May, 2006 Issue

Desktop antivirus software to cost $49.95 per year for up to three PCs.

More than 2.5 billion queries in April demonstrate an upward trend.

The New York Post created some buzz among those who didn't cut out of town early this (U.S.) holiday weekend by reporting Friday that Microsoft, for several weeks, has been discussing the possible acquisition of online auction site eBay.

The long-rumoured deal between the No. 1 search engine and the No. 1 PC maker is a strike against Google rival Microsoft

Legislators approved a bill that would require broadband providers to abide by strict net neutrality principles, even though many don't agree with the bill's contents

The FBI is investigating the latest electronic intrusion, which may have affected more than 100,000 people

I checked out Namco's Pac-Man World Rally for Gamecube. Ever since Mario Kart made its debut on the Super Nintendo, I've always enjoyed these games. There's nothing like holding a deadly powerup for two laps, trailing just a few feet behind the person you're racing against, only to unleash your fury right before the finish line. This game seemed a little faster than usual, which was good because it made the racing more exciting

The open-source project aims to replace Blue Frog's opt-out email campaign designed to crash spammers' servers

The Office maker has taken a swing at the open source format, but the ODF Alliance says Microsoft's Open XML is not yet supported by any application so its performance can't even be measured

The not-for-profit organisation says it is looking at how to share its newfound Mozillions (well, millions) with the volunteers who work on Firefox and Thunderbird

Plummeting prices and advances in motherboard technologies are making dual-card graphics a must-have for serious gamers.

The release of the test versions is a sign that Microsoft is on track with the latest version of its timetable

The domain, .mobi, is designed to spur use of the Internet on mobile devices — but some fear it will have the opposite effect

FAST has vowed to take primary and secondary schools to court for unauthorised software use, in what has been billed a 'disastrous' move

Amazon.com's controversial patent faces more scrutiny after a New Zealand actor uncovered 'substantial' questions over prior art

Anticheating software expands to multiplayer games.

Company claims Microsoft is wrongfully using its Veritas storage technology in the next version of Windows.

Former owners of a sports gambling site are accused of laundering $250 million in profits.

Consumer trust could open the door to more location-based services, Google says.

New Web site outlines the minimum requirements for running both low-end and high-end versions of the upcoming OS.

Don't click! Malware loads after you open infected Word doc.

Vista won't be around for a while, but Microsoft has released hardware specifications to get users thinking about new systems well in advance

The software giant characterises open source as mainly of interest to local community projects, without the benefits of a commercial model

Analysts rate Whale as 'visionary' because it has gone further than other vendors in developing special optimisations for applications

Company says a large, loyal customer base is the best defense against network operators seeking to block its low-cost call service.

Toolbar directs users to pirated software, company claims.

Blue Security's surrender comes after a massive denial of service attack by a spammer earlier this month

Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is a prime example of the classic-style flight sim. This year will see the tenth iteration of the series, Flight Simulator X. Any developer would be thrilled to have a title do well enough to deserve a sequel, let alone nine. So what’s the secret to Flight Simulator’s success? "The Flight Simulator franchise is designed for players of all ages, types, and skill levels," says Mike Gilbert, lead program manager for Microsoft Game Studios. "It immerses players in a beautifully rich world, offering a completely new and innovative gaming experience."

The Web giant is fending off ad competition by bringing in user demographics, location and information about what they do on other parts of the Yahoo network

Chairman Bill Gates is to show off server software that aims to help workers find data stored on their company's computers as well as information located only inside the brains of their colleagues

Despite proving reluctant to spend money on advertising, Google tops the list of most-loved brands in the UK

The 'Hannover' release will support ODF in its word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and data analysis editors

Sit up straight.

As a backpack journalist traveling solo across the world in dangerous regions, Kevin Sites' load just got a little lighter.

The Mozilla browser is attracting more users every day, but some experts feel it may have reached its peak

The new domain will give companies and individuals the 21st century equivalent of the phone number, promises Telnic

Feds have no plans to go after Microsoft over the search box in the new browser; search competitor Google's concerns fall on unsympathetic ears.

The new software is Microsoft's latest attempt to unseat Apple, whose sales of both music and digital music players have consistently outpaced those of competitors

The market-leading mobile OS company has shipped its hundredth model, but admits to increasing competition from Microsoft and Linux

Skype is looking for a positive relationship with mobile network operators — even as it plans to ultimately make them redundant

Organisations may have the best best antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall software, but it hasn't stopped a growing epidemic of spyware

The security company believes search companies are placing profits ahead of protecting users from dangerous advertising links

As Microsoft wraps up work on a broad test version of Vista, it is offering engineers $100 to fix bugs in their spare time

The US Justice Department has said the extension is necessary because of Microsoft's slowness in providing competitors with proper documentation for its communications protocols

The Microsoft chief fired a shot at its search-engine rival, also touching on open source, IBM, start-ups and the secret of his company's success

The DOJ and Microsoft agree to extend parts of the order against the company until 2009.

