Microsoft betas local search in the US

MSN in the US, has finally launched a Local Search service in a beta version. The lack of a local search has been seen as a gaping hole in the Microsoft search offering compared with those of its main rivals Google and Yahoo! Local Search provides city- and region-specific White Pages and Yellow Pages directory information. Following a search, the results page will detail businesses associated with the search - for example pizza parlours - alongside a map giving the locations of the business on a map provided by Microsoft MapPoint Web Service. ...more

Dell guns for small business market with new laser printers

Dell today unveiled four new printers as it stated that aims to become the leading supplier worldwide. The company set out its strategy at its annual EMEA Product Showcase in Cannes, France. Since launching its own printers in the US in March 2003 Dell has grown its market share from zero to 19 per cent, mainly taking sales from HP (which has more than 40 per cent) and Epson. ...more

Bloggers run risk of sack when talking shop

More than a third of bloggers have admitted to posting information or comments about their employer or colleagues and could get the sack as a result. In a survey carried out by YouGov for Croner, a human resources consultancy, of those who keep a personal blog, 39 per cent said they have made potentially sensitive or damaging posts. Gillian Dowling, technical consultant at Croner, explained that if a post is deemed to have damaged the employer's corporate image, it could lead to dismissal for the employee. ...more

South Korea fines Microsoft for antitrust violations

South Korea has ordered Microsoft to pay a $32mn fine for antitrust violations. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has also ruled that the software giant must offer an alternative version of Windows stripped of the Media Player and instant messaging technologies. The original, 'fully featured' version must include links to media and messaging software from rival developers. ...more

Eclipse shadows 8meg Net rollout

Eclipse Internet is the latest ISP to tweak its high-speed broadband offering. It is offering two different up-to-8Mbps packages designed to allow Net users to allow to choose the type of service that best suits their needs. The Evolution service combines unlimited monthly traffic with varying degrees of what the ISP describes as 'sensing and adapting to busy service conditions' designed to optimise performance during peak hours. ...more