South Korea plans for Gigabit link broadband

South Korea looks certain to maintain its reputation as the world's most dynamic broadband country with the announcement of plans to install Gigabit links to attract businesses into certain areas. The super fast lines will be part of a converged network planned for 2010, which will also provide widespread access to speeds between 50Mbps and 100Mbps. The country is hoping to attract $7. ...more

Incidence of Internet worms wriggles higher

Levels of Internet worm viruses rose by one per cent last month according to security experts Sophos. The company believes around one in 18 emails is laden with a virus - around 5.6 per cent. ...more

Google puts the search into patents

Google has unveiled a beta version of a new tool for searching the full text of US patents. Using much of the technology behind Google Book Search, Google Patent Search lets you scroll through pages and zoom in on text and illustrations. Users can view images of original patents, although saving and printing are not yet enabled. ...more

HP targets SMBs under the banner of a Smart Office Initiative

Hewlett Packard has clasped the small and medium sized business to its bosom with a range of new programmes and products. The company takes a third of its revenues from the SMBs which amounts to some $21 billion, so this is a market segment that HP takes very seriously. Under the banner of the Smart Office Initiative, the company is upgrading its online resources for SMBs and is rolling out a new range of products. ...more

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