UPDATED:Apple to make $6 billion bid for Universal Music?

Apple is planning a $6bn bid for the Universal Music Group, according to a report on the LA Times. The company is believed to be in talks with Universal's owner, Vivendi Universal, about a deal that would make Apple CEO Steve Jobs, 'the most powerful player in the record business'. According to the LA Times, Apple hired investment Bank Morgan Stanley to look into the possibility of buying Universal, which receives around $6bn annually from sales of artists including U2 and Shania Twain. ...more

Telewest trials 2Mbit broadband

Claiming the UK's fastest unlimited home Internet service, Telewest is trialing a 2Mbit service to launch later this year. Telewest's 2Mbit blueyonder broadband service is currently being tested by 1,500 customers with a view to launching this year. Although no pricing has yet been set, as a guide the company's 1Mbit service is currently ?39. ...more

Apple shareholders face a cost of delisting

Apple shareholders could see the value of their holdings fall considerably if the Nasdaq exchange carries through its threat to delist the company's stock. According to research by Georgetown University professor James J Angel into the effects of delisting, shareholders lost an average of 19 per cent in past cases. Apple faces delisting for failing to meet the deadline for filing its latest Form 10-Q filing, a report on the company's performance during the financial quarter to 1 July. ...more

Wireless users warned of Evil Twin hotspots

UK security experts are warning wireless users to be on the lookout for 'evil twins' when connecting to the Internet in public spaces such as train stations or cafes. Using hotspots is a risky business, say wireless internet and cyber crime experts at Cranfield University, as most of us ask no more than that the hotspot connection is successfully made. The problem is, as your laptop scans for available networks, it may find one nearer and with a stronger signal than the one you intended to connect to and use that instead: an evil twin. ...more

Software piracy on the up

The number of illegal software copies in worldwide circulation has risen for the first time since 1994, according to a report by the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The BSA - which counts many of the major software developers amongst its members, including Apple, Adobe and Microsoft - attributes the growth in piracy to the proliferation of PCs in countries where illegal copying has traditionally been an issue. In Vietnam, for instance, 94 per cent of software is illegal, while China, India, Russia and other former USSR countries are also spotlighted by the report. ...more