Hacker indicted over online data theft

A 45-year-old man has been indicted on charges of hacking into the computers of Acxiom, a marketing company with one of the world`s largest databases of personal, financial and company information, reports AP.

The indictment charges Florida resident Scott Levine with conspiracy, unauthorised access of a protected computer, access device fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Officials said Levine controlled a company called Snipermail, which sent out vast amounts of e-mail advertisements on behalf of advertisers or their brokers.

Motorola says it has found a fix for a software glitch that hampered the use of global positioning services on some of the cellular phone models sold by Nextel Communications.

Reuters reports that the problem was traced to a flaw in the interface between the handsets and a software module from SiRF Technology Holdings. The companies are testing a fix that would be deployed as soon as possible.

The A-GPS service uses satellite, network and software technology to approximate the location of a wireless phone. Customers use the service for things like downloading weather updates and locating vehicle fleets. Nextel and Motorola said eight phone models are affected by the glitch.

A Michigan judge has dismissed most parts of a lawsuit that sought to force auto giant DaimlerChrysler AG to comply with copyright laws and software agreements with a Utah-based software company, reports AP.

The suit was filed in March by The SCO Group, which has sued numerous major companies over alleged abuses of proprietary claims for Unix software code used in the Linux operating system.

The DaimlerChrysler suit accused the automaker of not complying with terms of its Unix software agreement with SCO. It asked that the automaker certify compliance and sought damages, including legal fees. A Circuit Court Judge granted summary judgment for DaimlerChrysler except for the claim that the automaker delayed responding to SCO`s request for compliance.

Durban-based Uniterm has launched its latest thin client, Iota, with WiFi capability. Uniterm MD Angelo Borros says the Iota Thin Client is a network computer designed to connect seamlessly to both Linux and Windows servers. It also provides traditional terminal connections to legacy Telnet, IBM 5250 and IBM 3270 mainframes.

The Iota has been released in various sectors in southern Africa and Europe.

Tier One Distribution, local distributor for US-based Audiovox Electronics, has launched a solutions and electronics company, VOX Direct.

VOX Direct will supply a broader range of electronics products, including LCD TVs, digital multimedia, portable audio, portable DVD/TVs for home and in-car usage, and other electronic products for consumers and industry.

Tier One will still handle the distribution, and will focus on the vehicle original equipment manufacturers - the dealer network and installer market - and VOX Direct will focus on the "retail and corporate markets, semi end-user and specialised and custom vehicle manufacturers".