Free malware from McDonalds

McDonalds has apologised after sending out MP3 players containing malware as prizes. The company's Japanese subsidiary sent out the MP3 players after a competition held in August. Customers won the media players after peeling a sticker off the side of a drinks container and checking the winning numbers. ...more

New chip promises cheaper music

The lowest price of CD players that play compressed music CDs is expected to drop below $50 with the release of the new CS7410 music processor. Unlike traditional CD players that just play standard audio disks, the new breed is capable of playing CDs packed with several hours worth of music compressed into MP3, Windows Media and other formats. Increasingly, software capable of 'ripping' music from audio CDs into compressed files is also capable of producing compressed CDs. ...more

Microsoft makes Live online service live

Microsoft has announced two new brands for the delivery of online services: Windows Live and Microsoft Office Live. Bill Gates unveiled the company's new online strategy, with Windows Live intended 'to bring together all the elements of an individual's digital world' while Office Live helps small companies 'do business online'. 'These new offerings demonstrate how software is evolving through the power of services in ways that enable more dynamic and relevant experiences for people,' said Gates. ...more

MSN clones Google News

In advance of an 'imminent' launch of its own search engine, Microsoft has issued a statement of intent by launching its own version of the popular Google News to be known as MSN Newsbot. Based initially on feeds from the Moreover news aggregation service, the new beta service aims to provide news on a range of subjects including World, Sports, Entertainment, Science and Technology. As with Google News, the information is gathered and aggregated on the pages automatically from over 4,000 news services including our humble selves. ...more

palmOne profits from PDAs

PDA-maker palmOne has returned to profit, with a net income of $13.3mn for the latest financial quarter. In the corresponding quarter of 2003, the company recorded a loss of $15mn. ...more