Yahoo! upgrades search marketing

Yahoo! has revealed details of its long awaited overhaul of its search marketing arm. The new system introduces a new set of targeting features and a new API which will allow Yahoo to compete with rival products from Google and Microsoft. Among the improvements that have been announced is a more user friendly version of its control panel to analyse the sales data. ...more

Microsoft promises biometrically authentic Christmas with new keyboards

Microsoft has announced its line up of mice, keyboards and home software for the Christmas season, including new biometric, comfort and Bluetooth devices. Redmond's biometric range includes a separate fingerprint reader that connects via USB for ?59.99, the Optical Desktop, which includes a wireless mouse, and the reader integrated on to one side of the keyboard for ?99. ...more

Wikipedia examines contributor credentials

The founder of Wikipedia - the online, user-generated encyclopedia - is proposing a change in the way contributors' credentials are verified. James Wales is moving to protect the reputation of Wikipedia following revelations last week that one frequent contributor - who had been promoted to the status of 'arbitrator' - had invented their qualification. Specifically, that the writer "Essjay" was not, as he claimed, a professor of theology. ...more

Computer Associates' patent donation is slammed

Greg Aharonian, a vehement campaigner for higher quality patents, slammed Computer Associates' patent donation last week to the open source community as a 'fraud to impress the naive'. CA's donation of some 14 patents last Wednesday covers areas such as application development and modeling, business intelligence and analytics, systems management and storage management solutions and network management and security tools. They involve both US and international patents. ...more

ICANN signs new contract with US Department of Commerce

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which oversees the vital task of managing the name servers for the Internet signed a new agreement with the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) on Friday that is being hailed as a 'dramatic step forward' towards independence. ICANN has secured an agreement that recognizes it as being responsible for the management of the Internet's system of unique identifiers on an ongoing basis. It means ICANN is more autonomous,' declared Dr Paul Twomey, the President and CEO of ICANN. ...more