FTC presses Passport

Microsoft and the FTC reach a 20-year agreement that will see the company face security audits every two years. Following complaints about Microsoft's single sign-in Passport account, the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft yesterday agreed an order that will result in changes to the way Passport is described, changes within SP1 for XP and the adoption of a 'comprehensive information security program', which will undergo a third-party security audit within a year, and bi-annually thereafter. Brad Smith, general counsel for Microsoft, said in the conference call yesterday that the new measures, 'raise the bar for Microsoft and the entire industry,' and that 'the industry will need to keep pace with the precedent this case sets. ...more

iTunes passes 150 million downloads

The iTunes Music Store has passed 150 million downloads. The milestone was reached when Beth Santisteven from Ignacio, Colorado bought Ex-factor by Lauryn Hill. Apple is now selling 4 million songs every week, with a market share estimated at around 70 per cent. ...more

Power Mac ad banned in UK

Apple's TV advertisement for the Power Mac G5 has been banned after eight complaints about the claim that it is 'the world's fastest, most powerful computer'. The Independent Television Commission has ruled that the ad is 'misleading' and can no longer be shown. Apple insists that the tests used to justify its claims were 'fair and even', but the ITC agreed with the complainants who said that the tests were weighted in the Mac's favour. ...more

HP mobilises scanning

Hewlett-Packard (HP) announces new mobile scanner HP's Photosmart 1200 scanner measures just 26x18x3cm, but offers 36-bit colour scans at up to 1200dpi. It can process an image within 14 seconds, claims HP, and images can be stored on CompactFlash or SD cards that slot into the unit. The device can be powered either by standard AA batteries or via USB (2. ...more

HP refutes merger windfall payment deal

Top executives to pocket millions of dollars on the back of the HP-Compaq deal? In what has become an increasingly undignified war of words, HP board dissident, Walter Hewlett, and HP top management have made accusation and counter-accusation over the proposed acquisition of Compaq. In the latest volley of exchanges Walter Hewlett has alleged that Carly Fiorina and Michael Capellas, the respective CEOs of HP and Compaq, could stand to receive payments totalling $115m as apart of executive compensation packages. In the wake of the Enron financial scandal and the fall-out of the dot-com collapse, such payments to top executives could not be a more sensitive issue. ...more