Microsoft landed with £486m EU fine in browser-choice row

Microsoft has been landed with a staggering €561m (roughly £486m) fine, after European regulators found the software giant hadn't offered PC owners enough of a choice when it came to their browser.

The fine was handed down by the European Commission, as punishment for neglecting an anti-monopoly settlement from 2009, the New York Times reports. In that settlement the company behind Clippy vowed to offer Windows users a choice of which browser they wanted to use, instead of simply defaulting to its own Internet Explorer.

The result was 2010's browser ballot, which you may have spied yourself if you've started up a new Windows PC in the last couple of years. The ballot offered rival operating systems such as Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple's Safari browser.

The order in which rival browsers would appear on the ballot was a subject of heated debate, but eventually Microsoft plumped for the five most popular Web browsers appearing in random order.

Good stuff, but Microsoft seemingly dropped the ball, with a version of Windows 7 (SP1) not offering users the choice. The company reportedly says it has updated both Windows 7 andWindows 8 to include the ballot, but that hasn't stopped anti-monopoly officials sending the firm a monstrous bill.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser remains popular, though critics say a huge part of that success is because it's been the default software on Windows PCs for a long time.

[Source: CNET]

Google+ (on the web) rolls out huge cover pics, new local reviews tab

Google+ today rolled out some interesting improvements to its web version. The biggest, obviously, is the gianormous new cover photos. What was once long and skinny is now long and not-so-skinny. (We know how it feels.) When fully expanded, the new cover photos have a 16x9 aspect ration and can be as large as 2,120px by 1,192px. That's big. So make sure your image doesn't suck.

Next is a new tab for your local reviews. If you've reviewed something in your hamlet, it'll show up here. You can use it to showcase specific reviews, or you can hide it altogether. Your call.

Editing your info also is easier now, with better separation of content in the About tab, with cards acting as category separators.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Microsoft reverses course, says Office 2013 licenses can now be transferred to new PCs

There were plenty of Office users none too pleased with Microsoft's recent decision to tie Office 2013 retail licenses to the PC they were originally installed on, and it looks like the company has been listening to them. Microsoft announced in a blog post today that it's changing the policy, and will now allow users to transfer the license if they get a new PC or the old one fails. The company says that it will update the actual license agreement included with the software in a future release, but makes it clear that the change is effective immediately. Of course, there are still some limitations. You can't transfer the license more than once every 90 days unless there's a hardware failure, and you still can't have the software on more than one computer at the same time. You can find the full text of the new license at the source link.

[Source: Engadget]

KFC gets free UK WiFi through The Cloud: get some data with your drumsticks

Hey, it worked for McDonald's, didn't it? KFC would certainly prefer that its British customers hang around for long enough to justify a bucket of chicken rather than a Snack Box, so it's teaming up with The Cloud to offer free WiFi in all of its UK restaurants. The gradual rollout will just ask that visitors face a KFC landing page before they wander over to cat videos and ex-partners' status updates. We're glad to have one more avenue for internet access when we're feeling peckish, although we may question our path in life when we're Instagramming a Boneless Banquet For One.

[Source: Engadget]

iBooks 3.1 brings paid content to iBookstore in Japan

Version 3.1 of iBooks is out today and while it might not bring much in the way of new features for Western users, it's a pretty big deal for book lovers located in Japan. That's because the latest update introduces paid content on the order of hundred of thousands of books -- encompassing novels, manga and more -- something that the country's iBookstore has been without up until this point. Before now, iOS users in Japan have needed to be content with public domain e-books.

In addition to the paid content rollout, the 3.1 update also introduces some improvements when reading Asian language books.

[Source: TUAW]

Microsoft ViralSearch project visualizes content as it spreads across Twitter

It's not a new component of Bing (not yet, anyway), but Microsoft has taken the wraps off a new small-scale search project at its TechFest event this week -- one with a particular focus on so-called viral content. Appropriately dubbed ViralSearch, the effort from Microsoft Research currently uses Twitter as a source for all its data, and offers a variety of ways to track and visualize how a story, photo or video spreads from one outlet or individual to hundreds or thousands of others. That includes a profile view of sorts, which lets you see how influential a particular person was in spreading an item, and how prolific they are in general. Unfortunately, it is still just a research project so you can't try it out yourself just yet, and there's no word on any plans for it to become a commercial product.

[Source: Engadget]

Evernote plans two-factor authentication following last week's hack

In a move that's often more reactive than proactive these days, Evernote has shared plans to add two-factor authentication to its login process. This latest announcement follows last week's hacking attack and subsequent site-wide password reset, and will be available to all of the site's 50 million users beginning later this year, according to an InformationWeek report. It's too early to say exactly how the Evernote team plans to implement the new security feature, whether through a dedicated app or text message password, but given the service's scale, we can likely count out a hardware fob option, at least. For now, your best course of action is to create a secure password, or, if you're especially paranoid, you may consider delaying your return until the security boost is in place.

