MacBooks get the Intel Core 2 Duo

Apple has upgraded its MacBook range with Intel Core 2 Duo chips and prices starting from ?749 inc VAT. The 13in white MacBook at the low end of the range boasts a 1.83GHz chip, half a gigabyte of memory, a 60GB hard drive and CD-RW/DVD combo drive. ...more

Instant messaging, with pictures

Yahoo! is adding a video feature to its instant messaging service so that you will be able to see just who it is you are communicating with. It's not yet full video because the images that accompany the live chat will only appear at the rate of one frame per second, but the idea is to help users convey the meaning and emotion of messages. (A different take on the Emoticons for email that we have reported on before, but the principle is the same. ...more

Universal targets YouTube

Universal Music appears to be sharpening its lawyers for a possible legal battle with the social networking sites YouTube and MySpace. Universal, which is also the world's largest music publisher, is reportedly concerned about its promotional music videos appearing on the sites. 'We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers and owe us tens of millions of dollars,' Universal Music CEO Doug Morris is reported to have told investors Wednesday. ...more

MS expands its Windows Genuine Advantage programme

Microsoft is expanding its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) programme to crack down on counterfeit software to scan systems signed up to the scheme for hooky copies. As part of an ongoing Genuine Software Initiative (GSI), the WGA doesn't rely on the user submitting their copy of the operating system for validation against counterfeiting, but rather the user will automatically be notified 'directly to their desktop' that they've wound up with a ringer. This hopefully will motivate the owner to submit it to Microsoft in exchange for a genuine copy along with purchase information that might lead Microsoft to the original vendor. ...more

eBay goes to the Supreme Court

The long running court case between online auction company eBay and MercExchange reached the US Supreme Court yesterday. At issue is whether the current US law is stifling innovation by allowing opportunistic companies to register business methods and software patents in the hope they can extract huge licensing fees from big technology companies at a later date. MercExchange claims a patent on a technology that allows customers to buy products online at a fixed price. ...more