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Believe or not, the plurality of men in the U.K. rank Internet access as valuable as sex and even more important than food and shelter.

That's right, 42 percent of male respondents in a new survey by broadband provider TP-Link throw food, shelter, and sleep to the wind, while saluting Internet access as one of life's most cherished needs. In fact, 50 percent of people say they dedicate more time to the Internet than sleep.

"As our recent research shows, in the current increasingly digital world, quick and easy connectivity is one of the main concerns … Read more

"It's a new world" out there in terms of digital identity and security, Microsoft said Monday. And, this world is far more dangerous than it used to be.

In order to mitigate e-mail infiltration by hackers and wrongdoers, Microsoft has announced that it's tossing linked accounts for its Outlook.com service and instead will be using aliases.

"There are a number of people who have more than one email address and want to manage these multiple email addresses from Outlook.com," Microsoft account group program manager Eric Doerr wrote in a blog post Monday. &… Read more

"The destruction of music through YouTube is enormous."

That's what pianist Krystian Zimerman told an audience in Germany when he stopped his performance to demand a fan stop recording it with a smartphone.

But if you think the ubiquity of phone cameras is more than a little annoying, get ready for one that goes around your neck and can record automatically. … Read more

CyberLink MediaEspresso costs more than many similar tools, but you get what you pay for: A sophisticated yet easy-to-use media converter that can handle most files and devices, including Apple, Android, and Windows smartphones, tablets, and media players, and popular game consoles, too. Plenty of tools can convert media files, including some capable freeware. MediaEspresso offers a robust, do-it-all capability in a streamlined interface, plus supports the latest graphics cards, multithread conversion, and direct upload to social media. CyberLink Media Espresso is free to try for 30 days (or 50 conversion runs) and costs $39.95.

We dragged a Flash … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Apple banned from selling some iPhones and iPads after Samsung patent win.

- Aunt Jill on LinkedIn: What I Learned in Italy (or, Economies in Perspective).

- Venice floods put more than half of city underwater.

- GameStop to recall 8GB Wii U Basic -- but why?

- Forget what you know, next-gen consoles change everything.

- The Last of Us is now the best reason to own a PS3.

- Game over for used games: How Xbox One and PS4 could gut gamers' wallets.… Read more

There's a new portable Bluetooth speaker in town -- and it's got the Jawbone Jambox and its wireless brethren squarely in its sights.

Bose today introduced the SoundLink Mini, a $200 wireless speaker that's considerably smaller and less expensive than the company's earlier Bluetooth offering, the SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II. That model retails for $300 to $350, depending on whether you opt for a nylon or leather cover flap.

The svelte speaker is 2x7.1x2.3 inches, and it's a looker. The frame is a unibody aluminum enclosure that surrounds tiny stereo drivers at … Read more

Following Twitter's lead, LinkedIn introduced two-step verification as an optional security feature members can use to protect their accounts.

LinkedIn's new security measure emulates the two-step verification process of other sites and requires members to input a code, sent via SMS, when logging in from an unrecognized device for the first time.

"Most Internet accounts that become compromised are illegitimately accessed from a new or unknown computer," LinkedIn director Vicente Silveira wrote on the company blog. "When enabled, two-step verification makes it more difficult for unauthorized users to access your account, requiring them to have … Read more

The professional status update is assuming a new look as LinkedIn has decided to embrace photo and rich media sharing, meaning members can finally share more than text and links in their status updates.

LinkedIn said Thursday that members can now use the share box on the home page to upload images, documents, and presentations as part of their updates. In addition, members can attach videos and rich media content hosted elsewhere by pasting a link into the box. The service's 2.9 million company page administrators also get image and file uploads with the release.

The update expands … Read more