Talks tabled to put protected CDs on iPods

Record labels are in talks with Apple to find a way of making copy-protected CDs compatible with iTunes and iPods. Major labels have recently released albums from a number of high-profile artists that include software to prevent them being ripped on a PC. As a result it has come in for scathing criticism from iPod owning fans of the Foo Fighters and Dave Matthews among others. ...more

Sony buys video sharing site

Sony's movie division has acquired Grouper, a website that lets users watch, share and create video in a thinly-veiled attempt to hop on the YouTube bandwagon. Sony Pictures Entertainment will pay $65 million for Grouper's peer-to-peer video sharing network, which enables downloads of uncut original video to be shared by its members. Grouper users can browse videos, post them to a wide variety of third-party websites - such as MySpace, Blogger and Friendster - and upload them to mobile devices including PSPs and iPods. ...more

Google Analytics rolls out worldwide

Google has revamped its website traffic monitoring service and made it available to businesses worldwide. New functionality in Version 2 of Google Analytics includes email reporting, customisable dashboards, and new site map displays. According to Google, there is also a greater emphasis on making the data more accessible. ...more

Sun's Scott McNealy steps aside

Sun's Scott McNealy has stepped aside to hand the CEO seat to Jonathan Schwartz McNealy will continue in his role of chairman of the systems giant, which he co-founded in 1982, while Schwartz is elevated from COO to CEO and retains his title of president. McNealy is now tasked with pushing market expansion and Sun's government and academic relations, heading up Sun Federal Inc., which focuses exclusively on US government business. ...more

World Wide Web doubles in three years

The Internet continues to blossom as millions of new sites come on line each month. Netcraft says that within the last month some 3.1 million sites have been added to the Internet and that the Web has doubled in size over the last three years: growing from 40 million in April 2003 to more than 80 million today. ...more