Software

HTC set to bring first Windows Phone 7 handset to China

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC is set to release what could be the first Windows Phone 7 handset for mainland China, a move that will finally bring the Microsoft mobile OS to a key market.

Motorola to offer phones with VMware hypervisor, too

Motorola Mobility has joined LG and Samsung among the companies building VMware's hypervisor into their phones. The move is part of a larger push at Motorola to cater to business users.

Yahoo layoffs would indicate company direction

Rumored layoffs at Yahoo could offer a clue as to how the company's new CEO, Scott Thompson, plans to redirect the stumbling Internet giant.

Suncorp banks on desktop virtualization

A series of natural disasters including the Queensland floods of 2010 prompted Brisbane-based bank, Suncorp, to implement a desktop virtualization project called Desktop Anywhere.

Cloud consultants Cloud Sherpas, Global One merge

Cloud Sherpas and GlobalOne, which advise clients in implementing cloud-based Software as a Service applications, have merged in what is a sign of the continually busy M&A activity in the SaaS market.

Yahoo prepping reorg and massive layoffs, report says

Yahoo executives are planning a major corporate reorganization that could include thousands of layoffs, according to a report today by AllThingsD .

FTC to require Western Digital to sell off assets in acquisition

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will require Western Digital to sell off assets used to manufacture desktop hard drives to a competitor as a condition of its US$4.5 billion acquisition of rival Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, the agency announced.

Enterprises opening up to social networking

Enterprises, it seems, are getting a bit more social.

Google reportedly developing rival to Apple Siri

Reports are circulating that Google is developing a voice assistant technology that would rival Apple's Siri.

Google patches 14 Chrome bugs, pays record $47K in bounties and bonuses

Google yesterday patched 14 vulnerabilities in Chrome and handed out a record $47,500 in rewards to researchers, including $30,000 for "sustained, extraordinary" contributions to its bug-reporting program.

Privacy not in Eric Schmidt's vision of the future

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt painted a messianic picture of our technological future on Monday, involving holographic telepresence, self-driving cars, automatic translation and the widespread deployment of 1Gbps Internet access over optical fiber, bringing transnational peace and communication to all.

Study: Cloud will create 14 million jobs by 2014

Implementation of Cloud services will create 14 million jobs internationally by 2014, with the greatest increases occurring in emerging markets, which are not constrained in deploying cloud systems by legacy infrastructure, according to a new study from Microsoft and IDC.

After Android 5.0 'Jelly Bean': 'Key Lime Pie'?

Google, alphabetically workings its way through a list of desserts for Android code names, has reportedly settled on Key Lime Pie for a version of the mobile operating system that could roll out next year.

Warning: you may be an e-hoarder

Hoarding shows are popular these days. Hoarders, Hoarding: Buried Alive, Confessions: Animal Hoarding and on and on. The images are consistent: Boxes stacked to the ceilings. Piles of newspapers dating back to the Nixon era. Feral cats skittering behind furniture. Empty cans of cat food, beans and soup scattered everywhere.

7 office suites for Android devices

You can take your work with you, thanks to several office suites which let you view and edit your documents on an Android device. Most were originally designed for use on a smartphone, but here are seven that are compatible with most Android tablets that run Android 2.3 (codenamed "Gingerbread").

IT's 6-step guide to adopting consumerization

If your IT department is resisting the "consumerization" trend, it's in the minority. Recent research shows that most enterprises are proactively addressing this trend and the new relationship between IT and users that often accompanies a consumer IT strategy. What do they know that you don't?

WA Electoral Commission to develop telephone voting system

The WA Electoral Commission (WAEC) has commenced work on a telephone-based voting system after the funding for its internet voting system was withdrawn by the State Government.

US files papers for Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom's extradition

U.S. prosecutors have filed papers seeking the extradition of Kim Dotcom, founder of Megaupload and three colleagues, who are charged in the U.S. with allegedly running a criminal enterprise responsible for online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works.

Siemens launches new VoIP/UC platform, says it has earned another look

Siemens Enterprise Communications, which has been rebuilding itself here in the U.S. for the past several years, will punctuate the idea that it deserves another look with the announcement Monday of Version 7.0 of its OpenScape UC suite that enables the VoIP platform to support up to 500,000 users.

Windows 8: Training required

Every new version of Windows has included interface changes. Most of these have been minor--an icon moved here, a toolbar added there. Windows 8 will be different, using a completely new Metro interface as the primary environment, and removing important elements like the Start menu from the older but still accessible "desktop" interface. Even IT pros may need to do some web searching to figure out some features. What questions will your workers have, and will you have the answers?