US cans email, not spam

Spam has put off nearly a third of US email users, according to a report. A survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 29 per cent had reduced their use of email because of the spam plague. The survey, carried out between 3 February and 1 March this year, shows that the US Can-Spam Act which rolled out at the beginning of the year is having little impact on the amount spam, nearly 60 per cent of which originates in the US. ...more

Microsoft counters Sun over Java dispute

Microsoft lashes out at Sun - it's trying 'to obtain a free ride on Microsoft's success'. Microsoft has made a district court filing that rejects Sun's complaints about Microsoft's use of Java technology. It also alleges that Sun uses continuing litigation to gain unfair advantages and that its current complaints violate the contractual obligations imposed by an earlier case and California business laws. ...more

IBM's Java-based software for next-gen telephony

IBM has announced the latest version of WebSphere, an open-standards-based system that supports Java APIs for intelligent networking. The application server is already in use by seven of the top eight US telcos for back end operations such as customer care and billing. Using the software, IBM has introduced a "follow me" service, which routes incoming call to wherever you are, based on information in your computer's calendar, so callers would be routed to your office phone at work, but your mobile when at a conference, for example. ...more

UPDATED: Legal woes block UK online ink cartridge reseller

UK online ink cartridge reseller Recharge has agreed to stop selling Epson-compatible cartridges after facing legal proceedings. Epson claims that Bolton-based Recharge Inkjet Technologies Limited, which trades under the name CartridgeMonkey.com, will pay it a 'substantial settlement payment' and promise 'not to infringe Epson's patents and registered designs'. ...more

A database in the Palm of your hand

FileMaker has announced FileMaker Mobile 2, software that allows Filemaker 5.5 databases to be synced-with and edited-on handhelds running Palm OS. Palm HotSync software uploads data from the desktop database to the handheld and then relays any changes made back to the original database. ...more