Sony adds AAC support for music app

Sony has announced a new version of the SonicStage CP software for managing music on a PC and transferring it to the company's range of Walkman digital music players. In a clear bid to attract iTunes users to the Walkman platform the new software includes support for the AAC codec, which is the default music encoding format in the Apple software, although playback of DRM-protected tracks purchased from the iTunes Music Store will remain restricted to iPods. Since launching its first digital Walkmans with support for just one codec, its own ATRAC format, Sony has acknowledged that it can no longer operate within a technological walled garden and added support for MP3 and both protected and unrestricted WMA files. ...more

Casio to launch budget digital camera

Casio is planning to launch a digital still camera for a budget price of ?60. The LV-10 features a CMOS sensor with 300,000 pixels and a strobe light function. The unit can handle resolutions of 640x480 pixels and 320x240 pixels and can store around 60 images (at 640x480) on its in-built 4Mb EEPROM flash memory. ...more

Adobe agrees to distribute Google Toolbar

Adobe has signed a multi-year agreement with Google to distribute the Google Toolbar with various Adobe products. From today the toolbar will now be offered as part of the Shockwave Player installation process for Internet Explorer on Windows, and will be bundled with other Adobe product installers in the future. The toolbar adds a Google search box to a Web browser plus features designed to make browsing more efficient, such as instant suggestions as you type in the search box, a spelling checker and a pop-up blocker. ...more

Novell takes an axe to itself

Novell is to put in place a major restructuring initiative which it claims will save it in excess of $110m, but which also includes a cull of more than 10 per cent of its workforce. The announcement comes on the back of a pair of weak quarters and mounting pressure from investors to make good on its Linux strategy with profits down to $2.1m in its most recent quarter. ...more

UEFA kicks off Champions League football on broadband

You will now be able to get Champions League football over the Internet, courtesy of RealNetworks, and ?3.95 per month. In a deal signed with the European football governing body UEFA, Real is about to offer access to live matches and a highlights package. ...more