iPod, meet XPod

Mediafour, developer of the MacDrive software that mounts Mac disks on Windows machines, has announced that it is developing XPod, software that will make iPod Windows-compatible. As the iPod is basically a FireWire hard drive, getting a Windows machine to recognise it should not prove too difficult, provided the machine has a FireWire or compatible connection, although most don't. However, the developer has not yet said how it intends to transfer songs and playlists or whether there will be any iTunes-style synchronisation with Windows MP3 software. ...more

YouTube hits back at Yahoo!

The Internet phenomenon that is YouTube has shot back at Yahoo!'s video revamp with new features intended to bind its community of video posters closer together. YouTube has become incredibly successful and now attracts a mind boggling 50 million views and 50,000 video uploads every day according to its own statistics. Now for a community that sees itself as a collection of movie and TV moguls, the developers have added some features that make it easier to use. ...more

Pro-Linux patent portfolio builder begins its acquisitions

The Open Invention Network says it has bought its first set of patents since its launch last November. The body was formed to build a patent portfolio through acquisition, which companies could use freely on the condition that they did not push patent claims against Linux. Funding is provided through the founding members: IBM, Novell, Philips, Red Hat and Sony; and the organisation is soliciting further donations. ...more

AOL admits accounting impropriety

AOL Time Warner has admitted that its America Online (AOL) division may have overstated revenues. Three weeks ago the SEC, the US financial regulator, launched an investigation into allegations made by the Washington Post newspaper that AOL had boosted revenues with 'unconventional deals'. AOL has now said that it may have reclassified one-off payments received - totalling $49 mn over six quarters - as revenues from advertising and ecommerce. ...more

Microsoft teases with Secret Project

The Blogosphere is in overdrive concerning a strange new announcement due from Microsoft. A site known only as origamiproject.com, which has been registered by Microsoft, shows some kind of animation which appears to be related to networking. ...more