Sharp shrinks LAN kit

Sharp has unveiled what it says is the world's smallest and least power hungry LAN module. The DC2J1DZ115 is just 10 x 10 x 1.6mm and draws a mere 0. ...more

Yahoo! to launch first licensed lyrics website

Yahoo! and digital media company Gracenote launched an online lyrics service on Tuesday, the first industry-backed effort in a market dominated by unauthorised websites. Song lyrics are among the top searches performed on the Web, but consumers have largely relied on unlicensed sources that often provide inaccurate and incomplete lyrics and do not compensate composers for their work. 'Finally, a free, legal and definitive way to settle a bet with the guy sitting next to you at the bar who is certain the Ramones' most famous anthem declares "I wanna piece of bacon", said Ian Rogers, general manager of Yahoo! Music, which will offer lyrics to hundreds of thousands of songs. ...more

AMD's flash memory offshoot spawns whole new family

Formed as a joint venture between AMD and Fujitsu back in July 2003, Spansion has announced a milestone of developing its own first complete family of Flash memory products. The SpansionTM S29AL/GLxxxM device family - which is based on MirrorBit technology - is now in production, optimised for embedded markets. These include consumer electronics, such as DVD players and set top boxes, and more industrial devices for robotics and networking. ...more

Microsoft highlights role of MVPs

Describing the programme as one of its 'best kept secrets', Microsoft is looking to strengthen the role of MVPs in the UK. The idea is that nominees for MVP status (Most Valuable Professional) are trusted and respected third parties who can provide help and advice, on an ad-hoc basis through newsgroups, and that they are seen by Microsoft employees as representing the 'voice of the customer'. Currently, there are 47 MVPs in the UK. ...more

Virus Bulletin Conference: Industry unveils unified naming for virus threats

A new initiative set up to dispel confusion over virus-naming, the Common Malware Enumeration (CME), was launched on Wednesday. The industry group, backed by a string of global security companies, aims to provide a common name for high profile threats in the hope that customers will be able to protect their computers from malware attacks more effectively. The need for a more uniform approach to virus-naming has been a long-standing issue for users. ...more