Bluetooth spawns a new 'sport'

The ever increasing popularity of Bluetooth devices such as mobile phones and PDAs has given rise to the new 'sport' of bluejacking. According to what could be the first website dedicated to the practice, bluejacking is sending anonymous messages to other Bluetooth device users. Or as the site puts it: 'Using a phone with Bluetooth, you can create a phonebook contact and write a message, eg. ...more

Now iPod is five

Five years ago today Apple unveiled a handheld device that was to revolutionise the music market and take the company from the fringe of the computing arena to the centre of the previously non-existent digital media market. Not that anyone predicted any of this when the first iPod was unveiled by Steve Jobs on 23 October 2001. Many observers scoffed at Apple's 'breakthrough digital device', describing it as 'lame', 'overpriced' and one of the 'Top Five Worst Tech Gifts' for Christmas 2001. ...more

Don't mistake VSA for VBA

Microsoft is keen to clarify that it's upcoming VSA framework is not a replacement for Visual Basic technology. And it won't be avialble on MSDN, either. This was a point Ari Bixhorn, Microsoft Product Manager Visual Studio. ...more

NEC, Mandriva develop corporate Linux

French Linux builder Mandriva and NEC computers have announced a joint initiative to develop customised Linux solutions for the corporate and public sectors. NEC already runs a variety of Linux platforms on its Express5800 server range, mainly Red Hat, but also Novell SUSE and Japan's Turbolinux. However, the deal inked with Mandriva will see the open source operating system deployed beyond servers and into desktops and notebooks. ...more

August monthly patch included Vista

Although Microsoft is touting Vista as the most secure operating system it has ever developed, it seems the new operating system is not going to be without its own security problems. Microsoft has admitted that the August mega patch Tuesday included two patches intended for the beta versions of Vista that are currently under test around the world. Of the seven critical Windows updates released in August, two - MS06-042, which is a cumulative patch for Internet Explorer, and MS06-051, which fixes a vulnerability in the Windows kernel - also affect Windows Vista Beta 2 or later. ...more