Google founders agree to $1 salaries

Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and chief executive Eric Schmidt have agreed to pay cuts that will see them paid just $1 each in 2005. Schmidt and the two co-presidents of the Internet search company are of course billionaires following the highly successful public flotation of the business last year. All three sold shares worth hundreds of millions of dollars after the IPO. ...more

Microsoft dishes the dosh for games

Microsoft has just announced that it is going to include cash-back vouchers with three of its top selling PC titles. Money for old rope? I think not. Microsoft intends to include money-back vouchers with Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Flight Simulator 2000 and Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition. ...more

Apple and U2 to unveil black iPod

Apple is holding another of its special events - for which read high-profile product announcement - next week, where CEO Steve Jobs will be joined by U2' Bono and The Edge to unveil U2-themed iPods, pre-loaded with the band's new album. US business website Forbes.com reports that, 'Sources close to the group say the U2 edition of the popular digital music player will come preloaded with the band's new album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, along with portions of the Irish supergroup's 25-year catalogue. ...more

Microsoft video codec gets Blu-ray approval

Microsoft has had its video codec accepted as a requirement for the next-generation optical disc format Blu-Ray. It means that the Windows Media VC-9 compression/decompression technology will have to be included in Blu-Ray disc players, along with another advanced video codec - the MPEG-4 AVC High Profile - and the older MPEG-2 codec. The company is keen on having its Windows Media formats accepted as industry standards as it seeks to capitalise on the march of IT on the field of consumer electronics and entertainment. ...more

Music and video will be wireless saviour, says Nokia

Nokia has said music, video and image exchange is one way for operators to make money before 3G arrives. Speaking at the 3GSM conference in Cannes, Niklas Savander, vice president of Mobile Internet Applications at Nokia, said that messaging could make operators quick money. "Multi-media messaging will give immediate returns for operators in terms of revenues. ...more