Latest news

It would appear that email spam is not as lucrative a business as it used to be.

According to a new Symantec report, junk mail now accounts for 49.7 percent of all emails, the first time that figure has fallen under 50 percent since September 2003.

At its peak, in June 2009, the figure was 90.4 percent, with a shocking 5.7 trillion of the 6.3 trillion emails sent being spam.

The number has been ticking down for months, and was as high as 52.1 percent in April.

Symantec attributed the decline to the increase in legal prosecution against botnets, improved spam filters and blockers and faster reaction times by network providers.

Here is the full security report:

Back in March, HTC and Under Armour announced a fitness wearable, the Grip, which it had planned for release sometime during the spring.

Here we are well into the summer months and there is still no release of the Grip, but we finally have word from the company as to why. HTC says the company has "decided to align Grip with the entire product portfolio for health and fitness launching later this year" after "extensive wear testing and user feedback."

What that means most likely is that the original Grip that was unveiled is dead but an improved model is coming in a few months.

The original was GPS-enabled, used Under Armour's 'UA Record' interface to track workouts, runs, pace and steps and had five total sensors, excluding a heart-rate monitor.

Following this week's leak of Cortana for Android, Microsoft has confirmed the official version will be available later this month.

Microsoft says it has been testing the personal assistant software for a few months for Android.

"In the spirit of the Windows Insider Program, we're testing the Cortana for Android beta with a limited number of users in the U.S. and China before releasing the beta publicly in the next few weeks," added Microsoft.

Cortana competes directly with Android's own Google Now service, and later, with iOS' Siri. For Windows users, Cortana has been very popular, but the Android user base is significantly larger.

According to market data and analytics firm App Annie, Android users downloaded 85 percent more apps from the Google Play Store than Apple users did from the Apple App Store, but Apple continues to dominate in revenue.

For the Q2 2015, the App Store saw 70 percent higher revenue than the Google Play Store, as Apple continues to attract premium apps from developers.

Seeing the huge difference in downloads was unsurprising given the healthy lead Android has in the smartphone market. By most accounts, Android is on over 80 percent of all shipped smartphones, and sometimes higher in emerging markets where iPhones are not affordable.

Also unsurprisingly, China and U.S. were the top countries for App Store downloads, followed by Japan, Russia and the UK. Google Play was most popular in the U.S., Brazil, India, Russia and Mexico.

Microsoft has confirmed that an upcoming update for the Xbox One will allow gamers to stream the games via their Windows 10 PCs and tablets.

Reads the post: "This means you can play the great library of games you've built for Xbox One on your Windows 10 PCs when you're not in front of your console. To get started, on your Xbox One console, go to Settings > Preferences > Allow game streaming to other devices and then install the latest version of the Xbox app on your Windows 10 PC or tablet.

In the Xbox app on Windows 10, select Connect > + Add a device from the menu on the left side of the app, then select your Xbox One console. Attach a wired Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller to your Windows 10 PC or tablet. Then, go to Home > Recently Played to select an Xbox One game and then select Play from Console to start your streaming session. Another way to do this is to simply select your Xbox One console under Home > Game Streaming in the Xbox app to take full control of your Xbox One console from your Windows 10 PC. A notification will appear on your Xbox One that a game streaming session was started by a specific user. During game streaming, the Xbox One console will appear "in use" as though the person streaming was in the room."

The British government decided last year that CD and DVD ripping, amongst other format changes, are allowed as long as the copy is not redistributed and the original piece has been acquired legally. This isn't the case anymore as High Court reverts the decision.

The High Court took the case after music industry claimed it was illegal to copy material without a fair compensation. And indeed the court ruled that copies without proper payment to the right holders is illegal.

The music and movie industry rejoice but the result might hinder the job of some teachers and researchers. It is however highly unlikely that the ruling will be enforced upon the masses.

The government's view on the subject was that the backups of individuals do not create a significant financial deficit to the creators and therefore didn't need to be funded.

Motorola has sent out press invites to an event at 9AM on July 28th.

During the event, the company is expected to unveil the new generation of the Moto X flagship smartphone, and also an update to the aging Moto 360 smartwatch.

In addition, Motorola may also use the event to unveil a new Verizon Droid, and potentially a new Moto G, the low priced mid-range phone that has been very popular with consumers.

Subtly added to the press invite are the letters 'XGX' in a place where a hugs and kisses 'XoXo' might normally be seen, suggesting the aforementioned Moto X and Moto G updates.

Microsoft has confirmed that it will sell Windows 10 on USB drives, finally offering an alternative to DVDs for those that like to own a "physical" copy of the operating system.

The offering is great for notebook owners, as the DVD drive is no longer a standard found in every computer. Additionally, those with operating system issues will have an alternative way to repair their devices or reformat.

Although it is unclear if the pricing is final, Windows 10 Home is already available for pre-order on Amazon for $119.99 and Windows 10 Pro is available for $199.99.

"Windows 10 will be available on USB drives for purchase in retail channels shortly after launch," a Microsoft spokesperson added. "The suggested retail prices for Windows 10 in the U.S. are the same as Windows 8.1."

