John Lister

Microsoft is launching a tablet computer that isn't quite your average slate. What the Surface SUR40 lacks in portability, it makes up for with its 40-inch HD touch-screen. The price hasn't yet been confirmed, but rumors place it somewhere between ... $8,400 and $15,000. Wherever it falls in that range, the device is clearly not going to be a popular consumer product. Instead, the Surface SUR40 is expected to appeal primarily to business users and agencies involved in such sectors as education and healthcare. Microsoft says both FujiFilm and the Royal Bank of Canada plan to be among the first ... (view more)

Google is cutting the price of its very own Chromebook laptop to $299. The new $299 puts it in the same price range as netbooks, the lowest cost version of computers with a physical keyboard, designed mainly for online activity. The Chromebook runs ... the Chrome operating system (OS), which is effectively an upgraded version of the better-known Chrome web browser. The device links directly to tools such as Gmail, the Google Docs office suite, and online image editing, requiring an Internet connection. Originally, all files were stored online, though an update earlier this year added support for ... (view more)

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will change the way users restart their computers after software updates, making life easier for home users and network administrators alike. Microsoft will be scheduling all Windows 8 software updates for the ... second Tuesday of each month. Dubbed 'Patch Tuesday,' that date already sees all Microsoft security updates. Under the new plan, only emergency security updates will be released on other days. (Source: techspot.com ) Windows Update: New Three-Day Warning Microsoft says it is also simplifying the update process. Under the new scheme, updates will ... (view more)

The first hands-on reviews of Amazon's debut tablet device, the Kindle Fire , are beginning to appear. Their general theme is that the price is great, but the device itself could use some improvement. The Fire costs $199, approximately 60 per cent ... lower than Apple's iPad, and right on the consumer electronics price point at which mass market purchasers become more willing to try out new technology. Kindle Fire: Silky Smooth But Not Ultra Fast Most of the reviews claim that Amazon's highly promoted web browser for the Kindle Fire, Silk, is too slow. The browser actually displays web pages ... (view more)

The creators of a recently-discovered form of malware (malicious software) have reportedly used stolen government ID to make the bogus software appear legitimate when presented on Windows PCs. Once the malware is installed, it can steal personal ... information, such as passwords or banking information, or download other malware programs to the PC. The malware is spread via infected PDF (portable document format) files that exploit a bug in the outdated Adobe Reader 8. (Source: computerworld.com ) The incident involves a code signing certificate, similar to the authentication systems for secure ... (view more)

Hi-tech thieves used low-tech means to steal a half a million dollars worth of video games last week. The way it was done almost sounds like a plot from a video game -- but this incident was no laughing matter. One truck was passing through Creteil, ... in the south of Paris; a car then crashed into the truck, stopping it. Two masked men then appeared, used tear gas on the truck drivers, and drove away with the truck containing about 6,000 copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The estimated value of the heist is more than $500,000 US dollars. A second robbery took place on the same day in ... (view more)

Facebook is reportedly on the verge of agreeing to a settlement with the federal government over claims it misled users regarding its privacy policies. The settlement wouldn't involve a formal admission of guilt, but would have lengthy consequences ... for the social networking company. The case, brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is based on allegations that Facebook does not always obtain a user's permission before changing the way it handles that user's personal data. Instead, Facebook simply applies the changes it wants on an opt-out basis, in effect asserting that it can apply ... (view more)

Samsung has confirmed it will sell touch-screen devices running Windows 8, beginning in the second half of 2012. For Microsoft, this is a positive sign its efforts to adapt the new operating system to ultra-portable devices will pay off. Samsung's ... sales and marketing chief says the new touch screen device will likely be a modified form of the company's existing Series 7 computer, a touch-screen "slate" (a name sometimes used for Windows-based devices known elsewhere as "tablets") that comes with a separate wireless keyboard. (Source: bloomberg.com ) Windows Slate: 'For Professionals ... (view more)

An Ohio firm has developed a new software system which promises to reduce the time and money people waste waiting for deliveries and repairmen to show up on call. According to TOA Technologies, US workers lose about $37 billion each year because of ... vague schedules that keep them pinned down, waiting for delivery and service personnel. Software Monitors Real Time Events, Not Schedule The problem of delivery and service call scheduling has long been a tough nut to crack. TOA's new system, however, tackles the problem by calculating both the amount of time that a given job might take, and the ... (view more)

Microsoft has published details of its next batch of security updates (known as Patch Tuesday), due to download to Windows machines automatically on Tuesday, November 8 via Windows Update. The only critical update in the batch affects newer rather ... than older editions of Windows. None of the security updates to be released next Tuesday are said to patch MS Word, which is currently being exploited by the Duqu virus (a major zero-day threat ). The entire update is a bit of a surprise, say critics, because it deals with just four groups of bugs -- a far cry from recent updates that have included ... (view more)