Some intrepid Windows explorers have installed Windows Blue already and are now just starting to find out what’s in the updated OS. It seems that Windows Blue is a small update to Windows 8 with a number of new customization options alongside a few updates to programs.

The major update, of course, is that the Start Screen, or Metro interface, has received a few needed upgrades. For starters, Live Tiles can now be resized so users can enlarge the presence of more important apps, and reduce the size of less used apps.

Multitasking in the Metro interface has also been improved with two apps now being able to share equal width on the screen. Before, one app would always take up the majority of the screen thus making the other app kind of worthless as only a small portion of it would be visible.

As for programs, Windows Blue will apparently ship with Internet Explorer 11. There’s not many details on what improvements Microsoft have made, but there’s bound to be more information released as people dig around in the new browser.

If you want to get more in-depth with Windows Blue, YouTube user sM4llziE has uploaded a walkthrough of the changes coming to Microsoft’s next OS:

[NeoWin via Engadget]

The first thing that is easily noticeable in the pictures is how similar the Z10 looks to the current design of the iPhone. Though it works to RIM‘s advantage to design a smartphone that isn’t wildly different from what people are used to, the company should also beware of Apple. Samsung has seen what happens when you attempt to copy Apple. Of course, Samsung is now Apple’s biggest competitor, so perhaps following the crowd really is the way to get ahead in the mobile market.

Something else to notice is that one of the pictures shows what appears to be a BlackBerry Messenger video calling app for BlackBerry 10, which might be an essential feature for the base of customers who are still loyal to the BlackBerry brand. A slide-on case bearing the BlackBerry logo can be spotted in another picture.

Of the apps that can be seen on the phones’ screens, only a few social network apps are not made by BlackBerry. If RIM really does expect customers to switch to a BlackBerry 10 device, it’s going to have to make sure some of the most-used mobile apps and games will show up on the Z10. The company will have until its January 30 announcement to shore up developer support.

(Image via RapidBerry)

The smartphone, as shown in the video, has a rear-facing camera & flash, a microSD card slot, and a removable battery. It is also rumored to have a 4.2-inch screen, which the video appears to confirm.

The surprising thing about the video may be that the device isn’t all that remarkable. Even the BlackBerry 10 software running on it heavily resembles the Android and iOS interfaces, with a few twists. This could be worrisome for RIM fans, as not even Microsoft’s highly unique Windows Phone 8 devices have been able to capture consumers’ imaginations and make much of a dent in the iOS/Android dominated smartphone market.

Unless RIM has a surprise waiting for January, BlackBerry 10 devices could easily fall under the shadow of Apple and Samsung, as so many other manufacturers have. In fact, it might be hard for the company not to be upstaged by Samsung, who has teased a big announcement for CES earlier in January.

(via BGR)

A recently leaked marketing video obtained by Slashgear shows just that as the BlackBerry 10 is poised as being a phone for creation. The ad says that they will put the BlackBerry 10 into the hands of 10 people who will have one day to create something unique with the device. They even suggest that celebrities like Lady Gaga and J.K. Rowling create new songs and short stories using only RIM’s wonder device.

Check out the ad below:

I was rather dismissive of BlackBerry 10 when RIM showed off its first features earlier this week. Their public display of affection for developers didn’t help much either. That’s why it’s all the more confusing as to why RIM didn’t show this ad, or at least something similar. It does a way better job of selling BlackBerry 10 than RIM’s own light-on-details videos.

On a side note, it should be noted that the video also gives us our first look at the BlackBerry 10 N series. We knew that it was going to feature the QWERTY keyboard of its predecessors, but we were still unsure of the exact shape it would take. I sure hope the video is real because the BlackBerry N series is looking really good. The true strength of BlackBerry has always lied in their fantastic QWERTY handsets, and the N series seems to continue that fine tradition.

We’ll undoubtedly be able to confirm the authenticity of the video and more as we approach the launch of BlackBerry 10 in January. BlackBerry Jam Asia will be going down in November as well. We may learn more at that time.

The full version of Windows 8 that was shipped to OEMs on Wednesday has already been leaked onto various file sharing sites. If you’re thinking, “That didn’t take long,” you’re not alone. On the other hand, I’m surprised it took even a day for it to leak. New operating systems and software can sometimes show up days before they even go gold.

As for the leak itself, it’s obvious that one of the OEM partners who received the OS leaked it. I’m sure Microsoft is conducting their own internal investigation. I would hate to be the OEM partner who hired the guy responsible for the leak.

So if you decide to track down a copy of this illegal copy of Windows 8, know that you are getting the “N” version of the OS. Thanks to a ruling from the European Union, Microsoft must offer a version of Windows that does not come with Windows Media Player. So if you want to try out the full version of Windows 8, you’re going to have to do so without Windows Media Player.

If you’re a developer just itching to get into Windows 8, you only have to wait a few more days to get your hands on it legally. Microsoft announced that MSDN developers will be getting their hands on the OS starting August 15. Everybody else is going to have to wait until the actual launch date or however long it takes them to download it via their favorite torrent tracker.

