HSBC offers iPhone banking

HSBC has become the first financial institution to offer business banking on the Apple iPhone and iPod touch handsets, reports Computing.co.uk.

The HSBC Business Internet Banking service has been optimised for the Apple devices, and offers quick and easy access to secure, real-time banking information, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the company.

Services range from checking details of accounts held abroad, making payments of up to £100 000 per day, accessing credit and debit account information, and requesting an overdraft.

Microsoft will limit the number of downloads for the beta of Windows Security Essentials, its new free anti-virus software, when it posts the program, states ITWorld.

Downloads will be capped at 75 000, a Microsoft spokesperson stated.

Windows Security Essentials is the replacement for Windows Live OneCare, the for-a-fee security package that Microsoft is ditching on 30 June, the spokesperson added.

HP is offering consulting services designed to help enterprises develop and implement a cloud computing strategy, reports eWeek.

The services complement cloud computing offerings that Hewlett-Packard already had in place.

The goal is to help businesses take advantage of the cost savings promised by cloud computing.

Microsoft's share of paid clicks has been expanding in the two weeks following the release of Bing, its new search engine, according to an analysis conducted by search engine marketing company Efficient Frontier, states eWeek.

Backed by an advertising budget reportedly in the $80 million to $100 million range, Bing combines traditional keyword search with the ability to drill down into specific categories such as "Images" and "Shopping".

"Having seen ComScore's release that Bing's searcher penetration rose again in the second week after launch," Efficient Frontier wrote in a corporate blog post, "we were curious if our data would show Bing's click share gains expanding, holding, or falling back to previous levels".

Many UK enterprises are still unsure about adopting open source software, according to a recent study, reports Computing.co.uk.

Research firm Survey Interactive said 42% of UK software firms were using open source software, and an additional 22% were interested in adopting open source tools, but had not yet made a decision.

The adoption rate was roughly unchanged from last year, and is close to that in the US, where 4% of businesses were using open source software.