News

This Week’s Best, and Worst, iPhone 5 Deals

Best Buy knocks $50 off the price of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. But Apple's sale of unlocked iPhones is a bad deal for nearly everyone.

Gmail Apps for Android, iOS Get Major Updates

Google recently added new functionality to its Gmail Android app and brought the iOS Gmail app up to speed with some valuable features that were already available in past Android versions. But neither app lets you do away completely with browser-base

The world’s most innovative companies: Ranking the best of the best innovators

Cloud Service Brokerages Emerge As New Integrators

A cloud service brokerage serves as an intermediary between you and your cloud service provider by aggregating multiple cloud services, integrating then with in-house apps and customizing them to meet your needs. See how this new breed of IT service

What Does a Cloud IT Career Really Mean?

The push is on to put more infrastructure and services in the cloud, but what does that mean for the cloud technology job market?

IT Is Increasing Efficiency but Failing to Drive Business Growth

A study by Juniper Networks and the Economist Business Unit finds that IT is succeeding at improving the efficiency of business processes, but most IT departments are failing to take the next step in becoming a strategic partner for business.

How to Sidestep Instagram’s Twitter Obstacle

Instagram cut ties with Twitter this week, which means your photos will no longer display properly. Here are two workarounds that ensure your Instagram tweets will post unaltered.

Does It Matter if Apple Makes Macs in America?

Apple's decision to bring the manufacturing of some Macs back to America should boost national morale, but it's mostly a gesture of good will that will serve Apple's image more than anything else.

Affordable Holiday Gifts for Geeks

Buying holiday gifts like the iPad or an HDTV shouldn't mean you've maxed out your credit cards. Here are five way to get the most for your money when you're shopping for that gadget-obsessed somebody.

How IT Departments Can Prepare for a Software License Audit

As revenue for new software licenses is down, software vendors are focusing more on licensing audits to recover some of that lost income. Here's a look at some of the steps a corporate IT organization can take before the auditors arrive to maint

2 Emerging Markets HP Should Enter to Turn Itself Around

IBM jumped on mainframes before anyone else did. Apple's consumer devices also caught everyone off guard. Both companies are doing pretty well these days. HP can enjoy similar success, columnist Rob Enderle writes, if it rides a 'technology

‘Leaked’ Draft of White House Cyber Security Order Not Worth the Wait

The executive order calls for the gathering of a lot of information that should have already been in it and it looks for "incentives" but no answers to the problems of businesses sharing cyber-threat data.

Windows 8 Can’t Afford to Fail Like Vista

Calling Windows 8 "Vista Part 2" is premature and naďve. Yet Windows 8 is vulnerable in the same way Vista was and will pay a higher price for failure.

Hey Samsung, Make it Easier to Update Android! (Please)

CIO.com blogger James A. Martin has a few choice words for Samsung regarding its tedious Android update process. Specifically: Apple makes upgrading to a new OS painless, so why can’t you?

BlackBerry 10 Blocks Common Passwords but Still Can’t Fix Stupid

Blocking commonly-used passwords on mobile devices sounds like a good idea, but CIO.com blogger Al Sacco says in reality it won't do much to increase mobile security. Here's why.

4 CRM Lessons Learned From ‘The Great Social Customer Service Race’

A research project led by a CRM analyst reveals some serious issues with customer service practices from the nation's top brands. Essentially, when customers complain via Twitter, decision makers are not doing enough to guide the social CRM syst

Congress Looks to Stop U.S. R&D From Landing in Other Countries

A House panel considers ways to protect domestic-developed technologies, many stemming from publicly funded research, from falling into the hands of foreign competitors such as China, India and Brazil.

Can Microsoft Survive If Windows 8 Fails?

Microsoft is counting on strong sales of Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT tablets–and, to a lesser extent, Windows phones–to help drive its new Windows 8 desktop operating system in the enterprise. But what if the plan doesn't work?

Big Data, Cheap Storage Bring In-Memory Analytics Into Spotlight

In-memory analytics, like virtualization and the cloud, is an old idea that's been given new life. In this case, the combination of big data, inexpensive commodity storage and parallel processing make it possible to analyze terabytes of data wit

10 Cloud Administration Must-Haves You Can’t Have Yet

A user interface can be too easy. Just ask any cloud administrator who learned the hard way that there's no undo feature. Here's our wish list for 10 things that would make a cloud admin's life much easier. Most are a few years in the

Apple’s Pages iOS App Now Supports Microsoft Word Track Changes

Apple’s Pages word-processing app now supports the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word, but one key collaboration feature is still missing.

Game Maker Creates App That Lets Users Insult, Threaten Facebook Friends

An online game maker created an app that let people insult their Facebook Friends and place "virtual hits" on them. The company promptly pulled the app, but did not apologize, saying only that the effort was "wide of the mark."

10 Twitter-Inspired Gift Ideas for the Holidays

Looking for the perfect present for the Twitter addict in your life? Here's a look at 10 ideas, from jeans that tweet your mood (seriously) to Twitter collars for your pet.

BlackBerry Explodes, Burns UK Boy (Quick, Kill Your BlackBerry!)

A BlackBerry Curve smartphone reportedly exploded and set a U.K. child's bed ablaze this week. The boy's parents are now calling for a massive recall of the device. But a recall isn't the answer, according to CIO.com blogger Al Sacco.

12 Scams of Christmas and How to Avoid Them

'Tis the season for online scams. Here are 12 of the most dangerous scams you're likely to see this holiday season.

OMG! Cops Asking Carriers for Your Text Messages

Talk about Big Brother. Big city cops are requesting that Congress make it much, much easier to get access to your text messages.

