Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak recently expressed his fears about the fast-growing cloud computing.

Although the other Steve did not provide specifics about his cloud computing concerns, it appeared that he was most concerned about signing away rights to data and other digital properties stored in the cloud.

“I think it’s going to be horrendous. I think there are going to be a lot of horrible problems in the next five years,” the Agence France-Presse quoted Wozniak as saying.

“I want to feel that I own things,” Wozniak added. Apple’s only surviving founder apparently doesn’t trust cloud service providers, and would rather have full control over his digital property.

I guess some consumers hold similar views regarding cloud computing. For some people, the supposed convenience offered by putting everything online can never outweigh the risks, including security and control, that comes with cloud computing.

Battle.net Hacked

And with the recent reports about hacking of online services, it is becoming clear that such fears are not without basis after all.

Last week, for example, games developer Blizzard informed gamers that its Battle.net online gaming network has been hacked. According to the company’s statement, users’ email addresses and hashed passwords have been accessed by hackers.

Fortunately, no financial information was compromised.

To be safe, players were advised to change their passwords for Battle.net.

This incident must have been a jarring reminder for the millions of players using the Blizzard network about how extremely vulnerable some online services are.

For the rest of us, that message should be just as urgent and timely.

Google Benefits

All the other employers in the world would find it hard to do better than this, extremely hard for that matter.

And it is one more reason why Google employees should consider themselves among the world’s most fortunate.

After all, they are among the very few people who can look forward to dying without worrying about their loved ones’ future and welfare. Google, you see, has obligated itself to pay 50 percent of the salaries of employees who should move on to the great beyond to their surviving spouse or domestic partner. For the next 10 years.

The benefit does not come with tenure requirement and also includes a $1,000 monthly payment for any children until they turn 19 years old (or 23 if they are studying full time). Also, the deceased employees’ stocks will be vested immediately.

Google has always been famous for the trailblazing benefits it offers to its employees. But this one certainly beats them all.

Nvidia-Lenovo Tablet

Nvidia Corp. has partnered with Lenovo Group to develop a tablet computer that runs Microsoft’s Windows RT operating system. Nvidia will supply chips for the tablet.

Reports say that the partners are working on a convertible notebook, equipped with a keyboard that pirouettes to become a tablet.

Earlier, Lenovo introduced the IdeaPad Yoga, a similar device that will run Windows 8, but comes with an Intel processor instead.

Let the Windows 8 onslaught begin.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.