Apple fixes HelpViewer security vulnerability

Apple has released a security update to fix the vulnerability exposed last week. The update fixes the HelpViewer application. 'Apple takes security very seriously and works quickly to address potential threats as we learn of them-in this case, before there was any actual risk to our customers,' said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. ...more

Microsoft contract win put down to Linux skills shortage

Microsoft may find a monopoly on developers will help it maintain its grip on the software market in the face of Linux alternatives. Redmond is currently touting the roll-out by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) of Microsoft's server and back-end technology in its e-commerce driven online portal as a win over Linux, the platform on which the site originally ran. But Richard Carlson, Head of Business Systems, RICS, said that the decision to go with Microsoft was taken very early on before the job was put out to tender - on the basis that RICS' in-house developers were in the main Microsoft coders. ...more

Ultraportable Latitudes from Dell, business notebooks from HP

New notebook offerings are announced by both Dell and HP. Dell has updated its Latitude range with the ultraportable D400 (pictured). It features full Centrino certification (a Pentium M processor with Intel's PRO/Wireless 2100 support for 802. ...more

Share surge sparks Palm merger speculation

Sharp rises in the shares values of PDA makers Palm and Handspring on the NASDAQ yesterday has prompted talk of mergers and takeovers. With rises of 35 per cent for Handspring and 12 per cent for Palm, investors were hoping for a merger that would end the price war between the companies. This has come in the wake of the decreasing PDA market and Microsoft's PocketPC platform gaining market share. ...more

Sony loses PlayStation modding battle

Sony has lost a legal ruling over the 'chipping' of PlayStation consoles. This is the practice whereby the games console is modded to enable it to play unauthorised versions of games. An Australian court has confirmed that 'chipping' consoles did not breach the country's copyright laws, reports Reuters. ...more