Free Windows XP update improves security of private and public WiFi networks

Microsoft has beefed up the security of Windows XP's wireless connections as a free update to Service Pack 2. As well as making it easier to connect to wireless hotspots, Microsoft says it has now added support for WiFi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) - said to be the highest level of standard wireless security currently available. The move is driven by the requirements of US government and other security conscious organisations for improved security within WiFi networks. ...more

Toshiba puts HD DVD in the desktop

Toshiba has introduced the first internal HD DVD drive for desktop computers, the SD-H903A. The S-ATA drive has a blue-violet laser diode that can read and write to HD DVD-R discs and that offers support for high-density HD DVD-ROM discs, including high definition movie and video images. It also provides high-speed read and write to all the many types of DVD and CD discs. ...more

All hands on DeCCS

The DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) Appears to have given up its quest to have the DeCSS software that decrypts the data on commercial DVDs declared a trade secret. The organisation had feared that publishing the software would make it easier for programmers to illegally copy and distribute movies. The DVD CCA is now seeking dismissal of a four-year-old legal action against Andrew Bunner who republished software which allowed DVDs to be played on a computer running Linux. ...more

Wikiseeks Wikipedia wisdom

Searchme has unveiled a beta version of its new dedicated search engine for the Wikipedia collaborative online encyclopaedia. Wikiseek restricts its results to Wikipedia pages themselves, and to pages linked to within Wikipedia articles. The developers claim that consequently the results are more relevant than those generated by a standard search engine, such as Google, as Wikiseek relies on edited and updated user input rather than a set of secret algorithms. ...more

Jobs named in Apple lawsuit

Steve Jobs heads a list of Apple notables named in the recent shareholders' lawsuit over irregularities in the company's issuing of stock options. Apple revealed last week that it faces two lawsuits arising from its own internal investigation into the granting of options. One lawsuit, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges 'company executives and directors colluded to backdate stock options in order to maximize the return on their options, breaching their fiduciary duties to the company and causing the company millions in losses'. ...more