Windows 10 will undo 8’s miscues

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10 platform is a promising attempt to make up for a trail of unhappy consumers and businesses who were force-fed a touchscreen-centric interface that they never asked for nor wanted.

Windows 8 constituted one of the most serious market misreads since Segways. But to Microsoft's credit, it has spent the past two years with its ear to the ground, if the early beta version of Windows 10 is an indication.

Although a preview of Windows 10 is available for download, don't rush to grab it. Only programmers and computer enthusiasts who have a throwaway PC lying around should even consider loading unfinished, buggy software onto their machines. What you see today isn't necessarily what you'll encounter when you go to buy your next PC.

Domestic sales of Macs and Google's Chromebooks are on the rise and Windows PC sales are declining. This year, Windows PCs slipped 4 percent in the U.S. — from 72 percent to an estimated 68 percent, according to the NPD Group.

But Microsoft's business model is much more dependent on the enterprise market. The success of Windows 10 will almost entirely rest on whether chief information officers decide to upgrade. Far too many took a pass on Windows 8. Of the 715 million copies of Windows installed in businesses worldwide last year, only 16 million — or just 2 percent — were running Windows 8.

If those 98 percent of businesses still clinging to old software don't like Windows 10, it's hard to imagine anything but a catastrophe taking hold in Redmond, Wash.

And it's hard to imagine that Google and Apple won't make a giant play for those business customers, that is if they aren't already preparing to do so.

Windows 10 appears to be a case of what's old is new again. The familiar start menu and desktop setup is back. The search option within the Start Menu is back, and it's in the task bar too.

One of the biggest problems with Windows 8 was that apps take up the entire screen when they're open. With Windows 10 they are resizable. And an improved "snap" feature allows users to more easily organize multiple tasks at once. A feature allowing users to create and open multiple desktops at once shows huge promise in a world where workers increasingly use their personal devices.

And by eliminating an awkward so-called "charms" feature for desktop users and keeping it only on touchscreens, Microsoft seems to have accepted a difficult truth: the market wants to keep its mouse and cursor.

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App for T parking hits 1M payments

The MBTA's new mobile payment provider has processed 1 million transactions, the company said.

PayByPhone, an app available for Android phones and iPhones, lets riders pay for parking in 83 MBTA-owned parking lots rather than stuffing cash into honor boxes.

"This milestone is a result of how convenient mobile payments are over the old style honor boxes and parking meters," the company said in a statement.

Users put their payment information in the app, and can select the parking space and lot where they are parked. The parking information is relayed to MBTA parking enforcement.

In February, the MBTA switched to PayByPhone, saying the company was the low bidder when the old contract expired.

The app also is used in San Francisco, Miami 
and city parking lots in Plymouth.

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Chrysler 200 stands out from crowd

The mid-sized sedan market is a challenge to shop as cars become indistinguishable when comparing features. Then there's the 2015 Chrysler 200, which stands out from the crowd with a comfortable, quiet ride and an abundance of state-of-the-art, easy-to-use technology.

Its rounded exterior corners and flowing lines give the Chrysler 200 a coupe-like appearance and a tasteful amount of chrome trim on the grille, bumpers and around the windows add just a touch of sophistication.

Chrysler offers the 200 with two engine choices, a 3.6-liter V6 that churns out 295 horsepower and a diminutive, fuel-sipping, 2.4-liter, inline-4 that produces 184 horsepower. My 200 with the smaller engine yielded 28 miles-per-gallon in combined city and highway driving, thanks in part to a 9-speed automatic transmission that reduces the gaps between shifts. While the boost in fuel economy was appreciated, it was short on punch. A smooth ride with lively handling through the corners compensated for the deficiency in power.

The Chrysler 200 starts at $21,700. The top-of-the-line C model, with the character of a luxury sedan, reached $30,475, which included a $1,295 safety technology package and a $1,395 package that bundled together navigation and an upgraded sound system.

The safety technology package is highlighted by lane departure warning with lane keep assist, forward collision warning, park assist with stop and adaptive cruise control. Adaptive cruise control, an advanced feature once reserved for the high-end segment is now available on just about everything, and is one feature that I'm finding difficult to live without.

The off-white soft leather interior was accentuated with conspicuous stitching. A blue bezel surrounding the instrument panel glowed from behind a leather-wrapped steering wheel. An 8.4-inch touchscreen provided easy access to the 200's radio and navigation features without overwhelming the center console.

Full electronic gear shifting via a rotary shift knob created additional storage space within the center console. The area was further enhanced with sliding cup holders that provided storage flexibility and an opening to run cables through for smartphone connections.

Both driver and passenger seats were firm, yet comfortable. While the back seats needed an inch or two of additional leg room, the trunk had plenty of storage space.

