Oracle`s Siebel acquisition complete

Enterprise software developer Oracle has completed its acquisition of customer relationship management (CRM) company Siebel Systems, reports America`s Network.

Oracle announced its plan to buy Siebel in September, but had to await the approval of European and US regulatory authorities and a vote by shareholders before the acquisition was concluded officially.

The report quotes Oracle CEO Larry Ellison as saying the successful completion of the Siebel acquisition makes his company the undisputed leader in CRM. According to Ellison, the Siebel acquisition also accelerates Oracle`s move into a leadership position in applications and on-demand services.

A Louisiana man has filed a lawsuit claiming that Apple`s iPod can cause hearing loss, reports Information Week.

The report says the suit was submitted to a federal court in San Jose, California on behalf of John Kiel Patterson. The suit seeks class-action status, asks for unspecified damages, and demands that Apple Computer update the iPod software to prevent the players exceeding output of 100 decibels, as it was forced to do in 2002 to sell the devices in France.

Patterson`s suit comes soon after reports quoted experts as saying the use of earbud-style headphone like those bundled with iPods can lead to hearing loss. The suit charges Apple with not advising users of a safe listening volume.

The Mozilla Foundation has shipped the first patch for its flagship Firefox 1.5 browser to plug a series of security vulnerabilities and memory leaks.

eWeek says the open source group has started pushing out Firefox 1.5.0.1 as an automatic update and recommended that all users apply the upgrade to protect against a known denial-of-service bug and several undisclosed security issues.

The report says Firefox 1.5.0.1 also promises improved stability and improved support for Mac OS X.

IT services company Unisys predicts there will be greater commercial use of biometrics in 2006 following technological improvements in the technology driven by electronic passport programmes in Australia and the US, reports News.Com.

According to Unisys, traveller security is driving the adoption of biometrics much faster than commercial pressures. Unisys biometrics director Terry Hartmann says electronic passports have proven the concept in the public context, which will pave the way for the adoption of biometrics by the commercial sector.

Hartmann says other government departments that need to verify identity, such as drivers` licences and welfare, will also consider the technology initially, after which the private sector will be prompted to investigate how it can solve existing problems, such as building access control, via the use of biometrics.

The Blue&Me voice-activated in-car communication system, based on the Windows Mobile for Automotive operating system, will debut at the 2006 Geneva Motorshow later this month, reports BusinessWeek.

The report says Blue&Me marks a significant milestone in the evolution of in-car communication, information and entertainment systems. The new system is expected to provide a competitive-edge for vehicles in the Fiat and Alfa Romeo ranges.

Blue&Me offers a platform that can be adapted to most mobile phones, digital media players and other mobile devices. The car owner will be free to change them with new models without compromising compatibility with the car.