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With over 30 years in computing experience, I'm often asked my opinion about computer hardware. Questions like, "What can I do to speed up my computer?", or "What type of laptop should I buy?" and things of that nature. Like anyone else, I love a ... good deal. In order to find the best deal possible, sometimes I spend an entire day shopping online to compare prices and features of similar components. Unfortunately, many of the "recommendations" I've read recently appear to be forged for the sake of making a sale, which means there's an awful lot of time wasted wading through ... (view more)

It's likely going to be many years before people stop buying movies on DVD. But rental giant Netflix is not only preparing for that day, but attempting to bring it closer. The company has announced that it will, for the first time in the US, be ... offering a special package that only allows users to stream rented titles over the Internet, with no option to obtain discs. To encourage users to make the switch, the new package will be $7.99 a month (the lowest ever offered by the company), while the price of the packages that include getting discs by mail will rise by at least $1 a month. The price ... (view more)

Crimeware is a class of malware designed specifically to automate cybercrime. The term was coined by Peter Cassidy, Secretary General of the Anti- Phishing Working Group to distinguish it from other kinds of malevolent programs. Crimeware: ... Definition Crimeware is a form of malicious software. It is distinct from spyware, adware, and malware. Crimeware is designed through social engineering or technical stealth to perpetrate identity theft. Once an identity is stolen, it is used to access a computer user's online accounts at financial services companies and online retailers for the purpose of ... (view more)

A new study shows that Americans are less likely to engage in online social networking than many of their global counterparts. According to the findings, Asia is fast becoming the place where people are most likely to go online to share digital ... thoughts and photographs with friends and family. The research was performed by analyst firm TNS, which found that central and southeast Asia is a hotspot for social networking activity. In Thailand, approximately 92 per cent of Internet-connected residents have uploaded photographs to photo-sharing web sites. In nearby Malaysia, the number is 88 per ... (view more)

Those who spend their time racking up points in online multi-player video games are now being targeted by hackers looking to cash in on their progress. Specially-crafted malware has been made in an effort to attack online gamers, steal their account ... information (and subsequent point accumulation) and sell their goods online. The most popular game currently targeted is World of Warcraft, and maker Blizzard has been working on ways to counter the problem. World of Warcraft attacks have continued to plague Blizzard since reports of difficulties experienced with the game's authenticator were ... (view more)

A leaked Google document has revealed how much major firms spend on online advertising. It shows that even well-established Internet brands spend millions of dollars a month using Google's Adwords advertising system. The document has been published ... by industry journal Advertising Age and, as well as giving general information for the first six months of the year, reveals how much companies spent on Google ads in June, 2010. For those unaware, Google Adword ads appear alongside Google search results and online websites that participate in the Adwords program. Advertisers use a bidding system ... (view more)

Internet troublemakers, whether malicious or mischievous, often try to capitalize on interest in celebrities. That's the case with singer Justin Bieber, who has been the victim of at least three online hacker campaigns. The first incident took place ... when hackers discovered a recent flaw in YouTube's site design which allowed for a cross-site scripting attack . That's a potentially serious measure that allows a hacker to put their own malicious programming code into somebody else's website. In this case, the hackers were able to post code in the comments section and have that code run ... (view more)

Google's forthcoming Chrome operating system (OS) will be able to run applications from other operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows. The procedure is a relatively simple technical solution, though one which has practical limitations. The ... Chrome operating system, which has been released in a form developers can experiment with works in a different way than most web browsers. It's designed to run when the computer is online and is, to a major extent, a souped-up version of Google's Chrome web browser. Chrome OS Goes Easy on Old PCs Instead of standalone applications on the computer, most ... (view more)

Microsoft has officially unveiled online versions of its Microsoft Office 2010 applications, including cloud versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The company revealed its new products with surprisingly little fanfare, though it's likely ... they'll garner considerable attention in the next few days. Microsoft's move towards cloud computing alternatives for its traditional Office suite of applications is largely a response to Google's line of rival online products. The search giant has had considerable success with its Google Docs program, which allows users from anywhere in the world ... (view more)

Microsoft recently unveiled a whole new look for its very popular online email service, Hotmail. Heading the list of new features is "Sweep," which automatically prioritizes emails into categories. The Hotmail update is just one part of Microsoft's ... plan to improve all of its Windows Live products over the next several months. Designated Emails Marked with Priority The new Sweep feature automatically designates certain kinds of emails low priority. Think of it like a weekly Best Buy or grocery store flyer; you signed on to the mailing list, but these emails certainly aren't as important as ... (view more)