Computers and hardware

Even if your PC is equipped with up-to-date anti-malware software, hardware and software firewalls, and other security measures, it can still become infected. The weak link in computer security is the wetware: the human beings who use the machine. And there's simply no fool-proof defense against operator error.

That's why any PC security plan has to assume that eventually, some piece of malware will breach the defenses. And these days, infections can do considerable damage without being detected. Here are five ways — some more practical than others — to reduce the risk of someone stealing the sensitive data on … Read more

One of the bigger surprises about the iPad when it was introduced was the sweet 3G prepaid subscription deal Apple and AT&T are offering.

But it turns out, AT&T's CEO doesn't anticipate many people will even use it.

At an investor conference Wednesday, Randall Stephenson predicted that Apple's tablet computer, which comes in both 3G and Wi-Fi-only flavors, will primarily be "a Wi-Fi-driven product," according to Reuters.

"My expectation is that there's not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription," Stephenson said. … Read more

Elliott Associates has offered to acquire software maker Novell.

The acquisition offer, delivered in a letter to Novell's board of directors, is valued at $1.8 billion, or $5.75 per share. Elliott Associates already owns 8.5 percent of Novell's shares, which it began buying up in January.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Elliott Associates told Novell's board that the stock has "meaningfully underperformed" and called recent acquisitions and changes in strategies "unsuccessful." The hedge fund says its experience in restructuring and acquisitions will "deliver maximum value to shareholders." … Read more

When Microsoft made it clear to users who wanted to use the Windows 7 beta and release candidate builds that there would be no upgrade path for them, it also announced that the release candidate would live for a few months past the official street date of Windows 7. That bill is coming due on Monday when the Windows 7 release candidate will start to automatically reboot every two hours. It turns out, though, that there is an unofficial upgrade path for adventurous users who aren't afraid to get their hands a little bit dirty.

It's important to … Read more

It turns out Apple isn't the only company readying a touch-screen tablet computer.

We say that half-jokingly, of course. In the last few months, quite a few companies have signaled their intentions to go head-to-head (or at least offer an alternative) to Apple's much-ballyhooed iPad, which should hit stores in March. Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, and Sony have or are in the process of readying gadgets they say will compete with the iPad. We've seen some demonstrations at the Consumer Electronics Show and other trade shows, but several gadget makers admitted to waiting to see what Apple was going to do before setting the specifications and price of their competing touch-screen tablets.

Now that they know, what are they going to do about it? That might sound a bit silly considering companies like HP, Dell, and Acer have larger market share than Apple--when it comes to computers. But in other, faster-growing areas--smartphones and music players--Apple's popularity far outstrips theirs. And in a new device category (it's reasonable to consider this a new category) they're all essentially starting from scratch.

So how will every company not named Apple try to compete for your touch-screen tablet computing dollar, assuming such a dollar exists? They will try to emphasize something about theirs being better, of course, be it in terms of price, style, speeds and feeds, or the movies, books, games, or TV shows available via their gadget. Dell, for example, providing evidence that an old dog can at least attempt new tricks, tends to emphasize style these days. HP's commercials try to sell you on how easily their product fit into your lifestyle.

More than anything, they should try to avoid selling it as a computer, in the classic laptop computer sense. If Dell and HP and Acer and their compatriots do that, they'll end up trying to convince people to spend money on basically yet another Netbook; something that's sort of like a PC, but not quite. It's just smaller, cheaper, and with less functionality than a traditional PC. And after sophisticated smartphones and cheaper Netbooks, do consumers really need yet another device that's not quite a laptop?… Read more

You would think a 20-year-old operating system would let you copy and paste more than one item at a time. While the clipboards in Office 2003 and 2007 can store up to 24 text snippets and graphics for later reuse, no such multisave option is built into Windows itself.

Thank goodness software developers have stepped into the breach by providing free programs that extend the Windows clipboard, allowing you to copy dozens of items and paste any of them with a single click or keyboard shortcut.

Maximize your clipboard options in Office 2003 and 2007 As soon as you copy … Read more

Google Buzz took the world by storm with its Twitter meets FriendFeed meets your e-mail inbox sort of behavior. It also caused a storm of concern over how it behaves and what information it reveals to the world.

Here's how to protect your privacy, remove Buzz notes from your Gmail inbox, and turn Buzz off altogether.

If you've never had a Google Profile before, you're in the best position to protect yourself. You can say no to Buzz altogether. Of course, you can also say yes to Buzz, but make sure your profile is private.

But let'… Read more

Hewlett-Packard has beaten expectations for its first fiscal quarter of 2010.

The company reported on Wednesday net revenue of $31.2 billion and earnings of $2.32 billion, or 96 cents per share. That's an 8 percent boost from revenue of $28.8 billion and a 25 percent boost from earnings of $1.86 billion, or 75 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Wall Street was expecting earnings of $1.06 per share and revenue of $30.01 billion. Analysts who track HP had been anticipating strong gains in the PC and server businesses, which … Read more