US computer software giant Microsoft and leading Japanese high-tech maker Toshiba on Monday said they will jointly develop HD (high definition) DVD players.

The two said in a statement that they would combine Microsoft Windows CE technology and Toshiba’s expertise in consumer electronics and computers.

Source: Business Report

German police arrested a 35 years old German woman who listed on EBay an offer to sell her 4 month old baby for a starting price of 10,000 Euro.

The mother posted the ad on Thursday on the online auction site to sell her baby, but a German surfer noticed the sick ad and notified the authorities.

After a quick investigation the local police managed to track down the mother, who is a known scam artist, and arrested her.

EBay quickly removed the post.

Source: Ynet (Hebrew)

U3 today unveiled the industry’s very first USB smart drives and U3 smart software applications. U3 smart drives host U3 smart applications, computer settings and data allowing people to carry their ‘personal workspace’ with them and to access it on other PCs for a truly mobile experience. The company also launched U3 Software Central, the online place for consumers to download a variety of U3 smart software applications to their U3 smart drives. U3 Software Central is accessible with a single click from the U3 Launchpad interface on U3 smart drives or from www.u3.com.

On stage at tomorrow’s DEMOfall technology conference, U3 Chief Executive Officer Kate Purmal will demonstrate how convenient it is for consumers to take their personal workspace wherever they go and productively work without carrying a laptop. Purmal will plug a U3 smart drive into a PC and show the audience how U3 smart software applications are launched and used from a U3 smart drive on any Windows-based computer and how all information is saved to the device, not the PC. Purmal will also show how easy it is to remove a U3 smart drive from a computer— all windows close leaving no personal information behind on the PC.

“Computing will never be the same after today’s launch. This will mark the first available plug-and-play way for consumers to carry and access their personal workspace without having to lug a laptop around,�? said Purmal. “Whether on the home or office PC, computer at a family member or a friend’s house, hotel business center, print shop or Internet café, consumers will enjoy the ability to check e-mail, edit a document, view photos, play a game, listen to music from their playlist or surf the Web – all in a safe and trusted environment that’s completely mobile and all stored in just one place.�?

U3 smart applications demonstrated at DEMOfall include:
(more…)

With digital music players becoming more ubiquitous, Volkswagen AG is offering a stereo component that lets motorists plug in all manner of portable digital players — not just iPods — and manage their tunes and podcasts on a dashboard display.

Just plug your device into a built-in console in the center armrest. The option comes in two varieties, one for the iPod, another for other USB-based players. Up to six of the player’s folders will be displayed on the car stereo system, and the radio buttons can be used to scan, search or shuffle your mix.

The setup will cost $240.

Source: CNN

Microsoft on Monday announced that it has acquired ID management partner Alacris in a move to bolster its security efforts.

Ottawa-based Alacris provides identification and access management technologies for smart cards and digital certificates. The acquisition comes as Microsoft is gearing up to release its Longhorn version of Windows Server in 2007, designed to be a more secure and reliable version of its software.

Alacris partnered with Microsoft two years ago, when it developed IDNexus for Microsoft.

Alacris’ IDNexus is designed to integrate with the software giant’s certificate services technologies in areas such as smart-card and PKI management, as well as Active Directory.

Source: News.com

Britain is once again ‘top of the bots’ with the world’s highest proportion of known bot-infected computers. In the first half of 2005, The UK has almost a third (32 per cent) of all bots – virus-infected, zombie PCs under the control of hackers and used for malicious purposes such as identity theft and spam distribution –. Britain also topped the chart in the second half of last year with a lower 26 per cent rating.

The statistics, taken from Symantec’s Global Internet Threat Report for the period January to June 2005, are based on the number of PCs worldwide that are known to be infected with bot agents, such as the infamous Agobot worm. Bot network activity has increased from below 5,000 bots per day in December 2004 to an average of 10,352 during this reporting period.

Source: The Register