US fires back at China with charges of cyberspying, report says

The Justice Department reportedly has filed criminal charges against Chinese government officials over the alleged activities.

The US Justice Department is taking a serious step in its squabbling with China over cyberspying, according to a new report.

The Justice Department has filed criminal charges against several Chinese government officials, charging then with hacking into US company servers and stealing American trade secrets, NBC News is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the proceedings. The US is expected to announce the charges later on Monday.

China and the US have been waging a PR battle over cyberespionage. The US has consistently said that China is one of the worst cyberspying actors in the world, hacking into US networks and obtaining and stealing classified information and trade secrets. China, meanwhile, has likewise charged the US with hacking activities, leaving little room for doubt that the countries are, at the very least, surreptitiously targeting each other for their own gain.

According to NBC News, its sources wouldn't say which companies were targeted, but it's believed that they compete in the energy and manufacturing sectors.

It's not clear from the report how many Chinese government officials will be charged by the US Justice Department, but NBC News' source said that the individuals "used military and intelligence facilities to commit cyber espionage against US companies."

US Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to make an official announcement on the charges later on Monday.

China derides US industrial cyberspying accusation

An indictment accusing five Chinese officers of hacking US companies is wrong and should be withdrawn, a minister says. Is industrial espionage just part of national security?

The US accused five Chinese military officers of cyberespionage. From left to right: Wen Xinyu, Wang Dong, Gu Chunhui, Huang Zhenyu, and Sun Kailiang.US Justice DepartmentChinese officials have denied any wrongdoing a day after the US Justice Department filed criminal charges accusing five Chinese military officers of Internet-based spying on US corporations.In a Defense Ministry statement and speech (Google translation into English) on Tuesday, Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng accused the US of hypocrisy about cyberespionage and called on the country to withdraw the indictment. He accused the US of spying on Chinese politicians, companies, and individuals, pointing to evidence revealed by Wikileaks and Edward Snowden's revelations.
The disagreement underscores the continuing vulnerability of computing infrastructure to skilled attackers. But it also shows that at least in some cases, skilled defenders can identify who's conducting those attacks. Stripping away anonymity opens the door to punishment, deterrence, and in this case, diplomatic friction.
The two countries have tussled for years over spying accusations, with no indication that either country has stopped. The US indictment of the five Chinese officers indicates that the US has strong evidence and wants to show there are consequences to the network-based attacks.
"This sort of legal action is a standard tactic in espionage. It sends a clear signal to the other side that their actions have become intolerable," said James Andrew Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
One difference between the two countries is on the legitimacy of industrial espionage, as opposed to political or military espionage. The five officers indicted Monday are accused of attacks that revealed information at Westinghouse, Alcoa, US Steel, ATI, USW, and SolarWorld, according to the indictment (PDF).
"What the U.S. objected to was espionage that had no national security rationale and was done only for commercial purposes, to give Chinese companies an unfair advantage in the market," Lewis said of US-China talks over the matter since 2010. But the Chinese view is different, he said, quoting a People's Liberation Army officer: "In the U.S., military espionage is heroic and economic espionage is a crime, but in China, the line is not as clear."

Comparing Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 to the new Surface Pro 3

Microsoft has announced a successor to the Surface Pro 2. Let's see how the new tablet stacks up against its older sibling.

Lighter, faster, stronger -- the Surface Pro 3 is here, and Microsoft wants it to be the tablet that finally replaces your laptop.
Of course, we've heard that all before. But at a press event on Tuesday, Microsoft laid out its case: the Surface Pro 3 is a scant 9.1mm thick, making it the thinnest piece of hardware to ever pack an Intel Core processor. It also weighs 1.7 pounds, a hair slimmer than its predecessor. The tablet's 12-inch screen sports a 2,160x1,440-pixel resolution, and a thinner optical layer, to cut down on all of that input lag between the screen and the digital pen.
HANDS-ON WITH THE MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 3 (PICTURES) SEE FULL GALLERY
 

