IN THE NEWS

Win 8+ – Prettier, Friendlier, But Will You Fall In Love?

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”5130″ align=”left” size=”small” quality=”100″] The Microsoft Build Conference revealed that perhaps, just perhaps, Microsoft gets it. The traditional MS corporate narcissism – so apparent in the release of Windows 8 – was universally criticized. The new build of Windows 8, now dubbed Windows 8.1 features a plethora of changes to allay the growing and often strident criticism of the original release. According to some, it’s what Windows 8 should have been. But no matter the hue and cry, MS Windows still dominates worldwide desktop usage with more than an estimated 80% market share.

In a nutshell, Windows 8.1 will:

There’s a good bit more, and we’ve linked a Windows Preview. There is also a download, but be forewarned, it’s not for the novice or faint of heart. Definitely read the FAQ before you leap.
For more in depth reports of the new iteration see: ZDNet, Fox, PC World, Information Week

[divider]

Tablets Munching Away At Desktop Share

While Windows still dominates PC desktop market share, iOS is the mobile leader with a nearly 60% share. Android is next with about a 24% share. It’s interesting to note that Android has taken about a 20% market share away from iPad in the last year. In fact, by 2015, unit tablet sales are projected to come in at 337.8 million, eclipsing combined desktop and laptop sales of 292.2 million, according to Gartner. Internet Explorer is still, far and away the most popular browser, however. In general the PC market is expected to continue to decline as user behavior changes and as a growing and versatile choice of tablets, cell phones and other mobile options become available at increasingly attractive price points. You can read more here: Gartner, Wikipedia, ZDNet,  Net Market Share

[divider]

Google To IRS: Pay Up Or Else:

In an interesting twist, Google is suing the Internal Revenue Service over a prior AOL stock transaction claiming that the US government owes them a whopping $83.5 million. In the suit, Google argues that the IRS disallowed a Google deduction in error. . Forecasting an optimistic outcome, Niki Fenwick, a spokeswoman for Google, said in a phone interview, “We hope to have it resolved soon.” Bloomberg Business Week, CNET

[divider]

Are You A Wimp? Size Matters.

Are you just a wimp – an insignificant piece of dark matter? According to Harvard Research, it depends in part on the size of your computing device. Really? Well, at least, maybe. A couple of researchers found experimentally that the larger your computing device the more power and confidence you exude. Hunching over a small device is diminishing, while a large screened device appeared to produce a more assertive and in control persona. If you are so inclined, you can read more here: Harvard Business School

[divider]

Google To Reveal Online Phishing and Malware Scams

Google has said it will begin to regularly publish Internet security data on malware and phishing scams that infect computers and steal consumer information. The weekly reports will include the number of offending sites and their map locations. The company said it finds about 10,000 such sites a day. Google will also disclose government and law enforcement requests for user data. The data will be included in Google’s Transparency Report. The data comes from Google’s Safe Browsing program, which the company uses to find and flag malicious sites across the Internet