XP in embedded form gets its SP1

Microsoft has released Service Pack 1 for the embedded version of Windows XP, a form of the operating system designed to run in embedded devices. The announcement was made at the third annual Microsoft Windows Embedded Developer Conference in Las Vegas. Possible applications for the embedded OS include home gateway systems, various thin client systems (such as shop terminals and the like) and set-top boxes. ...more

iPod recycling programme announced for the US

Apple has announced a free iPod recycling programme in the US. Unwanted iPods can be returned to any of the company's 100 retail stores for 'environmentally friendly disposal', in return for a 10 per cent discount on a new iPod if bought that day. The iPods are processed in the US and no hazardous material is shipped overseas. ...more

Analysis: Can Britain's network support the new wave of video-on-demand services?

Internet television suffered the same stunted infancy as Bluetooth and VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) - much hype and little delivery - but suddenly, media moguls are taking the upstart technology more seriously. Backed by big names such as Microsoft and SBC in the US, and ISPs across mainland Europe, video-on-demand services are riding the increasing bandwidth of second-generation DSL and cable broadband services. Worldwide IPTV subscribers are expected to pass 20 million by 2010, with revenues exceeding $17 billion, according to TDG Research. ...more

Justice.exe: Judgmental program to assess criminals

The Prison Service and the Probation Service are devising a computer program to determine the risk offenders pose to the public. Details of an offender's criminal record, postcode, drug and alcohol usage and emotional well-being will be fed into a computer to produce a score, expressed as a percentage. This will indicate the individual's potential to re-offend. ...more

Spamming and phishing driving crime

Spamming and phishing campaigns are continuing to drive online criminal activity, claims security experts at Kaspersky. Its 'top 20' chart for digital threats showed little movement in the month of August, with only a quarter moving in and out of a chart composed almost exclusively of variants of the Internet worm Mytob and the email worm NetSky. However, the anomaly is the presence of the phishing Trojan Bankfraud. ...more