Google Maps has added some additional scaling-out, and maps of the entire world are available. Only country names so far (except in the US, Canada & UK)

Source: Slashdot

Expected this summer, the new MSN shopping site will go head-to-head with offerings from Google, Yahoo, eBay and Amazon.com.

MSN is in the process of revamping the MSN shopping portal, hoping to better compete with Google’s Froogle, eBay and Amazon.com, as well as comparison-shopping sites such as BizRate and Yahoo’s Shopping.

Jim Barr, General Manager of MSN Shopping & Marketplaces said Microsoft’s goal is to make its shopping site more convenient and complete.

Source: Microsoft-Watch

Symantec on Monday plans to announce two new appliances: Security Information Manager 9500 and 9550. Due out in September, the appliances are aimed at helping users analyze data from firewalls, antivirus software and other security products. Additionally, they will let users correlate their data with security intelligence from Symantec’s DeepSight Threat Management System. This analysis of security data could give customers a better view of the attacks waged on their networks and help them raise more-effective shields, Symantec said.

Source: News.com

Online search-engine leader Google Inc. is preparing to introduce an electronic payment system later this year in a move that would pose a financial threat to one of its biggest advertisers, Internet auctioneer eBay Inc.

“It could be a pretty big negative for eBay if it happens,” said Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy, who follows Google as well as the Web’s leading auction site.

PayPal accounted for $233.1 million, or 23 percent, of eBay’s revenue during the first quarter.

San Jose-based eBay bought PayPal for $1.3 billion in 2002. The payment service makes money by collecting a fee from the transactions that it helps complete. The electronic accounts are funded by credit cards or banking account transfers.

Expanding into online payments might make Google less dependent on advertising, which accounted for nearly all of its first-quarter revenue of $1.26 billion. The merchants who run auctions on eBay are major buyers of Google’s ads, which appear alongside search results.

A Google spokesman declined to comment on the report.

Source: AP

We start today a weekly post that will detail popular software titles that updated in the past week.

• Nero ShowTime 2.0.0.38
• Nero MediaHome 1.3.0.1
• NetFlixter 1.2.1963.39371
• NOD32 2.50.25
• Winamp 5 5.093
• Netscape Browser 8.0.2
• OpenOffice.org 2.0 (Snapshot Build 1.9.m109) beta
• Process Explorer 2003 9.12
• eDonkey2000 Client 1.2.5
• vSkype 1.0.0.33 Beta
• Adobe Reader 7.0.2
• Opera for 8.01 Build 7642
• Avant Browser 10.1 Beta 6
• WinDVD Platinum 7.0
• Real Alternative 1.41
• DivX 6.0
• nVIDIA ForceWare Drivers for Windows 2000/XP 72.14 WHQL Official
• Nero CD-DVD Speed 4.00
• NeroVision Express 3.1.0.11
• DzSoft PHP Editor 3.1.2.6
• Nero Media Player 1.4.0.33
• RealPlayer 10.5 Build 6.0.12.1212
• Nero Burning Rom 6.6.0.14
• Skype 1.3.0.45
• Fedora Linux 4
• ratDVD 0.6.1117
• EMS MySQL Manager 3.2.0.1
• VirtualDub 1.6.7.23538 Experimental
• F-Prot Antivirus for Windows 3.16c
• Download Accelerator Plus 7.4.0.2
• K-Lite Codec Pack Full 2.49
• DVD Region+CSS Free 5.90

A security breach at a processor used by MasterCard International may have exposed more than 40 million customers to fraud, the credit card giant announced.

MasterCard said its security experts identified that the breach occurred at Arizona-based CardSystems Solutions, a third-party processor of payment card data used by MasterCard and other branded credit cards.

The breach occurred when “an unauthorized individual” was able to infiltrate the network, MasterCard said in a statement without elaborating.

The credit card firm said the breach “potentially exposed more than 40 million cards of all brands to fraud, of which approximately 13.9 million are MasterCard-branded cards.”

MasterCard said it was notifying participating banks and customers about the breach.

Source: AFP