Sony rolls out CD-burners on the double

Sony has launched two CD-RW drives - one internal and the other external with USB 2.0 connectivity. The 480Mbits/sec maximum bandwidth means that both drives can offer performance of 40-speed write, 12-speed rewrite and 48-speed read, although you'll need a USB 2. ...more

UPDATED: Microsoft fails in bid to dismiss 'Autoplay' lawsuit

Microsoft has suffered a setback in a patent dispute over 'auto play' features in Windows. Its bid to have a patent suit dismissed has been denied by a District Court judge for Northern California. The case was brought by TV Interactive Data (TVI), a Californian company specialising in video on demand technology. ...more

Sony to cut 20,000 jobs worldwide as profits slump

The BBC reports that Sony is planning to cut 20,000 jobs worldwide, up to 13 per cent of its workforce. No detailed breakdown on the anticipated job cuts has yet been revealed, but the majority are expected to be outside Japan. The redundancies will follow on from disappointing recent financial results - the Japanese electronics giant has been struggling in 2003 to retain the profit margins of old. ...more

FTP man fetches $500,000 in TV quiz

You can't make this stuff up. Jim Matthews, author of the Mac FTP client Fetch, won $500,000 on the US-edition of "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" He answered the questions without using his lifelines until the very end. On the last question he asked the audience, but he was unsure of their answer and took the half million. ...more

Texas Instruments eyes Web music devices

Texas Instruments has its eye on the growing market for Internet-based music devices. The company has unveiled a new chip employing power management technology that allows devices to play for up to 70 hours on two AA-sized batteries. The new digital signal processor, together with analogue technology, converts real world sound into suitably digital data. ...more