Lite-ON goes CE with its first hard disk DVD recorder

Lite-ON has stepped further into the consumer arena with its first hard disk DVD recorder. Best-known for its range of optical disc drives for PCs, the Taipei-based company is hoping to stake a claim to the front room with its ?350 LVW5045. It boasts all the features you'd expect of hard disk recording, such as time shifting so that you can 'pause' live TV while it buffers on to the disk, and watch different parts of a program while it is being recorded. ...more

Microsoft outlines Mac product plans

Microsoft used Macworld Expo New York to outline its Mac Business Unit's plans for the next year. In addition to giving the first in-depth preview of the forthcoming version of Office for Mac OS X, the company announced a number of new products and initiatives. Kevin Browne, the general manager of the Mac Business Unit gave an enthusiastic audience what he called "the first real look of Office 10 for Mac OS X", claiming that the package will deliver on OS X's promises for delivering great applications. ...more

Computer worm rides the European storms

Computer virus writers have used the raging European storms to attack thousands of computers in an unusual real-time assault, head of research at Finnish data security firm F-Secure told Reuters. The virus, which the company named 'Storm Worm' has been sent to hundreds of thousands of email addresses globally, with the e-mail's subject line saying '230 dead as storm batters Europe.' The attached file contains the malware that can infiltrate computer systems. ...more

Verisign loses legal battle with ICANN, again

Verisign has lost the latest round of its legal battle against the Internet's technical regulator ICANN. Judge Howard Matz of the District Court in Central California threw out Verisign's allegations that ICANN had damaged its business by forcing it to withdraw its Site Finder service. Last year Verisign, which acts as a domain registry, redirected all unassigned or mistyped . ...more

RIAA flags concern over digital radio

The US record industry has asked regulators to adopt measure to prevent music 'piracy' from digital radio broadcasts. Although the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) says it is not against the recording of the CD-quality transmissions, it wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules 'that would protect music played through digital radio receivers from widespread piracy'. Primarily, the RIAA is concerned about the automated recording of individual songs - often from a preset 'wishlist' - and their subsequent distribution over the Internet. ...more