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a judge was wrong to throw out the case of a teenager accused of crashing a mail server with millions of emails

Talkback: Opinions about Gary McKinnon, who faces extradition to the US, are divided between those who see him as an inoffensive bumbler and those who say he is a danger to the public

Creating an Internet red light district goes against the adult industry's desire to make adult content more mainstream, says one insider. But the company that pushed for .XXX insists the idea had support

Criminals are finding high-tech ways to make money, and laws will do little to solve the problems, some say.

Company announces social bookmarking services, and an improved desktop searching app.

But Microsoft CEO admits his company wants to replace Google as top Internet ad revenue recipient.

British court approves extradition request for 'Solo' who perused government systems.

Maps, Finance, Mail and more won't detract from long-term focus, CEO says.

Online giant offers free phone numbers to 41 million AIM users, and readies its own MySpace.com rival.

Court orders company to give up more than $4 million in profits.

MESA, Arizona - May 8, 2006 - Tulga Games, LLC, developers of the award-winning Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), Horizons: Empire of Istaria, today announced the development of Dark World Online, a new modern-horror MMORPG. In Dark World Online, players choose between playing one of the three fantasy factions fighting for control in a modern-world setting.

A third-party audit of the new phishing filter built into the Internet Explorer 7 browser and the MSN Toolbar has given the technology a thumbs up on the sensitive issue of user privacy.

Two years after the arrest of a noted hacker, his creation remains at the top of the virus charts, a security company said Wednesday, proving just how long an Internet affliction can last.

Hero's Journey(TM) Redefines Online Roleplaying Games at E3

Whether it's e-mail spam, hijacking others' computers, or inciting racial or religious disharmony through Web logs, those who use new technologies and run afoul of the law are not spared the jail term.

Microsoft has unveiled a test version of its Windows CE 6 operating system for embedded devices.

After months of delay, the ISO has finally published a standard for software asset management that may protect companies from legal and financial threats over licensing issues

We've got the message from Eran Reshef

With a European court still to rule on whether Microsoft must pare back its current operating system, the zone's competition watchdog is unsure how to police the next version of Windows

Exchange servers and computers running the Flash player are at risk of remote code execution attacks without the update

Gary McKinnon's fight to avoid extradition to the US culiminates at Bow Street Magistrates' Court

Peer-to-peer technology took another step toward joining respectable society with Monday's news that the file-sharing company BitTorrent would distribute video over the Internet for Warner Bros. Entertainment, industry insiders said.

Antispyware activist files a lawsuit accusing Yahoo of placing ads with spyware vendors.

Andrew Morton, the lead maintainer of the Linux production kernel, is worried that an increasing number of defects are appearing in the 2.6 version and is considering drastic action to resolve it.

One of the best things about the Internet these days is the unending flow of terrific Web videos that crack you up, even as you're wondering who has the time to put such things together.

Paul Wedgewood, owner and project director, Splash Damage, talks about the latest game in the QUAKE universe.

A message from our CEO, Eran Reshef

Starting Monday, May 1st, the Blue Community has been the target of a criminal spammer. This criminal spammer, PharmaMaster, is attempting to deny our community the right to opt-out from his spam messages.

Software giant's new online advertising sales platform is similar to Google's AdWords.

MySQL has issued a security update to address flaws in its client-server protocol that could allow a malicious attacker to exploit buffer overflow vulnerabilities and gain access to sensitive information.

Adult entertainment market seems to have already chosen Blu-ray.

Microsoft says its next OS will arrive in January 2007, but one research firm doubts that claim.

Government entities will be able to obtain cash refunds for hardware and software purchases.

AUSTIN, Texas--For all the complaining that the developed world does about BlackBerry addiction and the blue screen of death, sometimes it's important to remember that billions of people around the world have no idea what you're talking about.

Malware threatens to delete files unless payment is sent via Western Union.

LUXEMBOURG -- Lawyers representing both sides in the appeal of the European Commission's 2004 antitrust ruling against Microsoft were left fumbling today under cross-examination by one of the 13 judges hearing arguments.

Microsoft has no immediate plans to issue a patch for the latest flaw.