Google reserves YouTube DRM for partners only

The commercial content and mainstream media sector is up in arms with video sharing site YouTube over its plans to offer digital rights management and other anti-piracy tools to companies it has signed distribution deals with. According to sources close to the discussions, YouTube, bought last year by Google, will implement technology to help media companies identify pirated videos uploaded by users. However, the tools are currently being offered as part of broader negotiations on licensing deals, they said. ...more

Yahoo! launches search for shoppers

Yahoo! has launched a product search engine for its US customers that aims to rival Google's Froogle service. The new service is part of Yahoo!'s main search page and offers results listed by relevance down the left, and sponsored links on the right - again ranked by relevance (as opposed to how much an advertiser is prepared to pay). Users can set price ranges and compare products against each other, and there are tools to let you calculate the total cost of products, with tax and shipping thrown in. ...more

HP iPod deal to kill Napster?

The recent deal between Apple and Hewlett-Packard may have killed off one of the major rivals to the iTunes Music Store, according to a MercuryNews.com report. The report says that HP was due to go into partnership with Roxio's relaunched Napster service, but at the last moment sent back Napster's $250,000 cheque. ...more

Visual Studio .Net gets LiveSource support

Programming support that has been available for Java will now be available for Microsoft's .Net Framework. Improved design and modelling support is the promise of the 'Together Edition for Microsoft Visual Studio . ...more

TFT LCD capacity booked up by notebook brands

To ensure stable supply and guard against price increases, two first-tier, international notebook vendors have booked the entire capacity of certain TFT LCD production lines in Taiwan, sources have told DigiTimes. The notebook brands are assuming all of the risk involved in operating the lines. They gain increased control over cost and the flexibility to produce panels matching their own specification and size requirements. ...more