Microsoft faces new legal battle

A Florida court has given the go-ahead for Microsoft customers to bring a class action lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit alleges that Microsoft overcharged for its Windows and MS-DOS operating systems and Word and Excel applications, in violation of a Florida state law prohibiting unfair trade and anti-competitive practices, reports the Associated Press. The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages, the amount of which will not be specified until the end of the trial. ...more

Aibo receives 40,000 orders

The virtual dog that's making all the headlines proves he's not a flash in the pan. Sony has revealed that it has received 40,000 orders for the new version of its robot dog Aibo in the four weeks since its launch on November. A spokesperson revealed that orders for the new ERS-210 topped 40,000 on December 11, while the company has already sold over 45,000 units of its original Aibo unit worldwide. ...more

BBC to broadcast World Cup games online

The BBC is to broadcast its World Cup 2006 games live on the Internet. The Corporation has signed what it describes as an exclusive deal with Infront Sports & Media, which is the company responsible for the worldwide marketing and sales of the broadcast rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, having been appointed by FIFA. The deal means Internet users, in the UK only, will be able to watch all of the BBC World Cup games online. ...more

Jump to the Gigabeat

Toshiba has announced a new portable music player, the first to rival Apple's iPod in storage capacity, transfer speed and style. The Gigabeat can store up to 5Gb of music on removeable PC-card hard drives, which suggests that there is no limit to the amount of music you can easily carry around with you. Toshiba will ship the player with one card, and will make additional 2Gb and 5Gb cards available. ...more

Toshiba to demo 3D displays

Toshiba has brought the world of 3D technology into sharp relief with display technology that literally makes images stand out. The 3D flatbed screens won't be in commercial production for a couple of years, but Toshiba says it has cracked key obstacles to making 3D screens a reality. First, it claims that current standards offer an extremely limited viewing angle, making viewing 3D images a tiring experience. ...more