iOS up, Android down. That's according to the latest smartphone OS sales data.

Machine learning in 2017 will elevate the smartphone to a virtual assistant which knows what you want before you do, according to forecasts by Deloitte.

As months and years pass by, even the most powerful computer can start to slow down and show signs of age, much like a car. But as with your automobile, there are steps to take that will minimise the creeping sluggishness and keep your laptop running as fast as possible for as long as possible. Here are a couple of easy steps you can take to keep your computer from slowing down.

Earlier this month, IFTTT (If This Then That) changed its automation platform into a more sophisticated tool. Rather than using one-dimensional "recipes" that trigger actions when certain conditions are met, the company launched something entirely new called "applets." The new applets allow users to create multiple actions from a single condition and filter conditions. In short, it makes it easier to create complicated conditional statements.

Australian companies are the slowest in paying overdue bills; the average time for local businesses to pay outstanding invoices is 26.4 days after they are overdue, according to research by MarketInvoice. Based on a new survey by one of the world's largest credit insurers Atradius, it seems that Australian ICT companies are the worst offenders when it comes to late business-to-business (B2B) payments.

Despite Microsoft's best efforts to move everybody onto Windows 10, Windows 7 is still the company's most popular operating system. Microsoft stopped selling consumer editions of Windows 7 two years ago but kept the professional version going so original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like HP, Lenovo and Dell could keep pre-installing them on their PCs. Now Microsoft has finally stopped selling Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8.1 licences. Here's what you need to know.

Updated 27/10/16: Last week, a nine-year old bug was uncovered in the Linux kernel that can give attackers root-level access to machines running the Linux operating system. Because the vulnerability is related to how the kernel handles copy-on-write memory, it has been dubbed 'Dirty COW'. The security flaw exists on every distribution of the operating system. Devices that use Android, which is based on Linux, are also affected. If you're running a Linux-based server or using an Android phone, here's how you can protect yourself against Dirty COW.

Microsoft has now made its Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 generally available. The operating system and the software suite cater to hybrid cloud datacentres. Both offerings intend to bring "cloud-born technologies to the traditional datacentre" so IT administrators can make the most of existing resources. Here's what you need to know about the features and pricing for the two offerings.

Since launching in 2009, GitHub has become the biggest Git repository hosting service in the world and is used by millions of individuals and businesses to manage software projects. It has also become a playground for open-source software projects that often involve a large number of contributors. When there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, it can become chaotic and scare off beginners. If you are a software developer that's ready to enter the GitHub fray, we have some advice on what to do — and what not to do — when you're contributing to a project in a Git repository.

In June, Microsoft ran its own test that showed Edge browser consumed less power on a laptop than Chrome, which came in at last place. Google isn't going to take it laying down, firing back with its own tests to prove that Chrome isn't the battery draining browser that Microsoft makes it out to be. You can see the results here.

Earlier this year, Microsoft toyed with the idea of buying work messenger app Slack for US$8 billion. Now it's working on a Slack competitor based on its very own Skype brand. Here are the details.

Microsoft Windows app developers can now expand the reach of their apps to the Xbox One platform. This is just one of the updates that have been made to the Windows Dev Center. Here's what you need to know.

There is a website I used to visit on a daily basis that has recently adopted pop-up ads and when they're displayed on the mobile phone, it cripples my ability to view the main content. How I hate pop-up ads. Google seems to understand my consternation because it has just announced that websites with intrusive pop-up advertising will be demoted in its search engine rankings. Here's what you need to know.

Business managers have a poor understanding of what technology to invest in and how to use it. Technology use alone doesn’t lead to growth in a business but simple technology focused on solving customers’ problems is key. Read on to find out more.

In late 2012, Apple came out with its own navigation app: Apple Maps. The company used it to replace Google Maps on its iOS devices. Unfortunately, Apple Maps paled in comparison to Google Maps and was heavily criticised when it was first launched. Apple CEO Tim Cook reflected on how the company dealt with the Apple Maps mistake and what other big businesses can learn from it.

A lot of stress is placed on the importance of science and technology skills for innovation in Australian enterprise and education. Innovation actually demands a cross-range of technical and non-technical skills, even more so in an age where the value of tech skills are diminished by the sheer number of people who posses them, a new report has found.

It's been years in the making but Microsoft has finally released its open source .NET Core, essentially a stripped down version of the company's full blown .NET Framework that is used to create mobile, desktop and web applications for Windows machines. .NET Core, however, is cross platform, available on Windows, OSX and Linux, making it easier for developers to use .NET for apps on different devices. This is a big deal for .NET and Microsoft as a company as it continues fly the flag for open source. Here's what you need to know.

Both Apple and Google use their developer conferences to introduce updates to their mobile operating systems. Google IO, held last month, introduced Google's latest version “N” of Android, along with new apps. Apple has done the same this week at its World Wide Developer Conference, introducing iOS 10.

While both Apple and Google are likely to be monitoring each others’ releases to stay competitive, there is a big difference underlying the Android and iOS approaches to feature development that means their respective focus will also differ. Read on to find out more.

There are a lot of programmers out there who are self-taught and even the ones that have had formal training may not have considered the importance of having effective workflow patterns to make the most of their skills and time. Facebook' technical coach Kent Beck has some advice to share on how to develop workflow patterns that may help you on journey as a programmer or developer.