Unlike the other market research firms, Canalys classifies tablet computers as personal computers or PCs, seeing them as of the same feather as desktops, laptops, and netbooks.

As they say, to each his own. And if Canalys wants to see tablets as PCs, nobody can tell the company not to. For some market observers, however, this route taken by the company messes up how the computer industry presents market data and statistics.

For example, with Apple selling 27 million iPads during the last quarter, the Cupertino company grabs the number 1 spot on Canalys’ list of top PC vendors. Other market research firms, which count computers and other gadgets differently, have HP as their leading PC vendor.

Tired of Facebook?

Are your Facebook friends not responding to your private messages or commenting on your posts as promptly as they used to? Don’t blame yourself or, worse, think your online personality has suffered a degree or two of lowered popularity.

Some market observers are claiming that an increasing number of users are taking a break from the world’s largest and most popular social networking site. Perhaps, you have FB pals who fall under that category of social networkers.

Despite these much publicized forecasts of doom, however, this corner believes Facebook will be with us for quite a longer while. As long as it satisfies our need for an online venue that allows us to connect, reconnect, and stay in touch with people who matter to us, I guess Mark Zuckerberg’s creation will endure.

Unless, something emerges, something that can do the job better; until then, Facebook will be here whether we Like or Unlike it.

Microsoft Kicks Gmail

Microsoft and Google continue throwing brickbats at each other, all in the name of domination in whatever market the bitter rivals find themselves. This time, it is Microsoft’s turn to lob a stink bomb at Google’s way. It is not the first time though.

Microsoft earlier lambasted Google’s search results for shoppers, claiming users do not get the best deal, as paying sponsors are ranked higher than their non-paying counterparts.

The focus of Microsoft’s current anti-Google marketing campaign is on Gmail, the search giant’s Web-based email service. Microsoft claims the textual analysis, which Google apparently does on all emails to provide targeted advertising, violates Gmail users’ privacy rights.

Microsoft also claims that unlike Google’s email service, its Outlook.com Webmail does not perform textual analysis.

To Kill a Bot

Microsoft and Symantec played Batman and Robin recently to bring down a Bamital botnet. This particular botnet generated an estimated million dollars annually for its operators by redirecting Internet users to Web sites that earn money with fake online ad clicks.

Microsoft claimed this botnet defrauded the “entire online advertising platform, which is what allows the Internet t and many online services to be free.”

Aside from generating fraudulent clicks for which advertisers paid, the botnet’s operators diverted Internet users to sites that sneakily dispense malicious codes, or what IT security experts refer to as drive-by download.

The crime-busting partners also found out that in the past two years, more than 8 million computers were affected by Bamital, which targeted popular online search services and browsers.

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