palmOne LifeDrive isLaunched

palmOne has finally officially unveiled the latest addition to its PDA line-up, the LifeDrive. As we first reported in April, the LifeDrive will be the first PDA with a hard drive (a 4GB Hitachi Microdrive to be precise), making it a viable option for storing photos, short video clips and music. The expansion slot supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCard formats for transferring photos from a camera. ...more

Europe cracks down on music royalty collections

European Commission is to investigate the activities of societies which collect royalties on behalf of music copyright owners. The EC says there is evidence that they breach EU competition rules. At issue is the so called 'Santiago' agreement which allows a national society to collect royalties on behalf of all other societies within its territory. ...more

MySpace under legal fire over assault

The mother of a 14-year-old Texas girl is suing MySpace for $30mn after the girl was assaulted by a man she met through the popular social networking website. The lawsuit claims that the site does not require users to verify their age and says that the security measures aimed at preventing strangers from contacting users younger than 16 are 'utterly ineffective'. 'MySpace is more concerned about making money than protecting children online,' lawyer Adam Loewy, who is representing the girl and her mother, told the Austin American-Statesman. ...more

Microsoft: We won't sue, but run Novell

Microsoft has warned customers worried about open-source patent infringement to buy Linux software from its partner, Novell. Last week, Microsoft stipulated that 235 of its patents had been breached by open-source software. The claims were strongly criticised by open-source advocates such as Linus Torvalds, who said the company's failure to name which specific patents had been violated 'should tell you something'. ...more

Be a DIY ISP for ?300

A UK company has put together a package that can enable you to set up as a small Internet Service Provider for ?300. The Locustworld Meshbox broadcasts an Internet connection to any computer or other device with 802.11b wireless connectivity (AirPort and Wi-Fi for example). ...more