COMPANIES

Billabong, a popular Australian clothing retailer, was a recent victim of online hacking wherein 35,000 of Billabong username and passwords were exposed online. Despite the hacking being exposed last week, the hacked usernames and passwords are still visibile online.

Online job trends now favor what the technology landscape dictates, according to the latest Freelancer.com data collating some 190,000 jobs posted on its site creating some 2.3 million projects in the first six months of 2012.

They're selling like hotcakes, media reports said, as U.S. retailers, both online and physical stores, reported running out of stocks for the newly-shipped Google Nexus 7, indicating a rousing reception for the mini-tablet.

Skype, the popular online calling service recently identified a "message privacy bug" in their system thus causing Skype users to raise privacy and security issues with its services.

Microsoft will soon retail its in-house tablet computer Surface and the company is making sure that the brick will be supported by its internal product lines, foremost of which is the hugely successful Microsoft Office productivity suit.

Yahoo is betting its fortunes on the proven talent of a former Google executive, Marissa Mayer, who for more than a decade has steered the internet giant's search division into the most successful web-based business in the world.

Microsoft Office is finally getting a much needed upgrade with its newest version which is MS Office 15.

Apple's iPhone has been one of the top selling Apple devices in the world. The latest iPhone model which is iPhone 4S is one of the top-selling smartphones in the world. Recently, there are numerous reports stating that Apple is slated to release a new iPhone model which iPhone 5.

It was an apparent empty victory for Toll Holdings, operator of the Somerton warehouse of Coles, even at it got an order from the Victoria Supreme Court on Monday. The court mandated the lifting of the blockade at the facility which has been ongoing for more than one week.

Protesters tried but failed to enter the BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) Olympic Dam mine site in South Australia on Monday to stop the uranium mining operations of BHP.'

Fifteen New Zealand miners remain trapped in three refuge areas underground at a Newmont Waihi gold mine on Tuesday. The 15 are part of a group of 28 miners deployed at the site. Thirteen of the workers have escaped the blaze.

Google has just revealed their newest Android OS which is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Microsoft has just unveiled its latest OS which is Windows 8. Windows 8 is set to officially arrive in the market by October, 2012 and experts are predicting that this would help the growth of the PC industry.

Chinese tech firms are on the roll as Lenovo is set to take the top spot in the personal computer market by the year-end, reports said, likely toppling perennial leader Hewlett-Packard (HP).

The newest OS version from Apple which is iOS 6 is set to bring about new and additional features for different Apple devices. A preview of these new features were already showcased during the WWDC 2012.

Blizzard, the developer behind the highly successful game, Diablo 3 recently released an update for the Diablo 3's game guide.

MSNBC is no more as Microsoft and American network NBC News formally severed their business ties, which more than a decade ago cost the software giant $US220 million for a 50 percent stake on the online news site.

Nokia downgraded the retail price of its Lumia 900 smartphone over the weekend, a few months prior to the expected debut of Windows 8 operating system that Microsoft said would leave behind current crops of Windows phones.

While more Australian men are shifting to careers within the lucrative resources sector, there are also a rising number of Aussie women who are venturing into Outback jobs.

After introducing in 2011 the 24/7 postal services for parcels ordered online, the Australia Post is taking its service to another level by linking farmers and consumers.

The Victoria Supreme Court will hear on Monday a petition by Toll Holdings, which operates the Cole Warehouse in Somerton, Melbourne, to issue an injunction to stop the blockade set up by striking workers.

Volkswagen Australia has launched the second-generation Passat CC four-door coupe with a starting price of $54,990 for the diesel. This time around the Germans have gone for a simpler naming convention by removing the Passat badge and sticking with just Volkswagen CC.

A new report from IDC reveals that the demand for Apple's MacBooks are growing and its biggest competitor, the ultrabooks are not faring that well in the market.

Samsung Electronics Co., one of the largest smartphone companies in the world, is rumored to reveal Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in the market. Though details are still scarce about Samsung Galaxy Note 2, many people are already questioning if whether or not they should upgrade their Samsung Galaxy Note with the newest Galaxy Note model.

Virgin Australia owner Richard Branson revealed on Friday that his space tourism program, Virgin Galactic, will lift off as planned in the last quarter of 2013, with him and his family as among the first passengers.

One unintended consequence of boom in ecommerce is a corresponding increase in credit card fraud cases. Reports said that in 2011, over one million cases of card fraud were recorded in Australia.

Rumors about a new tablet from Apple called the iPad Mini has long been discussed in the Internet. Recently, new pictures showing the design of the iPad Mini have surfaced which further strengthened the rumor that Apple would be releasing the iPad Mini in the market.

Digg, the once popular social news site, was recently acquired by Betaworks. Details of the acquisition was not disclosed but there are reports stating that Betaworks paid $US500,000 for Digg's assets which includes the site as well as its technology.

Australians were at the mercy of global online retailers for now, which is the main reason that digital contents and products marketed locally carry more premium price when compared to offshore online stores, a new government submission said.