Apple turns down iPods

Apple has released a software update that enables iPod users to set maximum volume limits, in the wake of concerns that loud music played through earphones might cause hearing loss.

Australian IT says the free software update for the iPod nano and fifth-generation iPod gives users the ability to set volume caps on the iPod and lock it with a combination code.

Apple`s move is in response to a class action lawsuit that was filed against it in a US federal court in California in January, which claimed that iPods could cause hearing loss because they have the capacity to produce sounds in excess of 104 decibels.

Microsoft has started beta testing software that will take its Web e-mail onto the desktop.

Microsoft has released the first test version of Windows Live Mail Desktop, which is a free Windows program that will let users manage multiple e-mail accounts.

News.Com says the software is designed to work with Windows Live Mail, the successor to Hotmail that is also in beta testing.

The move marks a shift for the Hotmail business, which has until now charged users who wanted to read their mail using desktop software rather than a Web browser.

The world`s largest electronics firms have decided to use Bluetooth wireless technology to send high-quality video between devices in the home, according to the WiMedia Alliance and Bluetooth Special Interest Group industry associations.

News.Com says the decision is expected to determine how hundreds of millions of televisions, video recorders and personal computers will be connected without wires by 2010.

Microsoft has announced new intellectual property licensing initiatives for its mouse and keyboard technologies, reports Technews World.

This first hardware licensing initiative for the company will make Microsoft technologies, including U2 interface detection and switching technology, Tilt Wheel and Magnifier tool, broadly available to third-party brands and hardware manufacturers in the mobile and desktop peripherals industry.

New software that hides on cell phones and captures call logs and text messages is being sold as a way to monitor kids and unfaithful spouses, but a security company is calling it a Trojan horse, reports News.Com.

The report says the FlexiSpy application captures call logs, text messages and mobile Internet activity. The data captured is sent to Vervata`s servers and is accessible to customers via a special Web site.

However, security company F-Secure has denounced the FlexiSpy software as a Trojan. The application installs itself without any kind of indication as to what it is and is completely hidden, so it could be used by hackers to target phones.