Key MS update due soon

The security update for Microsoft`s XP operating system will soon be available to consumers, BBC reports.

The long overdue service pack 2 (SP2) update is already available to companies subscribing to Microsoft`s developer network, while other consumers will have to wait until late August. SP2 can be downloaded from a Microsoft site, ordered from the company or found on CDs cover-mounted on certain consumer technology magazines.

The update has been created to close off a number of loopholes in Windows that viruses have exploited in recent years. It will also block pop-up ads, and lets users know when spyware is trying to install itself on their machine.

A new 3D monitor from Sharp will literally add a new dimension to computing, but comes with a hefty price tag.

According to PCWorld, the new $1 500 (R9 300) LL-151-3D flat-panel display from Sharp is mainly aimed at professionals who require 3D for increased productivity, but entertainment possibilities could enter the frame as the price comes down, says 3D business development manager Ian Matthew.

"There are already a number of people who use [special] glasses to play games. We will be targeting those people."

According to Sharp, the LL-151-3D is the first standalone monitor that can be used for both 3D and 2D work. Other companies offer no-glasses 3D displays, but those products can`t handle conventional 2D imaging, the company says.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has started a legal campaign against spammers and online pharmacies pushing fake Viagra, BBC reports.

Pfizer says the decision to start the campaign was made after a survey found that most consumers believe the company is responsible for the large-scale Viagra spam. The company set up the campaign to try and seize domains selling fake pills, stop spammers sending messages offering the drug, and inform people about the dangers of taking fake Viagra.

Pfizer is now suing Web sites that illegally use the Viagra name to market the generic versions and to block the sales of these drugs, and is also going after spammers that send out millions of messages offering the drug.