Microsoft over the weekend pushed out an update for its flagship Windows Media Player to provide protection from a well-known spyware infection threat.

The update comes more than three months after Microsoft Corp. promised a fix and brings an end to an episode that raised questions about the company’s handling of a legitimate security threat to customers.

In a knowledge base article that was updated over the weekend, Microsoft said the new version of WMP would block the redirection of users to rogue Web sites via the DRM (digital rights protection) mechanism.

Source: eWeek

Advanced Micro Devices will continue to play the role of behind-the-scenes hero when it comes to computer-generated films.

AMD on Monday announced a three-year partnership with DreamWorks Animation SKG, which makes the chipmaker the preferred processor provider for the DreamWorks SKG animation studio.

The agreement extends an existing relationship under which DreamWorks Animation has used numerous AMD-powered computers in creating films such as “Shark Tale.” AMD Opteron chips are also being used for DreanWorks Animation’s forthcoming movie “Madagascar,” AMD said in a statement.

AMD chips have also recently been used in the making of the movies “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,” due May 19, and “Sin City,” which is out now.

Source: News.com

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), today released the public beta version of its comprehensive, integrated Internet security solution that provides broad protection from spyware and adware to home users. Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition is being designed to provide real-time detection and automatic removal of spyware from users’ computers and prevent new spyware risks from impacting the PC in the future. This new spyware functionality will be seamlessly integrated into Norton Internet Security, Symantec’s award-winning Internet security solution, which provides essential protection from viruses, hackers, and privacy risks.

Users can download the free public beta version of Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition from https://www-secure.symantec.com/public_beta/. Plans call for Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition to be available for purchase by retail and OEM customers in the second quarter of the year.

RYE BROOK, N.Y., April 18 - Financial web site and software company partner to allow robotic trading in real-life broker accounts.

On April 18, Advanced Trading Research and Collective2.com announced a new joint service that sounds like either a dream or a nightmare: Robotic Trading - no humans required.

For the past two years, Collective2 has been quietly monitoring and verifying results of trading systems. Until now, customers interested in “following along” with a successful trading system could subscribe to the system and then could manually place trades at his broker - either by telephone or on the Internet.

But now, thanks to Advanced Trading Research’s TradeBullet software, any trading system monitored by Collective2 can be automatically traded in a customer’s live brokerage account - without any human involvement.

“This is a new kind of investment strategy,” proclaims Matthew Klein, the founder of Collective2.com. “It’s like hiring a robot to run your own hedge fund. You can pick and choose the strategies the robot pursues, but leave the grunt work to the software.”

Collective2 monitors over 500 trading systems for stocks, options, futures, and forex. Anyone who wants to sell their trading advice can add their system to the Collective2 Web site. But there’s a catch: Collective2 tracks the results that each trader achieves, and unflinchingly ranks and rates all the systems on their actual results.
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Intel Corp. unveiled its first communications chip that uses WiMAX, a wireless technology that proponents hope will accelerate the spread of high-speed Internet access.

WiMAX can deliver Internet connections over a range of up to 16 kilometers (10 miles), compared with around 50 meters (150 feet) for the WiFi connections that are found in many offices, cafes and public places.

The new technology is targeted first at replacing stationary wired connections and later for mobile use with laptop computers.

WiMAX, short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a standards-based wireless technology for providing high-speed, last-mile broadband access to homes and businesses and for mobile wireless networks.

Initially Intel sees the technology as being used for delivery of broadband Internet access to remote areas not currently served by DSL phone line connections or cable.

Intel’s new chip, formerly code-named Rosedale, is designed for use in devices that send and receive WiMAX signals in the home and from base stations owned by communications carriers.

Starting at 45 dollars in 1,000-unit quantities, Intel hopes the chip will help drive down the price of home WiMAX hardware.

Source: AFP (via Yahoo)

Borland Software Corporation , today announced the newest release of Borland® Together® 2005 for Microsoft® Visual Studio® .NET, a significantly updated version of its popular Together modeling suite for Visual Studio .NET users. The release marks the first Borland role-based modeling solution for .NET and is one of the first products to support the UML® 2.0 standard for Microsoft’s development environment.

Together for Visual Studio .NET provides Visual Studio developers with an important bridge between Microsoft’s own modeling solutions, including the emerging Software Factories approach, and advanced modeling benefits offered through the use of the industry standard Unified Modeling Language™ (UML). The new Together 2005 for Visual Studio .NET suite includes Together Designer and Together Developer, integrated and easy-to-use products made available individually for role-specific modeling functions within the software development lifecycle.

The Together for Visual Studio .NET suite offers two role-specific products, Together Designer and Together Developer. Together Designer targets analysts and architects that need to validate software design and model requirements, while Together Developer targets developers that need to reduce complexity, improve quality and more easily understand their existing code base.

Microsoft Corp. today kicked off a new global awareness campaign designed to showcase how people can explore, enhance and pursue their passions with Windows(R) XP and related technology — whether that passion is music, movies, cooking or the cosmos. The international effort called “Start Something” is one of the largest and longest marketing campaigns in the Windows brand history. Using fresh, imaginative advertising, retail executions, online activities and more, the 15-month campaign celebrates the countless possibilities for Windows to bring what people are passionate about to life using the hundreds of thousands of software applications and devices that work with Microsoft(R) Windows XP.

Adobe Systems Incorporated has announced an agreement to buy Macromedia with shares for about 3.4 billion dollars.

Under the terms of the deal, which has been approved by both boards of directors, Macromedia stockholders will receive 0.69 shares of Adobe common stock for every share of Macromedia common stock in a tax-free exchange.

Based on Adobe’s and Macromedia’s closing prices on Friday, this represents a price of 41.86 dollars per share of Macromedia common stock.

Source: Yahoo