John Lister

A new app for Apple's iPad will allow users to run Windows applications, including Microsoft Office. The Windows applications are available via OnLive, an online digital media distribution service. The Windows environment and applications don't run ... on the user's own iPad; instead, they are available through streaming services from OnLive's cloud computing platform , which is a form of centralized computing . Though the iPad user doesn't have a physical keyboard and mouse, they are able to use genuine Windows 7 controls specially designed by Microsoft for tablet computers accessing the Windows ... (view more)

Twitter has accused Google of fixing its search results to boost to its own social networking service, Google+. Twitter says the move produces results that don't accurately reflect the latest news. The dispute involves search engines (like Google) ... that once merely scanned and indexed static web pages, but now factor in a variety of sources, including online networking posts. In the past, Google included Twitter posts in its main search results, including messages that had been re-tweeted (reposted) frequently. Unlike Google's main results list, this "Real-time search" would regularly refresh ... (view more)

The Swedish government has formally recognized a church based on the belief that people have the right to copy digital data. The Church of Kopimism claims that information is holy, with an inherent value, and the act of copying information, known as ... "kopyacting" is a religious activity that increases the value of information by passing it to more people. The group even claims keystrokes CTRL + C and CTRL + V as religious symbols, the common key combination used for copying and pasting data using a computer keyboard. Cynical observers, however, suggest the Church of Kopimism exists not to ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced it will include two single-button options in Windows 8 to help users cope with a serious computer crash. Both will reinstall Windows, including one option that allows users to retain some data. The buttons will be accessible ... within normal Windows operations. But if problems with Windows 8 become serious enough that a user can't get into the operating system, the two new system recovery buttons will also be available in Windows RE (recovery environment). The recovery environment is a standalone menu that PCs can load even when they aren't able to boot the full Windows ... (view more)

German automaker Volkswagen has agreed to ease the pressures on some of their employees by not forwarding emails to their BlackBerry handsets outside of work hours. The change toward a better work-and-life balance was negotiated by trade unions, but ... will not affect non-unionized workers or those working in countries other than Germany. Under the agreement, Volkswagen will reconfigure its email servers, which currently make sure all emails go straight to staff on the phones, even if they aren't currently logged in to a work-provided PC. The switch will mean that email messages will be sent out ... (view more)

The National Football League (NFL) has signed a deal that allows US viewers to watch the Super Bowl live on the Internet and smartphones, as well as on TV. It's considered the biggest test yet of the potential for audiences beyond traditional ... television sets. Under the deal, the game will be broadcast on NBC television as scheduled, but will also stream live on the NFL's own website, as well as on NBCSports.com. The service will be restricted to viewers in the United States. It will work in the same way as an existing arrangement by which NBC shows regular-season games online. The new ... (view more)

Google has renewed its deal to be the default search engine for the Firefox browser, providing Mozilla a major financial boost. But some suggest Microsoft bargained for that same slot, and ponder the implications for the search market. Google's ... contract for Firefox's default search engine position was worth $89 million in 2009 and $103 million in 2010, about 85 per cent of Mozilla's revenue. Experts believe Mozilla's other licensing deals, grants, and donations from users would produce nowhere near enough income to keep the browser well supported and updated. That may explain why it is asking ... (view more)

Facebook has been ordered by Ireland to give users greater control over their privacy settings. The order comes after a privacy practices audit that took 3 months to complete. The order will indirectly affect all Facebook accounts, except those held ... inside the US and Canada. (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Facebook Data Commissioner Issues Order The order comes from Billy Hawkes, the data protection commissioner for the Republic of Ireland. His order has such wide effect because all of Facebook's data, outside of North America, is held by a subsidiary based in Ireland and is thus subject to ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that 2012 will be its last appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. But the reason remains hotly disputed. The Consumer Electronic Show is one of the biggest events in the global tech calendar, often ... used to unveil new technologies, such as the video cassette recorder, the Nintendo Entertainment System, HDTV, and Blu-ray players. Microsoft first showed the Xbox console at CES in 2001, and in 2008 Bill Gates announced his retirement. For the past 14 years, Microsoft has delivered a keynote address on the first night of the multi-day show, ... (view more)

Biometric information used for identification is among IBM's five newest forecasts for the year 2016, along with thought-reading smartphones, which is reminiscent of a forecast it made five years ago. Since 2006, IBM has published an annual list of ... five technology trends it expects to take effect within five years. This year's forecasts include the end of passwords, which by 2016 may be replaced by biometric log-ins like fingerprint scanners , iris scanners or even DNA readers. As science fiction as that may seem, it's already in the works: Windows 8 is thought to support an option for log- ... (view more)