IBM fires e-commerce lawsuits at Amazon

IBM is taking Amazon to court. Big Blue has filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon, relating to the technology used by its online sales service. The suits accuse Amazon of willfully violating technology patents covering such functionality as allowing users to order items from an electronic catalogue and displaying advertising in an interactive service. ...more

Abit rolls out Fatal1ty-branded kit

Intel and ATi technology underpin the first two product releases in Abit's Fatal1ty range: the Fatal1ty AA8XE (based on the Intel 925XE chipset) and the X700XT Fatal1ty graphics card (based on the ATI X700XT VPU). Described by Abit as the 'ultimate' gaming platform for Intel machines, and incorporating latest features such as DDR2 and PCI Express, the Fatal1ty brand is named after pro gamer Johnathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel. With an eye on the modding market, the components are coloured red and black, and red LED backlights are designed to bathe the motherboard in a crimson glow. ...more

Bagle-A virus runs rings round the Net

A new virus - Bagle-A - is running rings round the Net, but will self-destruct on 28 January Bagle-A was first discovered yesterday. But MessageLabs says it has already received 45,000 reports of the worm, the first of which came from Germany, but the majority of those following emanating from Australia. Trend Micro issued an alert for Bagle-A, with its first reports arriving from the States, but having also seen large numbers from Japan, Australia and Germany. ...more

Sony deals another blow to MP3

It has been reported that Sony and Vivendi Universal may use Microsoft's Windows Media format rather than MP3 for their digital music download service Pressplay, formerly known as Duet. The two companies are apparently in negotiations with Microsoft at the moment. If the deal does become a reality, it means another blow for the MP3 format, which has had a bad week so far. ...more

Chips for 10-year passports have two-year warranty

Biometric microchips embedded into new ePassports have only two-year warranties despite the ten-year lifespan of the documents, a National Audit Office (NAO) report said. The chip technology is so new there's no way of knowing how long the chips will last, the report said. While it has been tested, the long-term durability is ultimately unproven, leading manufacturer NXP Semiconductors to offer the 24 month warranty. ...more