Software/Hardware News

I must start by thanking everybody for the enormous response to my day to day saga at CES 2008 at Las Vegas. While this is not going to be my new format for this column, I will follow it for all coverage of live tech events.

Napster Inc, one of the largest digital music retailers, said on Monday it would start selling downloads in the MP3 format from the second quarter of this year in the latest blow to copy protection for songs bought online.

Neighbors of a former IBM plant in New York state sued the company on Thursday, saying it released chemicals into the air, ground and water for nearly 80 years that caused birth defects and cancer.

Animation seems to have made its presence felt in B-town. After the success of Hanuman Returns, Percept Picture Company (PPC) will present its third film, tentatively titled -- Ravana Returns. And the list doesn't end there.

The real bane of technology is that we always look for true innovation in obvious places. Your new phone, a new digital camera, a flat panel display or even a new DVD player - these are the places where we all look for advancement and new breakthroughs.

I got my first camera at the age of 10. An AGFA Click3. Since then I have changed my camera and model 11 times. But I still remember my excitement when I saw the first B2 size slightly shaky black and white print of a horse I had clicked.

Open source has been posing a steady challenge to proprietary software over the years. The Indian market for open source, recorded a growth of 60 per cent last year, reveals a recent survey by the Forum for Open Source Initiatives in India (FOSII).

We're all set to get a desi version of Wikipedia. Only, this one will focus on improving the education system at the school level. The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education is in the midst of developing an online educational resource - learning and teaching materials - for students, teachers and parents in both English and Marathi.

It's always surprising to see how dormant technology can suddenly fire the imagination of consumers. In a strange twist of fate, technology that was going nowhere for the last few years is suddenly the flavour of the season.

Google Inc said on Friday that the company would bid on coveted airwaves to launch a U.S. wireless network, pitting it against established telecommunications players AT&T and Verizon.

If the above device dissapointed you with it's not so picture perfect appeal, this one may probably excite you. The D300 - DX-format digital SLR camera - is latest from the Nikon kitty.

A decade or so ago, enterprise resource planning (ERP) was a pompous expression with expensive software to match. It put managers in big companies in command of data and workflows that enabled them to do their jobs more efficiently, boost sales and cut costs.

Companies are rushing to serve up advertisements with online videos, but that doesn't mean anybody is paying attention to the promotions for cars, soap or sneakers.

VMware Inc, a global leader in virtualization software, said on Thursday it hopes to expand rapidly in China, a market where it has only recently established a toehold.

At 22, when most people are still wondering what career to choose, Rohan Verma takes pride in showing others 'the right direction.' No, he's not a career counsellor, nor in the traffic department.