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Quirky is a very interesting Linux distro that is a developmental sideline of the main Puppy Linux family. I expected some quirks in Quirky's design and performance, despite its mature growth to version 6.1 released on Jan. 1. However, the few quirks I found did not mar its performance. Quirky was easy to set up and fun to run....

T-Mobile USA on Wednesday launched Mobile Money, a money management application for smartphones that is meant to be used in conjunction with a reloadable T-Mobile Visa Prepaid Card. This card offers reduced fees and free services for registered T-Mobile wireless customers There is no charge for activation, monthly maintenance, in-network ATM withdr...

VMware on Wednesday announced it is acquiring enterprise mobile management and security solutions provider AirWatch The deal, which is expected to close later this quarter subject to the usual regulatory approvals and closing conditions, will expand VMware's reach into the mobile space....

LogMeIn on Tuesday announced that it will be shutting down its free service and unifying its existing portfolio of paid products in a single offering Existing users of LogMeIn Free will be given seven days from the next time they log on to the service to upgrade to the premium service at a discounted price of US$49....

Horizon by Evil Window Dog is an iOS app available in the iTunes App Store for US$0.99....

Stan Collymore, a retired soccer player from England, accused Twitter of sitting on its hands when it comes to combating abusive messages -- of which he has received many Collymore, now a broadcaster, became a troll target after he suggested Liverpool forward Luis Suarez faked a foul ("diving," in soccer parlance) in a game played last Saturday. Co...

A man who wore Google Glass to a movie last weekend was hauled out of the theater and questioned for several hours by federal authorities over piracy concerns The officials took no action against the man after they determined the wearable tech device functioned as his prescription glasses, and that he did not have the Google Glass recording feature...

It's a good idea to prune an Android device periodically, for a few reasons A mishmash of apps, some aging, have all kinds of on-device routines running that can negatively affect performance. Worse, some are continually accessing the Internet and eating into your data cap -- unlimited wireless Internet on mobile devices is practically nonexistent...

The Syrian Electronic Army, which is notorious for launching cyberattacks against the media, on Monday defaced the Microsoft Office blog site It posted a screenshot of its mischief on its Twitter site....

This is, I hope, the last time I drag out the "year of" phrase attached to anything significant unless it's the year of MY Tesla, and that's highly unlikely Curiously, subscriptions and platforms have grown up together, even though neither is yet a necessary or sufficient requisite of the other. ZipCar and its ilk don't have formal platforms and t...

It doesn't make too much sense to send a sanitation truck around a predetermined route to empty street-side trash bins if half the bins are empty. It's a waste of employee time and truck fuel for work crews to stop at thousands of bins that don't need attention If the bins could speak for themselves and notify the public works department that they ...

While most folks know the value of money, few know the latest value of a Bitcoin, a virtual currency prone to wide price swings. Those swings haven't deterred those on the digital leading edge from speculating in the currency -- or bad app writers from cooking up ways to steal it "Bitcoins -- and indeed any digital property of any value -- will be ...

The Jamaican bobsled team, which qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2002, is heading to the Sochi Olympics, thanks in large part to a group of supporters who raised more than US$25,000 worth of "Dogecoins," an Internet currency The team needed about $40,000 total, and after the Internet came through with $25K, Jamaica's Olympic com...

HP launched a marketing campaign over the weekend advertising that Windows 7 was "back by popular demand." On the shopping pages of its website, HP highlighted a handful of devices that run on the older version of Microsoft's operating system, and it is selling the Core i5 and i7-powered machines at a US$150 discount HP didn't actually resurrect Wi...

LG Electronics has revealed initial plans for the rollout of its curved screen LG G Flex handset in the U.S. and Europe ...

Verizon Communications and Intel on Monday announced that Verizon will be acquiring the assets of Intel Media, the developer of the OnCue Cloud TV platform. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Verizon noted it hopes to keep in house most of the unit's 350-strong workforce and management team. These assets will allow Verizon to provide en...

Is the Android OS morphing into a new form of embedded Linux? Android is a Linux OS derivative perched to make inroads beyond its growing user base in smartphones and tablets. Some auto makers are considering the potential for Android-connected communications systems in their vehicles. The Android OS is already available as an all-in-one desktop c...

Nest CEO Tony Fadell took on one of the many lingering questions about Google's US$3.2 billion acquisition of the company: What will become of its privacy policy? Speaking at the DLD Conference in Munich, Fadell said any changes to Nest's privacy policy will be opt-in.

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is an established trend at many U.S. enterprises, and it's likely to continue to grow. Mobile marketing is an established channel through which many U.S. companies reach customers and prospective customers -- and it also is expected to grow.

More than 100,000 Internet-connected home consumer devices, including a refrigerator, spammed enterprises and consumers worldwide for about two weeks, between Dec. 23 and Jan. 6, according to security firm Proofpoint The devices were part of a botnet that sent out 750,000 spam emails, the company claimed....