Better still, the rear hinge of the Surface has been redesigned with a friction hinge that allows the tablet to lean back a full 150 degrees -- this promises to make using a Surface and its keyboard cover in your lap a feasible prospect.
MORE SURFACE PRO 3 COVERAGE
Surface Pro 3: 12-inch 3:2 screen, starts at $799, preorders start May 21 (hands-on)Microsoft: Surface Pro 3 will replace your laptopWhat Microsoft didn't announce today: An ARM-based Surface MiniSurface Pro 3 pen could be hint of Mini to comeIs it time to spring for a Surface tablet? Or maybe you already own of a Surface Pro 2 -- do you really need to upgrade? We'll have answers to those questions and more once we get some time to test the hardware, but be sure to check out our first look at the new device.
For now, we must be content to ogle over the specs on the comparison chart below.
MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 2 VS. SURFACE PRO 3

Surface Pro 2	Surface Pro 3
Size	10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53 inches	12.0 x 7.93 x 0.36 inches
Display	10.6-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution	12-inch, 2,160x1,440-pixel resolution
Processor	Fourth-gen Intel Core i5	Fourth-gen Intel Core i3, i5, or i7
Graphics	Intel HD 4400	Intel HD 4400
RAM	4GB, up to 8GB	4GB, up to 8GB
Connectivity	802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE	802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Storage	64GB SSD, up to 512GB	64GB SSD, up to 512GB
Weight	2 pounds	1.8 pounds
Battery Life	Reported 7 hours of video playback	Reported 9 hours of Web-browsing
Price	Starts at $899 (64GB, Core i5)	Starts at $799 (64GB, Core i3)

Twitter users can now reset their password via text message

The site also promises to keep an eye out for suspicious log-ins and may ask you for further information to verify your account.

Twitter has tweaked its security options to help you more easily reset your password and safeguard your account.

Unveiled on Thursday, one new measure lets you reset your password through SMS, aka text messaging. Alternatively, you can enter an email address or account name to receive your reset credentials by email instead.

To give the SMS option a whirl, you'll first need to associate your mobile phone number with your Twitter account if you haven't already done so. To do this, follow the steps outlined at Twitter's "Adding your mobile number to your account" Help Center page. After you activate your phone, you should then disable any text notifications that you don't want to receive.

If you opt for the SMS alert, you'll receive a code on your phone that you can enter at the Twitter Sign in page. You can then create and type a new password for your Twitter account. At this point, you should also review the security settings for Twitter to see if you want to tighten them further. For example, you can tell Twitter to ask for your phone number or email address in addition to your username anytime you want to reset your password.To request a password reset via text message or email, click the Forgot password link from Twitter's Sign In page. You can do this at the full website or mobile site as well as from Twitter's iOS and Android apps. At the prompt, type your mobile phone number to receive the reset information via SMS, or type your email address or username to receive it via email.

Finally, Twitter will more aggressively deal with what it considers suspicious log-in attempts. As described in a Thursday blog post, the site will now analyze log-in attempts based on location, device, log-in history, and other factors. If it identifies a suspicious log-in, it will ask for further information to verify your account and also send you an alert email so you can change your password if necessary.

FCC chairman will reportedly revise broadband proposal

New broadband rules will include assurances that ISPs will not be able to segregate web traffic into fast and slow lanes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

FCC Chairman Tom WheelerMaggie Reardon/CNET

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has revised details of its proposed plan to rewrite Net neutrality to add assurances that Internet service providers will not be able to segregate Internet traffic into fast and slow lanes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is expected to reveal the new proposal as early as Monday, the Journal reported. The rules revision is an apparent attempt to quell concern that broadband providers will be allowed to degrade traffic speeds to some sites while allowing other sites to strike deals that assure preferential delivery of their web content to customers.

While not a dramatic revision of Wheeler's proposal, the new draft is expected to include language that will allow the FCC to ensure that broadband providers don't degrade the traffic of nonpaying customers. The new proposal will also seek comment on whether such "paid prioritization" should be prohibited altogether.