[Source: Engadget]

Chinese ministry says Google 'controls too much' of its smartphone market

China and Google just can't seem to get along. The country's ministry is the latest to take issue with el Goog, stating that it has too much control within the smartphone industry because of its Android OS and is discriminating against local rivals. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced this in its recent white paper, adding that the country had the ability to craft its ownmobile OS if it wanted to. According to the document: "While the Android system is open source, the core technology and technology roadmap is strictly controlled by Google." It goes on to describe how the Mountain View crew had apparently delayed sharing source code with Chinese companies developing their ownoperating systems. The paper also took the opportunity to praise homegrown stars like Baidu, Alibaba and Huawei for their own systems. In short, it looks like an amicable relationship is still a while off.

[Source: Engadget]

Wii U System Update Improves Stability, Big Update in April

Nintendo released a brand new system update for the Wii U this morning. The update’s been labeled Version 2.1.3 U, and it’s available through the settings menu within the Wii U UI.

I’ve personally completed the update; a process that only took about 5 minutes, thanks to the ethernet cable and USB dongle duo I’ve recently installed. If you frequent the site, you might remember an article I ran back in December of last year. It was then that I spent a week trying to update my Wii U with no luck. I wound up calling Nintendo and, get this, they told me to move my console closer to my router.

It worked, oddly enough.

Regardless, today’s update is only a minor one. Here’s the full text from Nintendo’s support site:

Version 2.1.3 U available via an Internet connection includes the following improvements:

Further improvements to overall system stability have been made.*

*The previously announced system update, which adds new features and further improvements to the user experience, will be released in April.

The previously announced system update, of course, is the one that Nintendo promised back during a Nintendo Direct presentation a few weeks ago. That update will supposedly speed up UI performance and reduce load times.

We’ll have more on these updates and the Wii U as it comes.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

BBC iPlayer comes to Windows Phone, not quite an app

Do you want the short version or the long version? Short version: iPlayer is coming to Windows Phone.

Still here? Then here's the long version. The BBC today announced that Windows Phone would join iOS, Android and BlackBerry as the latest mobile operating system to support iPlayer, via a dedicated live tile.

That means you'll soon be able to watch catch-up and on-demand TV shows and films from Auntie Beeb on your Windows Phone phone, whether it's running Windows Phone 7.5 software -- like the Nokia Lumia 800 -- or Windows Phone 8 -- like the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8S.

It's not technically an app, but a shortcut that gets its own coloured square, or live tile, leading directly to the iPlayer online player. The launch date is yet to be confirmed. 

iPlayer is already available on iOS, Android and even Blackberry, but they've historically given Windows Phone the cold shoulder, with the Beeb repeatedly denying Microsoft's OS the privilege.  

It seems that the BBC has had a change of heart however, with iPlayer joining big names like Spotify, Twitter and WhatsApp in entering the Windows Phone world. Windows is still lagging a long way behind established app stores like Android's Google Play and Apple's App Store though.

Meanwhile Auntie's online player goes from strength to strength as it continues to expand to new platforms. Last year more than 2.5 million people per month watched or listened online by one device or another.

[Source: CNET]

Google Maps updated with Google contact search, local categories

Google updated its Maps application with several new features that make the app a bit more personal. The biggest change will be in search, which now integrates with your Google contacts. Once you sign in to your Google account with Google Maps, the app will pull in the names and addresses from your contacts. These addresses will appear when you search for your friends or family members by name.

Google also added a new local feature that lets you search for nearby businesses by selecting categories such as restaurants, bars, gas stations and more. It's a quick and easy way to find services that are near to you. Last but not least is a setting that lets you toggle between kilometers or miles for your distance units.

Google Maps for iOS is a universal app that is free for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

[Source: TUAW]

iPhone 5S Due in Summer, New iPads in April

There are a bevy of fresh Apple rumors this morning. One of them suggests that Apple will add a fingerprint scanner to its next generation iPhone and that the new device will be introduced alongside a budget iPhone this June or July. A second rumor, also published on Tuesday, suggests that Apple will instead launch the device in August and will refresh its iPads in April.

“We expect Apple will introduce its new iPhones and iOS7 in June, and start shipping the new iPhones (5S and low-cost model) in the FDD version in July,” KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo said in an investor note. “Both dates are earlier than last year’s roadmap. We attribute this to: (1) an effort to avoid repeating the fatal mistake of last year of the delayed iPhone 5 launch, which gave competitors room to grab market share; and (2) the new iPhones this year are mainly designed on the basis of the current iPhone 5, which suggests development time could be reduced.”

Kuo said he believes the iPhone 5S will run on a faster A7 processor and will offer a new “smart flash” technology for better photos. There will also allegedly be a fingerprint scanner built into the home button to increase security. He also argues that Apple’s highly rumored low-cost iPhone, which other rumors have suggested was delayed until next year, will be crafted out of fiberglass and plastic and will be sold in several different colors at the same time as the iPhone 5S.

Rene Ritchie from iMore is in agreement that the iPhone 5S be thinner and will pack a more powerful processor and better optics than the iPhone 5, but said that it will launch in August instead of June/July. Ritchie also said Apple is gearing up to launch its iPad Mini 2 and an iPad 5 sometime in April.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]