EC suspends Oracle-PeopleSoft investigation

The European Commission (EC) has paused its investigation into Oracle`s bid to buy rival PeopleSoft because it is seeking more information from Oracle.

Computerworld says a decision on the proposed acquisition was expected on May 11, but no new deadline has been set. The report says the EC has requested information on Oracle`s market position in human resources and financial management software.

The EC previously suspended its investigation of the proposed takeover in January to gather more information about the deal from Oracle. The commission was originally scheduled to conclude its investigation by the end of March.

Dell has widened its lead over rival HP, reports PC World. New market share figures from IDC and Gartner show the market enjoyed a strong quarter as corporate customers made up for a seasonal downturn in consumer purchases.

The report says researchers counted worldwide PC shipments of 41.2 million units in the first quarter, up 16.5% compared with the first quarter of last year. Gartner put the worldwide shipment figure at 45.3 million units, which is a 13.4% increase from that research firm`s report on the first quarter of 2003.

IDC says Dell now has 18.6% of the worldwide market, compared with HP`s 15.6%. Gartner says Dell leads with 16.5% to HP`s 14%.

US cellphone service providers are willing to wiretap "push to talk" phone calls, but only one has the technological capability to do so, reports CNet.

Verizon Wireless says the current technology to tap push-to-talk calls doesn`t exit. The push-to-talk service enables cellphone customers to talk with the push of a button, like a walkie-talkie.

Law enforcement agencies say criminals are using the technology, knowing full well that the calls can`t be tapped.

CNet says the only US carrier capable of wiretapping push-to-talk calls is Nextel Communications, which is using an earlier version of the technology.

AT&T Wireless has begun offering its US subscribers a service that uses mobile phones to identify the names and performers of more than one million popular songs.

Associated Press says users must dial a three-digit code, then hold their mobile phone for about 15 seconds near a speaker playing the tune that they want to identify. Moments later, the service sends a text message to the phone with the song title and name of the recording artist.

The report says the first search is free, each subsequent search costs 99 cents, plus standard airtime charges. Subscribers are not charged if the service fails to recognize a song.

Carriers in the UK have been offering a similar music recognition service since last year.

Symantec has announced that Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series v2.0 (firewall engine) has been awarded Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4) certification.

This certification assures customers that Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series v2.0 has gone through a long and rigorous testing process and conforms to standards sanctioned by the International Standards Organization.

Symantec says the Gateway Security 5400 Series v2.0 is the first full-inspection firewall appliance with integrated security technologies to achieve EAL4 certification of its firewall engine.

HP has announced that it has won the Corporate Innovation Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for the development and commercialisation of thermal inkjet technology.

HP first used its thermal inkjet printing technology 20 years ago when it introduced its first inkjet-based printer, the HP Thinkjet Printer in 1984. The HP Paintjet colour printer, a precursor to today`s desktop colour printers, was introduced just three years later.

The IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition is presented for outstanding and exemplary contributions in the field of electro technology. The IEEE is the world`s largest technical professional society with about 360 000 members in 175 countries.

Associated Press reports that a new computer chip promises to keep police guns from firing if they fall into the wrong hands.

The report says the tiny chip would be implanted in a police officer`s hand and would match up with a scanning device inside a handgun. If the officer and gun match, a digital signal unlocks the trigger so it can be fired.

The technology is the latest attempt to create a so-called "smart gun" and could be marketed to law enforcement agencies within a year, according to Verichip, creators of the microchip, but the smart gun technology will first have to be proven failsafe.