The commission's proposed plan ignited a frenzy of criticism on the Internet last month after being spotlighted in news reports. The reports suggested that the FCC had changed its position on certain aspects of its Open Internet rules, including shifting its stance to allow Internet service providers to charge companies for a faster lane of service.

The redrafting comes just days after the world's top tech heavyweights made a plea to the FCC to lay down the law and safeguard Net neutrality, which traditionally has prohibited blocking access or discriminating against Internet traffic traveling over an ISP's connections. Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Yahoo, eBay, and dozens of others wrote a letter (PDF) to the FCC on Wednesday asking for a "free and open Internet" and rules that protect users and Internet companies. In all, nearly 150 Internet companies signed the letter.

Over the past few weeks, Wheeler has worked to calm critics of the proposal saying that he is all for an open Internet. A couple of weeks ago, he wrote a blog post in which he pledged to use "every available power" to prevent ISPs from degrading service for the benefit of a few.

After the letter was released, Democratic FCC Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn both issued statements questioning Wheeler's proposal. Clyburn wrote a blog post that called for a free and open Internet, as well as prohibiting pay-for-priority arrangements, and Rosenworcel issued a statement (PDF) asking the commissioners to "delay our consideration of his rules by a least a month. I believe that rushing headlong into a rulemaking next week fails to respect the public response to his proposal."

Wheeler's proposal will be voted on by the four other FCC commissioners at the agency's open meeting on Thursday.

Google Maps adds 17K routes to UK public transport data

The tech giant amps up transportation data from England, Wales, Scotland, Vancouver, Chicago, and major cities in Brazil.

UK dwellers will soon have to look no further than Google Maps to get routes, schedules, and transfer information for all of their public transport needs.
Google is on the verge of launching a comprehensive mapping feature for every type of public transportation available in the UK, including buses, trains, ferries, trams, and subways, according to the Guardian. This update will be one of the company's biggest-ever additions of public transport information.
"In Britain, public transport is part of the national psyche," Google Maps product manager David Tattersall told the newspaper. "The biggest changes will be on mobile, as devices are becoming more and more powerful and they're things we spend a lot of time with. We're aiming to really improve users' lives."
Google also announced that it added new public transit information to Google Maps in Vancouver, Chicago, and all cities hosting FIFA World Cup games in Brazil.Google already gives UK users public transport information but it's not as all-inclusive as what will soon be available. According to the Guardian, about 17,000 routes and 34,000 stopping points will be included in Google Maps. Users will also be able to find out departure and transfer information, the distance between stations, and which routes have the fewest transfers.
The tech giant was able to add all of this transport data to its maps because the UK government and transportation companies have opened up their data for developers to use, according to The Next Web.
Google Maps has been working on mapping out the world's transit structures for several years now. Some of its initiatives include adding public transport in New York City, voice search with its transit planner, and live transit updates in several cities around the world.

Make the new Firefox look and act like the old Firefox

Having trouble adjusting to Firefox 29? If Mozilla’s overhauled browser is giving you fits, then I suggest you turn to the Classic Theme Restorer extension.

I've been doing my best to like Firefox 29, but try as I might, I am not enjoying the latest version of Mozilla's browser all that much. For starters, it looks too similar to Chrome, which has become a source of confusion as I use both browsers and like to be able to keep them straight at a glance. (Do your own thing, Firefox -- don't fall in line with the popular kid in browser school.) Also, familiar buttons have been moved or are just plain missing. And the thing is slow; on my admittedly aging MacBook Pro, it has been freezing at a much greater rate than the previous version, and Firefox 28 wasn't great in this regard.

I want my old Firefox back, or at least some parts of it. I found an extension that offers a host of options to tweak the look and feel of Firefox 29, though I don't have any tips on how to speed it up. The extension in question is Classic Theme Restorer. It offers a great many settings, and most of the time you can experiment with a setting without restarting Firefox. To access all that the extension can do, open your Add-ons page in Firefox and click the Preferences button for Classic Theme Restorer.

