AMD unveils an Opteron fit for a supercomputer

As expected AMD has filled out its Opteron processor line with a new addition. Last week, AMD shuffled its processor pricing - AMD cuts prices for mobile computing - and the Opteron range was affected. It was being prepared for a new arrival in the 200 series: the Model 246, which is priced at $794, based on 1,000-unit quantities. ...more

USPTO frowns on dynamic web patents

The USPTO has upheld the Public Patent Foundation's requests for a formal review of the 'dynamic web' patents owned by EpicRealm, which have been used as the basis for infringement proceedings against tens of companies. PUBPAT put forward bodies of prior art that the USPTO had not previously been aware of when the patents were initially granted in an attempt to invalidate the patents. If the prior art is found to invalidate the patents they will be revoked and EpicRealm will find it difficult to sustain related lawsuits - tough times for a company that thrives solely on its patent portfolio. ...more

Creative takes on the iPod mini with the Zen Micro.

Creative has launched the latest in its line of digital music players with the Zen Micro. At 84 x 51 x 19mm, it's a diminutive device, but with a 5GB disk it can carry 2,500 songs, according to the company. Creative says the rechargeable battery lasts 12 hours for continuous music playback and 16 hours for continuous use of the FM radio. ...more

Microsoft tackles phishing with Office 2003 SP2

Microsoft has unveiled Service Pack 2 for Office 2003. Among the improvements, Outlook receives a series of updates to help safeguard against phishing. These include notifying the user of suspicious URLs and automatically disabling those links. ...more

Apple set to prevail in iTunes pricing battle

Apple may be about to prevail in its battle with the major record companies over iTunes pricing, according to a New York Post report. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has argued vehemently that the single-price model makes the music store easier for customers to understand and that introducing higher prices for new releases will only result in fewer people buying digital music and more downloading it on file-sharing networks. Industry bosses had expected to win the argument for variable pricing, but according to the Post Jobs 'has dug in his heels'. ...more