Pocket PC ads under FTC scrutiny

Microsoft is again on the wrong side of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is looking into its recent advertising campaign for the Pocket PC platform. The print campaign that began in April last year outlined a number of Pocket PC functions, including accessing the Net. The adverts asked "Can your Palm Do That?", but the correct answer was "No, and neither can Pocket PC". ...more

Fifa bows to publishing pressure

Fifa has bowed to pressure from news organisations and agreed to allow them to publish an unlimited number of 'live' pictures from this summer's football world cup. Previously the international game's governing body wanted to prevent images from a match appearing on the Internet until two hours after the final whistle and wanted to restrict the number that could be used. But following a meeting between its president, Sepp Blatter, and World Association of Newspapers chief executive Timothy Balding, Fifa agreed to lift the restrictions. ...more

BT's broadband rivals press Ofcom for urgent action

BT's main competitors in the wholesale ADSL broadband market have renewed calls for urgent action to address BT's 'stranglehold'. The Broadband Industry Group, which represents Cable & Wireless, Centrica, Energis, Wanadoo, Tiscali and Brightview says that despite intervention by industry regulator Ofcom, BT holds over 90 per cent of the market. 'While Ofcom's fresh approach to regulation is having an effect, the real spade work lies ahead, BIG says. ...more

UK hacker loses US extradition appeal

Gary McKinnon, a UK computer expert, accused by Washington of the 'biggest military hack of all time', has lost his extradition appeal. Gary McKinnon was arrested in 2002 following charges by US prosecutors that he illegally accessed 97 government computers - including Pentagon, US army, navy and NASA systems - supposedly causing $700,000 (?354,355) worth of damage. Two of Britain's leading judges rejected a High Court challenge by McKinnon to an earlier court order backed by the Home Secretary that he should be extradited. ...more

UK games chart: Black puts Shadow in the shade

Black, the first-person urban shooter from EA (for PS2 and Xbox) is the new number one, as Sony's Shadow of The Colossus falls to four. Straight in at number two is Codemasters' ToCA Race Driver 3 (for PC, PS2 and Xbox), and completing the top three is EA's venerable multi-format street racing game Need For Speed: Most Wanted. The only other new entry this week, at number sixteen, is Codemasters' fantasy MMOG game, RF Online (Rising Force Online), which is for the PC. ...more