Microsoft warns: your new PC is already out of date

Microsoft has warned consumers that the first thing they need to do when they open their new computers this Christmas is to protect and update them. There will be plenty of folk waking up Christmas morning to the thrill of a new PC packed with the latest components. But the Windows XP platform, with which it will most likely be preloaded, may not be include the latest security patches and fixes. ...more

Microsoft still at the mercy of Jackson

Microsoft has lost its appeal to the US Supreme Court to overturn an earlier ruling that the company had violated antitrust laws. In June the Appeals Court revoked Judge Jackson recommendation that the company be split in two but upheld his findings that Microsoft had used its dominance in the market to maintain a stranglehold on it. Microsoft had then gone to the Supreme Court in an attempt to get all of Judge Jackson's rulings thrown out, claiming that the case had been muddied by Jackson's outbursts in the press, in which he compared Bill Gates to Napoleon and Microsoft employees to common street criminals. ...more

Oftel makes BT pay for local loop fiasco

Oftel will force BT to pay compensation to operators if it doesn't meet agreed service levels in its unbundling of the local loop, the regulatory body announced today. The new directive from Oftel will see BT pay out up to ?20m a year if it breaks its contract, and operators will receive immediate compensation if service levels drop. Oftel has also given operators the right to bring in an independent expert to intercede in disputes with BT, as well as being able to refer problems to Oftel itself. ...more

Gmail gets Google Talk

In a bid to unseat the giants of the instant messaging world, Google has begun integrating its recently released chat client into its hugely popular Gmail service. Gmail users will be able to access the chat interface at the bottom of the email window or open up into a new window. The Gmail interface has further been altered to provide a list of Quick Contacts on the left-hand side, which is synchronised with the user's Google Talk Friends list. ...more

New Vaio FX notebooks

Vaio, Vaio, it's off to work we go. Mobile workers may find an ideal travelling companion in one of the four new Vaio FX notebooks as they launch in the UK. From low to high spec, the models are the PCG-FX501, PCG-FX502, PCG-FX503 and PCG-FX505 and all include Adobe's range of PhotoShop software along with Sony's Vaio World software to let you edit videos and images on the move. ...more