EMI takes tentative steps to DRM-free downloading

EMI has dipped its toe in DRM-free water and begun selling a tiny number of songs in the unrestricted MP3 format. Norah Jones' new single 'Thinking About You' is among tracks available as 99 cent MP3s from Yahoo's US-only digital music service. Zach Hochkeppel , the general manager of Jones' label, the EMI-owned Blue Note, said the release was 'an experiment', adding that EMI's choice of an artist with a primarily adult fan base should mitigate against widespread p2p sharing of the song file. ...more

Amazon says sorry for price testing

Amazon.com has apologised for the random 'price test' it was discovered to be runnning, but has denied the 'different prices for different people' scheme was ever based on customer profiles. In a prepared statement, Amazon. ...more

Price Check: DVD burners

With blue-laser technology imminently promising to revolutionise our idea of optical formats, we thought it timely to look once more at the cost of DVD burners. It seems incredible that what cost several hundred pounds a couple of years ago can now be had for the price of a meal out. The cheapest DVD burner we turned up is Samsung's internal TS-H552U at ?28. ...more

Microsoft aims to cut cost of business intelligence software

Microsoft looked at possible acquisitions to gain a foothold in the market for so-called business intelligence software, but decided to build its own business and compete on price against industry leaders, the company's business division president said on Wednesday. Instead of an acquisition, Microsoft is banking on the popularity of its SQL Server database management software and its Office suite of applications to win over customers looking for software to help companies track business performance. 'I've never been opposed to the idea of looking at players in the industry. ...more

US e-bank goes to the high street

Until recently, Directbanking.com operated only in cyberspace, but now the US bank has moved from clicks to bricks and established a presence on the high street. The bank will be situated in Boston's financial district and will have a number of terminals connected to the Directbanking. ...more