Career Mapping Offers a Clear Path for Both Employees and Employers

Having trouble finding the tech talent you need? It may be closer than you think. Using career mapping to create clear paths for advancement can help grow in-house talent, which also works wonders for retention and recruiting.

Dell Software CIO Says BYOD Is Not About Devices

For Dell Software CIO Carol Fawcett, "BYOD" is not about being an expert on every mobile device in the world; it's about giving workers secure access to the apps and data they need on whatever device they are using. Fawcett reveals mor

Coworking Offers Employees More Than Office Space

Coworking promises to improve productivity while improving work-life balance. Whether you're an enterprise with remote employees who want a professional work environment or a start-up firm too small for your own office, you can benefit from cowo

Report Warns Feds of Radicals and Extremists on Social Web

Bipartisan Policy Center study outlines steps the government can take to crowd out extremist messages on the Web, including a clearer legal framework for law enforcement, while warning against censorship or content filtering.

Big Data, EHR Driving Healthcare IT Innovation

Deploying electronic health records remains a top short-term priority for healthcare organizations in the United States, but it's the promise of robust analysis of the data within EHR systems — not to mention BI, ERP and financial apps — that&

Windows Phone Lone Standout in a Flat Smartphone Market Through 2016

Research firm IDC predicts that the smartphone market will stay relatively the same over the next four years, with the exception of Windows Phone, which will more than quadruple its market share.

9 Ways to Sell Your IT Outsourcing Plan to the CFO

CFOs are becoming increasingly involved in corporate IT outsourcing decisions. However, the CIO team doesn't always speak the same language as the CFO team. Here are nine steps you can take to more successfully bring your outsourcing case to fin

Online Security Basics for Small Business Websites

Everyone on the Web is a target for scams, malware, piracy and a host of other online security dangers. Small business owners are no exception. These tips will help you protect your website, your assets and your information.

3 IM Apps to Make You Forget All About SMS Texts

A lot has changed since the first SMS text message was sent 20 years ago. Modern mobile apps let you send and receive messages without paying wireless service providers a cent. Check out these three IM apps that will make you forget all about SMS.

Hate Group ‘GNAA’ Uses Worm to Deface Tumblr Blogs

A group calling itself GNAA used a worm to infect a number of Tumblr-hosted sites and claimed Tumblr didn't respond to warnings about related security problem. But the hate-filled nature of the attack casts serious doubt on GNAA's alleged g

Google Android Evolution: From ‘Cupcake’ to ‘Key Lime Pie’ (Graphic)

A comic posted online by a Google employee seems to confirm the rumored codename of Google's next Android mobile OS: "Key Lime Pie."

OMG, It’s the SMS Text Message’s 20th Birthday! (FML)

Today is the twentieth anniversary of the first SMS text message, sent in 1992. Text messaging has since revolutionized the way human beings communicate while simultaneously dumbing down written communication and butchering the English language. Yay

Lessons From The Daily’s iPad App Failure

The Daily's demise may appear to be a big blow to the future of iPad magazines — but it shouldn't. Tablet publishers can learn a great deal from The Daily's shortcomings.

VDI Growth Brings Need for Endpoint Protection for Virtualization

Aiming to help IT administrators manage security for physical and virtual desktops from a single pane of glass, Symantec joins the ranks of enterprise security providers optimizing their endpoint security offerings for virtual desktop infrastructure

4 LinkedIn Tips to Help You Get Hired This Month

Think you can't get hired in December? Think again. Here are four ways you can take advantage of the holiday season to hone your networking skills and land the perfect job.

More IT Pros Going Independent by Choice

With the erosion of mutually beneficial employer-employee relationships, more IT workers are going it alone, based on a recent survey from OnForce.

How to Tell If You’re a ‘Nomophobe’

New research suggests consumers are increasingly afflicted with "nomophobia," a condition that causes anxiety when they're separated from their mobile phones. CIO.com blogger James A. Martin wonders if nomophobia is real or just anothe

Microsoft Surface Pro Pricing Not in Touch With Reality

Microsoft's upcoming Surface tablet running Windows 8 Professional is comparable to an ultrabook, and it will cost around $1,000. That's not a typo. Has Microsoft gone off the rails?

Unlocked iPhone 5 Now Available via Apple

Apple is now selling unlocked versions of its iPhone 5, but they don't come cheap and aren't compatible with all major U.S. wireless networks.

Mannequins Keep an Eye on Shoppers Using Facial-Recognition Tech

This week's IT security roundup has stories on a new type of mannequin that uses facial-recognition software to give retailers insight into customer behavior; a breach at Nationwide Insurance that exposed personal information on one million peop

Microsoft Disses IE Haters

It may not be fair for a giant software company to beat up on nerds who live in their parents' basement. But Microsoft’s ad defending IE10 is hilarious.

Beware the Commoditization of IT Outsourcing

To find real value from outsourcing, IT customers and service providers must approach deal-making more thoughtfully–and not focus solely on price. CIO.com talked to Edward Hansen, partner in the outsourcing practice of Baker & McKenzie, about th

Think Mobile, Third-Party Providers When Prepping for Next Cyber Monday

This past Cyber Monday was the biggest online spending day in history. In the aftermath, two trends are clear: mobile shopping is a growing trend and retailers are doing a good job prepping for traffic spikes but third-party service providers are not

Federal CIOs Say Enterprise Architecture Needs Better Business Focus

Amid an ongoing overhaul of federal IT, top government leaders stress the need to align enterprise architecture with the mission of departments and agencies. This may mean it will be necessary to bring together two groups that speak fundamentally dif