The Google Wallet system appears to be under siege. Over the past couple days, two different methods of potentially cracking or circumventing the PIN security protecting Google Wallet have been revealed. What’s worse is that you could potentially be liable for fraudulent charges racked up with Google Wallet.

The initial revelation wasn’t much of a threat, relatively speaking. It required that the smartphone be rooted -- a process that comes with inherent security consequences the user must be aware of and accept when embarking down that path -- and relies on special software and some hacking skill to get at the PIN data.

Google is preparing to launch a long-rumored cloud storage service that tramples a bit on products and services offered by Google partners. A Wall Street Journal report citing “people familiar with the matter” says the new “Drive” service will be launched by Google in the coming weeks or months. What does that mean for other companies that Google works closely with?

As my PCWorld peer Ian Paul pointed out in an article about the upcoming Google storage service, Google already offers online storage in a variety of ways. Ostensibly, the Google “Drive” will consolidate and possibly expand the capabilities, but Google isn’t entirely new to the cloud storage space.

Facebook is beginning to push out its new Timeline layout to all user profiles this week. Business pages on Facebook aren’t affected (at least not yet), but your company can take advantage of this shift.

The Timeline is primarily a cosmetic change to the format for displaying content on Facebook profiles. It makes Facebook content more engaging, and it exposes the entire history of a user’s Facebook posts in a chronological order that makes it easier to navigate to older material.

Since Microsoft shared the first obscure hints of expanding the architecture horizon to include running Windows 8 on ARM processors, there has been rampant speculation and anticipation of what that will really mean when the OS finally launches. Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky is providing some more clarity about Windows 8 on ARM (WOA), including the fact that it will have “Office 15” apps built in.

The Sinofsky post details extensively the techniques and technologies that WOA is built on, and how it will work. There are two points stressed by Sinofsky that I found particularly interesting, though – WOA will have the Windows 8 desktop and not just the Metro UI, and WOA will have “Office 15” apps built in.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint may get all the attention, but OneNote has quickly become the gem of the Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft is now extending the reach of OneNote with an app for Android smartphones and tablets.

A post on the Microsoft OneNote Blog exclaims, “For all of you who've been asking (and patiently waiting) for a version of OneNote for your Android phones, we have great news: OneNote Mobile for Android is now available!”

Hey, Verizon dude. Yes, I can hear you now. Thank you for asking.

I did it. I pulled the trigger and made the switch from AT&T to Verizon. But as impressed as I am with Verizon so far, I still find the whole situation with AT&T that led to my terminating our relationship both frustrating and disturbing.

Pre-orders have begun at AT&T for the Samsung Galaxy Note. The device is either a very large smartphone, or a diminutive tablet. Either way, it faces some significant challenges trying to inspire buyers.

The Galaxy Note is a 5.3-inch device that straddles the line between smartphones and tablets. It weighs 6.45 ounces, has 16GB of internal storage (expandable to 32GB with SD memory card), and is built on the latest version of the Gingerbread release of Android.

The Facebook Timeline is coming whether you like it or not. I have been using it on my personal Facebook profile since it was offered as an option, and I like it. But, with the mandatory switch to the Timeline coming imminently for all Facebook users, a survey from Sodahead.com finds an overwhelming majority are opposed to the new layout.

Specifically, the survey discovered that overall 70 percent dread the mandatory switch to the new Facebook Timeline layout. Younger respondents were more likely to approve of the new format, but even the 18 to 24 year olds – the most receptive demographic segment – maxed out at 30 percent.

Amazon hit a home run with the Kindle Fire. It has the combined benefits of being a product of Amazon, being a Kindle, and being an Android-ish tablet. Amazon has positioned the device as a consumer-oriented gadget – a sort of gateway to all things Amazon. But, its Android roots also give it the functionality and flexibility to get some real work done as well.

The line between business and consumer technology is a bit blurry these days. You can play Angry Birds, watch a Zak Galafianakis movie, or post to Facebook from a business-class desktop PC, and you can create a business presentation, check your email, or review a draft of a white paper on your tablet. Where exactly is the line that determines which side of the consumer / business fence a device sits on?

Don’t nail the coffin shut on RIM just yet. Following a shakeup of executive leadership, and the launch of BlackBerry Cloud Service and Office 365 integration, RIM announced today that the BlackBerry 7 OS has received FIPS 140-2 certification.

Both the BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 7.1 operating systems have been awarded FIPS 140-2 certification by both the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States, as well as the Communications security Establishment Canada (CSEC) in Canada. The FIPS 140-2 certification is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA), so government agencies and businesses that wish to work with those government agencies need accepted mobile devices.