Intel switches Centrino focus to the home

Chip giant Intel is to switch the focus of its marketing of Centrino from business to home users according to Reuters. The switch of emphasis to more consumer media will include things like TV ads and glossy magazines. The aim is to demonstrate the advantages of Centrino technology to home users. ...more

Google Video service sticks to the script

Google, for once, is playing catch up to search engine rival Yahoo! by launching its own Google Video service Google Video is based around an index of the subtitles or transcripts of US television shows although only from a limited number of channels at present. By entering keywords into the search box, Google returns results based on the text of the shows. Thus, entering 'Iraq' as a keyword will, unsurprisingly, return a large number of news shows and a snippet of the transcript where Iraq is mentioned along with a still image of the programme. ...more

XP will prove a trouble-free upgrade, say Microsoft

Anyone who remembers as far back as the Windows 2000 launch may recall the panic of finding that their peripherals no longer functioned, as compatible drivers were thin on the ground to begin with. Rest assured, however, that this will not be the case with XP, as David Weeks, Windows XP product manager, told us. One of the problems with Win2K was that manufacturers had to get their drivers through the Microsoft Certified Driver program before releasing them to the wide world. ...more

Macs turn around UK school

Apple is trumpeting the change in fortunes of a school in Hampshire after it equipped a new building with a complete Mac-based IT infrastructure. Wildren School has seen the pass rate for five or more A* to C grades rise from 38 per cent of pupils to 86 per cent, and headteacher Jeffery Threlfall says that it is the Macs that have made the difference. 'Our focus is on quality teaching and improving opportunities for children to learn, not on technology for its own sake. ...more

Donk-D network worm begins its rounds

The network worm and backdoor Trojan, Donk-D, has been reported in the wild, warns anti-virus company Sophos. Copying itself to network shares with weak passwords, it also attempts to spread by exploiting the now-familiar vulnerabilities in Windows RPCSS service - see also today's story New RPC flaw in Windows. This allows the worm to execute its code on target computers with System level priviledges, which was the flaw first addressed by Microsoft security bulletin MS03-026. ...more