Music group revolts over Sony DRM

US band My Morning Jacket has responded to fans' complaints about copy protected Sony BMG CDs by sending them DRM-free copies of its album. The group began burning unrestricted CDs after fans found that they could not transfer their album 'Z' (pictured) to their iPods. Their manager, Mike Martinovich, told Rolling Stone that Sony BMG should drop DRM on CDs entirely. ...more

Fighting continues by other means

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, a new battleground has been found - the Web. According to Israeli officials, several Web sites containing the Israeli government's official view on the conflict crashed after Islamic groups jammed them. The first shot in the "cyberwar" was, however, apparently fired by some Israeli teenagers who, according to a local newspaper, boasted that they had sabotaged a Web site belonging to the Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. ...more

USB goes wireless

A wireless form of USB is promising to make cordless keyboards, mice and gaming devices cheaper and more viable. Cypress Semiconductor has announced a chipset that allows up to six input devices to be connected wirelessly to a PC. Unlike other wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wireless USB has been designed specifically for low-power, low bandwidth input devices, making it a cheaper and higher-performance option. ...more

US Billboard singles charts to include downloads

The US chart compiler has followed the UK's lead and announced that online music sales will be included in the singles chart. Billboard's Hot 100, the equivalent of the UK's Official Chart, has been based largely on radio play since the late 1990s, as single sales are virtually non-existent. The current number one, Let Me Love You by Mario, has been selling about 500 physical copies each week, but garners 17,000 downloads. ...more

AMD and Fujitsu merge Flash memory operations

Chip manufacturer AMD and computer giant Fujitsu Limited have announced that they are to merge their Flash memory operations into a single business. The new company, to be called FASL LLC, will be based on the integration of AMD and Fujitsu's Flash memory businesses, including their existing joint manufacturing venture, Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Limited. The new company is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of this year. ...more