Fred O'Connor
Reporter
Fred O'Connor writes about wearables, Apple, IT careers, health IT and general technology news for the IDG News Service.
Apple bumps approved size for iOS apps, lets them eat twice the memory
People with lower-end iOS devices may see their memory gobbled up quickly
US government forming cyber security agency to combat online threats
The Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center will share threat data among federal agencies
Apple's iOS edges Android in Q4, takes top smartphone OS spot in the US
Apple also chipped away at Android's international smartphone OS market share
Yahoo gains U.S. search share at Google's expense
Mozilla's decision to use Yahoo as the default search tool in Firefox is paying off for the Internet company
Flying high, Apple readies Watch to ship in April
The only bleak spot in Apple's earnings was iPad sales, which are being 'cannibalized' by other products, Tim Cook said
Rackspace DNS recovers after DDoS brings system down
Some users felt customer serivce was lacking and called for more detailed and frequent updates about the outage
Microsoft throws open doors to Sway beta
Large response to the new Web-based publishing tool led Microsoft to expand its test program
Google wants Windows server applications to run on its cloud
Customers can run Windows Server applications on Google's cloud without paying a licensing fee
Microsoft delivers the talking Dynamics CRM update
The CRM software uses Cortana to process voice commands to search for contacts, set up meetings, create records, and more
Oracle licensing practices lead to mistrust among customers, says survey
The group behind the survey says it is advocating for manageable licensing terms and isn't against Oracle
For big raises in IT, look to mobile, security, big data
More women will enter the technology workforce in the coming years as they use IT jobs to land business positions, a report said
Texas, Florida, North Carolina lead IT job growth in first half of 2014
Study finds that IT employees realize their skills are in demand and are seeking bigger salaries from potential employers
Career advice for recent college graduates looking to advance in IT
Learning doesn't stop after graduation and becomes critical to keeping IT skills fresh and staying employable
For entry-level tech jobs, hiring managers care about passion for IT more than a diploma
College graduates don't need to be employed to become involved with the tech industry
Linux Foundation to offer Linux development on edX MOOC
The online learning platform is now including material from the foundation's introduction to Linux class
Hiring managers advise job seekers to contribute to open-source projects
Open source participation is seen to demonstrate coding skills, collaboration abilities, and technology interests far beyond what's outlined in a resume.
Hot IT job skills in 2014: Mobile, Web development, and big data
Companies are also looking for workers with more traditional skills for security and quality assurance jobs
With worker retirements looming, IT starts to prepare for a workforce exodus
IT workers who want to work part time may see an uptick in lucrative part-time consulting positions
With revenue at stake, companies seek business-savvy tech workers
IT workers increasingly need to have business acumen, in addition to staying up to date with tech skills, as companies watch the bottom line