Avast 2012 examines your file booty – The latest major update to Avast includes bigger cannons to keep you safer. Along with hybrid update technology, you get a remote tech support tool, Web-based security management, and file reputation analysis in downloads–a first for a free security suite.
Box Offers 50GB Of Free Cloud Storage To Android Users – The service released a spiffy update for its Android app today, and anyone who snags the app in the next 30 days gets a whopping 50GB of free cloud storage space, good for the rest of your life.
3 Great Personal Finance Apps – Get your budget on track and carry a personal financial advisor with you at all times with one of these free smartphone apps.
Windows 8 on Arm – Everything You Need To Know About WOA – Microsoft has maintained its monopoly on the desktop largely through the ability to innovate, while still maintaining backwards compatibility. With WOA (Windows on Arm), nothing you are running today will work, no exceptions. Some core Windows functions such as Explorer will make the jump, but if you installed it yourself, or downloaded it from the web you’ll need an X86 device to use it in Windows 8.
Multiple Ports on Your PC: What Do They Do For You? – The back of your PC is chock full of connectors and ports–USB isn’t the only game in town. Here’s a primer on ports.
BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Sports Hot New Features – Research In Motion’s long-awaited software upgrade PlayBook OS 2.0 includes a number of features demanded by users ever since the 7-inch tablet made its debut in April 2011. These include built-in email, calendar and contacts; a variety of new apps; and social-networking integration with calendar and contacts and more. Our hands-on review gives you a closer look.
India’s $35 tablet project hits snag – Indian authorities are revising their ambitions over the country’s Aakash budget tablet project, after the pilot run missed expectations. The government plans to launch a new tender and is also considering raising the price from $35 to $50.
Identity fraud hits 11.6 million in the US – In 2011 identity fraud increased by 13 percent. More than 11.6 million adults became a victim of identity fraud in the United States, while the dollar amount stolen held steady, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.
Tips to minimize the risk of identity fraud – Javelin Strategy & Research recommends that consumers follow a three-step approach to minimize their risk and impact of identity fraud.
Pastry lovers served with ransomware via exploit kit – French cake and pastry lovers have been targeted by cyber crooks as the website of the famous confectionery company Laduree has been compromised and found serving ransomware.
Google’s new privacy rules: Get over it already – Do you really think that Google, along with everyone else on the Web, hasn’t been collecting your data for years now? Deal with it already.
Symantec’s PCAnywhere Vulnerable to Source Code Attack – Despite Symantec’s claims to the contrary, security researchers now believe that malicious developers can look at the leaked pcAnywhere source code and find vulnerabilities that can be exploited in current versions.
Mac OS X ‘Mountain Lion’s’ Gatekeeper Not Enough to Fight Malware – Apple and Microsoft have added security features to the next versions of their respective operating systems in an effort to combat new, more complicated security threats. However, security experts remain skeptical the steps taken would be enough against these malware threats.
New Flashback Trojan variant found for OS X – Intego has found a new variant of the Flashback Trojan, which uses unique methods for tricking Mac users.
Company News:
Mozilla Branding BrowserID as Persona – While Personas is Now Left Nameless – Does that make ANY sense to anyone? From a brand perspective, Mozilla is throwing years of brand equity into the garbage. Worse yet they’re creating brand confusion with the name — which is just bad (not ActiveX bad, but still bad). There has also been strong opposition to the name change on Mozilla’s own public marketing lists.
NAC system PacketFence 3.2.0 released – PacketFence is a fully supported, trusted, free and open source network access control (NAC) system. This is a major release with new features, new hardware support, enhancements, bug fixes (including a security fix) and updated translations.
ManageEngine Frees CIOs from Desktop Bondage with Integrated IT Management on the iPad – The new IT360 web extension for the iPad lets IT professionals go mobile, extending the single dashboard for real-time monitoring and managing of the enterprise IT infrastructure to include the popular Apple tablet.
OpenStack Debuts TryStack – The open source OpenStack cloud computing platform has grown significantly since it was first introduced in July 2010. Now OpenStack developers are aiming to help make it easier than ever for enterprises and developers to get familiar with OpenStack. A new effort called TryStack debuted last week, providing developers and users the opportunity to try OpenStack on a hosted infrastructure.
Webopedia Daily:
Authorized Education Reseller – Abbreviated as AER, Authorized Education Reseller is a term used by Microsoft to describe a software reseller that has been authorized by Microsoft to sell Academic Edition software licenses to eligible education customers.
Off Topic (Sort of):
Weaponize Your iPhone With the Mace Case – Worried about having your smartphone stolen? This iPhone case may have been created with you in mind.
Are You a Bot (or Not)? – Ever been followed by a fellow Twitter user named @YoulandaX3477, and wondered whether she’s your friend Youlanda from third grade (hi, Youlanda!) … or, just possibly, a bot? Have you ever wondered whether the people you meet on Twitter are actually, ultimately, people? It can be, sometimes, alarmingly hard to tell. (recommended by Michael F.)
Obama’s Internet Bill Of Rights Will Be Hard to Enforce: Here’s Why – The real question about the new Internet “Bill of Rights” from the White House is how exactly will these rights be enforced and interpreted?
Anatomy of a survey gone bad – Surveys seem to be marketers go-to sales device these days. But if you look closely, you’ll find that they’re not always on the up and up.
32 top-notch sports websites – One aspect that sets this list of sports websites apart from the fray is their creative use of images, graphics, and sports-related photography.
Today’s Quote:
“What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public; ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public.”
– Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Today’s Free Downloads:
Freemake Music Box – Music Box searches YouTube and presents you with it music and music videos that it finds based on the words, name, title, or phrase you type in the search box. It’s a much nicer, simpler interface to YouTube music videos–though you can’t enlarge or full-screen the video.
Auditorium – Auditorium is one of the best ambient games I have seen. Its creative use of sound, as well as its radiant and minimalistic graphics, make for entrancing gameplay that could keep you engaged for hours. Best of all, Auditorium saves your progress, so you can close the browser tab and come back to it later.