Microsoft launched a new blog and Twitter account to chronicle and crowdsource the development of its next operating system, Windows 8,” reports Erica Swallow for Mashable. READ MORE
As Apple switches to its new A6 chip next year, will the company merge its iOS operating system, used in iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches with the Mac OS X operating system (currently at version 10.7 or “Lion”)? READ MORE
Former Microsoft executive Steven VanRoekel will become the next chief information officer for the federal government, the White House announced today. READ MORE
You’re traveling out of state when a client calls with an emergency task. Unfortunately, the files you need are saved on your desktop computer back at the office. Sure, if you use a cloud storage service such as Dropbox or Box.net, you’ll be able to access those files remotely and help your client. But some people don’t trust the cloud with their valuable business information. For them, iTwin might be a good alternative. READ MORE
You may know YouSendIt as a popular service for sending large files that would normally get rejected by an e-mail server. Now the company has expanded its services for businesses and is offering integrated tools for sending, sharing and signing business content online. YouSendIt now syncs changes to files and folders instantly across all a user’s devices and allows for multiple levels of sharing permissions. Its signature feature lets people create legal signatures with a mouse or using a finger on a mobile touch screen, eliminating the need to print, sign, copy and fax documents. Signed documents can be saved, sent and shared with one click. READ MORE
For years enterprise software vendors have been selling to CIOs expensive and complex systems that employees don’t like, can’t figure out, and underuse, which is ultimately a waste of money, writes Box.net CEO Aaron Levie for TechCrunch. That’s changing, he says, due to web-delivered, freemium or open-sourced solutions that employees start using on their own, resulting in viral, bottom-up adoption of technology across organizations of all sizes. READ MORE
If you want to set up a Google+ account for your business you have until today at 6pm PST to apply (although when we tried the link, Google’s servers were busy). Sometime after next week Google will announce which businesses have been chosen to participate in its test for businesses. Why is Google limiting participation, and even shutting down profiles currently being used by businesses? READ MORE
If news of Dropbox‘s latest funding round is true, the cloud storage service has achieved the same overall valuation as Twitter. According to TechCrunch, DropBox is raising between $200 million and $300 million in its latest round of funding, which would place the company’s valuation in the $5 billion to $10 billion range. READ MORE
After months of anticipation, UK-based on-demand music service Spotify has hit this side of the Atlantic. After releasing an IPO valued at $1 billion and announcing the US launch earlier this summer, music-lovers and technophiles have been itching to get their hands on the cross-platform player. In just 24 hours of announcing their debut, more than 10 thousand Facebook Likes and thousands of direct tweets have burst with joy. READ MORE
With more than 281 million monthly active users, Zynga depends heavily on cloud computing infrastructure to operate its online games like FarmVille and Empires & Allies. Throughout its four-year history, the social gaming company relied heavily on Amazon Web Services to provide the infrastructure for its server-based games, but with Zynga ready to go public, the company has announced it will build its own data centers, according to VentureBeat. READ MORE
