Brandon Dimmel

According to sources within Microsoft, the company's top executives are not happy with sales of devices running the firm's Windows 8 operating system. Recently, chief executive officer Steve Ballmer was very blunt in discussing problems affecting ... the Surface tablet computer. Two technology blogs -- The Verge and Neowin -- say they've learned from sources who attended a recent internal town hall event that Microsoft's top brass is very upset with sales of Windows 8-based devices. "We built a few more devices than we could sell," Ballmer reportedly said in reference to the Surface RT tablet ... (view more)

Google has unveiled the next version of its popular, budget-priced Nexus 7 tablet computer. The newest Nexus 7 features a 1080p high-definition display, a quad-core processor, and a slightly higher price point. The original Nexus 7 was launched in ... mid-2012. Featuring a 7-inch display (hence the name), Google's Android mobile operating system (OS), and a $199 price tag, it was an instant success. The only thing sticking around from the previous model is the 7-inch screen. Faster Processor, Better Display, Bigger Price Everything else has changed: the price has ballooned to $229 (that's for ... (view more)

WebVideoCap 1.41 Use this tool to capture Flash video files on your computer and watch them later using your favorite multimedia player. This utility is compatible with most versions of Windows, though you may need to download extra software for ... this to work with Windows Vista. http://www.nirsoft.net IECookiesView 1.75 Keep track of your Internet Explorer cookies with IECookiesView. It's a small utility that rounds up and displays all of the cookies IE has stored on your computer. It allows you to sort the cookies into columns as well as delete unwanted cookies. http://www.nirsoft.net This ... (view more)

Google Keyboard for Android Easily type on your Android-based tablet device using Google Keyboard. This program makes entering text easy with Gesture Typing, which allows a user to simply lift their finger to finish a word -- no space bar required. ... http://google.com Letter Avalanche for Android Improve your spelling with Letter Avalanche, a new game that challenges players to spell as many words as possible before time runs out. Earn points and special coins by spelling words correctly, then compare your score with friends! http://www.tweaking.com This freeware software program is brought to ... (view more)

Clean drinking water is a precious resource. As the world becomes more polluted, the demand for healthy water only increases. But now there's some good news on this front: a new invention from Sweden turns sweat into water that can be safely ... consumed by human beings. The device, which has not yet been named, was developed by private researchers and Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology. Andreas Hammer, who helped to design and build the sweat-conversion device, says it will be used by the United Nations and Unicef to help give people access to clean drinking water. Recent studies have shown ... (view more)

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates says he believes the Internet is phasing out the traditional college experience. According to Gates, in this new educational environment downloading lessons and lectures (just as one would download a ... song or movie) will replace attending in-person lectures. Future Students to Download Courses, Gates Suggests Gates made the prediction during his keynote address at Microsoft's recent Research Faculty Summit 2013. The change, which Gates called "profound," could result in students using the Internet to download lessons or even entire courses from ... (view more)

WirelessKeyView 1.67 This program helps you round up all the wireless network security keys and passwords stored on your computer by Windows' "Wireless Zero Configuration." This covers both WEP and WPA password types. You can then save the passwords ... to a text, HTML, or XML file. http://www.nirsoft.net PhraseExpress 9.1.44 Save time with PhraseExpress, which captures your keystrokes and then expands text abbreviations into full text snippets. For example, you type "sig" and PhraseExpress enters your signature! This tool is highly customizable and very useful! http://www. ... (view more)

Uploading your personal data to websites is a scary idea for many Internet users. After all, even the most respected web-based companies are vulnerable to security attack. So, is there a way to upload your data without making it vulnerable to ... hackers? A new tool called 'MaskMe' might be the answer for many web users. First of all, there's nothing particularly new about the features found in MaskMe, which was created by privacy software developer Abine. The program includes a wide range of features that can be found elsewhere. Many Privacy Tools, One Browser Extension However, MaskMe's unique ... (view more)

Perfect Photo Show Create the absolute best slideshows in just a few minutes' time with Perfect Photo Show. A wide range of special effects and background music tunes allow you to add a creative touch to your favorite photo collections. This program ... is free for personal and educational use. http://www.perfectphotoshow.com TrackMeNot 0.8.3 Hey Chrome and Firefox users -- want to minimize the amount of information collected about your online activities? Then try out TrackMeNot, which hides users' search trails in a cloud of 'ghost' queries -- thereby making it harder for anyone to collect ... (view more)

Microsoft's quarterly earnings report has resulted in the company's shares plummeting by 10 per cent. Investors appear to have been spooked by fourth quarter results that revealed a $900 million loss on the company's Surface tablet computer. Last ... week Microsoft slashed the price of its Surface RT tablet by $150, dropping that price from $499 to $349. Recent reports have suggested the firm has sold only a tiny portion of the devices it expected to sell, forcing it to take a loss in order to clear out existing stock. For Microsoft, Mobile Market A Tough Nut to Crack The stock plunge is the ... (view more)