MSN to launch its own paid listings service for search

Microsoft is taking the battle for search engine dominance deep into the heart of enemy territory with the launch of its own paid listings programme. Despite its contract with Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions (formerly Overture), running until 2006, Microsoft has apparently decided it needed to road test its own service now. At the Sixth Annual MSN Strategic Account Summit it has announced the MSN adCenter which is based, like MSN Search, on Microsoft's own technology. ...more

GSM network operators reject MPEG video DRM licensing terms

The international body representing some 800 GSM network operators and device makers has rejected licensing terms for digital rights management technology for MPEG video and called for a complete re-examination of DRM options for mobile devices. The GSM Association (GSMA) said that the terms for the Open Mobile Alliance's Digital Rights Management 1.0 standard proposed by MPEG LA are 'impractical, excessive and short-sighted', according to GSMA CEO Rob Conway. ...more

Belkin brings UWB to the home

Belkin has introduced a new USB hub that connects to a computer wirelessly. Instead of a cable, the hub is the first USB device to use UWB (ultra wideband) technology to connect. The hub has four ports for USB devices such as printers and external hard drives which can be located anywhere in the home or office. ...more

Fujifilm's multimedia camera

Fujifilm's new FinePix 30i digital camera lets you snap stills, movies, live action as a Webcam, record audio and even listen to MP3s. A 2megapixel CCD captures images at a maximum resolution of 1,600x1,200. It also has a Macro mode to let you get as close as 8cm to your subject. ...more

Apple stores shoot down shuffle whisperers

Reports of the demise of the iPod shuffle appear to have been exaggerated. The 1GB version of the diminutive portable music player has reappeared on the US Apple Store. Its brief absence, Apple explains, was simply due to the fact that it sold out over Christmas and supplies are still limited. ...more