Microsoft also confirmed that Amazon will not be the only retailer to offer the devices, and Microsoft will offer it themselves through the Microsoft Store.

Six years after the original launched for mobile in 2009, Finnish games developer Rovio has announced 'Angry Birds 2' - the long-awaited sequel.

The original game has been downloaded over 2 billion times for Android, iOS, Windows, PC and Mac but popularity of the game has waned for years.

Rovio tried to spice up sales via spinoff games, totaling 14 since the launch of the first game. The more popular spinoffs include Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Space, and many of the titles have been downloaded hundreds of millions of times. None have been able to match the success of the original, however, a game that basically created the casual mobile gaming industry.

The developer will unveil more on July 28th at a press event in San Francisco, but so far the details are scarce other than that the game will be "bigger, badder and birdier."

SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards have existed for decades and even though they are gradually getting smaller they are still around. Maybe not for long though if GSMA and the likes of Samsung and Apple have their way.

According to Financial Times Samsung and Apple are in talks with telecom representing GSM Association to launch a new kind of electronic SIM card. Even though nothing is written in stone yet, GSMA says that operators including Vodafone, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, and Orange are joining the world's two largest smartphone companies in supporting the eSIM.

The electronic SIM card would allow instant switching of operators without physically fiddling with the device. Apple tested the concept on its LTE equipped iPads but the support from the operatorss for the "Apple SIM" remained relatively weak.

The electronic SIM is said to possible enter the consumer markets as soon as 2016.

Microsoft has finalized the Windows 10 software and the Windows Insider Program members are now able to try out the commercial version.

The Verge reports that build 10240 is the final release which will be installed by the PC manufacturers on their first Windows 10 computers. The same version is the one that Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will be able to upgrade on July 29th – unless last minute fixes are released.

Microsoft doesn't want to call the version finished for obvious reasons. There might still be smaller bug fixes and other tweaks before the launch date. And even after that the operating system continues to evolve.

Apple has announced a new iPod Touch earlier this week. The company hasn't been updating the iPod portfolio since 2012 but now, after the release of Apple Music, the time was right.

The new iPod Touch features the same A8 processor from latest generation iPhones but the display is only four inches diagonally. The resolution is 1136 x 640.

There are two cameras aboard: 8 megapixel snapper in the back and a 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera in the front. Fifth generation Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth 4.1 are supported. However, no GPS or NFC support.

You can choose between 16, 32, 64, or 128 gigabytes of storage and the prices are $199, $249, $299, and $399 respectively. Apple also refreshed iPod shuffle and iPod nano with new color options.

Nokia released a statement earlier this week addressing the rumors of a possible future smartphone. The Finnish company had earlier suggested that it would be interested in creating a smartphone but now the new press release makes it official – or more so.

Ever since Nokia sold the mobile phone business to Microsoft there has been chatter in the media about a possibility for Nokia to re-enter the market. After the unveiling of N1 (pictured), an Android tablet, Nokia as a company has been more involved in the discussion about a possible phone as well.

The statement comes conveniently just after Microsoft has told about layoffs that affect most harshlly towns in Finland. Microsoft, however, still holds the rights for Nokia name in smartphones.

At earliest Nokia could launch a new smartphone under that name in the last quarter of 2016. So there is more than enough time to find a licensing partner – after all Nokia doesn't own the manufacturing plants anymore.

Microsoft has announced a "Windows 10 Lights up New Devices" event for IFA on September 4th in which the company will unveil new devices running on the upcoming operating system.

Running the keynote is Nick Parker, VP of Microsoft's OEM division, which is interesting as the exec does not work on Surface or Lumia.

Parker will "demonstrate a breadth of new Windows 10 devices, including tablets, 2-in-1s, premium notebooks, gaming devices and all-in-ones that will light up the Windows 10 experience for customers."

"It's about the software and the experiences it enables on devices!" said Jens Heithecker, IFA Executive Director. "Windows 10 is coming – with new capabilities and experiences for consumers and businesses. "We are excited to see Microsoft take the keynote stage at IFA to give us a glimpse at how its partners plan to incorporate that future into the devices we rely on for work, home and play."

In a sad press release tonight, Nintendo has announced that its CEO and president Satoru Iwata has passed away from a bile duct growth.

He was just 55.

The executive became a director at Nintendo in 2000 and then president in 2002, following Nintendo legend Hiroshi Yamauchi. Previously, he worked as a coder for Nintendo's subsidiary HAL working on games like NES Tournament Golf and Kirby. More recently, he was named CEO of Nintendo America in 2013.

Iwata was instrumental in major hits like the Wii and Nintendo DS/DSi/3DS but more recently the company had run into issues following the flop of the Wii U. Nintendo just announced initiatives to get into mobile and a new console scheduled to launch next year, for which there are still little details.

Despite health issues in the past, his death comes as a serious shock as his ailments were not expected to be terminal and Iwata has been a very visible Nintendo figure over the years, speaking at investor meetings, E3 keynotes and more.