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Lenovo likely only collected $200,000 up to $250,000 for its Superfish adware installations on consumer PCs, according to a report from Forbes. Previous estimates predicted higher figures - but considering the company's major earnings - the low sum likely won't be worth the legal and public relations headaches.

It is alarming Lenovo, which finalized a deal in summer 2014 to pre-install Superfish, received such a small amount for jeopardizing so much. In addition to promising no more Superfish installations, the company's website was reportedly compromised by the Lizard Squad hacker group last week.

It looks like Lenovo is learning from its mistakes, promising to be more transparent about pre-installed software in the future. For new machines running Microsoft Windows 10, the Lenovo standard image will only include the OS, security software, Lenovo applications, and software/drivers required to make hardware work well.

As told to us by RagnarRox, Valve has set a press release aside for GDC at 3pm on the 3rd of march. Let me run that by you again - 3pm on 3/3.

What's even funnier? With GDC being held in San Francisco, San means three in Japanese - further adding to the madness of 3's. There has been numerous funny attempts to prove HL3's existence by the gaming public, becoming a meme-like process as seen with the popular Illuminati proof videos and articles you often see.

However this time the 3's have lined up in ridiculous fashion - could it be that Half-Life 3 is on the way?

Rise of the Tomb Raider will be a timed exclusive on the Xbox One, but what use is that tight relationship with Microsoft if you're not going to make the Xbox One version of the game stand out from the crowd?

Crystal Dynamics, the developer who rebooted the series with Tomb Raider a couple of years ago now, has said that they pushed the Xbox 360 development over to Nixxes Software, so that they could focus on "pushing the boundaries" on the Xbox One version of Rise of the Tomb Raider. During a recent interview with Game Informer, Rise of the Tomb Raider's Game Director, Brian Horton, said they outsourced the development of Rise of the Tomb Raider to Nixxes Software so that the studio could "concentrate 100% on the Xbox One version".

Horton said that the two versions of the game won't be all that different, but the Xbox 360 version of the game will obviously need to be modified as it doesn't have the graphical prowess that the Xbox One has access to. He said: "For us, of course, we are not limited at all, we are pushing the boundaries when it comes to what the Xbox One can do, and we are excited that we have such a talented group in Nixxes to bring the best 360 version to the market".

Virtual reality still has numerous problems to overcome before it goes fully mainstream among gamers, but already has greatly influenced the video game market. At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week, game studios, developers and influencers are expected to discuss VR-focused hardware and software.

At GDC, Oculus will show off Rift, Razer is expected to promote its OSVR headset, while Steam is going to unveil the SteamVR headset.

"Nobody buys a piece of gaming hardware because they think it looks cool," said Lewis Ward, analyst at IDC, in a statement published by CNET. "Until there's a great experience to go along with it, the hardware simply opens the door."

More than five billion downloaded Google Android apps could be targeted by hackers, according to cybersecurity experts. Most forms of malware (96 percent) are focused on compromising Android, according to data from the FireEye cybersecurity firm.

Android is open source and allows more developers to contribute to the OS, but that also gives hackers a great opportunity to create sophisticated malware. Malware targeting Android drastically increased from 240,000 samples in 2013 up to 390,000 unique samples last year - and the problem seems to be accelerating.

"You can get all the code and then you can insert additional instructions and make it look and feel like the original app and no way for a consumer to tell the difference when they download it," said Jason Steer, director of technology strategy at FireEye, in a statement given to CNBC.

Phablet sales are outperforming sales of smaller smartphones, as phablets with a screen size of 5.5 inches captured 12.8 percent of mobile electronics sales during Q4 2014, according to GfK. Phablet sales are booming in Europe, the Middle East and in Asia, with modest sales growth in Latin America and Africa.

Consumers are embracing phablets so they are able to more comfortably watch online videos, movies, and play mobile games. In the emerging market, dropping phablet prices have helped consumers change their mobile preference, so they won't need to have a smartphone and tablet.

"This means emerging markets will have a crucial role to play in their rise, and we expect to see sales increase in Africa and Latin American in 2015 and beyond," said Arndt Polifke, global director of telecoms at GFK, in a statement published by ZDNet.

Earlier in the week, the US Secret Service said it will conduct drone exercises near the White House and throughout the Washington, D.C. area. The tests are expected over the next few weeks, but times, dates and locations for the exercises weren't made available.

Ironically, it's a decision that comes weeks after a drunk federal employee crashed his drone on White House property. Although it was ultimately a harmless incident, it revealed a potential threat with more drones taking to the skies.

The Secret Service didn't offer very many details and only offered this statement:

Apple CEO Tim Cook hopes to see the Apple Watch become integrated into the daily lifestyles of iPhone owners, including even replacing car keys and large fobs. Cook didn't offer additional details while speaking with The Telegraph in a recent interview.

