Features

• Chinese hackers master art of lying low

  China's remarkable success in infiltrating U.S. government, military and corporate networks in recent years shouldn't be seen as a sign that the country is gaining on the U.S. lead in cybertechnology, security experts say. They're just very persistent and very good at remaining undetected for long periods of time.

• Microsoft's counter-attack against Windows 8 coverage makes it 'look weak'

  Microsoft on Friday called some media coverage of its plans to update Windows 8 sensationalist and an effort to drive website page views.

• Why Microsoft won't charge for Windows Blue - this time

  Sometime soon, Microsoft will tell Windows 8 users whether they will have to pay for the upgrade code-named "Blue," and if so, how much. Analysts don't expect it to charge anything for the update.

• Analysts challenge Microsoft's commitment to Windows RT

  One of Microsoft's top Windows executives this week said the company remains bullish about Windows RT, but analysts remain suspicious of RT's chances unless Microsoft makes changes.

• Microsoft's drip-drip-drip Windows communications strategy dubbed a washout

  Microsoft's Tami Reller, the CFO and head of marketing for the Windows division, went on a mini publicity spree. But she didn't say very much.

• Opinion: Microsoft's smartwatch - Been there, didn't do that

  Vendors are falling all over themselves to develop smartwatches. Will this be yet one more example of Microsoft getting to a market first and then failing to cash in?

• Think different: Apple's $17B debt offers stark contrast to 1996's junk bonds

  Apple's record-setting $17 billion bond offer this week stood in stark contrast to the company's darkest days, when in 1996 its millions in notes were rated as junk because investors wondered if the company would survive a thrashing by Microsoft

• Microsoft: Mum's again the word on Windows 8 sales

  Even though PC shipments were down 14% last quarter, Microsoft's Windows division posted revenue about the same as the last year, making up for slumping sales to OEMs with growth in long-term licensing agreements sold to enterprises.

• Microsoft must fight to remain influential, say analysts

  Stormed by a shift to tablets and smartphones, and threatened, even in its enterprise bastion, by new demands from workers, Microsoft may lose its place at the table reserved for major technology players, an analyst argued today.

• Amazon's biggest competitor in the Cloud: Salesforce.com?

  Who is Amazon's biggest competitor in the cloud?

• Muted excitement for latest Toshiba Android tablet

  Shaw reviews Toshiba's Excite 10 SE tablet and HP's EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook.

• Muted excitement for latest Toshiba Android tablet

  We review Toshiba's Excite 10 SE tablet and HP's EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook.

• Uptake gap between Windows 8 and Vista widens even as new OS gains share

  Windows 8 last month fell even further behind the historical adoption pace of Windows Vista, Microsoft's 2007 flop, new statistics showed today.

• It's twilight for small in-house data centers

  Virtualization, cloud services and SaaS is making it much easier to shift IT infrastructure operations to service providers, and that is exactly what many users are doing.

• Windows Blue and Microsoft's continuous upgrade strategy

  Microsoft yesterday confirmed Windows "Blue," an upgrade to Windows 8, but analysts remained uneasy about how the faster release cadence that Blue represents will be digested by businesses.