In a play to dominate messaging on phones and the Web, Facebook has acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion. (Read the whole story……..)

On April 8, Windows XP’s life is coming to an end. On that day, Microsoft will stop issuing security updates to the 12-year-old operating system, and it will end nearly all technical support as well.

You wouldn’t think that killing off an operating system that debuted in the first year of the Bush administration would ruffle too many feathers. But an amazing 29% of computers across the globe are still running Windows XP, according to NetMarketShare. That makes it the world’s second most widely used operating system, just behind Windows 7………….(read the whole story)

Microsoft on Wednesday released its first preview of Windows 8.1, a vastly improved update of its forward-thinking but flawed PC operating system.

On paper, the list of changes that Microsoft made to Windows 8.1 don’t seem all that major. No, the app tiles aren’t gone. Yes, the Start button is back, but not exactly as you remember it …………. (read the whole story)

Over the next week, millions of Gmail users will notice that something’s changed. Just like the web browser containing it, Gmail will have tabs.

But it won’t be tabs for handling different accounts. Instead, the tabs will represent the new auto-sorting powers Google’s Gmail has been granted in an attempt to make your email more useful. You might say it’s an evolution of the spam blocker.

Leveraging years of data collection from Gmail accounts, Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) will be able to take notifications from services like Facebook (FB) and Twitter and file them away in a folder titled Social. Groupon (GRPN) deals and the never-ending onslaught of email from Fab will be tucked away in the Promotions folders……..(read the whole story)

http://news.utoronto.ca/u-t-spinoff-company-launches-tiny-smarter-keyboard?utm_source=Bulletin&utm_medium=HTML&utm_content=Lead

Google Reader has fallen victim to the company’s latest “spring cleaning,” an annual list of products that will be shut down.

Reader lets users “subscribe” to new posts from any website. The tool allows readers to categorize those various “RSS” feeds, giving them easy access to a lot of information on one website………………(read the whole story)

Microsoft will be killing off its Windows Live Messenger chat service on March 15, transitioning its more than 100 million users to Skype.

The company announced its plans to discontinue Messenger in November, but Microsoft sent a firm timetable to its users through e-mail on Tuesday. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) is directing customers to sign in to Skype with their Windows Live login information, noting that their contact lists will automatically show up in the Skype software…….(read the whole story)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Hewlett-Packard’s $8.8 billion writedown of Autonomy on Tuesday slammed a deep crater in HP’s balance sheet, but it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to some of the epically disastrous tech mergers of the past decade. …….(read the whole story)

Kodak has announced its plans to sell off its Personalised Imaging and Document Imaging businesses. The Personalised Imaging business includes still camera film products, photographic papers, retail print solutions and souvenir photo products sold at theme parks and other venues. The Document Imaging business provides a portfolio of scanners, capture software and services to enterprise customers. In future, Kodak intends to focus on its commercial, packaging and functional printing solutions and enterprise services, while retaining its Consumer Inkjet, Entertainment Imaging, Commercial Film and Specialty Chemicals businesses. Discussions continue on the company’s digital imaging patent portfolio, which may be sold or retained……..(read the whole story)

Microsoft Corp unveiled its first new logo in 25 years on Thursday as it looks to unify its branding ahead of a clutch of new product releases this year.

The world’s largest software company is introducing a dash of color in its first logo redesign since 1987, using a new multi-coloured square next to a plain rendering of its name in Segoe font, replacing its well-worn Helvetica Black Italic-style logo.