Daily Tech Briefing: May 21, 2014

Microsoft officially launched the Surface Pro 3 tablet on May 20. CEO Satya Nadella said that the company’s to devices design is to enable people to “get more out of every moment of their lives.”

The Surface Pro 3 is design to bridge the gap between tablets and laptops, and contains a high-end Intel “Haswell” Core i7 processor. Missing from this event, however, was the long-rumored Surface Mini, which some were expecting would make its debut alongside the new Surface Pro 3.

AT&T officials announced they will be expanding the number of solar mobile charging stations available in outdoor locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City. As of May 19th, anyone with a mobile phone or tablet can charge their device for free at one of the AT&T Street Charge units throughout the city.

Robert Garafola, New York City Parks deputy commissioner for management, budget and public programs, said that he was happy to be working with AT&T to provide the free charging stations.

Google Play customers can now use PayPal to pay for their online purchases. This gives users yet another fast way to purchase apps and digital content. Along with the new payment option, carrier billing is being expanded, which allows buyers to charge purchases in Google Play directly to their phone bill. The new PayPal option will only be available in 12 countries to start, including the U.S., U.K., France, Italy and Spain.

Finally, Law enforcement agents in 19 countries arrested more than 90 people following raids at hundreds of residences as part of a broad crackdown on the creators and users of a remote access tool known as Blackshades.

While some remote access tools can be used legally, such as when system administrators want to remotely manage corporate computers, this tool was created with the purpose of stealthily accessing victim’s computers and controlling their systems. Blackshade can record keystrokes, steal passwords and activate the victim’s Webcam without them knowing.