Business

A flight attendant on an Australian commercial airplane saved the day after a passenger's iPhone spontaneously burst into flame. No one was harmed. As dramatic as some accounts try to portray it, the event may have been a relatively tame one. ... Reports: iPhone Exploded in Mid-Flight Several major news outlets claimed that the phone exploded, and that it did so in mid-flight. The fact is that the airline's official statement says the incident took place after the flight had landed. It also did not mention an explosion. Rather, the airline says the phone "started emitting a significant amount of ... (view more)

Early reports on Black Friday deals being offered by Apple and major U.S. retailer Target emerged a couple days ago. Now, we're learning more about other big Black Friday deals, including Microsoft offers on cheap laptops and gaming devices. ... Microsoft hasn't been a major U.S. retailer for very long, but it's already offering some of the most eye-catching Black Friday deals. The Redmond software giant currently has about 14 retail stores located across the United States, and is hoping to drive foot traffic inside with some serious post-Thanksgiving bargains. Laptop Bargains Cause Most Buzz In ... (view more)

Excitement is already ramping up for Black Friday, the year's most intense shopping event. Already we're seeing some leaked advertisements for various consumer items, with discounts on Apple products -- like the iPad , iPod , iMac, MacBook Air and ... MacBook Pro -- generating the most attention. Black Friday kicks off later this week and for most Americans marks the official beginning of the 2011 holiday season. For years now retailers and manufacturers alike have sought to generate a retail frenzy by drastically lowering prices on Black Friday. Apple Lowers Price on Most Products So, what deals ... (view more)

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will change the way users restart their computers after software updates, making life easier for home users and network administrators alike. Microsoft will be scheduling all Windows 8 software updates for the ... second Tuesday of each month. Dubbed 'Patch Tuesday,' that date already sees all Microsoft security updates. Under the new plan, only emergency security updates will be released on other days. (Source: techspot.com ) Windows Update: New Three-Day Warning Microsoft says it is also simplifying the update process. Under the new scheme, updates will ... (view more)

Google has unveiled the final version of its much-anticipated music download service, Google Music, instantly positioning itself to butt heads with Apple's iTunes, Spotify and Rdio. Google Music will be fully integrated with the company's new social ... networking platform, Google+, allowing users to share music publicly or only with specific individuals. In addition, the new music service is available, with millions of songs, on the Android Market. Google Music: Pricing Similar, Storage Cap Higher Like iTunes, the price is about one buck per song, and between $8 and $12 for an album. Of course, ... (view more)

Rumors are circulating that Microsoft is gearing up to let Silverlight fall by the wayside. The newest version, Silverlight 5, which is reportedly due to be finalized and released for manufacturing by the end of November, may be the company's last. ... Silverlight is used by Microsoft for the creation of rich media and smartphone apps. Its features make it a rival for Adobe's popular Flash application framework. Insiders have also been hinting that the new version of Silverlight will not work with browsers other than Microsoft's own Internet Explorer (Silverlight 4 now works with both Windows and ... (view more)

Apple's newest iPhone is highly popular, but its battery-life problem continues despite a system update intended to fix it. On Thursday morning, Apple released iOS 5.0.1, designed specifically to resolve a bug that reportedly drains the iPhone 4S's ... battery at a too-rapid rate. Unfortunately, some users remain unsatisfied, while others seem to feel the update has made the situation worse. (Source: computerworld.com ) Update Problems Prompt Hardware Fears "After upgrading to 5.0.1 my iPhone is draining the battery even faster!" said Apple forum user. Another, user says that after ... (view more)

Samsung has confirmed it will sell touch-screen devices running Windows 8, beginning in the second half of 2012. For Microsoft, this is a positive sign its efforts to adapt the new operating system to ultra-portable devices will pay off. Samsung's ... sales and marketing chief says the new touch screen device will likely be a modified form of the company's existing Series 7 computer, a touch-screen "slate" (a name sometimes used for Windows-based devices known elsewhere as "tablets") that comes with a separate wireless keyboard. (Source: bloomberg.com ) Windows Slate: 'For Professionals ... (view more)

Just 7 years ago (2004), Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) peaked at 95% of the browser market share. Today, that usage has dropped below 50%. According to NetApplications, which offers a monthly tracking of browser market shares, Internet Explorer ... (IE) has lost more than eight percent of the browser market in the last year. In fact, it slipped by more than 1.75 points just in the last month, and by six points in the last six months. In a Nutshell: The Decline of Internet Explorer Before the turn of the 21st century, Internet Explorer was the leading browser by far. It earned that position ... (view more)

With the holiday season right around the corner, Microsoft is set to launch a new campaign designed to entice those who do not run Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) to try out the new browser in exchange for free music and movies. However, critics suggest ... the campaign has little to do with the Christmas spirit of giving. That's because the whole idea appears targeted at helping IE regain lost market share. In fact, a recent study suggests that Google's Chrome has gained a significant share of the browser market, while Internet Explorer has steadily (and continues to) decline. (Source: winsupersite. ... (view more)