Microsoft will launch an 8-inch Surface tablet in June and a 10.x-inch model as early as the third quarter of 2013, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

The 8-inch Surface will use touch panels supplied by Samsung Electronics and Nvidia-developed processors, and Taiwan-based ODM Pegatron will be responsible for production, the sources said.

In consideration of clearing inventories of existing 10.6-inch Surface tablets, Microsoft will launch the 10.x-inch, possibly lower than 10.6-inch, Surface at the earliest in the third quarter, the sources indicated.

Sundar Pichai, Google’s senior vice president for Chrome and Android today announced that the company’s Chrome browser now has more than 750 million monthly active users. That’s up from 450 million users Google announced at last year’s I/O. This number, as far as we can see, includes both desktop and mobile users.

Google launched Chrome in 2008 and since then, as Google proudly noted in today’s keynote, it has become the most popular browser in the world. It is also now, as Pichai noted early on in the keynote, a very important platform for Google that stands side-by-side with Android.

Sometime in the coming weeks, Microsoft will tell Windows 8 users whether they will have to pay for the upgrade code-named "Blue," and if so, how much.

While Microsoft remains tight-lipped on the subject, analysts believe Microsoft won't charge for Blue, but may do so for later updates.

"I don't think that in the current Windows 8 climate they can charge for the first update, as the perception of many users will be that any changes being made or features they are adding will make Windows 8 the way it should have been when they first purchased it," said Michael Cherry of Directions on Microsoft. "I know I'd be upset if Microsoft asked me to pay for this set of changes."

Microsoft's Malware Protection Centre has warned of a Trojan that is hijacking Facebook accounts through web browser extensions.

Reporting the malware in its Technet blog, Microsoft revealed that the threat detected as Trojan:JS/Febipos.A originates from Brazil and has been targeting the Chrome and Firefox web browsers specifically.

When installed, Microsoft said the malware attempts to update itself using the URLS: "du-pont.info/updates/ < removed>/BL-chromebrasil.crx" in Chrome and "du-pont.info/updates/ < removed>/BL-mozillabrasil.xpi" in Firefox.

Microsoft has said it will address a vulnerability in its May 2013 Patch Tuesday next week that could potentially expose systems to zero-day attacks on Internet Explorer (IE) 8 if not patched.

The vulnerability has already been exploited in a watering hole attack targeting the US Department of Labor (DoL) website, where, as Alienvault warned earlier this month, it could have lead to a Chinese hacking group installing malware to extract information.

Security researchers are advising users of IE8 that this patch, which is rated as Critical, should be applied first. Qualys' Wolfgang Kendek warned in his blog that the patch "should be on the top of your list if you are on IE8".