Mobile devices are getting hit by a boom in malware similar to the one that hit PCs starting with the rise of the Web, a security software executive said Tuesday. "Mobile platforms, for a lot of attackers, represent a new target-rich environment," said Chris Doggett, senior vice president, North America, at Kaspersky Lab. He was addressing a panel discussion at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas at which officials from government and industry laid out the dangers of mobile malware and steps being taken to fight it.

Samsung will soon release its first Android tablet based on an Intel Atom processor, according to a source familiar with the plan, in what would be a vote of confidence for Intel chips in mobile devices. The tablet, a Galaxy Tab 3, will have a 10.1-inch display and run on a version of Intel's Atom chip known as Clover Trail+, the source said. Samsung hasn't announced such a product, but a Galaxy tablet running Android 4.2 appeared on several benchmark websites this month, sparking rumors of its existence.

Apple has announced that customers have now downloaded over 50 billion apps from the App Store. The 50 billionth app — Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, LLC — was downloaded by Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio, who received a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to commemorate the milestone. “The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We’re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.”

A new video profiles Essa Academy, a once struggling school in one of the most disadvantaged areas of England. New principal Showkat Badat has reinvented the school as a hub of technology-assisted learning, and helped incorporate an ecosystem of Apple products, including iPad, Mac, and iTunes U, into the classrooms. The students’ excitement about the technology and direct access to information is reflected in dramatically improved test scores. Since adopting the technology, Essa went from a 28 percent pass rate to 100 percent. “I don’t see technology as an add-on, a nice option to have,” says Badat. “It’s what enables learning and creates an environment that sparks creativity.”