Datamation Staff

eWeek: On Monday, Microsoft began its 20th annual TechEd North America conference by spotlighting several IT tools designed to help improve agility and lower costs. First up was Windows Server 2012, the next version of the company’s flagship operating system. Microsoft described the update as “cloud-optimized,” and emphasized the way it complements Microsoft’s Windows Azure […]

Wired: Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab say they have found evidence that ties the Flame malware to the Stuxnet virus, which the U.S. and Israel reportedly developed and launched to attack Iran’s nuclear capabilities. According to Kaspersky, the Flame module which allows the malware to spread via USB sticks is virtually identical to a module […]

Computerworld: According to market researchers at IDC, revenues for external disk-based storage systems rose 7.1 percent — $6 billion — during the first quarter of 2012. After floods hit Thailand, where most hard drives are manufactured, average prices jumped 28 percent. Prices for storage remain high, contributing to the strong quarter for the industry. EMC […]

InformationWeek: Over the weekend, Google’s Andy Rubin tweeted that his company is now activating 900,000 new Android devices — smartphones, tablets, Kindles, and other devices — every day. While that number is impressive, it actually marks a slowdown from Android’s previous growth rate. Google announced 850,000 activations per day in February, meaning that it took […]

The Register: As Nokia’s share price continues to plunge, rumors are swirling that Microsoft will buy out the struggling mobile phone maker. Is there any truth to the rumors? Anonymous sources tell The Register that Nokia actually gave Microsoft access to its books late in 2011 in preparation for a possible buyout. However, at that […]

Bloomberg: Unnamed sources say that Microsoft will not allow HTC to manufacture a Windows 8 tablet this year because Microsoft believes the company doesn’t have enough experience making tablets and doesn’t sell enough devices. Taiwan-based HTC manufactured the first Google-branded smartphone and sells several Android-based devices. In the past year, HTC’s stock has fallen 68 […]

Computerworld: U.S. Circuit Court Judge Richard A. Posner has canceled the Apple v. Motorola Mobility patent infringement trial that was  scheduled to begin Monday. “I have tentatively decided that the case should be dismissed with prejudice because neither party can establish a right to relief,” he said. Apple originally sued Motorola for patent infringement, and […]

Cnet: Microsoft has formed a new partnership with Encyclopedia Britannica that will highlight links to the venerable reference source on Bing search results pages. The encyclopedia data will appear in a “trusted sources” box on Bing. “A core focus for us here at Bing has been about delivering relevant information in a more organized way […]

PCWorld: On Thursday, Google’s Gmail Web-based e-mail service experienced an outage between 11 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. ET. The downtime affected “less than” 1.38 percent or Gmail’s users, an estimated 4.79 million people. Earlier this week, Google Spreadsheet users were hit with a bug that that displayed frequent CAPTCHA screens when they attempted to open […]

ZDNet: Next Tuesday, June 12, Microsoft plans to release 7 new security bulletins to address 28 vulnerabilities in its software. The June Patch Tuesday release will include fixes for Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, Visual Basic for Applications, Dynamics AX, and the .NET Framework. Three bulletins for Window, IE and .NET are rated “critical,” while the […]

TechCrunch: Citrix has announced that it is buying Bytemobile for an undisclosed sum in a deal expected to close in the third quarter. Bytemobile offers tools for optimizing data and video traffic on mobile networks, and the acquisition will allow Citrix to begin offering products to wireless network operators. The two companies had previously partnered […]

All Things D: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent a letter to the International Trade Commission (ITC) expressing concern about increasingly hostile global patent battles. The FTC worries that companies will attempt to charge unreasonably high licensing fees for standards-related patents and then seek import bans from the ITC if other companies refuse […]