ID theft hits one in eight

A recent study estimated that one in eight adults in the UK have been the victim of online fraud or identity theft, says Computing.co.uk.

The survey, conducted by research firm YouGov and backed by online security vendor VeriSign, polled roughly 2 100 adults in the UK. Twelve percent said they had been a victim of online ID fraud within the past 12 months.

The researchers credited most of the losses to increasingly sophisticated attack methods, combined with larger numbers of users shopping online. Experts suggest that many users remain unaware of how to spot fraudulent sites and protect against data theft.

With its deepest Windows 7 discounts yet, Microsoft is targeting students who might otherwise pick Apple, reports The Register.

The company has announced qualified college and university students can obtain Windows 7 for $30 in the US and £30 in the UK.

Students in the US can pre-order their copies now and download with general availability on 22 October, while UK students can begin pre-orders on 22 September. Students in other countries can order from 22 October.

According to industry insiders and start-up entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley is stirring back to life, following a bruising economic downturn, says the BBC.

The view seems to underscore Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's belief that the US recession has ended.

He told a Washington think-tank that "from a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over".

Sale of the Pre helped boost Palm's smartphone sales in the company's fiscal first quarter of 2010 by about 134%, compared to the preceding quarter, but Palm still reported its eighth consecutive quarter of loss, and sales dipped over 80%, reports CNet.

The Palm Pre, available exclusively through Sprint Nextel, is gaining traction. The company sold 823 000 smartphones in the fiscal first quarter. Many of those smartphones are believed to be the Pre.

But even though sales of the Pre were strong, Palm still ended up losing $164.5 million, or $1.17 per share, in its fiscal first quarter. Still, the company's losses beat analyst expectations. Excluding items, the company posted a loss of 10c a share. Analysts had predicted a loss of 25c a share.