The 2015 Chrysler 200 is worth a test drive when considering the Accord, Camry, Fusion, Mazda 6 or Passat. I like the options that Chrysler has to offer with the 200. If the standard engine is too small, they offer a best-in-class for horsepower V6 and if you're worried that front-wheel-drive might be inadequate for New England winter driving, there's an all-wheel-drive model.

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Company proposes a safer Zohydro to FDA

The maker of the controversial painkiller Zohydro is seeking federal approval of a harder-to-abuse version, but its lawsuit against the state is "ongoing," even though a judge struck down Massachusetts' ban of the drug and some of the subsequent restrictions the state put on it.

San Diego-based Zogenix said it has submitted a supplemental application to the Food and Drug Administration for a new form of Zohydro extended-release capsules that is more difficult to snort or inject. If it is approved, as the company expects, in the first quarter of 2015, the drugmaker would replace the current version of Zohydro in the second quarter.

The company still, however, is challenging U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel's July 8 decision upholding a state Board of Registration in Pharmacy regulation requiring that only pharmacists handle Zohydro in a drug store.

"That legal action is ongoing in federal court, and the company will provide additional updates as it moves through the process," Zogenix said yesterday in a statement.

A hearing on the company's complaint is expected in December.

"Our office has urged the FDA as well as manufacturers to make abuse-resistant and tamper-resistant formulations of their drugs, especially potent opioids," Christopher Loh, a spokesman for Attorney General Martha Coakley, said in a statement yesterday. "That continues to be an important tool in the fight against abuse and a minimum safeguard that should be employed by manufacturers of painkillers."

The FDA approved Zohydro last October. But in late March, Gov. Deval Patrick declared a public health emergency because of a growing number of opiate overdoses and banned the prescription and sale of hydrocone-only drugs, of which Zohydro is the only one.

The company sued, arguing that it was being singled out unfairly, and in April, Zobel lifted the ban. Within days, the boards of registration in medicine and pharmacy and the Board of Registration of Physicians Assistants passed regulations placing restrictions on how the drug could be prescribed and sold.

In July, Zobel struck down a requirement that doctors or physicians assistants certify in a "letter of medical necessity" that "other pain management treatments have failed" for a patient who has been prescribed Zohydro.

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JPMorgan breach heightens data security doubts

LOS ANGELES — New details on a cyberattack against JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s computer servers this summer add to increasing doubts over the security of consumer data kept by lenders, retailers and others.

The New York-based bank disclosed Thursday that the breach compromised customer information pertaining to roughly 76 million households and 7 million small businesses.

Among the customer data stolen were names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, though only customers who use the websites Chase.com and JPMorganOnline and the apps ChaseMobile and JPMorgan Mobile were affected, the bank said.

JPMorgan stressed that there's no evidence that the data breach included account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers or dates of birth. It also noted that it has not seen any unusual customer fraud stemming from the data breach.

The server breach follows data thefts that have hit financial firms and major retailers this year, adding to consumer concerns over the risk of identity theft and fraud.

The Chase heist is even more disturbing than the recent retail breaches because banks are supposed to have fortress-like protection against intruders, said Gartner security analyst Avivah Litan.

"This is really a slap in the face of the American financial services system," Litan said. "Honestly, this is a crisis point."

JPMorgan Chase, the nation's biggest bank by assets, has been working with law enforcement officials to investigate the cyberattack.

The bank discovered the intrusion on its servers in mid-August and has since determined that the breach began as early as June, spokeswoman Patricia Wexler said.

"We have identified and closed the known access paths," she said, declining to elaborate.

She also declined to comment on whether JPMorgan has been able to determine who was behind the cyberattack on its servers.

In response to the data breach, the company has disabled compromised accounts and reset passwords of all its technology employees, Wexler said.

In a post on its Chase.com website, the bank told customers that it doesn't believe they need to change their password or account information. It also noted that customers are not liable for unauthorized transactions when they promptly alert the bank.

The breach is yet another in a series of data thefts that have hit financial firms and major retailers.

Last month, Home Depot said that malicious software lurking in its check-out terminals between April and September affected 56 million debit and credit cards. Michaels and Neiman Marcus also have been attacked by hackers in the past year.

A data breach at Target in December compromised 40 million credit and debit cards. TJX Cos.'s theft of 90 million records, disclosed in 2007, remains the largest data breach at a retailer.

Chase's assurances that it hasn't found any evidence of the personal data being misused shouldn't be misinterpreted as a reason to rest easy. The information still could be used in a variety of ways to rip off people in the months and years ahead.

That means consumers and business owners need to be more vigilant than ever, making sure to pore over their financial statements each month for any sign of suspicious activity. People also should be more leery than ever of unsolicited phone calls from purported bank representatives, emails fishing for their financial information and even uninvited guests knocking at their doors.