Apple Pay, the leading mobile payments service, will also be utilized to support the Apple Watch - and Cook promised that Apple won't track consumer payments, product purchases, or where they are shopping.

The wearables market was already growing, but the expected April launch of the Apple Watch will help accelerate interest. Cook said the Apple Watch's battery life will last an entire day, and will charge faster than an iPhone - still a shorter time than other smartwatches, though Apple believes consumers will recharge in a similar fashion as daily smartphone recharging.

Cyberattacks from foreign states and rogue hacker groups have become the top threat to the United States, according to US intelligence experts. Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, is especially concerned of potential attacks from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea - saying low-to-moderate level cyberattacks pose a long-term threat against critical infrastructure.

In addition to cyberespionage from foreign governments, there is rising concern of hacker groups able to infiltrate government agencies and companies - sometimes with support from foreign governments - with the goal of interrupting business operations, stealing money, and compromising employee and customer personal data.

Unfortunately, the US government has focused more on its cyber surveillance programs while largely neglecting cybersecurity. Even though it's effective to have offensive weapons, the United States has a lot more to lose than other countries if a major data breach occurs - and there is growing focus on being able to identify and defend against attacks.

Lenovo was busted preloading the Superfish adware software on consumer notebooks, and its customers were clearly not happy. Following its Superfish headache, Lenovo wants to become "the leader in providing cleaner, safer PCs" to its customers.

The company continues trying to repair its public relations nightmare, recently promising a reduction in preloaded applications. In the future, pre-loaded software will include Microsoft Windows, security software, Lenovo applications and programs that must be installed so built-in hardware can function - but Lenovo will list what is installed.

Cybersecurity experts and US government officials said customers should remove Superfish because it leaves users vulnerable to SSL spoofing techniques that can compromise security. Lenovo will also offer a free six-month subscription for the McAfee LiveSafe service, with additional information expected in the next week.

Augmented and virtual reality devices will drastically increase in popularity, rising from 3 million units in 2015 up to 55 million in 2020, according to ABI Research. Head-mounted displays (HMDs) will lead the way, but mobile-reliant devices will see early success, with tethered solutions needing a bit more time to mature.

"There is a lot of excitement and hype focused on getting consumers to try out virtual reality, including the LG G3 shipping with an HMD in some markets, and Mattel's View-Master AR toy," said Michael Inouye, senior analyst at ABI Research. "These early experiences will be like any new toy-novel for a while and then fall off in use, with new content potentially driving periodic re-engagement."

It's unknown if gaming and movies will help drive VR, even though hardware developments are being made. Meanwhile with AR, which is increasingly popular in the enterprise, consumers find a lack of apps difficult to help embrace the technology - and ABI Research thinks it may be a matter of time:

Demis Hassabis is an artificial intelligence expert and founder of the now Google-owned DeepMind Technologies - so he has a unique insight into AI research.

Hassabis and his team have developed a custom algorithm giving AI the ability to learn in a similar fashion to humans - a groundbreaking notion that will give some people greater fear of AI one day taking over. Even so, Hassabis believes it will be quite some time before humans have to worry about their own wellbeing due to AI:

"We're many, many decades away from anything, any kind of technology that we need to worry about," said Hassabis, speaking during a recent news conference. "But it's good to start the conversation now and be aware of as with any new powerful technology it can be used for good or bad."

US investigators are monitoring a resident in Michigan suspected of using social media to recruit - and inspire - Islamic extremism. Ahmad Musa Jibril, encouraging followers to "spread Islam by the sword," is a Palestinian-American living in Dearborn, Michigan. He is on probation after being released in 2012 for an insurance fraud conviction.

A federal judge restricted Jibril's Internet usage in 2014, but his following on social media has continued to grow. Investigators are searching through his Twitter followers and those who have "liked" his Facebook page, looking for digital fingerprints into possible extremist activity.

"There is nothing to suggest he has changed his views," said Peter Neumann, a British researcher, in a statement published by CBS News. "He has toned them down because he realizes that if he doesn't tone them down they will come after him."

Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble won't separate its retail business from its NOOK Digital Business, though said the company's college business will be spun off. It was previously believed the NOOK and college book store businesses would become a single entity independent of the retail operation.

"Retail and the NOOK Digital Business will be able to leverage a more integrated technology infrastructure for improved efficiency and to better serve digital customers," said Michael Huseby, CEO of Barnes & Noble. B&N invested more resources into its NOOK reader and e-book library, but has fought for profitability.

