Windows 10 now running on over 14 million devices

Microsoft's brand-new Windows 10 operating system is now running on millions of computers and tablets around the world.

Windows 10 is now running on over 14 million devices, Microsoft announced in a blog post on Thursday. According to Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Windows and the Devices Group Yusuf Mehdi, that number will only continue to grow over time as Microsoft makes Windows 10 available to more users in the coming days and weeks.

Nvidia recalls 88,000 Shield tablets over possible fire hazard

If you have an Nvidia Shield tablet and it feels a little warm, you may want to turn it off and request a replacement.

Nvidia on Friday announced that 8-inch Shield tablets sold between July 2014 and July 2015 have a battery that is susceptible to overheating and could pose a fire hazard. The company said that no other Shield products, including the Shield AndroidTV set-top box and the Shield gaming portable, are part of the voluntary recall.

Nokia jumps into virtual reality market with 360-degree Ozo camera

Nokia Technologies plans to return to the consumer market, focusing on virtual reality rather than the cell phones that made it famous.

The Finnish company -- what was left of the former cell phone giant after Microsoft bought its handset division last year -- on Tuesday night unveiled Ozo, a next-generation camera for capturing 360-degree video and audio. Unveiled at an entertainment industry event in Los Angeles, the orb-shaped camera is designed for professional content creators rather than consumers.

The many faces of Cortana: How Microsoft's virtual assistant wants to woo the worl

We live in a world where we're starting to talk to our computers, but it still feels like the device on the receiving end is a machine. Microsoft believes it's begun solving that with Cortana.

The Internet-connected service, which lives inside Microsoft's new Windows 10 software out Wednesday, will be the first assistant at the beck and call of PC users across the globe. It's based on the advanced artificial intelligence character in the Microsoft-owned video game saga Halo, but it's widely available to anyone with the company's new operating system.

Qualcomm invents way to wirelessly charge mobile devices with metal bodies

Mobile phones that sport metal bodies or cases will soon be able to wirelessly charge themselves courtesy of a new technology created by Qualcomm.

Qualcomm subsidiary Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QTI) announced on Tuesday that it's the first company to enable wireless charging of mobile devices with metal exteriors. Until now, mobile devices with metal exteriors haven't been compatible with existing wireless charging technologies.

Square files for IPO, say reports, in new wrinkle for Dorsey, Twitter

Mobile-payments company Square, the other firm dreamed up by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has filed confidential paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell stock to the public, according to several major news outlets, which cited unnamed sources.

Schooling Vietnam: How tech companies are training the next wave of workers

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- I was late to the 5:30 p.m. class, and the air-conditioned room was packed when I arrived. I slipped off my sandals, customary when visiting Vietnamese homes and businesses, and joined two dozen men crammed into rows of workstations in the sparse, white-walled space.

F-U-N-D-E-D: The crowd wants their robots at home -- and under the covers

The masses have been speaking with their cash this year, donating hundreds of millions of dollars through crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter.

And this week, Silicon Valley's venture capitalists answered with theirs, giving the crowds what they, apparently, really want: robots at home that anticipate thoughts, read stories to the kids and help grandma -- or that live under the sheets.

Fire Phone one year later: Why Amazon's smartphone flamed out

There are times when being the first person with a new gadget will elicit cheers and envy -- like outside New York's Fifth Avenue Apple Store, surrounded by applauding salespeople, curious fans and gawking media.

Then there's buying the Amazon Fire Phone.

Marlena Solomon learned first-hand the hazards of being an early adopter when she jumped at the chance to buy Amazon's first-ever smartphone a year ago.

Motorola accidentally leaks Moto G Maker

If there was any doubt that Motorola's Moto G is coming soon and boasts a new design tool allowing for more customization, consider it over.

Motorola on Thursday accidentally posted its "Moto Maker" page to its website, allowing would-be Moto G buyers to design their own device and order it from the site. The Moto Maker is designed to allow people to customize in precise detail exactly how they would like their Moto G to look. For instance, customers will be able to pick whether they have a black or white front device housing, and choose a color for the back of their handset.

Microsoft rolls out more Windows 10 updates as July 29 launch looms

Microsoft has pushed out a few more updates to Windows 10 as it rushes to prep its new OS for launch next Wednesday.

On Thursday, Gabe Aul, the engineering general manager for Microsoft's operating systems group, tweeted: "Another update now available on Windows Update for Windows 10 PC build 10240." Build 10240 is the latest and final build for Windows 10 before the official launch. As such, Microsoft has been focused on pushing out updates for that build to ensure that it's as solid as possible.

The two updates released late Thursday include a security update with the Microsoft Knowledge Base number of KB3074679 and a new driver for Intel HD graphics. The security update description says little other than the generic: "A security issue that been identified in a Microsoft product that could affect your system." The one for Intel HD graphics updates the driver for PCs with Intel's integrated graphics processor. I also caught an update for Windows Defender, Microsoft's built-in antimalware software, which is updated on a regular basis with new definition files.