Allow me to share a few tweaks that I made with Classic Theme Restorer to make the new Firefox look and act a little more like the old Firefox.

Tab shape and location

The easiest way for me to distinguish between Firefox and Chrome is the shape of the many tabs I always have open in each browser. Curved tabs = Chrome. Square tabs = Firefox. It was a great system for me. With Firefox 29, it would appear that Firefox has got itself caught up in the curved-tab fab. So, the first setting you'll encounter with Classic Theme Restorer is the shape of the tabs. You have three styles of square tabs from which to choose as well as two styles of curved tab.

In another seemingly Chrome-inspired move, Firefox 29 also moves the tabs above the URL bar. Classic Theme Restorer lets you move the tabs to their rightful place below the URL bar if you so choose. You can also set maximum and minimum width for tabs, but I think the default setting works just fine.
Missing: Tab close buttonMore than the new shape and location of tabs in Firefox 29, my biggest beef is the "X" button that goes missing from the right side of each tab. It disappears from all but the active tab when you add enough tabs to start shrinking the width of the tabs. This means that you must click to open a background before clicking again to close it. Before, you could simply click the "X" on a background tab to close it.Thankfully, Classic Theme Restorer lets you show the "X" button on all tabs, no matter how many tabs you have open. Click on the Special tab in the Preferences window and check the box for "Always show tab close button." And note: this setting is one of the few that requires a restart before taking effect.
Star button: Not a favoriteFirefox 29 adds a star button to the left of the URL bar. You can click this to bookmark the current page, but I rarely bookmark pages, and when I do I use Command-D (or Ctrl-D on Windows). Thus, to my eye, this star button is just taking up space. To get rid of it, head back to the Main tab of of the preferences window. In the General UI section on the right, check the box for Star-button in URL bar. This setting, too, requires a restart before taking effect.
These are just a handful of settings that can be tweaked with Classic Theme Restorer. Are there things about Firefox 29 that are driving you nuts? And was Classic Theme Restorer able to help? Let me know through comments below.

Facebook reportedly building Snapchat rival called Slingshot

Mark Zuckerberg is personally supervising development of an "ephemeral messaging" app that could be released as early as this month, according to the Financial Times.

After Facebook's failed bid to acquire Snapchat, the social network has reportedly been busy on developing its own video and picture messaging app.

Mark Zuckerberg is personally supervising development of an "ephemeral messaging" app called Slingshot, according to the Financial Times (subscription required). The app could be released as early as this month, according to the report.

A Facebook representative declined to comment on the report.News of the apps' development comes six months after Snapchat reportedly rejected Facebook's acquisition offer of $3 billion, which was about three times what the social network paid for photo-sharing app Instagram in 2012.

The 2-year-old app, which has sent 400 million send-it-and-forget-it photo and video "snaps", has grown rapidly in popularity with teens, pulling them away from Facebook. The app is estimated to be used by 9 percent of adult cell phone owners in the US, according to research conducted by Pew.

Facebook recently removed a Snapchat clone called Poke from the Apple App Store. Launched in 2012, Poke was an extension of Facebook's "poke" button, a feature left over from Facebook's collegiate beginnings.

Yahoo has also shown interest in the secret-messaging sector, snapping up an app called Blink last week that allows users to send texts, pictures, and audio that self-destruct. Yahoo shut down the iOS and Android versions of the app, folding the app's 7-person team into the company's "smart communication products," Yahoo said.

