Jobs shows off Leopard's top spots

Steve Jobs has taken the wraps off some of the new features of Leopard, the next major upgrade to Mac OS X, which is scheduled to begin shipping in spring next year. The Apple CEO introduced new software for recovering and restoring date and managing desktops and applications, a significantly enhanced Mail and iCal, improved support for 64-bit hardware and a new desktop animation technology. Time Machine [pictured] is perhaps the standout new feature in Leopard. ...more

eBay rumoured to be starting 'anyone but Google' alliance

Auction giant eBay is courting various technology partners including Yahoo! and Microsoft in order to help it fend off a challenge from Google according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Reports of the approaches range from co-operation to a full blown merger, although such a deal would undoubtedly attract the attention of the US competition authorities. eBay has watched with growing alarm over the past few months as the search engine has made a series of announcements that put it in direct competition with eBay's core businesses. ...more

New IE flaw could hide malicious script behind a JPG

Another flaw in IE has been discovered that could be used to dupe users into downloading scripts. Finnish security company Secunia describes the flaw - discovered by an outfit called cyber flash - as 'moderately critical'. The problem occurs in the way Internet Explorer 6 displays the filename of a image to be downloaded using the 'Save Picture As' command. ...more

Aibo catches disco fever with software upgrade

The Sony robot dog Aibo has got a software upgrade. The metallic mutt can now play MP3 tunes and dance on command as well as organise your life for you. The latest version of the Mind software features a new range of functions alongside the Aibo Entertainment Player (AEP). ...more

The US Supreme Court lifts restrictions on porn sites

The US Supreme Court has ruled that a bill passed to protect children from viewing pornography on the World Wide Web is against the principle of free speech upheld in the Constitution. The Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was intended to protect minors from sexually explicit material; websites that failed to implement safeguards could face a fine of up to $50,000 and six months in jail. However, a previous act aimed at outlawing internet porn - the Communications Decency Act (CODA) of 1996 - had fallen foul of the First Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees free speech. ...more