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Features

• Trust issue looms large for tech companies capitalizing on personal data

  As tech companies increasingly rely on analyzing and selling user data to boost revenue, trust is emerging as one of the defining issues of the year for the IT sector.

• Inside Cisco's private Cloud

  Do private Clouds work? You bet they do, says Cisco, which has more than two years of experience under its belt with its Cisco IT Elastic Infrastructure Services (CITEIS) Cloud. 
  

• Bitcoin malware count soars as cryptocurrency value climbs

  As bitcoin values jumped in the last months of 2013, malware designed to steal the virtual currency exploded, security researchers from Dell SecureWorks said this week.

• Facebook coughs up $19bn to buy WhatsApp, draw younger users

  Facebook may be shelling out $19 billion in cash and stock for the messaging company WhatsApp to stanch the departure of younger users from the social network.

• iTunes is almost as big a biz as OEM Windows

  Apple's iTunes, software and services group generated almost as much revenue in 2013 as the Microsoft division responsible for licensing Windows to computer and smartphone makers, according to comparisons of the companies' financial statements.

• Twitter's slipping user growth spooks investors

  Twitter Wednesday reported that fourth quarter sales more than doubled over the past year, but the company nevertheless spooked investors by acknowledging a slowdown in new user growth and in user engagement.

• The future of Dynamics in a Nadella-led Microsoft

  Microsoft's Dynamics ERP and CRM product lines seemed safe immediately following former CEO Steve Ballmer's sweeping reorganization of the company last year. But now that longtime Microsoft executive Satya Nadella has been named Ballmer's successor, the time is ripe for more focused speculation on the future of Dynamics. Here's a look at what could be in store.

• Antitrust deal leaves Google undamaged

  Google's agreement to end its three-year antitrust dispute with the European Union gives the company's search rivals a boost, but it's probably not enough to make a dent in Google's search engine dominance

• SAP lays out its strategy for growth, with HANA at the forefront

  SAP's strategy event for the investment community on Tuesday offered few major surprises to anyone who's been closely monitoring the software vendor lately, but did serve to cement the company's future direction for product development, growth and customer retention. Here's a look at some of the highlights of the event.

• What new CEO Nadella's promotion means for Microsoft's Cloud

  Microsoft just appointed its Cloud guy to be the company's next CEO. Satya Nadella has impressively grown Microsoft into being one of the relevant members of the cloud computing industry, but industry watchers say there is a lot more the company must do to grow into one of the dominant companies in the market.

• With Motorola sold, Google can focus on robots, Glass and smart homes

  Now that Google has gotten rid of Motorola Mobility, the company can focus on its newest projects, like the smart home, wearable computers and robotics.

• The Open Source Rookies of the Year Awards

  , the open source software management company, picks the top 10 open source projects launched in the past year, based on stats collected from the

• Ad blockers: A solution or a problem?

  Ad blockers can make websites cleaner and faster for users, but they can also take a nasty bite out of advertising revenue. How popular are they, and what can site publishers do about them?

• US court strikes down net neutrality: What's next?

  The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and its allies have several options, with most of them difficult, after a U.S. appeals court struck down most of the agency's 2010 net neutrality rules.

• Apple is still making it hard to think differently

  Apple repeatedly bows to censorship demands in places like China.