Yahoo Japan kills deal to buy eAccess from Softbank

But Yahoo Japan will still use the eAccess network to kick-start its own mobile Internet services.Yahoo Japan has called off a plan to spend $3.2 billion to buy the eAccess mobile network from Softbank.
Revealed in March, Yahoo Japan would've taken over eAccess as part of a move to merge eAccess with Willcom, a company also owned by SoftBank that offers wireless services. SoftBank actually owns around 42 percent of Yahoo Japan, while the US-based Yahoo owns around 35 percent of it.
On Monday, eAccess explained in a statement why the $3.2 billion transaction was canceled:
"Yahoo has come to the conclusion that instead of converting eAccess in to its consolidated subsidiary and building infrastructure by itself, it would be better for Yahoo and eAccess to collaborate by capitalizing on the strengths of each company, whereby Yahoo would be responsible for services and eAccess will be responsible for infrastructure."
Analysts also were puzzled why Yahoo Japan would buy a mobile network from Softbank when both companies are part of the same group, Reuters said Monday. That question has caused shares of Yahoo Japan to sink by 25 percent since the deal was announced.
Yahoo's decision not to buy eAccess won't affect its overarching goal. eAccess and Willcom still plan to merge, effective June 1. Yahoo Japan will then work with the new company, dubbed Ymobile, to roll out its own mobile services under a new "Ymobile" brand.

Facebook rolls auto-play video ads into more countries

One of Facebook's auto-play video ads on a mobile device.While people in the US have been seeing Facebook's new auto-play video ads over the past couple of months, users in a few other countries will also now catch a glimpse of the ads popping up in their News Feeds.
The social network announced Tuesday that it's launching its "premium video ads" in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK. These 15-second ads play without sound until clicked on -- at which point, they expand into full-screen view and play with sound.
Facebook modeled these ads after television spots and they're meant to give advertisers with deep pockets -- the ads reportedly cost anywhere from $1 million to $2.5 million per day -- access to the broadest swath of Facebook users at specific intervals during the day.Unlike other ads found on Facebook, premium video ads are vetted for creative quality and "watchability" before they reach users' feeds. Facebook said it's working with a company called Ace Metrix to review the premium spots before they go live on the social network.
Facebook first began testing the video ads last December and then rolled them out to US users in March. Eventually, the social network intends for all of its 1.23 billion members to see the ads.
People living in the newly announced countries can expect to see premium video ads in their Web and mobile News Feed over the next few months. The company is currently working with a small number of advertisers as it continues to monitor how members respond to the ads.
"With Premium Video Ads, brands now have another way of engaging people on Facebook with compelling video experiences," Facebook said in a blog post Tuesday. "This limited introduction allows us to concentrate our efforts on a smaller number of advertisers with high-quality campaigns to create the best possible experience on Facebook.

China bans Windows 8 from government computers

The Chinese government has officially banned Windows 8 from use on all government computers, reports out of the country claim.
The Xinhua news agency, one of the government's media mouthpieces, told Mobileandpcworld that the move was designed to improve security on government computers. Neither the government nor Xinhua explained how the ban would ensure security, Reuters noted.
The news comes at a time when animosity between China and the US is high. On Monday, the US charged several Chinese government officials with allegedly hacking networks in the US. China quickly responded by saying that the US has engaged in cyberespionage and cried foul on the charges.
RELATED STORIES
China derides US industrial cyberspying accusatioUS fires back at China with charges of cyberspying, report saysChina approves Nokia's sale of phone business to MicrosoftMicrosoft Surface dissed in China over warranty policyThe decision to nix Microsoft's operating system on government computers was made last week, Reuters reports, so it didn't relate to Monday's charges.
For Microsoft, the ban is just the latest in a long line of issues the company has faced in China. Microsoft has long accused China of being a center of Windows piracy. In July 2012, Microsoft accused nine Chinese computer resellers of running unlicensed software ahead of the launch of Windows 8. The company has also tried working with the government to ease the effect of illegal copying, but those efforts have yet to bear fruit.
It's not clear from the reports what the Chinese government will use for computer operating systems now that Windows 8 is off the table. Windows XP is still widely used in China, but after Microsoft ended support for that platform in April, it too would present a security risk to the government. Windows 7 is still an option, but Xinhua did not say what the government has decided.
CNET has contacted Microsoft for comment. We will update this story when we have more information.
Microsoft shares are down .38 percent, or 15 cents, in pre-market trading on Tuesday

