US lawmakers seek to open up the iPod and iTMS

US legislators are considering legislation that would force interoperability onto online music stores and make Apple open up the iPod to songs bought from download sites other than its own iTunes Music Store. However the Congressional subcommittee hearing on Digital Music Interoperability and Availability was told by William Pence, the chief operating officer for Napster, that new laws are not necessary, as the market will eventually force competing operators to co-operate on digital rights management technologies. 'It is my belief, and the essential point of my participation today, that marketplace forces will continue to drive innovation in the DRM arena with attendant consumer benefits - new ways to enjoy digital music at a variety of different price points - while also gradually solving the interoperability problem,' he said. ...more

Noiseless water cooling system for chips developed

Californian startup Cooligy has developed a radical new way to stop computer chips overheating. As any overclocker knows, as processors get denser and run at higher frequencies, they generate heat. Solutions so far have been fairly low tech - either using fans or water pumps to dissipate the heat. ...more

3G is launched in Japan

Daddy, where were you when the world's first 3G mobile phone services network was launched? Were you actually in Tokyo? Did you have a video-phone handset? Actually, no, son. The video-phones weren't available for the first month and there were a number of glitches with the free handsets that were available - lock-ups meant rebooting the always-on access to the Internet and e-mail. But that's what you expect with a trial launch - the full service was actually planned to rollout from October. ...more

Microsoft goes for Instant Messaging interoperability

Microsoft's next version of its Live Communications Server will allow office workers to instant message contacts on other IM networks such as AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger as well as it its own MSN Messenger. Live Communications Server 2005 will launch at the end of the year with a trial version of the interoperable messaging software, with an official version mid way through next year. 'In much the same way that e-mail significantly has changed today's business landscape, instant messaging is becoming just as ubiquitous in organizations. ...more

Faulty PCs fluster flashmob cluster

The world's first flashmob supercomputer was due to appear in a college gym over the weekend. As we reported back in February, university students in San Francisco were planning to piece together their own supercomputer on Saturday from the individual PCs brought in by fellow students. Things, however, did not quite go to plan, reports the New York Times. ...more