US bans iPod exports to North Korea

Dictator Kim Jong Il will have to turn to the black market to get his hands on a new iPod, after the US government banned the export of consumer electronics and other luxury goods to North Korea. The sanctions deliberately target Kim and the 600 or so families that make up the country's ruling elite but will not affect the vast majority of North Koreans. Other goods on the list of banned exports include Cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, cars such as the Mercedes, BMWs and Cadillacs, Harley Davidson motorcycles and jet skis. ...more

Zune hits a million - and pink is popular

Microsoft claims to have sold a million of its much-maligned Zune music player, but admits sales aren't exactly sparkling. In a low-key interview with a US newspaper, the president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, Robbie Bach, claims 'we've sold a little over a million Zunes', which he says gives it around a 10% share in hard disk music players in the US. However, Bach admits the company has a long way to go before it begins to make serious inroads into the iPod's dominance. ...more

Don't mention Scientology to the Germans

The CEO of an American technology company has lambasted Germany over its stance on Scientology. The outburst follows successful pressure from German authorities for Microsoft to remove some software - produced by Executive Software International - from Windows 2000. The CEO of Executive Software International is a Scientologist. ...more

Nineteen new broadband dates announced

A further 19 exchanges have been given broadband upgrade dates by BT, bringing to 256 the total number to be ADSL-enabled since BT began its broadband registration scheme. The exchanges and their service dates are as follows. ? 28 May: Diss. ...more

Rendezvous opened

Apple has made its Rendezvous networking technology and an updated OS X core free to developers. The decision to make Rendezvous open source was no secret having been pre-announced last month. The official confirmation merely adds a few details, including the release of software to support Linux, Unix, and Windows-based systems and devices. ...more