New Xbox 360 owners reporting faults with console

The huge hype behind the Xbox 360 launch is paying off with shortages of the new Microsoft console reported across the US. The much trailed Microsoft console launched across the US on Tuesday with near riots reported as gamers struggled to get their hands on the new machine. However the launch has not been without its teething problems, with a number of new owners reporting unexplained crashes of the machine which do not appear to be related to any particular game. ...more

UK owner of Gmail trademark keeps up legal fight

The UK company that claims ownership of the Gmail trademark is preparing to take further legal action against Google after talks between the two companies failed to reach an agreement. Independent International Investment Research (IIIR) began negotiations with Google 16 months ago after the US search company unveiled its Gmail Web-based email service. IIIR claims a prior right to the trademark as the name of the webmail component of its Pronet software suite, which was first released in May 2002. ...more

Microsoft settles up with Minnesota

Microsoft has agreed a preliminary settlement to a class-action suit in Minnesota - one of the few outstanding states where Redmond still faces litigation over antitrust issues. The suit alleged the company overcharged consumers for its operating system and office software products and sought damages up to $425mn. The exact details behind the settlement are as yet undisclosed. ...more

MSN blocks 2.4bn spam emails a day

MSN has started taking antispam measures seriously of late and is now blocking 2.4bn of the blighters a day. But when you consider that this figure is 80 per cent of all messages to MSN servers, you have to ask why the company hadn't got round to doing this before. ...more

Microsoft eyes cable TV

Software behemoth Microsoft is expected to introduce new software today aimed at digital TV cable providers. The software, entitled Microsoft TV Foundation Edition, will be supplied on the standard black box supplied to every cable TV customer. It is rumoured to enable everything from better TV listings through to programmes and videos on demand. ...more