Online extortion gang gets eight years

A Russian gang thought to have extorted as much as ?2m from UK gambling sites has been jailed for eight years. A two-year joint investigation involving the Russian authorities, Interpol, the FBI and the UK National High Tech Crime Unit, traced gang members Ivan Maksakov, Alexander Petrov and Denis Stepanov. They were each sentenced to eight years in prison in Russia and fined close to ?2,000 for their part in using threats of denial of service attacks to extort money, often around key betting events in the sporting calendar. ...more

McDonalds makes a meal of Nintendo Net access

Nintendo and McDonald's have struck a deal to offer gamers free Internet access in restaurants across the US. The service means that owners of the Nintendo DS console will be able to grab a burger while they play selected games against people around the world - without paying a fee, reports the BBC. McDonald's already offers wireless Internet access for laptops in 6,000 of its US restaurants at a charge, but Nintendo are the first to provide a complimentary connection for its customers at the fast-food chain. ...more

Facebook opens up for Web applications

Facebook.com has unwrapped its highly anticipated makeover. Instead of being a members-only club, it is aiming to become an operating system for all sorts of Web applications and Internet media. ...more

Get the knowledge on iPod shuffle

Apple has published more than a dozen articles on its Knowledge Base online support detailing specific issues with the new iPod shuffle. Before buying, you should note that iPod shuffle may not fit all USB ports, notably recessed or closely spaced ports. This includes those on the following Apple products: eMac, iMac G3, Apple Studio Display 17 (ADC), and certain Xserve configurations, which will require a Dock Connector (?19). ...more

Swedes make music search out listener

A group of Swedish scientists is working on a technology that automatically delivers music to a phone or MP3 player without the user ever having to ask. The Push!Music technology will look for mobile devices in the vicinity and then read what music is stored on them and what has been listened to in the past. New music is then delivered via the wireless connection. ...more