Rare Microsoft profit warning causes fall

Microsoft's stock value has been dramatically hit by its recent, and rare, profit warning. For the first time in its 14 years as a publicly traded company, Microsoft issued a profit warning at the end of last week, in the wake of fears about slowing sales of consumer PCs and the weakness of online advertising to support its MSN Internet operations. The Redmond giant warned that its second-quarter profits and revenues could miss its earlier forecasts by over 5 per cent. ...more

E-commerce grows with popularity

A new MORI survey reveals that two million people in the UK are now using the Internet to manage their money. This news comes despite fears about security and the recent online scares. The Internet financial services sector has grown by 11 per cent in the past year, with an estimated 6. ...more

Norway rules iTunes DRM illegal

Norway's consumer ombudsman has ruled that Apple's Fairplay DRM, which restricts how tracks purchased on its iTunes Store can be played, is illegal. The ruling was prompted by a complaint from Forbrukerradet, the country's consumer rights body. It had claimed that restricting iTunes playback to just one kind of portable player, Apple's own iPod, violated Norwegian law. ...more

Bulldog expanding SDSL broadband coverage

Bulldog has announced that it is expanding the coverage of its SDSL broadband service, following BT's decision to increase its SDSL footprint. Bulldog will extend availability to 150 exchanges, a combination of its own in Central London and BT's in the major metropolitan areas. Further information is available from www. ...more

EMI deal completes YouTube's record label collection

YouTube is now free to play music videos from the likes of Coldplay and David Bowie after signing an agreement with EMI. The video sharing website now has licensing deals with all four major record companies. EMI had delayed signing up until satisfied by YouTube that adequate safeguards were in place to prevent videos being downloaded and copied. ...more