Since this is a leak and is looked on as being illegal, expect no official support from Microsoft if things go awry. You should also expect Microsoft to do some terrible things to your installation if they find that you’re using a leaked copy. The company is pretty strict when it comes to piracy and shutting down your Microsoft account, which is required for much of Windows 8, would not be beyond their means.

[h/t: The Verge]

First, it’s important to know that compromised passwords were not published with corresponding email logins. At the time they were initially published, the vast majority of those passwords remained hashed, i.e. encoded, but unfortunately a subset of the passwords was decoded. Again, we are not aware of any member information being published at any time in connection with the list of stolen passwords. The only information published was the passwords themselves.

Silveira announced that LinkedIn is now working closely with the FBI to catch those responsible for the password therft. He reiterated a point he made in a blog post on Friday, saying that the company has received no reports of any accounts being breached.

When LinkedIn learned of the leaked passwords, it first sought to confirm that the passwords were actually from its members. Once it had, it immediately began to disable the accounts of those members whose passwords had already been cracked. After that, all member accounts that were part of the leak were disabled. Only after all of that was done were the emails sent out to users explaining how to reset their passwords.

Silveira stated that an initiative has been underway at LinkedIn to implement greater password security by salting its database of hashed passwords. Evidently, this process had already completed by the time news broke of the leaked passwords. Silveira announced that LinkedIn will be releasing “additional enhancements” in the future.

Though the situation is resolved for the moment, many are still curious as to whether their password was among the over 6.4 million passwords that were leaked to a hash cracking website this week. Though any members affected should have already received an email from LinkedIn, those who want to be extra-sure can check out a site called LeakedIn. The site hashes your password using the same method that the leaked hash used, and then searches for it in the leaked hash dump.

LeakedIn was created by web designer Chris Shflett and some colleagues, partly to give LinkedIn users some peace of mind, and partly to further chastise LinkedIn for the leak. Sheflett introduced the site in a post on his blog:

The app hashes your password using JavaScript, so your password never leaves your computer. You can verify this by viewing source, but if you prefer, you can also just provide your hash. We’ll let you know if your password is one of the 6.5 million that were leaked as well as if it has already been cracked.

Keep in mind that there is no way to know whether the leaked hash was the full range of passwords that were (presumably) stolen from LinkedIn. The safest bet for every LinkedIn member at this point is to change their password, and the password for every service they were using that same password for.

We want to provide you with an update on this morning’s reports of stolen passwords. We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts.

Silveira stated that LinkedIn members whose passwords have been compromised have had their password invalidated and will not be able to access their accounts until they reset their password. Those members will receive two emails from LinkedIn. The first will outline the steps members must take to reset their passwords, but will not contain any links. This is in keeping with Silveira’s password advice posted earlier today that stated members should never change their password from an email link. The second email will be from LinkedIn customer service, and will explain the situation to members who are unaware of the password leak.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our members,” said Silveira. “We take the security of our members very seriously.”

This was a fairly quick and decisive response from LinkedIn. The most important piece of advice for users at this point is to change their password for any service that is using the same password they had been using for LinkedIn. Of course, questions still remain about how the passwords were obtained from LinkedIn in the first place.

The tablet is rumored to have a 7 inch screen and an updated version of Android software to run on. It is expected to cost around $250 dollars, putting it in direct competition with the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Kindle Fire.

You may have noticed at least one oddity about the leaked photos. They appear to have an ear piece slit on the top of the device. It Google really making a tablet phone? Samsung tested these waters by offering the Galaxy note, a device that lands somewhere in between tab and phone, but it will be strange to see a full on tab that doubles as a phone.

The casing also appears to have a place for a video camera to be placed, so they could be going for the video chat approach. Still, one might be reluctant to carry a phone the size of a tablet around with them all day.

The anonymous tipster at Phone Arena claims that the device will include a quad core Tegra 3 CPU and will be updated to Android 4.1 OS. Early rumors said that it was going to be outfitted with Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, but the tipster says that is not the case. It will also have a Gig of RAM under the hood.

[ht: Business Insider]

Though LinkedIn has not yet been able to confirm that its security has been breached, it has stated that an investigation is ongoing. In light of this news, the company has decided now might be a good time to refresh its users on the finer points of creating and protecting a good password. Vicente Silveria, director at LinkedIn, has provided some password security tips in a post over at the LinkedIn Blog. From the post:

While our investigation continues, we thought it would be a good idea to remind our members that one of the best ways to protect your privacy and security online is to craft a strong password, to change it frequently (at least once a quarter or every few months) and to not use the same password on multiple sites. Use this as an opportunity to review all of your account settings on LinkedIn and on other sites too. Remember, no matter what website you’re on, it’s important for you to make sure that you protect your account security and privacy.

The post also contains specific, common tips for password security such as signing out of accounts on public computers, never changing a password through an email link, and changing passwords every three months. When creating a password, Silveria suggests that users make it longer than 10 characters and fill it with random capitol letters, punctuation, or symbols. He warns against choosing a password out of a dictionary or using the same password for multiple websites.

You can follow the ongoing developments in the LinkedIn password hacking story here. If the company does admit to a security breach, it will have many questions to answer about its server security measures.