"You have to be paranoid now. You can't slack off," Litan said. "There is no such thing as data confidentiality anymore. Everything is out there."

Jamie Dimon, the bank's CEO, said in this year's annual report that despite spending millions on cybersecurity, JPMorgan remained worried about the threat of attacks. By the end of this year, the bank estimates that it will be spending about $250 million annually on cybersecurity and employing 1,000 people in the area.

In August, the FBI said that it was working with the Secret Service to determine the scope of recent cyber attacks against several American financial institutions.

Last month, JPMorgan began notifying customers that it would reissue credit or debit cards in the wake of the data breach at Home Depot. Wexler said the bank doesn't plan to reissue cards as a result of the breach of its servers, noting that customer account information was not stolen.

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AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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Baker Chocolate complex has sweet condos

If you're looking for an alternative to the Hub's astro­nomical condo prices, you may want to stop looking along the Charles River and set your sights on the Neponset.

The Baker Chocolate complex, a 14-acre village of brick factory buildings along the Neponset River in Dorchester's Lower Mills, has some new high-end condos that start at just $450,000. Owners have access to an indoor lap pool with a hot tub, a fitness facility, a conference room and a dog park. Units come with deeded parking out back and condo fees include heat.

The Lofts at Lower Mills were transformed into one- and two-bedroom market-­rate apartments with historic preservation tax credits five years ago, and now Hub owner Winn­ Develop­ment has been converting them to condos as the credits expire.

Three buildings are being transitioned into 77 condos, with 58 of them in a six-story Romanesque Revival building built in 1891 and known as the Baker Mill. The developer is adding hardwood floors, some updated appliances, and even opening up some unused loft spaces on the top floor.

The condos have 13-to- 18A-foot-high wood-beam ceilings, tall windows, exposed brick walls and lots of original detailing.

We took a look at model Unit B-601, a 2,000-square-foot one-bedroom-plus duplex that's on the market for $660,000. The sixth-floor unit's living room has soaring 18A-foot ceilings and a large multipart arched window that overlooks the river. Its one bedroom, reachable by a newly added steel and wood staircase, is a remarkably large 750 square feet. The unit has two full bathrooms with glass-enclosed showers and a soaking tub, an in-unit washer/dryer, a dining room/den space and an open kitchen with quartz countertops, wood cabinets and stainless-steel appliances.

The Baker complex is within a short walking distance of Dorchester's Lower Mills retail area and Milton Village just across the Neponset, but it feels self-contained. Out back there's the picturesque Baker Dam and you can connect with Neponset River Walk that leads down to the Pope John XXIII park. There's a Red Line trolley stop to Ashmont just across the street, making for an easy city commute.

"It's got a neighborhood feel, and it's affordable," said Jonathan Keith of Keith Brokerage in Canton, who is exclusively marketing the units. The building was rehabbed into apartments by his family's construction company.

Condo fees range from $600-$900 a month, and include gas heat from a central system. Owners also get access to the complex's renovated lap pool and fitness facility.

"We're attracting a lot more empty nester buyers than we thought we would," said Keith, who said 32 units have closed. "We're getting people from suburbs like Hingham and Cohasset who want to be close to the South Shore but are looking for a city feel. The complex has really developed into a friendly neighborhood with a great mix of people."

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Wayfair raises IPO price

Boston home furnishings online retailer Wayfair Inc. was set to start trading today at a higher than ex­pected share price on the New York Stock Exchange — the 20th Massachusetts company to undergo an initial public offering this year.

Wayfair last night said it would offer 11 million shares at $29 a share — higher than the $25 to $28 range it had set in regulatory filings — in a deal that will raise $319 million.

As a high-growth com­pany with no profits to show, Wayfair comes with pluses and minuses for investors. On the positive side, it has lots of room for growth. Its 6 percent market share makes it the leading company in the under-penetrated online home goods market, which accounts for just 7 percent of total home goods sales, said Kathleen Smith, principal of Renaissance Capital, an IPO exchange-traded fund manager.

And Wayfair has been growing fast, with a nearly 50 percent revenue increase in the first half of the year to $574.1 million, and 52.4 percent year-over-year growth to $915.8 million in 2013.

"And they're pricing at a fairly reasonable (price) relative to other similar companies," Smith said.

Wayfair is not making money, however. It lost $51.4 million in the first half of the year, after a 2013 loss of $15.5 million, primarily due to increased adver­tising spending. And those losses are expected to persist for a couple of years.

"This is the dark side," said Rett Wallace, co-founder of Triton Research, a financial data and intelligence firm. "It's not clear that they can ever be profitable."

