Review: Refined iOS 6 highlighted by stunning Maps overhaul  —  Every iOS release has its marquee feature, and with iOS 6 it's unquestionably Maps.  The app has gotten a in-depth makeover, perhaps the most thorough ever to be applied to one of iOS's built-in applications.

Nokia slams HTC's Windows Phone 8 announcement, calls it a ‘tactical re-branding’  —  HTC has just unveiled two new Windows Phone 8 devices today, making them the signature phones for Microsoft.  We asked Nokia about today's announcements and the company's head of marketing, Chris Weber …

The Lost Chapter  —  2003: Cambridge, Massachusetts  —  In college, my computer's filing system was relatively straightforward: I had a folder for each year of school, and within each of those folders there were additional folders for each course I was taking.

How Much Tech Can One City Take?  —  Shaken by the latest digital gold rush, San Francisco struggles for its soul.  —  Last year, when Mayor Ed Lee heard that Twitter was planning to move its headquarters out of San Francisco and down to the peninsula, he quickly consulted with his digital experts …

Mobile Pwn2Own: iPhone 4S hacked by Dutch team  —  Summary: How long would it take a determined attacker to hack into Apple's iPhone 4S from scratch?  A Dutch research team uses the Pwn2Own contest to provide the answer.  —  Ryan Naraine  —  AMSTERDAM — How long would it take a determined attacker …

The iPhone 5 Doesn't Have NFC — So What?  —  With last Wednesday's Apple iPhone 5 unveiling, and the recent Nokia Lumia launch, mobile is on top of the media agenda.  But as the screen size and connector stories die down, the question of “when will my mobile phone become my wallet?” rises up once again.

MakerBot unveils Replicator 2, 2X and launches retail store, we go eyes-on  —  The Replicator may have just been pushed off this writer's Christmas list.  (Note to self: send updated letter to Santa.)  But, this isn't a loss for MakerBot Industries, because it's being replaced by the Replicator 2 …

Sources: Zynga Chief Security Officer Nils Puhlmann Has Resigned From Company  —  We're hearing that Nils Puhlmann, the cloud security expert who has worked as Zynga's Chief Security Officer since 2009, resigned from the company yesterday, according to several sources familiar with the matter.

Google Updates Android Maps App as Apple Moves On  —  The fight over mobile maps is on.  —  Google plans to add new features to its Google Maps app for Android phones on Wednesday.  Conveniently, it is the same day that Apple's latest mobile operating system is due to be released …

Microsoft issues a rebootless ‘Fix’ to the Internet Explorer security weakness  —  Yesterday we brought you the news that Microsoft was preparing a one-click solution for Internet Explorer, protecting users from a security flaw that was discovered.  —  The company adamantly states that few users …

Here's what the new gaming experience on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets will look like  —  Two weeks ago, Amazon introduced its latest tablet, the Kindle Fire HD, which comes in two screen sizes, 7 inches and 8.9 inches.  The new Kindle Fire tablets will offer players a revamped gaming experience …

Introducing Groupon Payments  —  In the past, our merchant partners have often told us that their traditional payment systems are expensive and cumbersome-so we stepped up to the plate and developed our own payments service guaranteed to be the simplest and lowest cost option for Groupon merchants to accept credit cards.

Dell's Windows 8 three-way product intro: 10-inch business Ultrabook, all-in-one desktop, and a new tablet  —  Dell is unveiling its fall line-up of business-class computers, including a 10-inch Ultrabook laptop, a 23-inch all-in-one desktop, and a 10-inch Intel-based tablet computer.

True to form, Samsung mocks iPhone 5 buyers in latest commercial  —  We caught Samsung preparing its latest salvo against Apple last week, and now the company's next big attack ad is finally here.  Staying true to the theme of its earlier commercials, Samsung's new ad mocks those waiting early …

With a veteran startup team, Scopely raises $8.5M for social mobile games  —  If you're going to start a new game company at this late hour — even a mobile game company — you'd better do it with a veteran team.  That's the approach that Scopely, which is announcing an $8.5 million seed funding round today, has taken.

Bromium secures computers by holding apps in isolation  —  New security software separates apps and their processes from the operating system to keep attacks at bay.  —  Some of the minds behind virtualization technology used by Amazon Web Services are launching new security software today called Bromium …

Coming To A Car Near You: Linux Goes Automotive, Signs Up Harman, Intel, Toyota, Samsung's Tizen, More  —  If, one day, we really are all going to be carted around in driverless cars from the likes of Google and others, then we may as well have some apps on board to keep us occupied.

California And 11 Other States Now Allow Online Voter Registration  —  Silicon Valley, residents of California, and citizens in 11 other states can now register to vote online.  California, the newest state to ease the inconvenience of voter registration, launched their online portal today.