If your website’s homepage has one or more of the above…well, it’s not a good sign. In case you’re unclear on this point, TechRepublic has created a slide show of what it considers the 10 worst web design tragedies, and tragic they are. They include some websites from folks who really ought to know better, such as congressional candidate George Hutchins and Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who certainly could have afforded a site with easier navigation. The pages themselves are crammed with clutter–but perhaps they’re meant to appeal to teenagers whose rooms look much the same.

See ‘em and weep at TechRepublic.

What do they want instead? Just what you’d guess: Apple’s iOS, which is up from 16 percent in January to 28 percent in September, and Google’s Android, up from 9 percent in January to 18 percent in September. Conclusion: Microsoft waited too long to release Windows 8 for tablets and has only itself to blame.

Well, duh. Apple lovers would probably always have preffered iPads, but a sexy alternative a year or six months ago would likely have lured the majority of users who already have Windows machines sitting on their desks. And first-time tablet purchasers might have been scared by the great unknown Android, but as more and more learned to use the system on their phones, and more and more low-cost Android tablets entered the market…well it just doesn’t seem so scary anymore.

By the time Windows 8 does turn up, it may seem no more relevant than webOS. And then we’ll be one step closer to a two-horse tablet race.

Read more at ZDNet.

When sharing to your G+ circles, you get the option to also share your item to Twitter, or to Twitter alone. And you get real-time search, “hover cards” that give you more information on a Twitter user when you roll your cursor over his or her name and let you follow or unfollow that user, and more.

Read more at TheNextWeb.

Enough! says Cisco in a blog entry. Apparently the company hired an ex-HPan who moved to California for the job and believed state law there would protect him from legal action. When HP sued anyway, Cisco contacted its legal counsel, it says, to try and work things out and offer an assurance that no HP secrets would change hands. HP responded by requesting an emergency hearing in Texas to block the employee from starting his new job.

“In an unhappy work environment, it’s a strange decision to try to achieve employee retention by litigation,” the Cicso blog declares. It certainly seems like something for prospective HP employees to consider before accepting a job offer–they might be signing on for life.

Read more at NetworkWorld.

Developers found references to a new Apple TV which according to 9To5Mac could feature the A5 chip found inside the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S and allow 1080p playback from the device.

They also found references to two new iPads—one which is expected in March or April next year and another believed to be a Sprint-compatible version of Apple’s tablet.

The third unreleased product reference found by developers in iOS 5.1 is for the next-generation iPhone, which is coded as iPhone 5,1. Since the iPhone 4S is referenced as  4,1 in Apple’s code, the jump from 4,1 to 5,1 indicates that major internal changes are coming. And supposedly manufacturers have already started making a 4-inch screen for the next gen iPhone, so it might be very different on the outside, as well.

Read more at PCWorld.

Here are the specs:

• Digital touch screen including a resistive touch panel and a 1024×600 high resolution screen
• Android 2.3 OS
• Wi-Fi enabled
• Internal browser
• Web based remote content management system powered by SCALA
• AC or battery operated including a long lasting rechargeable battery and docking station providing up to 10 hours of activation
• Rotating screen providing both landscape and portrait views
• i View Dispenser integrates with the i View Android to provide restaurants and bars a complete service and entertainment option
• Auto copy of content
• Auto play functionality

Read more at SFGate.

Really, all of these platforms are excellent. While Apple, Google, and Microsoft compete on user experience, applications, and great features, enterprise security is more tricky.

For one thing, not all app stores are created equal. For example, to submit an app to the Android Market a developer only needs a Google account and $25. Apple analyzes each app to make sure it works properly. Microsoft is most restrictive: Not only does it check out apps, but also you must be a registered and validated Microsoft ISV to submit at all. Even so, all three companies have had malware distributed through their app stores.

The main differences emerge once an app is on the phone. With Apple, each application runs in its own sandbox, which defeats many attacks because the app can’t access the sensitive data you protect. But shared data such as contacts, phone numbers, or files is still vulnerable.

Google not only uses a sandbox but also prevents what shared data an app can access by asking the user to approve app permissions.

Windows Phone 7 uses a similar approach, but also makes anonymous some shared data that Google doesn’t, such as your phone’s serial ID and phone number, making for even more privacy.

While Apple has been coming out with more enterprise APIs, Google is catching up. Most of the Master Data Management providers don’t support the Windows Phone 7 platform or if they do, they only provide a few features, such as remote wipe and enforcing a passcode.

The BlackBerry is still the gold standard.

For a full-blown comparison of iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 for the enterprise, go to InformationWeek.

Avoid untrustworthy websites and pop-up screens. It’s best to use a major retail company’s official Web page—such as BestBuy.com or Walmart.com—instead of using online vendors that you don’t recognize. Instead of using other links to get to trusted sites, type web addresses into your browser yourself.  And if you suddenly get a pop-up trying to lure you into buying something, be wary. While most security software programs will alert you if you’re about to go to a known dangerous site, make sure this feature is available and turned on before shopping.

Avoid deals that are too good to be true. The most popular holiday gift items are used by cyber criminals as ploys to link people to malicious sites that could spread viruses or steal  information.

Beware of fake online charities. If you want to give to a charity, just make sure it’s legit first. The Federal Trade Commission provides tips for avoiding charity fraud, and the Better Business Bureau has a National Charity Report that includes evaluations of many charities.

Stay away from dangerous mobile applications. Be cautious about downloading holiday shopping applications this year. In addition, it’s a good idea to install a mobile security product that offers a firewall to protect your personal details on your phone.

Read more at Fox News.

Google also is discontinuing Google Bookmarks Lists, Google Friend Connect, Google Gears, Google Search Timeline, Google Wave, and its energy program known as Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal , or RE<c. The group of product terminations is the largest since June, when Google revealed plans to close Google Health and Google PowerMeter.

Then in July, Google Labs got the axe, eliminating dozens of interesting experiments. Around the same time, the company abandoned the Google Toolbar for Firefox, after discontinuing several APIs the previous month, including APIs for Code Search, Diacritize, Feedburner, Finance, PowerMeter, Sidewiki, and Wave. Google also ended its 13-year-old Google Friends newsletter and Google Directory.

In August, Google decided to shut down Slide, which it has acquired last year for $228 million.

In September, the company said goodbye to Aardvark, Desktop, Fast Flip, Maps API for Flash, Google Pack, Google Web Security, Image Labeler, Notebook, Sidewiki, and Subscribed Links.

In October, Google silenced Buzz, the failed precursor to Google+, eliminated iGoogle’s social features , and cast aside Google Code Search, Jaiku, and the company’s University Research Program for Google Search.

Read more at Information Week.

According to CNN Money, Joshua March, the CEO of Conversocial, notes that too many retailers “have an ad hoc approach to social networking sites and haven’t gotten serious about customer service. They have one or two people trying to respond, but can’t react to the scale of complaints.”

In addition, the survey found that the companies that responded the fastest frequently did the most damage by using automatic or generic responses that didn’t deal with a customer’s specific problem. Corporate speak won’t work on Facebook, March says. Most respondents expect a reply in one to two hours on Facebook, compared to longer times on e-mail or Web site support.

But considering that comments on social networks can go viral, one thing is certain: ignoring online customer complaints is ill advised.

Read more at CNN Money.