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The launch of the iPhone 4 may have brought mobile video calling to the public's attention, but, the fact is, the capability has been available for some time from software makers both large and small. One such player in the video-calling space is Fring, a UK-based company that makes an app for a range of smartphones, including Android devices and the iPhone...

Facebook has been blindsided by a lawsuit that could have triggered an upheaval in its ownership structure, or at least a massive legal fight -- if it had been filed a few months ago, that is. Still, the modicum of legal uncertainty created by the case must be giving top executives at the social networking giant some concern.

Microsoft on Monday announced the release of the Windows Phone Developer Tools beta; this was followed on Tuesday with the announcement of WinPho7 integration with the Windows Live and Zune services The moves come as Microsoft works to consolidate its mobile efforts around the Windows Phone 7 platform and remain a player in the mobile phone market....

Microsoft's launch of its Windows Azure platform appliance included more than a handful of significant partners. On the end user side, eBay said it will use the Azure platform appliance to manage and deliver customer services for its signature auction site. Considering eBay's high profile, requirements and user traffic, the company's implicit endorsement of Windows Azure qualifies as a major endorsement by any measure.

Microsoft is set to release both the online and in-house versions of its new CRM package this fall. Along with the beta release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, the company will be opening an app store for third-party developers called "Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace." That's according to a company announcement made at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. The online version of the upgraded software will be available in September, said Microsoft...

Research In Motion on Monday announced BlackBerry Protect, a free service that will enhance the security of both enterprise and private BlackBerry device owners BlackBerry Protect will enable remote wipe and wireless backup and restore, among other things. It is being launched in limited beta this week....

Google has reportedly invested a significant sum of money -- between US$100 million and $200 million -- in social games company Zynga in order to build out a Google Games offering for the search engine giant. The news was first reported Friday by TechCrunch, which said it had received confirmation from multiple sources....

Microsoft will roll out multiple Windows 7 slate devices "over the course of the next several months," company CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed in a keynote speech on Monday "This year one of the most important things that we will do in the smart device category is really push forward with Windows 7-based slates, and with Windows 7 phones," Ballmer said...

Google on Monday threw open its App Inventor beta program to the public The tools used in this program let the user create mobile apps for the Android operating system, even if the user has very little programming knowledge....

A yet-unseen malware variant dubbed "Typhoid adware" could allow cyberattackers to prey on portable computer users tethered to unsecured WiFi connections at Internet cafes and other public places This potential threat is lurking wherever consumers gather to use free Internet access points. The hidden new threat has none of the tell-tale symptoms of...

Venture capitalists style themselves as the stewards of entrepreneurship, offering cash (and supposedly expertise) to young Edisons seeking both fame and fortune. Stunning returns for early investments in companies like Google (reportedly each dollar invested returned US$10,000) kept the dream alive for egocentric investors and entrepreneurs alike...

When Apple brings out a new phone, my advice typically is to wait a couple of months for the problems to surface, and then they will either be fixed or known and you can make a more educated decision. However we haven't seen the number of problems with the latest iPhone since, well, ever. ...

As healthcare professionals rely more on electronic medical records, tests, images, videos and other multimedia files, high-speed broadband networks have increasingly become a necessary way to transfer and move this data. Unfortunately, however, rural hospitals and clinics have had a difficult time keeping pace with the need for new networks and fiber optic technologies...

The National Security Agency claims a report this week inaccurately asserted that the agency's so-called Perfect Citizen program is designed to monitor critical U.S. cybernetworks. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that an NSA-headed project dubbed "Pefect Citizen" is aimed at monitoring networks for America's critical infrastructure and t...

China has renewed Google's Internet Content Provider license, according to David Drummond, the company's senior vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer. With this step behind it now, Google will be able to continue to provide Web search and local products to users in China The question of whether Google would be able to oper...

As the enterprise progresses toward the goal of proving fully immersive and collaborative capabilities to remote individuals, it is important to realize the value of video not only as a technological achievement, but as a practical business enhancement. By presenting the strategic value of the various forms of video in the enterprise, this documen...

One of the most vexing problems facing organizations for years has been knowledge management. In the past, the task of capturing, organizing and disseminating valuable information so it could be properly utilized by end-users and business executives was an herculean effort that produced limited results. Today's cloud computing movement offers exciting opportunities to remedy those age-old challenges...

Part 1 of this two-part series discussed data access, data safety and other legal issues related to linking healthcare providers through networks In an economy where automobiles are essential, information about car performance and cost is readily available. With a few computer keystrokes a prospective buyer shopping the "previously owned" car marke...

Discussions, theses, theories and memes abound around Linux's inability to gain traction in the desktop marketplace. Some think the Linux Desktop is too hard to learn (it's not). Others say Linux Desktop is deficient (it's not). Linux elite (or 1337) say Linux wasn't really meant for the general users anyway (not true). Microsoft says Linux in general is evil (see the Halloween Memo) (oh, and by the way, it's not). ...

It may be hard to believe in our current overheated cable news climate, but in the days and months after Sept. 11 -- and in the weeks following the 2003 invasion of Iraq -- CNN was actually doing its best to provide in-depth reporting and analysis of the Middle East. CNN International's Octavia Nasr was a key player for the network during that time. I know this for a fact because as an anchor for CNN Headline News, and fill-in anchor for CNN, I shared the set with her on several occasions, seeking her input on how America and the West were being covered by Middle East-based media outlets such as Al-Jazeera...