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Features

• Bitcoin malware count soars as cryptocurrency value climbs

  As bitcoin values jumped in the last months of 2013, malware designed to steal the virtual currency exploded, security researchers from Dell SecureWorks said this week.

• iTunes is almost as big a biz as OEM Windows

  Apple's iTunes, software and services group generated almost as much revenue in 2013 as the Microsoft division responsible for licensing Windows to computer and smartphone makers, according to comparisons of the companies' financial statements.

• Twitter's slipping user growth spooks investors

  Twitter Wednesday reported that fourth quarter sales more than doubled over the past year, but the company nevertheless spooked investors by acknowledging a slowdown in new user growth and in user engagement.

• Ad blockers: A solution or a problem?

  Ad blockers can make websites cleaner and faster for users, but they can also take a nasty bite out of advertising revenue. How popular are they, and what can site publishers do about them?

• Could Bitcoin's frothy venture funding dry up?

  Bitcoin: What is it, really? A digital currency? An investment? An Xbox game? For many people it's not clear, but that hasn't stopped venture capitalists from going gaga over it.

• Here's why Amazon drones may never land at your door

  Amazon's ambitious plan to use flying drones to deliver packages is far-fetched, but not just because of technology limitations or air traffic regulations. Amazon's fulfillment center network, as it stands now, is too limited to serve even a tiny fraction of the U.S. in the method described by CEO Jeff Bezos.

• The new killer app is a real human

  The future was supposed to be automated and computerised. But it turns out that automation is creating demand for the human element.