VTec's cigarette lighter-sized storage devices reach 1Gb

VTec has announced a 1GB addition to its range of USB-based flash storage devices. VTec is joining the likes of Disgo, which also has a 1Gb capacity drive available. The new VT-Drive1GB has an RRP of ?198 excluding VAT, in contrast to the Disgo that retails for ?450. ...more

Yahoo! adds video search

Yahoo! has added a 'video search function to its index. Searchers can search from some five million different videos in a variety of popular multimedia files. Yahoo!'s video database contains video files in all the most common formats including media files, including MPEG, AVI, Microsoft's Windows Media, Apple Computer's QuickTime, and Real Networks' Real Media. ...more

Sony gets a bad vibration

Sony has been ordered by a US judge to pay $90 million damages to the Californian company Immersion Corporation for patent infringement. The suit refers to the vibration mechanism built into control pads for PlayStations that provide synchronised tactile feedback during a game The award follows a decision by a jury in the Northern Californian jurisdiction that Sony had infringed Immersion's patent by incorporating the Dual Shock controller technology into its consoles. In addition, the court decreed a permanent injunction against Sony manufacturing, importing or selling PlayStation consoles, Dual Shock controllers, and the 47 games which make use of the feature. ...more

UPDATED WITH IMAGES: Inside Apple's new Regent Street store

With 48 hours left before its official opening, Apple gave us a sneak peek at the new Regent Street Store. Billed as 'a place to belong', it's staffed by the 138 successful candidates, whittled down from an original list of over 4000 applicants. Between them, they speak 24 languages - and '100% speak Windows', although whether this is one of the counted 24 was never explained. ...more

Google goes down under for fresh search talent

Google has swooped up a 27-year-old PhD student from the University of New South Wales who has developed new data extraction algorithms. He had patented a way of drilling down to related sub-topics from an original search. The search giant has now recruited the Israeli student Ori Allon into its ranks and come to agreement with the university where he was completing his research, the University of New South Wales, reports a Sydney-based newspaper. ...more