Windows 8.1 Update might change your mind about Windows 8

"Windows 8.1, released in October 2013, was a course correction of sorts, walking back some of the more egregious nods to trendy tablet thinking found in the original release of Windows 8, including a limited-use Start button and a search function that no longer required you to search apps, settings, and files separately. Despite these improvements, Windows 8.1 still felt like a one-size-fits-all solution, cramming a slate-style mentality onto every screen.

With Windows 8.1 Update, you now get a computing environment that feels flexible enough to work on 8-inch tablets as well as 27-inch desktops. Touch is still the preferred input method for working in the tile interface many still call Metro, but at last, mouse and keyboard users aren't completely left out."

Firefox OS 2.0 starts emerging from its cocoon - CNET

Mozilla's modernized mobile OS is catching up to Apple and Google rivals with improvements necessary to carry Firefox OS beyond its bare-bones roots. Copy-paste and find-my-phone tools patch significant shortcomings.

Firefox OS 2.0 starts emerging from its cocoon - CNET

Colbert to succeed Letterman; Internet rejoices - CNET

Twitter is alive with reactions to the (now official) news that Stephen Colbert will be the next "Late Show" host on CBS. Crave's Eric Mack seeks to capture the gestalt.

Colbert to succeed Letterman; Internet rejoices - CNET

Sen. Franken: Comcast can't have it both ways - CNET

"Sen. Al Franken criticized Comcast for an about-face to secure approval of big deals, saying the cable giant highlighted competition with Time Warner Cable to buy content company NBCUniversal but now claims its merger with TWC represents no competitive conflict.

"Comcast can't have it both ways. It can't say that the existence of competition among distributors, including Time Warner Cable, was a reason to approve the NBC deal in 2010 and then turn around a few years a later and say the absence of competition with Time Warner Cable is a reason to approve this deal," he said Wednesday at a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining the proposed $45.2 billion merger between the country's No. 1 and 2 cable companies."

Recommended read from Salon.com: Heartbleed: How did it get there? Why did it take so long to find?

"The major news today that a huge security flaw -- Heartbleed -- has for more than two years rendered most of the Internet vulnerable, such that emails, passwords, credit card data and more are all at risk, prompts a series of questions.

Laypeople and cryptographers alike are abuzz with speculation over the key points: How did such a major vulnerability spread through so much of the Internet (attacking OpenSSL, the encryption central to most online security)? How did the bug reside in most online servers so long without detection? And what prompted the discovery of Heartbleed now, simultaneously by two separate groups, security firm Codenomicon and members of Google Security.

The rumor mill is churning, and little can be firmly established at this point. But it seems worth noting some theories bouncing around corners in the crypto community."

What To Do Now That The Heartbleed Bug Exposed The Internet : All Tech Considered : NPR

LastPass Heartbleed checker

With news breaking on Monday, April 7th that the Heartbleed bug causes a vulnerability in the OpenSSL cryptographic library, which is used by roughly two-thirds of all websites on the Internet, we want to update our community on how this bug may have impacted LastPass and clarify the actions we're taking to protect our customers. LastPass recommends everyone with a Yahoo.com account, OkCupid.com or Github.com account changes their password. 

https://lastpass.com/heartbleed/

What To Do Now That The Heartbleed Bug Exposed The Internet : All Tech Considered : NPR

Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 vs Nexus 7 2013

Roku Streaming Stick vs. Google's Chromecast - CNET

Roku Streaming Stick vs. Google's Chromecast - CNET

Reasons not to buy the Galaxy S5 - CNET

Reasons not to buy the Galaxy S5 - CNET

RIP Windows XP - CNET

RIP Windows XP - CNET

5-year-old finds Xbox security flaw, becomes Microsoft researcher - CNET

A boy works out how to get into his dad's Xbox Live account without a password. Microsoft not only plugs the flaw but appoints Kristoffer Von Hassel as a security researcher.



5-year-old finds Xbox security flaw, becomes Microsoft researcher - CNET

Was Windows 8 a Mistake? Microsoft Seems to Think So

"Microsoft showed off the future of Windows this week at its 2014 Build developer conference, and it looks pretty retro. In fact, it looks a lot like Windows 7.

During a tease of some possible new features in a future update, Microsoft's executive vice-president of operating systems Terry Myerson revealed a tool that users will recognize from previous versions of Windows: a Start menu. He also showed that users would soon be able to run Modern — aka "Metro" — apps (those apps you buy in the Windows Store with touch-oriented full-screen interfaces) within individual windows on the desktop.

In other words, it's exactly how Windows used to work."