Microsoft puts Live services into the Labs

Microsoft has founded research centres to help it match Internet search giants Google and Yahoo! and support its strategy of creating online services of its desktop and office software. Microsoft is putting an academic slant on both the Microsoft Search Labs and Live Labs by making half a million dollars available shortly in the form of grant and award schemes for academics looking to run research projects in the area. Google simply started out with a good search algorithm. ...more

Second birthday AMD processors

Marking the second anniversary of its Athlon processor, AMD has announced new mobile editions of the Athlon and Duron, as well as a Duron processor for desktop PCs. There are three new AMD family members: the 1.1GHz mobile AMD Athlon 4 processor, the 900MHz mobile AMD Duron processor and the 1GHz AMD Duron processor, which is for desktop PCs. ...more

Symantec launches Norton 360 security suite

Symantec has launched its eagerly awaited Norton 360 security suite in the US today. A UK launch isn't due until March, and will cost ?59.99 inc VAT. ...more

AOL makes 1Mbit broadband push

AOL is the latest ISP to announce a 1Mbit/sec service, following a two-month trial. AOL's offering will cost ?34.99 and the company will cover BT's charge for existing customers who want to upgrade from a 512K connection. ...more

Industrial espionage is the new target for hackers

Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting many of the most sensitive business and government areas. According to the joint Counterpane and MessageLabs 2005 Attack Trends and Analysis survey, although financial institutions and banks are still the prime target for attack the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors are increasingly coming under assault from hackers attempting to break in and steal data. The worms that are used to probe corporate defences are becoming increasingly sophisticated. ...more