MS updates Windows Vista

Microsoft has already released an update to Windows Vista that will shut down unauthorised versions of the operating system (OS) that allow users to skip the product's activation system, reports PC World.

The move comes just weeks after Vista was released to business customers and is aimed at clamping down on pirated copies of the software that are already in circulation. The pirate versions allow users to work around the built-in activation system that requires a code to use the full version of the product after 30 days.

If a version of Vista that has used a workaround to avoid product activation is detected by the update, a user of that software will have 30 days before the OS goes into a reduced functionality mode.

Google Patent Search is the latest addition to Google's collection of search tools, enabling users to forage through US patents using keywords, patent numbers, classifications, issue dates or inventors' names.

TG Daily says the Google Patent Search is much more intuitive than the official search tool on the government's patent office Web site. When a patent is viewed, users can then zoom in and scroll through pages, similar to the features in Google Book Search.

According to Google, more than seven million US patents are already available and work is under way to enable users to save and print patent documents.

Adobe has released a beta version of Photoshop CS3, which is an update of the company's photo-editing application that will run natively on PowerPC and Intel-based Macs as well as PCs running Windows XP or Vista, reports News.com.

The beta will be available to anyone with a serial number from Photoshop CS2 or other Adobe bundles, including Creative Suite 2. The final version of Photoshop CS3 is due in mid-2007.

The beta will include an early version of an upgrade to the Adobe Bridge file manager and a new tool for creating content for mobile devices, called Adobe Device Central.

A two-month trial has begun in Norway to send adverts to mobile phones that are tailored to the individual user, reports BBC News.

Two TV stations and four radio stations are taking part in the trial by Norwegian broadcaster and mobile TV pioneer, NRK. The content is streamed to the phones over a 3G phone network and the adverts will be based on information supplied by those who have signed up for the trial.

Although mobile TV is not yet mainstream, research firm eMarketer says there are already 44.5 million 3G subscribers worldwide who watch mobile TV on their phones. The company predicts the number will double each year, reaching 520.9 million by 2009.