cloud computing

This year, the shift away from desktop software toward cloud-based apps and services really took hold. More people are managing and sharing documents with Google Docs and Microsoft's Office 365, they're storing photos and music in iCloud and Amazon Cloud Drive, and they're turning to online music services such as Spotify and Pandora. E-mail is quickly becoming a cloud-only affair: Microsoft launched cloud-based Outlook.com even as venerable desktop e-mail apps like Mozilla's Thunderbird and Sparrow disappeared forever in 2012. And why buy boxed tax-prep software when the same capabilities are available in-browser from the same … Read more

European data stored in the "cloud" could be acquired and inspected by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, despite Europe's strong data protection laws, university researchers have suggested.

A research paper written by legal experts at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Information Law and titled "Cloud Computing in Higher Education and Research Institutions and the USA Patriot Act" supports previous reports that the antiterror Patriot Act could theoretically be used by U.S. law enforcement to bypass strict European privacy laws to acquire citizen data within the European Union.

The Patriot Act, … Read more

Consumer cloud-based services are turning out to be one of the biggest hits of 2012, based on a new report from market intelligence firm IHS iSuppli.

The number of personal subscriptions to online storage services is set to surpass previous projections. The number of subscriptions worldwide already toppled 375 million within the first half of 2012. The original forecast for the entire calendar year was just 500 million.

Subscriptions to cloud services -- free or paid -- are expected to jump even higher to 625 million globally in 2013.

But considering the pace already seen in 2012 and the growing … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Intel is getting into the personal cloud storage game with the introduction of its own Atom processor-based storage solutions aimed towards both consumers and small businesses.

Essentially, these are network-attached storage appliances powered by either the Intel Atom D2550 or D2500 processors for securing, backing up and sharing content through the cloud. The cloud technology comes in through an exposed HTML IP address (with a secure log-in), and the end user can access that IP address either through a regular desktop browser or it can look like a drive.

Intel said it has been focused on developing reference architectures … Read more

Lenovo will acquire software company Stoneware as the PC maker pushes to offer more cloud products.

The world's second largest PC maker by shipments already has a foot in the door with cloud-related services, which allow Intel-based computers to connect to cloud services through APIs, dubbed the "client to cloud" strategy. Lenovo's Secure Cloud Access already uses Stoneware's WebNetwork, used to improve cloud application and device interaction through the browser.

Lenovo wants to boost its cloud offerings through the Stoneware acquisition to help customers and users remotely access data or control multiple devices through one … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- 51 percent of people believe stormy weather can interfere with cloud computing.

- No, Samsung did not try to pay Apple its $1 billion fine in nickels.

- Apple's AirPlay might soon work without Wi-Fi.

- Stop douching your noses, people.… Read more

Apple is one step closer to being offered $89 million in tax breaks to set up a data center in Biggest Little City in the World, aka Reno, Nev.

The Nevada Board of Economic Development approved a deal on the plan today that was initially negotiated by Reno's city council, according to the Associated Press. Despite, the state being closer to inviting Apple to set up shop, there are still a few more logistics the government must sort out.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who backs the deal, called the board's decision a "win" for the state, … Read more

With an open-source project called Collide, Google has released remnants of a tool that brings a collaborative, browser-based interface to programming.

The software runs on a server, letting multiple programmers tap into a project at the same time. It's similar to how Google Docs lets members of a group simultaneously edit the same document and thus a new example of the cloud-computing approach to software that Google advocates so fervently.

But apparently Google wasn't so fervent about Collide, because the two programmers who announced it, Scott Blum and Jaime Yap, said it's actually an ex-Google Project now. … Read more

Talk has been circulating recently about Google building an Infrastructure as a Service cloud computing platform in the near future. Now, GigaOM is reporting that it's possible the Web giant could be launching this service as soon as next week during the Google I/O developers' conference in San Francisco.

The tech news site is also saying that several people familiar with Google's plans have confirmed that Google will offer its current App Engine and storage with its forthcoming service.

The Web giant's platform will most likely compete with Amazon's EC2 cloud service, but it could … Read more