Microsoft needs to hit a home run with Windows 10, not just to make up for the debacle of Windows 8 but also to prove that it can still create an OS that generates appeal, excitement and demand among users. The company has been constructing and enhancing Windows 10 since October, with feedback from people who joined the Windows Insider Program to download and test each new build and offer their comments, suggestions and criticisms.

But even if Windows 10 isn't 100 percent bug-free and rock-solid come next Wednesday, that doesn't spell doom and gloom for the latest version. With Windows 10, Microsoft has adopted a new rollout approach. Members of the Windows Insider Program will get the upgrade on Wednesday so they can keep testing and offering their feedback. Based on that testing and feedback as well as its own findings, Microsoft will continue to update Windows 10 to address any new issues. It will then start pushing the OS out to Windows 7 and 8.1 users who reserved the free upgrade.

And even after the upgrade is installed by potentially millions of Windows 7 and 8.1 users, Microsoft can continue to update the product as necessary through the Windows Update process. So in some ways, Windows 10 may always be a work in progress. That's not much different than previous versions of Windows, which continually required updates. Still, the new OS needs to be as stable and user-friendly as possible during the rollout period if it's to catch on with users, especially those jaded with Microsoft after Windows 8.

The latest Windows 10 updates should download automatically as long as you've enabled Automatic Updates. To do so, click the Start button and choose Settings. From the Settings screen, click the category for Update & security. In the Windows Update pane, click the link for Advanced options. And under Advanced Options, make sure the option under Choose how updates are installed is set to Automatic.

You can also check for new updates manually from the Windows Update pane. Click the Check for updates button. If any updates are found, click the View details button and then click the Install button to install them.

AT&T creates mobile and video giant after sealing DirecTV deal

The Dallas telecommunications giant confirmed Friday that it has closed its acquisition of satellite television provider DirecTV for $49 billion.

Combining AT&T's broadband and wireless services with DirecTV's nationwide satellite TV service will create a powerhouse of broadband, entertainment and communications services. AT&T gets access to DirecTV's content deals, such as its package of National Football League games, as well as the ability to deliver those services to everyone across the country. (AT&T only offers its video service to a few states.) DirecTV's video relationships could become key as more content is delivered on mobile devices.

EU launches antitrust probe against Disney, other film studios

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Disney and several other US film studios are under investigation by the European Union for possible antitrust violations.

On Thursday, the EU's European Commission announced that it sent a Statement of Objections to pay-TV provider Sky UK and six US film studios: Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. The EC is charging that the studios and Sky UK have jointly set up contracts that prevent Sky UK from offering access to films to Europeans outside of the UK and Ireland.

Apple eyes remote control personalized via fingerprint, retinal scan

Apple has envisioned a TV remote that can access your personal profile and settings based on your fingerprint or retina.

A patent application called "Device Configuration for Multiple Users Using Remote User Biometrics" published Thursday by the US Patent and Trademark Office lays out the technology for personalizing remote controls. The idea would be to let each person in a household access a personal profile on a TV, set-top box or other device based on biometric information, such as a fingerprint, picked up by the remote control.

Amazon's handyman service expands to new cities

Amazon's handyman service is getting a spit-shine.

The e-commerce company said Wednesday that Amazon Home Services -- its hub for hiring plumbers, painters and electricians through its website -- has expanded to 11 new US cities, including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. The new service is also introducing an option to let users request custom contract jobs, such as paving a driveway or rewiring an old home.

Microsoft feels the pain of a failed mobile-phone business

Microsoft is hurting after shifting its smartphone strategy -- leading it to report the biggest quarterly loss in company history.

The company reported fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday that reflected a $7.5 billion writedown related to its failed acquisition of Nokia's phone and services business. Microsoft also said it will incur additional charges, for combined writedown costs of $8.4 billion.

UCLA Health hacked, 4.5 million victims

Hackers broke into the massive hospital network of the University of California, Los Angeles, accessing computers with sensitive records of 4.5 million people.

Names, medical information, Social Security numbers, Medicare numbers, health plan IDs, birthdays and physical addresses -- all were potentially stolen, according to the university.

Don't share secrets online. You will be hacked.

The news: Cheat-on-your-spouse website Ashley Madison got hacked. Hackers are threatening to reveal the names of its 37 million cheating users.

The lesson: If you give a company your name, credit card number, photo -- don't expect it to stay secret forever.

How Apple could make a $53 billion profit this year

In the last three months of 2014, Apple posted the biggest quarterly profit -- $18 billion -- in corporate history. For Apple's fiscal year, which ends in September, the company is set to rake in $52.5 billion in earnings, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Facebook is taking on Amazon with shopping pages

To do this, the social network will help businesses transform their Facebook pages into e-commerce sites.A retailer, for example, could list and sell products directly through its Facebook (FB, Tech30) page. People who visit the page would be able to browse, shop and pay without ever leaving Facebook's mobile app, or Facebook.com.

Apple updates iPods for first time in 3 years

On Wednesday, Apple (AAPL, Tech30) released its latest version of the iPod touch, giving it better cameras, the same A8 chip as the newest version of the iPhone, and a fresh coat of paint.

The new iPod touch's rear camera is now 8 megapixels, up from 5 MP in the previous version. It can now take time-lapse video, pictures in slow motion, burst photos and panoramas.