The 10 Best Tablets

It's tough to believe the tablet market has exploded as quickly as it has since the first iPad debuted almost four years ago. After all, smartphones, tablets, and laptops all fulfill similar needs, and the feature sets of these devices don't vary wildly. Often it comes down to whether you want to check Facebook, email your pals, or watch House of Cards on a 5-, a 7-, or a 13-inch screen.
At the same time, here we are four years later, and there still aren't really many tablets that will truly replace both a laptop and a smartphone. A tablet is basically an extra thing to buy and carry. You probably don't need a tablet, but that doesn't mean you don't want one.
And if you know you want a tablet, you probably also have some idea whether you want an iPad, an Android, or a Windows model. (An important note: This list focuses mostly on lower-cost media-consumption tablets. Though there are some Windows 8 tablets listed here, if you're looking for a convertible tablet or one with with a laptop-grade processor, whose main task is productivity, The Best Windows 8 Tablets focuses on those models.)
There are some other important factors to consider as well. Do you need a tablet that offers hundreds of thousands of apps? Do you want a slate that you can easily hold with a single hand, or one with a larger 10-inch screen? Do you need memory card slots for additional storage? How about 4G cellular connectivity so you can use your tablet to get online anywhere? You get the idea.
If you're unsure which tablet to get, we present this list of the 10 best tablets we've tested as a good place to start your search. The list comprises Android, Apple, and Microsoft models. And since one tablet size doesn't fit all, we picked five large-screen (8.9- to 11-inch) and five small-screen (7- to 8-inch) winners to come up with our top 10. And since we're reviewing new tablets all the time, we'll update this list periodically.
For more in-depth tablet-shopping advice, read Android, Apple, or Windows: How to Choose the Right Tablet. If you're all about Android, take a look at the Best Android Tablets. And for the latest lab-tested reviews, check out the Tablet Product Guide.

Large-Screen (8.9-to-11-Inch) Tablets

Apple iPad Air 
 
$499
$499.00 at Apple StoreThe iPad Air is Apple's attempt to make the tablet disappear. The result is an unusually slim, well-built platform for the best array of apps in the business. 

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Asus Transformer Book T100TA 
 
$399
$364.50 at AmazonFor a sub-$400 price, the Asus Transformer Book T100TA is a fully functional Windows 8.1 hybrid tablet, and the natural successor to the netbook ideal. And it avoids all the compatibility issues that plague tablets running mobile operating systems like iOS, Android, or Windows RT. 

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Dell Venue 11 Pro 
 
$499
$499.99 at DellWith all-day battery life, a 1080p IPS screen, Windows 8.1 Pro, and flexible mobile and desktop docking systems, the Dell Venue 11 Pro slate tablet means business. And it's under $500. 

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Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9"

$379
$379.00 at AmazonThe Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" is the simplest-to-use high-quality, large-screen tablet, with built-in, on-demand tech support. And it's the best choice for handling your Amazon content.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) 

$549
Best Price at AmazonThis year's Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet picks up exactly where last year's model left off, making key upgrades to the display and internals while improving its core stylus and multitasking features, but it's still not perfect. 

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Small-Screen (7- to 8-Inch) Tablets

Google Nexus 7 
 
$228
$204.67 at AmazonGoogle's Nexus 7 continues to set the bar for small-screen tablets with a perfect balance between price and performance. 

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Apple iPad mini with Retina Display 
 
$399
A$266.90 at CrazySalesThe new iPad mini has a super-sharp Retina display and packs all of the power of the iPad Air into a more portable package. 

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Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7" 

$229
$229.00 at AmazonAmazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX is the simplest high-quality small-screen tablet you can buy, and ease of use doesn't come at the cost of performance. 

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Asus MeMO Pad HD 7 

$149
$149.00 at AmazonThe Asus MeMO Pad HD 7 is one of the most affordable tablets available, and offers solid features and performance for the price. 

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Lenovo Miix 2 8 

$299
$499.00 at LenovoThe Lenovo Miix 2 8 is an affordable 8-inch slate with good battery life and features for the price. Just make sure you always have access to the Internet, as local storage is a bit slim on this low-cost Windows 8 tablet.