Mobile Tech » Sony Looks Into the Mirror to Boost Its DSLR Cred

Sony's new line of SLT digital cameras pack on the megapixels. But it might be the mirrors that set the DSLRs apart from the pack. The cameras use translucent mirror technology and electronic viewfinders. "We do not expect Canon or Nikon to adopt these any time soon, as they're more conservative in this aspect of product design," said IDC's Chris Chute. Sony (NYSE: SNE) has announced two new additions to its SLT-A family of cameras: the A77 and...

Mobile Tech » iPhone Could Bring Agony and Ecstasy to Sprint

A report this week that Sprint will soon offer the Apple iPhone on its network has excited the carrier's investors -- Sprint's stock rose about 10 percent on the news. Offering the phone would allow the carrier to better compete with its rivals' device portfolios; however, questions have arisen regarding network strain and how Sprint will handle factors like the phone's high subsidy cost. It looks like Sprint (NYSE: S) is about to join Club iPhone. The...

IT Management » Federal CIO Prods Agencies to Revamp Websites

The website reform plan is part of a larger federal program to improve customer relations with the public through various means, including the use of innovative technologies. "The federal government has a responsibility to streamline and make more efficient its service delivery to better serve the public," President Barack Obama said in kicking off the customer service initiative earlier this year. The U.S. government's new chief information officer...

Internet » New Facebook Privacy Tweaks Have a Googley Aftertaste

Facebook has given its users a new set of privacy controls, allowing them greater powers to select who sees what and approve tagged posts. The new features appear somewhat similar to those found in Google+, the social network that could prove to become a major Facebook rival. Facebook's changes have received a nod of approval from some privacy advocates. In a nod to users who have complained about Facebook's privacy settings for years, the social...

Computing » It's a Roll of the Dice for Linux Game Makers

The big problem with Linux users is their aversion to paying for anything, said tech analyst Rob Enderle -- so for Humble Bumble's developers to get customers to voluntarily pay for Linux games is in itself pretty amazing. ... The Linux derivative OS, Android, might well be the platform for change when it comes to Linux gamers parting with their cash. If you had the option to pick your own price for a computer game that only runs on your Linux...

Computing » New Phones, New Carriers, New Lines: Apple's Future Is Wild

As Apple fanatics wait with bated breath for an iPhone 5 announcement, vague reports of a completely new Apple product line bubbled to the surface. Elsewhere, Apple asked iOS developers to give users a little more privacy, and the iPhone may take on yet another U.S. wireless carrier soon. As the summer draws to a close, Cupertino-watchers grow increasingly anxious for the big announcement proclaiming the iPhone 5's release date. New hardware is...

Computing » Fighting the Good Global Cybercrime Fight: Q&A With Security Guru Mikko Hypponen, Part 2

"First, back up! It should be off-site, whether in the cloud or in a removable disk that you take to your grandmother's house. It doesn't have to be daily, either -- for most home users, a backup from last month is good enough. Failing that, though, if something happens, you'll lose a part of your life." Mikko Hypponen has spent the past 20-plus years studying malicious software, including everything from "Brain" -- the first PC virus, dating...

Computing » Pybackup Makes Saving and Restoring Easy as Pie

Not having a backup strategy for your computers is much like not having anti-intrusion protection. For any solution to work well, you must have a product that provides what you need. Then you must actually use the product regularly. That is what I like about pybackpack. I set it to update my backup file set at specific time intervals. Then if I should need to restore my system files, I click the restore button, and it is done. Sure, we all know...

Computing » PCs Hit 'Big 30' - Next Stop, Boneyard?

Just because a technology has become commoditized doesn't mean that it has lost its vital edge or potential for innovation. What really seems to be IBM's (and now HP's) focus on life after PCs is an emphasis on developing and delivering the IT infrastructure beneath consumer and business computing. Aug. 12, 2011, marked the 30th birthday of the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Personal Computer (PC) -- an event marked in numerous congratulatory and cautionary...