Week in Review: Google gets Buzzed

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Google goes social with Buzz

Google surprised this week with the unexpected announcement of Buzz, which essentially brings social networking features to its webmail system Gmail.

The announcement left some wondering where that left Wave, last year's social networking/email product. It also introduced Google to the inexplicable fury people feel when their online privacy - how's that for a contradictory idea? - is messed with.

Not unlike the troubles faced by Facebook everytime it changes anything, Google was forced to tweak settings to better ensure users' privacy just days after it launched Buzz.

Read on for our first look review of Google Buzz.

Microsoft and Adobe on security

Microsoft issued 13 patches this week, covering 26 flaws - including one that was 17-years-old, making us feel one heck of a lot less lazy.

That patch caused some troubles though, resulting in the dreaded blue screen of death for some XP users.

Adobe apologised for taking too long to fix a 16-month-old bug and warned about a new Flash flaw - something Apple will probably work into its next salvo in the war of words between to two firms over the lack of Flash on the iPhone and the not-yet-released iPad.

Best of the rest

Google didn't just move into social networking this week, it also announced plans to roll out 1Gbps broadband in the US.

The Design Council and Home Office unveiled prototypes of new tech to secure mobile devices.

And a group of experts say we'll soon all get over security concerns regarding the cloud... and then start to get worked up over the fine print in the contracts. It's always something, isn't it?

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