Microsoft's five-year plan for Zune uncovered

Microsoft is prepared to commit five years and millions of dollars to making a success of the Zune portable media player, a company executive revealed. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices group, told analysts that the company does not expect an immediate pay-off from what has inevitably been dubbed the 'iPod killer'. 'This is something that's going to be a three-, four-, five-year investment horizon,' Bach said during a meeting in the company's Redmond HQ. ...more

A HERO for all institutions

A new Web site, funded by Education Councils throughout Britain, has officially launched, linking hundreds of universities and higher education institutions through one portal. Boasting more than 840 links, HERO (Higher Education & Research opportunities) hopes to provide a service whereby potential students can easily find the right course at the right institution, find places to get funding for research or scholarships and where businesses can recruit. Timothy O'Shea, chairman of HERO, said at a press conference this morning   that "a lack of information, poor information, or partial information leads to the choice of inappropriate courses", but that HERO will "make a real difference getting the right course to the right student. ...more

Apple gets RAW with Aperture

Apple has introduced Aperture, a new application that it describes as the first all-in-one post production tool for professional photographers based on RAW images. RAW images are maintained natively throughout Aperture without any intermediate conversion process, and can be retouched using a suite of adjustment tools designed especially for photographers. The nondestructive image processing engine ensures that it never alters a single pixel of the original photo so photographers can modify or delete changes at any point in the workflow. ...more

Freeserve gives surfers chance to flirt

Today sees the launch of the world's first online flirting game. The game known as the Flirtboat will be hosted on icircle.com, which is Freeserve's dedicated women's channel, and gives the players the chance to earn flirtpoints and kisses as they partake in a virtual cruise. ...more

Trojan targets Microsoft anti-spyware

The first piece of malware to attack Microsoft's new anti-spyware product has been detected, according to security specialists Sophos. The BankAsh-A Trojan is a phishing attack that attempts to steal online banking passwords. It targets UK banks such as Barclays, Cahoot, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Nationwide, NatWest, and Smile. ...more