Stories by Ian Paul

Microsoft is jumping on the one-swipe mobile payment bandwagon by introducing Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to Windows Phone 7, according to online rumors. NFC would allow Phone 7 users to pay for items such as subway tickets, groceries and drug store purchases by waving their handsets in front of a machine. The mobile payment technology could be part of the Phone 7 operating system later in 2011, according to two people familiar with the plans who spoke to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Facebook recently launched a new question-and-answer feature that helps supply answers to important questions such as "Where's the best burger in New York City?" or "Which smartphone do you use?" The new feature lets you ask questions of your friends, set up a poll with a limited number of responses, and follow interesting questions asked by others. Questions is now rolling out to all users, but if you want to get started right away you can activate Facebook Questions here. Facebook's new question service has been in limited beta testing since July.

You may not want to think about your taxes until Tax Day on April 15, but online scammers are already plotting to separate you from your tax refund and your identity. Scams for the 2011 tax season include promises of tax credits for charitable donations to disaster relief in Japan, malware-laden Websites optimized for search engines, dangerous e-mail, and so-called 'likejacking' techniques found on the social network Facebook.

AT&T says its $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile USA will improve call quality and broadband availability for its customers, and bring next-generation cellular service to 95 per cent of Americans. The deal would make AT&T the largest cellular carrier in the United States with around 130 million customers. It would also give Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile USA's current owner) about an eight per cent stake in AT&T.

Yahoo is about to sell off the social bookmarking site Delicious for as much as $2 million, according to several sources. If true, the move comes three months after Yahoo said Delicious was "not a strategic fit" for the Web portal.

Computer maker Asus may launch a 10-inch netbook this June for $200-$250 powered by Google Chrome OS or possibly Android 3.0, current online rumors suggest. The device would have a single core Intel Atom chip and be targeted for people who want to use basic productivity applications or browse the Web, according to Taiwan-based Digitimes.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 officially launched late Monday and is ready for download here.

Pricey Apple iPad challengers, including the Motorola Xoom, Blackberry PlayBook, and HP TouchPad, will be crushed by the iPad 2 in 2011, according to Forrester market analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.

Do use Gmail? If you do, chances are you're an urban-dwelling, world-traveling careerist with a hankering for potato chips, according to a recent survey by personalized Web recommendation engine Hunch. The service took a look at the personal tastes of its users to draw some interesting conclusions about people based on their preferred Webmail service.

Online malicious activity was a major headache in 2010, and so far, 2011 is no different: We've seen scams and malware on Twitter, Facebook, and the Android Market, as well as a rise in politically motivated online attacks. But that's no surprise to security experts such as Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for security firm Sophos. Cluley says that Sophos analyzes about 95,000 pieces of malware every day that is either brand-new or a variant of an older attack.

Google recently launched a new version of Chrome that includes a new password sync feature, synced data encryption, an improved settings interface, and promises 66 per cent faster JavaScript speeds. The new version has also beefed up security by improving Chrome's sandboxing feature, which prevents malware from interacting with the rest of your system, to include Adobe Flash player.

Google's Android is the most popular smartphone operating system in the United States -- but just barely, according to new numbers from the Nielsen Company. The metrics firm found that Android has captured 29 per cent of the hearts and minds of U.S. smartphone users, while Research In Motion's Blackberry and Apple's iPhone trail at 27 per cent each. The findings are a marked difference from a Nielsen report released in December that found the iPhone had about a four per cent lead on its Google rival. The December study also said Android and iPhone devices were equally desirable among U.S. users.

The next iteration of the iPad is coming to an Apple Store near you on March 11</a> at 5 p.m. local time. Apple's new iPad 2 features an Apple-branded 1GHz A5 dual-core processor, 9.7-inch screen with 1024-by-768 resolution, front- and rear-facing cameras, up to 1080p video out support via HDMI, 10 hours of battery life, accelerometer and three-axis gyroscope, and separate GSM and CDMA 3G connectivity options. The iPad 2 will be available in black or white.

It's almost time for Apple's special event, when the second generation iPad -- dubbed the iPad 2 -- is expected to debut. Will the next iPad have two cameras? Will it be thinner, lighter, faster and maybe even cheaper? All of these questions will finally be answered. So as we get ready for Apple's special event, here's a look at 10 questions Apple will hopefully be ready to answer today.

Gmail is hard at work restoring service to about 40,000 Gmail users after a software bug deleted their e-mail messages, folders, labels and filters. So, while things are looking good for those users affected by the bug, this episode proves, once again, that while Web-based services may be robust, you still have to take responsibility for your own data.