But losses aside, Wayfair is a "valid business," according to Smith. "Investors are looking for these high-growth companies, figuring that they can figure out their model," she said. "Even Amazon doesn't earn money, and investors have been tolerating their negligible earnings."

Wayfair formerly operated through hundreds of niche websites before consoli­dating under Wayfair.com in late 2011 and changing its name from CSN Stores. The company holds little inventory, shipping to customers directly from its suppliers.

The company, which was in a quiet period yesterday, was unable to comment.

Wayfair's IPO is the 20th by a Massachusetts-based company this year and the largest since Samsonite International raised $1.3 billion in its June 2011 IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange, according to Dealogic,­ a New York financial software company that tracks IPOs.

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Ebola, manufacturing woes shake Wall St.

The first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the U.S. sent ripples through Wall Street yesterday, as airline stocks slid while shares of drugmakers with potential treatments soared.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day down more than 200 points as it was hit with disappointing economic news in addition to Ebola worries.

At first stocks were driven lower by word that German manufacturing had slowed last month. The selling accelerated after a separate survey indicated U.S. manufacturing slowed as well.

News that a Liberian man visiting family in Dallas had been diagnosed with Ebola caused investors to dump airline stocks out of fear that people would be reluctant to travel.­ JetBlue, Delta, American and Southwest Airlines all fell by more than 3 percent.

"The worse the news headlines get about this, the more risk there is to airlines," Joe Denardi, a Stifel financial Corp. analyst, told Bloomberg.

But shares of drug­makers with potential vaccines or treatments for Ebola rose. Shares of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, whose TKM-Ebola drug was given to Holden physician Richard Sacra after he contracted the disease in West Africa, soared more than 18 percent. Meanwhile, shares of Cambridge-based Sarepta Therapeutics, whose experimental drug AVI-7537 showed promise before federal funding dried up, rose 3.70 percent.

Other companies that fared well due to the Ebola news included Lakeland Industries, which makes hazmat suits, and Alpha Pro Tech, which makes face masks and eye shields. Lakeland shares soared 29.64 percent, while Alpha Pro Tech rose 10.46 percent.

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Asian stocks down on recovery, Ebola worries

SEOUL, South Korea — Asian stocks fell Thursday amid worries about the strength of U.S. and European recoveries and the first American case of Ebola.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 1.7 percent to 15,815.45 points and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.9 percent to 1,973.31. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.7 percent to 5,295.7. Stocks in Southeast Asia also lost ground. Markets in Hong Kong and China were closed for a public holiday.

SLOW GERMAN DATA: A survey showed German manufacturing unexpectedly contracted in September for the first time in 15 months, the latest sign Europe is being hurt by sanctions imposed on Russia over its role in Ukraine.

US MANUFACTURING: A closely watched monthly survey by the Institute for Supply Management came in below expectations, helping to drive a selloff on Wall Street.

EBOLA: U.S. airlines were among the hardest hit as investors fretted people would be discouraged from traveling after reports of the country's first case of Ebola.

ANALYST TAKE: "Confirmation of a case of Ebola in the U.S. has joined a growing list of bad news stories with geo-political tensions in Ukraine and Hong Kong, and growth concerns around China and Europe sapping risk appetite," said Niall King of CMC Markets in a commentary.

WALL STREET: The Dow Jones industrial average index lost 1.4 percent to 16,804.71. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 declined 1.3 percent to 1,946.16 and the Nasdaq composite fell 1.6 percent to 4,422.09.

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK FOCUS: Caution prevailed among investors ahead of a meeting of European Central Bank policymakers. Though no change in interest rates is anticipated, there will be great interest in what ECB President Mario Draghi says about possible monetary stimulus following recent weak economic news in Europe.

US DATA: The U.S. Labor Department is due to report the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. Economists forecast that weekly applications rose a slight 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000. The Commerce Department will report August factory orders. Orders in July rose 10.5 percent in their biggest one-month gain since 1992.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. oil added 17 cents to $90.90 per barrel in electronic trading in New York. The contract fell 43 cents to settle at $90.73 on Wednesday. The price of oil was pushed down by plentiful supplies and a rise in the U.S. dollar — in which oil sales are priced — against other currencies.

CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 108.65 yen from 109.07 yen. The euro rose to $1.266 from $1.262.

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App teaches kindergartners basic computer coding

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Researchers in Massachusetts have created an app that teaches basic computer programming to kindergartners.

Children as young as 5 can use the app to craft their own interactive stories and games. They don't even have to know how to read.

In the free app ScratchJr, children can snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters and other elements move, jump, talk and change size.

The co-developers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University say ScratchJr teaches kids to think creatively and helps them become confident in their skills in math, science and technology.

Kindergartner Talia Levitt has started using the app at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School in Medford.

She says it has taught her to concentrate and use her imagination.

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