HP employs new ethics officer

With HP`s former ethics officer facing criminal charges, the company has hired a replacement to help put an end to spying scandals, reports News.com.

Jon Hoak was named HP`s new VP and chief ethics and compliance officer and replaces Kevin Hunsaker, a central figure in a probe by the company to find the source of news leaks earlier this year.

Last week, Hunsaker and former HP chairman Patricia Dunn were charged with four felonies, including identity theft, after HP acknowledged that some of the company`s investigators obtained private phone records.

PalmSource, the brains behind the Palm operating system running on 40 million mobile devices worldwide, is now to be called Access, after its new owner, reports The Register. It gets a new logo too.

According to Access, the logo represents a company "developing and providing the mobile phone and device industry with innovative technologies and products".

Access is best known for its NetFront browser, which is running on 279 million devices, including Sony`s PlayStation. Japanese-owned Access bought PalmSource last year for $324 million.

IBM`s multilingual automatic speech-to-speech translator, or Mastor, is moving from R&D within the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency to use in Iraq through the US Joint Forces Command, reports EETimes.

Initially, 35 laptops implementing the Arabic translation program will be used by such units as the army`s medical, research, intelligence, special operations commands along with Marine Corps units.

The version deployed in Iraq can recognise and translate more than 50 000 English words and 100 000 Iraqi Arabic words. While there are no specific milestones, successful use of the 35 laptops may lead to more units being used in Iraq.

Yahoo`s request to mount a laser to the top of the pyramid at Teotihuacan in Mexico was denied, says Pocket Lint.

A Yahoo spokesman offered the following explanation: "We have worked closely with Mexico`s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to ensure this historic site is respected and not adversely affected as part of this project.

"After evaluating all the technical and operational aspects, INAH has determined that it would be very difficult to move forward with this endeavour."