SOFTWARE

Amazon.com's Kindle Fire tablet and Microsoft's efforts to get back into the mobile game have impressed developers, a survey released on Monday showed, while BlackBerry maker Research In Motion fell further behind.

Cloud computing could be key for Oracle's (NASDAQ:ORCL) future and the company's recent acquisition of RightNow implies it is making the right moves in this space.

Michael T. Mathews of Forbes has detailed the smartphone etiquette on date night, both pre-, during and post-date, to ensure a proper evening. The rules include protocol for Groupon, Foursquare and the inevitable decorum for Facebook friend requests.

Two Best Mobile Software Systems Battle for the Top

Google Inc. has acquired two startup operations -- Katango and Apture -- that should bolster the company's existing Google+ and Google Chrome offerings.

Apple's iTunes Match feature has been delayed since the iOS 5 update came out over a month ago, but Apple is getting close to launching the unique cloud-based service to the public.

iPad 2 and Motorola's Xoom 2 battle it out in a tablet duel of deuces to see who gets to make an iPad 3 or Xoom 3. No, we can't force the winner of this battle to begin preparations for the next version of its established moniker, but it's good to check how the latest 10-inch Android tablet would do against its Apple nemesis.

Properly-shaped posts on Twitter and Facebook have potential to heighten your popularity and grow your brand, but don't treat the two platforms the same way.

The hacked database included users names, hashed and salted passwords, previous game purchases, email addresses, billing addressees and encrypted credit card information.

In 2011, U.S. gamers have spent an estimated $1.2 billion on F2P games, which have taken up to 47 percent of all MMO expenditures. It has grown 24 percent in the last year, now seriously contending with pay-to-play MMOs like World of Warcraft for players' attention. The report says gamers spend about 26 million hours every day playing MMOs in the U.S.

IBM said it will sell a new security software patch to enterprises to ensure mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are secure. The move is part of a new emphasis on computer security.

Adobe Systems Inc halted development of its Flash Player for mobile browsers, surrendering to Apple Inc in a war over Web standards as the company surprised investors with a restructuring plan.

A first-grade teacher in New Jersey who described her students as future criminals on Facebook could be fired under a judge's decision issued this week after parents complained her remarks were offensive.

In the latest development of the intense rivalry between Research In Motion (RIM) and Google's Android-based smartphones, the latter has indicated it will end support for Blackberry's Gmail App, beginning Nov. 22.

Apple has released its first Over-The-Air (OTA) iOS update - the iOS 5.0.1 - to users, starting from Thursday. If you have already upgraded their devices to iOS 5.0.1 and now want to jailbreak, here is some good news. The latest version of Redsn0w, which is 0.9.9b8, can tether jailbreaking the iOS 5.0.1.

Angie Varona uploaded provocative photos of herself to image-sharing website Photobucket to send them only to her then-boyfriend. But the then 14-year-old Varona didn't have any clue that those photos would make her one day an Internet sex symbol.

On Wednesday, Uptake unveiled its new Q&A app that mines Facebook to connect you with friends who may have the inside scoop on a destination.

Ice Cream Sandwich has yet to make its debut, but the Microsoft system has been out for a while now, so let's see how the two systems' social features compare. As with Apple's iOS 5 update, the Android and Windows Phone operating systems are moving toward integrating the functions of social network apps right into the fabric of mobile devices.

Though there has been no official word as yet about the exact date for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, rumors of a November 21 release have been circulating, thanks to a product launch roadmap supposedly leaked from Verizon.

Motorola will begin selling the new Droid Razr smartphone Nov. 11 at 11:11 am, but you should wait to buy the Galaxy Nexus in a couple weeks. They both will be on Verizon, so they can take advantage of the 4G network, and even though Galaxy Nexus doesn't have a price yet, it won't be much more than the $300 Droid Razr.

Former technology journalist Jon Briggs, who fell into doing voicework, discovered six years after the fact that he is in fact the voice of Daniel, the male UK version of Siri.