Ask Jeeves gets new look

The popular Ask Jeeves search engine has joined the trend for a Google-like look and feel with a new streamlined look and new services. The new service claims to be 50 per cent faster and has followed the trend among search engines to offer a separate pictures, products and news libraries and a dedicated browser tool bar. Joining other search services such as Google, FAST and Yahoo, visitors can now specify whether to search for pictures and news directly from the homepage. ...more

'Yahoo and Microsoft in alliance talks' - WSJ

Microsoft and Yahoo! have held talks to form an alliance against the search king Google. A report in the Wall Street Journal claims that the two companies have held informal discussions that would lead to Microsoft taking a stake in the search engine giant. According to the Wall Street Journal there is an internal battle in Microsoft between those who want to stick to the company's traditional strategy of perseverance in a sector until the market leader makes a mistake and those who fear that the software giant is falling further and further behind in a huge advertising segment and should use its huge war chest to buy its way in. ...more

UK iTunes Music Store counts two million songs

The total number of songs available through the UK iteration of the iTunes Music Store has passed two million. Apple confirmed today that the catalogue has been enlarged from the previous published figure of 1.7 million. ...more

BT Fusion marries Bluetooth and VoIP

BT has unveiled a mobile phone that uses Bluetooth and IP technology to automatically connect to a landline when used at home. The BT Fusion is the fruit of more than a year's work and cuts the cost of using mobile phones to the same level as using a standard, wired phone. It also ensures a reliable signal strength as, according to BT, 19 per cent of mobile users have had problems with coverage at home. ...more

Patch Tuesday to be free of critical Windows updates

Microsoft has released preliminary details of next Tuesday's security bulletin. On 12 September, the company will release two bulletins for Windows, the most severe of which is rated as Important, one level below the maximum Critical rating. Microsoft says systems will need to be rebooted for the updates to take effect. ...more