DT lets rivals operate iPhones

Deutsche Telekom, whose exclusive rights for the Apple iPhone in Germany are contested by the Vodafone Group, said yesterday it would change some terms and let the handset operate on rival networks, reports New York Times.

The company will offer the device for 999 euros, without requiring a two-year exclusive contract with its T-Mobile unit, said T-Mobile spokesman Alexander von Schmettow. The original 399 euro offer, with a binding contract, remains valid, he said.

T-Mobile backed down after Vodafone won a court injunction that bans T-Mobile from selling the iPhone with contracts, or the so-called SIM lock that prevents the phone from working on another network. In France, laws stop France T'el'ecom`s Orange unit from selling the device with similar restrictions.

Sony is opening up its PlayStation store - an online source of downloadable games and other content - to PC users, reports News.com.

The store will no longer be the exclusive province of owners of Sony`s top-end video game console, the PlayStation 3. PlayStation Portable users will now be able to download games via Sony`s PlayStation store.

The company said the move means PlayStation Portable users will now be able to download games via the store. Those games include "classic" PlayStation games, as well as a series of new PSP games available only through the PlayStation store. Existing PSP games will also be available.

Mozilla plans to release a bug-fix for its Firefox browser next week, repairing a long-standing security flaw in the software, says PC World.

The 2.0.0.10 update is in testing right now and should be released to the public next week, following the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. "We are giving it a couple of days to make sure that there are no issues found and we`ll release it after Thanksgiving," says Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla`s VP of engineering.

Mozilla is calling on the Firefox community to test the browser during a quality assurance "test day" this Friday.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) hit a multi-year low yesterday, as economic concerns spread through the chip sector, says The Street.

AMD`s stock was down as much as 6.7%, to $10.52, at one point yesterday, breaching its 52-week low of $11.18. The last time AMD`s stock traded at a lower level was on 23 August 2003, when it hit $10.24.

The sell-off came on a down day for the broader markets, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite both in retreat.