Ofcom favours wireless MP3 transmitters

Ofcom has proposed the legalisation of low-power FM transmitters which can be used to wirelessly connect portable audio devices to radios and in-car entertainment systems. The volte-face over devices such as the iPod-compatible iTrip follows a six-week investigation of whether such simple and low cost devices, widely used in other countries, could be used in the UK without interfering with broadcast services. 'Ofcom is responding to growing consumer demand for the use of these devices and has led negotiations in Europe to develop a harmonised approach to their use by late autumn 2006,' the regulator said in a statement. ...more

Microsoft takes on US eBay counterfeit traders

Microsoft is ramping up its campaign against counterfeiting, filing eight suits in the US against eBay traders selling dodgy software. Microsoft fingered seven of the defendants through customers using its Windows Genuine Advantage tool, which determines whether Microsoft software is genuine and allows them to submit reports of where they bought the software if it proves counterfeit. Other evidence came from complaints made to the company's anti-piracy hotline. ...more

COMMENT: Cocoa confusion

When is a Mac not a Mac? When it's running a Cocoa app. A contentious statement maybe, but Cocoa applications can make OS X behave quite differently to its predecessors - behaviour we shall call, with a nod to Apple's 1984 Big Brother ad, unMacwise. Cocoa applications are those built to run exclusively in OS X using Apple's API (application programming interface), TextEdit - which is free with OS X - being one example. ...more

Sun and Fujitsu agree on selling a single high-end server range

Sun and Fujitsu have announced a partnership that will end their bitter rivalry and see them marketing and selling a single high-end server range. Both companies build Sparc processors and use the Solaris operating system in their server lines, and Fujitsu even sells Sun UltraSparc servers in Japan as its 'S' range, while Sun uses Fujitsu hard drives in its systems. The new deal, though, would see a commitment from both companies until the end of the decade to an 'advanced product line' (APL). ...more

ISPs cut broadband fees

Both of BT's Internet provision arms - BT Openworld and BT Retail - are offering home users free broadband activation and ?50 modems until 31 March. Discounts of up to ?260 are available to business customers. New year price cuts have also been announced by One. ...more