Stones' new record sells on secure memory card

The Rolling Stones' latest album, A Bigger Bang, will be the first to be released in the new flash memory card format developed by SanDisk. The TrustedFlash format combines SD flash memory cards with a proprietary DRM technology that enables the contents of the card to be played on any compatible device - a phone, computer or PDA for example - but prevents any copying. The same DRM will allow paid-for music downloads to be saved directly to the card, and the technology already has the backing of Yahoo!, as well as record labels and device makers. ...more

Dell updates Latitude notebook range with Centrino

Dell has updated its Latitude notebook range. The redesigned portables now incorporate Intel Centrino technology. The full Centrino brand comprises the Pentium M, Intel 855 chipsets and the Intel Pro/Wireless 802. ...more

AOL grabs messaging patent

Instant messaging (IM) pioneer ICQ, now owned by AOL, has secured a patent that recognises it as the inventor of IM, in other word the use of networks to let multiple users see when others are online and communicate with them. In theory it could use this patent to sue its rivals in the increasingly important IM market, Yahoo! with and Microsoft (MSN). Recent improvements in IM security mean that it is increasingly supplementing and in some cases replacing email. ...more

Sun engulfs Cobalt

Sun Microsystems, the largest manufacturer of Web page servers announced on Tuesday that it would by out Cobalt Networks in a $2bn stock deal. The purchase comes less than a year after Cobalt's successful IPO, and the company's shares have since rocketed by 500 per cent, hitting a high of about $128. Sun manufacture expensive high-end business servers and seeks to strengthen its waning hold of the rapidly expanding market, predicted to double this year, with the acquisition of Cobalt, which makes easy to install server appliances for SMEs. ...more

BT unveils the Home of Possibilities

BT has announced a home security service that can tell you when your property is being broken into. Part of its Home of Possibilities launch at the Ideal Home Exhibition, BT Home Monitoring will connect your home to the Internet, and alert you when events such as a break-in occur. The system can send an email or text (SMS) message or make a telephone call and the entire system can be managed via a Web interface. ...more