French iTunes compromise approved

The French parliament has voted to approve new copyright laws without a controversial clause that would have forced Apple to change the way its iTunes Music Store operates. A compromise between the parliament's two houses means that digital music store operators will not be forced to licence their copy protection (DRM) technologies to other companies. Apple will not have to share its FairPlay copy protection software and can maintain the closed link between iTMS downloads and its own iPod portable music players, provided they obtain permission from the labels, artists and songwriters whose music they sell. ...more

Live 8 throws up new records

Apart from putting the pressure on the leaders of the G8 to come up with a solution to poverty in Africa, the Live8 concerts put up a few records of their own. In the 20 years since Live Aid, technology has made marked advances, much of which was used to get the message across on Saturday. The BBC, which covered the Hyde Park event, reports that 26. ...more

HP and Dell tie for 2006 shipments

HP has outpaced its competitors in PC shipments for the final quarter of last year, but it will have to settle for joint place with Dell as overall leader in 2006, according to preliminary figures from analyst Gartner. Leading vendors aside, overall worldwide demand for PCs grew by 7.4 per cent year-on-year in the last quarter of 2006, with shipments totaling 67. ...more

Apple talks to Nike on the run

Apple has announced a partnership with sportswear maker Nike that will result in the launch of a range of Nike+iPod products, starting with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a wireless system that lets Nike+ footwear and an iPod 'talk' to each other. The new Nike+ Air Zoom Moire is the first footwear in the range. When connected to iPod nano through the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, information on time, distance, calories burned and pace is stored on iPod and displayed on the screen; real-time audible feedback also is provided through headphones. ...more

Microsoft: We won't sue, but run Novell

Microsoft has warned customers worried about open-source patent infringement to buy Linux software from its partner, Novell. Last week, Microsoft stipulated that 235 of its patents had been breached by open-source software. The claims were strongly criticised by open-source advocates such as Linus Torvalds, who said the company's failure to name which specific patents had been violated 'should tell you something'. ...more