Microsoft to develop more than 40 new languages for XP and Office

Microsoft has promised to develop up to 40 new language versions of its flagship Windows XP and Office 2003 products over the next 12 months. The scheme is part of an ambitious Local Language Programme that, the company hopes, will allow people wider access to technology in a language familiar to them. The LLP is in partnership with government and academic institutions worldwide. ...more

Chinese crack internet security standard

SHA-1, the Internet security standard used for all kinds of secure online transactions, has been cracked. The news does not spell disaster, but it does put an best-before date on the nine-year-old hash function, used in everything from SSL connections to VPNs and file encryption software. Three Chinese researchers claim to have come up with an algorithm that gives users with an extremely powerful and expensive computer a 'better than pure luck' chance at happening on the same hash needed to open up something secured in this way. ...more

Toshiba to launch $199 Pocket PC in March

Toshiba, which opened the door for sub-$400 Pocket PCs last June, will launch a new Pocket PC priced at $199 (?125) next month. It believes the aggressively priced handheld device could help boost PDA sales and better compete with rivals Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard, which have launched similar models with higher price tags. The world's fifth-largest PDA vendor has contracted Compal Electronics to produce the e350 Pocket PC, which will feature an Intel 300MHz PXA 250 processor, 64MB SDRAM and a semi-transmissive TFT LCD panel, according to sources. ...more

Sony give prices, dates for Playstation 3

Sony has finally announced the launch dates and pricing for the much anticipated PlayStation 3. The next generation games console is due to hit the shelves in the UK on 18 November at a price reckoned to be somewhere between ?340 and ?410. Two models will be introduced - a version with a 20GB hard disk drive and one with a 60GB hard disk. ...more

Google launches AdWords over the airwaves

Google is bringing its AdWords programme to digital radio listeners in the states, offering a new radio ad distribution channel for Google advertisers. The search giant has announced an agreement with XM Satellite Radio - a satellite radio service in the States, with 7 million listeners - to open up advertising slots on non-music channels. The automated system, which has undergone months of trialling, is designed to provide targeted messages to the listeners. ...more