And also today (13-June-2001), for the record...

Here, in brief, are some of the day's other stories. WAP is old hat Forget WAP, that's old hat it seems. The GSM Association, apparently speaking on behalf of the major mobile phone makers and operators, has announced the Mobile Services Initiative (M-Services). ...more

IBM fires e-commerce lawsuits at Amazon

IBM is taking Amazon to court. Big Blue has filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon, relating to the technology used by its online sales service. The suits accuse Amazon of willfully violating technology patents covering such functionality as allowing users to order items from an electronic catalogue and displaying advertising in an interactive service. ...more

Microsoft preempts leak of SAP merger plans

A merger between Microsoft and SAP, the massive German business process software giant? This rather astonishing development was the subject of exploratory talks between the two companies. Microsoft has revealed today. The talks took place a 'few months ago' according a Microsoft statement on the matter. ...more

UPDATED: Plusnet CEO makes quick exit

Lee Strafford, the CEO of Plusnet, has left the ISP ahead of its takeover by BT. While Strafford's departure was announced on the Official Plusnet Usergroup without comment or explanation, The Independent reports that Strafford, along with financial director Neil Comer, was sacked because they were planning to set up a business 'that would have been to the detriment of Plusnet'. According to the Independent's source, Strafford and Comer wanted to sell Plusnet's software platform to other companies, a proposal that they claim BT was aware of when it was considering its buyout. ...more

CD sales slump 20 per cent in US

CD sales in the US slumped by 20 per cent in the first three months of the year, with digital sales rising nowhere near enough to compensate. Despite a 54 per cent surge in downloads, according to the figures from Nielsen SoundScan, overall unit sales were down 10 per cent. Even adding ringtones and subscription services makes no difference to the overall picture. ...more