is founder and editor of 
People celebrate birthdays every year but the celebrations have expanded beyond humans. A search of YouTube reveals people baking birthday cakes and having celebrations for 
Inori Aizawa, the official mascot for Internet Explorer (in Singapore at least) is an Anime heroine who spends her time fighting against the dark side of the web.
Google Glass has caused a bit of a stir, whether it's for the ability to turn us all into 
"By taking care of all the heavy lifting involved with building an app backend from scratch, built.io gives businesses a way to finally meet the pent-up demand for apps sparked by today’s mobile workflows, 'app store' culture, and BYOD trends," adds Sampat.
It's becoming a familiar story. A big name company decides to reveal figures about the number of requests for data that have been received from the government, apologizing straight away for the lack of detail it can provide. 
Google is going to start displaying Google+ Photos as caller ID images from early 2014. The new feature will be enabled by default for anyone who has a verified phone number associated with their Google account.
The increasing popularity of BYOD brings a number of challenges for IT departments, not least of which is ensuring that files are handled in an approved and secure way. The problem is that users don’t often see things the same way. A new survey by 
Microsoft, while not innovating at Mozilla-Google rate, has been stepping up development of Internet Explorer -- thankfully moving on from the dim, dark days of IE6. Windows 8.1 comes with the shiny new Internet Explorer 11, and with that release Google implements plans to begin phasing out version 9 of the browser.
Samsung and Google jointly released the Galaxy Nexus just over two years ago, in October 2011. The handset is no longer shiny and new, but that doesn't mean there aren't still customers using the device -- it's still for sale at retail locations like Amazon. And Nexus owners could be considered the hardcore Android fans or, in other words, the very ones who know about, and want, version 4.4 of the mobile operating system.
Dropbox is a name that's usually associated with online storage where it finds itself pitted against the likes of Google Drive and Microsoft's SkyDrive. But now the company could be branching out in a new direction with the 
As promised 
When I was a young man, I hated school. While sitting in the dreary classroom, I would often stare out the window and daydream about the huge world out there. However, there were times when I loved school -- on field trip days. On these days, we would board a big yellow school bus and travel to a magical place such as the Zoo or a Broadway show.
Sameer Singh is an M&A professional and business strategy consultant focusing on the mobile technology sector. He is founder and editor of 
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins is to resign from his position at the head of the company, and the board of directors is also facing a reshuffle. The 
The increasing use of technology by customers presents many challenges for business. This means that traditional areas like finance and operations may no longer be driving change. According to a new report by research specialists 
After the launch of its own brand tablet, 
To cloud or not to cloud? It's a question a lot of my clients are asking more often, and is undoubtedly one of the biggest trends in the IT industry right now. SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, and soon to be 
Derrick Wlodarz is an IT Specialist who owns Park Ridge, IL (USA) based technology consulting & service company 
This week Google put an end to all the speculation and finally 
When it comes to reading, I use a Kindle PaperWhite. I hate paper books with a passion -- they take up space and are obsolete. The Kindle is wonderful because it allows me to easily bookmark pages, look up definitions, and scan the book for certain words with the x-ray feature. An Amazon Prime membership enhances the Kindle experience by letting the user "borrow" a book from among 350,000 choices.
Yesterday Google, after much teasing, made available both the 
Running can, at times, get rather boring (especially treadmill running). I’m a huge fan of the