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Microsoft on Monday began taking orders for the $14.99 Windows 8 upgrade promised to customers who purchased a new Windows 7-powered PC in the last 11 weeks. People who bought an eligible Windows 7 machine starting June 2 can now file an online form to queue up for the Oct. 26 delivery of the upgrade. Continue Reading →

Microsoft has ditched the 30-day grace period, a trademark of Windows 7, in the retail copies of Windows 8, mandating that users provide a product key during setup. The change runs counter to previous practice by the Redmond, Wash. developer. With Windows 7, for example, users could run the OS for 30 days before activating Continue Reading →

Even the most devoted Diablo III fanatic will probably have a hard time arguing that the game is as compelling once you’ve reached the level 60 cap and are stuck looking for increasingly rare legendary gear just to get your stat advancement fix. Those late game junkies won’t have to suffer through withdrawal much longer, Continue Reading →

Microsoft is getting brickbats from developers unenthused by its forthcoming operating system(s), and the BBC is the latest to join the chorus. When asked about bringing iPlayer to Windows Phone, the corporation’s on-demand honcho, Daniel Danker, responded by saying it’s not cost-or-time effective for the system — thanks to a lack of support for HTTP Continue Reading →

Apple became the most valuable public company of all-time on Monday when the combined value of its shares exceeded a previous record set by Microsoft. Apple traded at $664.74 to give it a market value of $623.14 billion, above the record set by Microsoft of $620.58 billion set in 1999 at the height of the Continue Reading →

No, you’re not seeing things. The evil pigs in the latest version of Angry Birds Friends really do look like band members of pop punk bank Green Day. The little creatures even tout mohawks, leather jackets and hipster ties. Green Day has teamed up with gaming company Rovio to launch a 10 new levels for Continue Reading →

The “iPhone 5” may not be here yet, but that isn’t stopping companies from trying to make money off it. Install or Not has spotted some new accessories from retailer Spigen.com that purport to be designed specifically for Apple’s next-generation iPhone being released next month. So far plastic screen protectors are the only iPhone items Continue Reading →

Over 500,000 Android users have accidentally downloaded a piece of malware called SMSZombie, which is nearly impossible to uninstall and steals money from users via fraudulent SMS payments. SMSZombie, which infected users via the third-party Chinese GFan app market, hid within a series of otherwise-innocuous wallpaper apps. Researchers at security firm TrustGo who investigated the Continue Reading →

Political conventions, long the ultimate made-for-TV presentation, this year are coming of age as digital-media events—highlighting the decline of network television coverage of the gatherings. When Republicans convene next week in Tampa, Fla., and Democrats the week after in Charlotte, N.C., major broadcast networks will use the Internet to provide the kind of extensive coverage Continue Reading →

More than 270,000 gamers from throughout Europe and beyond have converged in the beautiful city of Cologne for the annual Gamescom video game festival. The show, which is more than twice as large as San Diego Comic-Con, offers attendees the first hands-on opportunities with some of the biggest games coming this fall and later. Activision Continue Reading →