Universals tests DRM-free music ... MySQL falls out with developer community

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Google faces more than just a new rival in Wikia
News: Universal to test sales of DRM-free music
News: U.K. report questions role of ISPs in online safety
News: Fujitsu's easy-to-use phone packs advanced features
News: Bankrupt BenQ Mobile sues parent again
Opinion: Video Lessons
Podcast: Daily IT news update
ITwhirled: Bus driver fired for running up $34,000 bill on company phone


NEWS UPDATES

Google faces more than just a new rival in Wikia
Google Inc. and other search engines face far more than just a new rival in Wikia Inc., they face the prospect of hundreds, even thousands of new competitors.

Universal to test sales of DRM-free music
As part of a six-month test to end in January, UMG, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Vivendi Universal SA, will sell a wide range of albums and songs from artists such as 50 Cent, Black Eyed Peas and Sting -- in MP3 format, without DRM (digital rights management) copy protection, the music company confirmed Friday.

U.K. report questions role of ISPs in online safety
A new report on Internet safety has concluded ISPs (Internet service providers) should take more responsibility for online security since end users are often lax.

Fujitsu's easy-to-use phone packs advanced features
The latest model in Fujitsu Ltd.'s Raku Raku cell phone line, which emphasizes ease of use, packs some advanced features.

Bankrupt BenQ Mobile sues parent again
The mobile phones that once flowed from bankrupt German handset manufacturer BenQ Mobile GmbH & Co. OHG are being replaced by lawsuits.


OPINION

Video Lessons
By James Gaskin, ITworld.com

Suddenly it's a video world, or perhaps I'm paying more attention since I mentioned the Altus video products earlier this month. The good news? You can watch plenty of technical videos after you get tired of Diet Coke and Mentos on YouTube. One of the most technical set of videos comes from Cisco and their TechWise TV series of webcasts.

Read the full article here


PODCAST

Universals tests DRM-free music ... MySQL falls out with developer community ... Report says ISPs should help with online security


ITWHIRLED

Bus driver fired for running up $34,000 bill on company phone

Bus drivers in the Polish city of Slupsk get cell phones from their employer, and are supposed to keep their monthly bills to $5. But Leszek Wojcik kept sending text messages -- at 86 cents a pop -- to enter a contest, and rang up charges of $34,000. It's a good thing he stopped when he did: had he won (which he didn't), the prize would have been $36,000.

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