Bill Gates Nudges Past Carlos Slim to Reclaim World?s Richest Crown
by Pulkit Chandna
18 May 2013 at 1:32am
Xbox 720 believed to be behind surge in Gates? wealth

Despite having given away billions in charity in recent years, Microsoft founder and non-executive chairman Bill Gates is said to have dislodged Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim, also a noted philanthropist, from the top spot on the list of the world?s wealthiest people.

The Harvard dropout is the wealthiest man on the planet as per the Bloomberg Billionaires index, which is updated on a daily basis at 5:30 p.m. in New York. At the time of the last update, Bill Gates? net worth was valued at $72.7 billion, a shade (relatively speaking) above his nearest rival Carlos Slim?s net worth of $72.1 billion.

So what exactly fueled Gates? return to the top of the Bloomberg Billionaires list after a five-year hiatus? Forbes? contributor Nigam Arora, a nuclear physicist who serves as the chief investment officer at The Arora Report, ascribes this recent rise in Bill Gates? wealth to the prevailing market excitement over the upcoming la…

Google I/O 2013: Everything You Need to Know
by Paul Lilly
17 May 2013 at 6:57pm

Google music streaming service, Gmail improvements, and Galaxy S4 to come with stock Android Jelly Bean 4.2

If you weren’t one of the 6 million people who tuned in to YouTube to watch the Google I/O 2013 keynote on Wednesday, don’t sweat it, you’ve come to the right place for an extensive recap of all the big announcements. Some of it you may have already read about here on Maximum PC, such as Google partnering with Samsung to offer a totally clean version of the Galaxy S4 complete with an unlocked bootloader or the introduction of an All Access music service, but we also have some new stuff to share.

Technically the event is still going on — it’s a three-day event — and while the news keeps pouring in, a lot of what’s now being revealed are product statistics and minor software updates, like Heat Maps and Symbols being added to the Google Maps API — not exactly ‘knock-your-socks-off’ news. There’s plenty of interesting tidbits to share, however, so let’s get started!

Android’s …

Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog Races Over to Android
by Paul Lilly
17 May 2013 at 4:55pm
Speedy blue hedgehog teams with a little green robot.

Sonic the Hedgehog is potentially gaining access to a whole new audience and generation of gamers who never got to experience the fast and fun ride on the Genesis. How so? Sega today pointed its iconic game character in the direction of Google Play and told him to keep running until he got there, which he did today. Available now on Google Play, the game costs $2.99 and gives fans a new look at Sonic’s world on Android.

It’s been optimized with widescreen support and exclusive features for mobile phones. The new update also allows gamers to unlock other familiar characters, including Tails and Knuckles, marking the first time they’ve been playable on mobile, Sega says.

Prefer iOS? Sega has you covered, as well. Although Sonic the Hedgehog was already available on iOS, the new content will be offered as a free update.

Sonic the Hedgehog on Google Play
Sonic the Hedgehog on iOS

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Dell’s Profits Plunge 79 Percent as PC Maker Mulls Its Future
by Paul Lilly
17 May 2013 at 4:02pm
Dude, who’s getting Dell?

Dell’s future is as uncertain as it’s ever been, and not just because the PC market is in a slump as consumers flock to mobile devices. The other major unknown is whether Dell will ultimately accept Michael Dell’s proposed $24.4 billion buyout offer and go private, or if the board will be swayed by Carl Icahn’s alternate deal that would keep the company public. As all this unfolds, Dell (the company) is seeing its profits get sucked into a vortex of uncertainty.

The PC maker reported revenue of $14.1 billion for its fiscal 2013 first quarter, down 2 percent from the previous year. What’s even more alarming, however, is that its profits are down 79 percent to $130 million. In the same quarter a year ago, Dell’s profits totaled $635 million.

As expected, Dell put on its positive face when announcing the results.

“We made progress in building our enterprise solutions capabilities in the first quarter and are confident in our strategy to be the leading provider…

LulzSec Hackers Receive Prison Sentences for Cyber Hijinks
by Paul Lilly
17 May 2013 at 2:31pm
They did the crimes, now they’ll do the time.

It’s not always true that crime doesn’t pay, because if that’s the way it was, there would be a lot less people breaking the law. The problem for criminals is that payback’s a bitch if you get caught, as did several LulzSec (Lulz Security) members who fessed up to hacking various companies and organizations, such as Sony, 20th Century Fox, Nintendo, and even the CIA, to name just a few of their targets.

Following a trial overseas, three of the individuals received prison sentences on Thursday in London, ITPRO reports. Ryan “DDoS King” Clearly, 21, Ryan “kayla” Ackroyd, 26, and Jake “Topiary” Davis, 20, were sentenced to 32 months, 30 months, and 20 months behind bars, respectively. Mustafa “tflow” Al-Bassam, 18, was handed a 20-month suspended sentence.

LulzSec wreaked quite a bit of havoc during the high point of the organization’s hacking spree.

“In essence they were the worst sort of vandal, acting without care of cost or harm to thos…