B&N has faced increased pressure from online businesses, and is looking for ways to improve retail and online sales. The company still has 649 retail stores, but needs new methods to keep up with Amazon, while also adapting as more consumers read content on mobile devices.

Mobile gaming is big business for companies in the United States, with the market growing more than 20 percent in 2014 alone, according to The NPD Group. The expanding popularity of mobile gaming is creating a lucrative opportunity for game downloads, apps, and free-to-play services - with smartphones, tablets, and other mobile electronics becoming more prevalent.

"Mobile is the third largest gaming category in the U.S., and grew in excess of 20 percent over the past year," said David McQuillan, president of global games at The NPD Group. "We believe that information that allows gaming companies to fully capitalize on this explosive growth is paramount..."

The news comes as The NPD Group announced its expanding the Checkout Tracking SM service so it is able to monitor in-app and full-game mobile purchases, providing better insight into consumer buying behavior.

Ahead of Mobile World Congress, LG has just unveiled the LTE-capable version of its Watch Urbane. Watch Urbane LTE will be better detailed during MWC 2015 by LG next week.

The new LTE-capable smartwatch is just a great-looking wrist-mounted cell phone, with the ability to make voice calls without the need of a smartphone. Not only that, but the Watch Urbane LTE is also capable of translating foreign speech, take voice calls, share your GPS location, track your fitness, and monitor your heart rate and atmospheric pressure. Also, just in case, there's an SOS button that lets you place an emergency call to your contacts.

LG has also baked in NFC capabilities that allows for NFC-based payments to be made, something that is exclusive to the Watch Urbane LTE right now. The new LG Watch Urbane LTE features a 700mAh internal battery, up from the 410mAh in the non-LTE versions. As for the OS, it runs LG's proprietary wearable platform, and not Android Wear like competing smartwatches.

By 2018, 40 percent of large enterprises will have some type of plan to respond to aggressive cybersecurity business disruptions, a drastic increase from zero percent in 2015, according to the Gartner research group.

Gartner describes an aggressive business disruption attack as a coordinated and sophisticated effort to interfere with and damage business operations - wiped data, servers knocked offline, intellectual property stolen.

"Entirely avoiding a compromise in a large complex enterprise is just not possible, so a new emphasis toward detect and respond approaches has been building for several years, as several attack patterns and overwhelming evidence support that a compromise will occur," said Paul Proctor, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "Preventive controls, such as firewalls, antivirus and vulnerability management, should not be the only focus of a mature security program."

With six 16x16 displays giving you the ability to run various applications, the Cuberox PC project sets out to be the perfect home solution.

When turned off this product looks like just a general cube, but this waterproof casing houses a fully-functional computer within. Running on a Linux operating system, this product allows users to run different applications on each side of the cube, alongside giving developers full reign of application support and development through APR written on JavaScript.

Achieving a full waterproof seal thanks to wireless charging, this Kickstarter project also features some cool things like built-in speakers and a multicolor smart backlight. If you're feeling extra special you can partake in multiplayer games or even apparently install office on your device.

Out of all of the trade shows I've ever been to, Computex is definitely my favorite - so when the opportunity comes for you to win a chance to go, you take it! GIGABYTE is offering one lucky person the chance to attend Computex 2015 in its new GIGABYTE Z79 - X99 BIG XTU Challenge on HWBOT.org.

In order to enter, you'll need to tweak your systems for a very specific benchmark - Intel's XTU. Overclockers can submit their scores in order to reach a secret target, where you'll rack points up in order for the chance to win cash prizes, hardware, and the coveted trip to Computex 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan in June.

There are over $4000 in prizes up for grabs, four GIGABYTE motherboards, and then the trip to Computex 2015 up for grabs. GIGABYTE explains the competition: "Each of the 4 rounds will have 10 secret target scores which will be revealed only after their submission period. But to guide you, a target range will be announced in advance. Your goal is to submit as many scores within that range during a 3 days period and try to hit the secret score. Participants who hit the secret target score will cumulate a point and have a chance at winning the Grand Prize or cash prize!"

Apple has just sent invitations to select members of the media for an event on March 9 which it has teased as "spring forward". This is a reference to Daylight Savings Time, which could mean we're going to see a much more detailed look at Apple Watch.

We have heard that Apple wants to ship its first-gen Watch in April, so this event is perfect timing. It shouldn't just be about Watch either, as we can expect to hear about other products like the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air, which should be a revised Air. The new Air should sport a thinner profile, edge-to-edge keyboard, and a USB Type-C connector that will replace the full-sized USB port on the current MBA.

Throwing another rumor out there, is that Apple could show off the iPad Pro, with its 12.9-inch (or so) display. We don't know about that yet, as there haven't been too many leaks on the larger-screen iPad lately, but it could still happen.