Well this hardley comes as a surprise after Google Talk joined in the competition against Skype, MS hardley wanted to loose out on this expanding market.  Microsoft is preparing to enable computer users to make a normal phone call from their PC. The computer giant has increased its presence in the fast-growing internet phone sector by purchasing leading player Teleo for an undisclosed sum. Microsoft and rivals AOL, Google and Yahoo all currently allow phone calls between computers, but not yet to a domestic or mobile handset. Yahoo! is also in the process of making such a system.  :arrow:...

Microsoft’s latest version of DRM (Digital Rights Management), which was designed to put a stop to hacker’s getting around the licences imposed on downloaded music, could be exploited once again. http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cmusings/2005/04/14 Ever since Microsoft released its DRM technology, rookie hackers have been trying to get around it to get more for their money from services such as Apple’s iTunes and Napster. However, professionals have decided to take on the daunting task of decoding Microsoft’s encryption methods. The reason for this taking on this lengthy...

Well you may have read my recent post on Cutting the cords (recommended read), well to add to the topic I read today about adding to the security to WiFi. This seems like a very efficient way too! Intel is developing a new way to secure WiFi networks. The new technology aims to locate a WiFi user by timing how long it takes for packets to travel to and from a wireless access point, which could prevent users outside a house or office from accessing a WiFi network indoors. Precision location technology is one of several key ideas for the next few years that Justin Rattner, Intel senior fellow...

The first (unmanned) mission to Pluto is planned for Januari 2006. NASA will then launch the New Horizons spacecraft which will arrive at the planet about nine years later. The primary objectives are to characterize the global geology and morphology of Pluto and Charon, map the surface composition of Pluto and Charon, and characterize the neutral atmosphere of Pluto and its escape rate. Other objectives include studying time variability of Pluto’s surface and atmosphere, imaging and mapping areas of Pluto and Charon at high-resolution, characterizing Pluto’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere,...

As if the death of 150,000 Iraqi’s wasn’t enough. 08/29/05 "ICH" — – President Bush’s latest milestone in the war on terror has been predictably ignored in the mainstream media. Bush, who is now in the fifth year of his presidency, has served 1727 days in office. With the death toll in Iraq currently at 1873 servicemen, Bush can now boast that at least one American has died for every day he’s been in office; a sobering tribute to a man who wants to be remembered "a war president". Article It’s amazing that it takes such a bold...

EA and DICE are pleased to announce that today, after two weeks of Closed Beta testing, we are releasing the first public version of the Battlefield 2 editor! Over the last couple of days you’ve probably seen some of the outstanding work that the Closed Beta teams have created using the tools, and now we’re giving everyone else the chance to join the fun. Keep in mind that we are considering this release "Beta" software, so it’s still a little rough around the edges, though we’ve worked out many of the kinks. Also, though most core functionality is editable as...

UNN is currently expanding and we are currently working on a new theme which will improve not only the look of the site, but also the aesthetic and ergonomic feel of the site too. We are hoping on making it a bit more professional and generally easier to use. With this expansion I am happy to say that we have a few more reporters lined up, and we should be expecting to see them in action around the end of August, early September. Today i’m happy to introduce Daniël – Usayd Networks Technical Reporter from the Netherlands. Daniël was interested in computer programming using...

Sony will be releasing the PSP (Playstation Portable) next week on 1st of September in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Sony has also already shipped more then 5 million PSP units over the world and 2.33 million units are going to Asia and Japan and 2.74 million units going to the United States and Canada. Source: GameIndustry  The PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) has a slim 6.7" x 2.9" frame that packs a powerful multimedia punch, enabling you to enjoy your favorite games, music, videos and photos instantly, anywhere. Factor in the PSP system’s...