OpenOffice challenges MS on XML

The open source community has taken a further step towards challenging Microsoft`s Office productivity dominance on price and standards with the release of OpenOffice 2.0, reports The Register.

OpenOffice 2.0 features a standards-based XML architecture, which the report says is intended to tempt even more governments, companies and individuals to convert from MS Office because it simplifies the creation and management of Web forms.

OpenOffice 2.0 uses OpenDocument Format as its default file format to improve the exchange of documents between office productivity suites from different vendors.

The OpenDocument Format from the Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards is used in Sun Microsystems` StarOffice 8.0 and the KOffice suite and is supported by the European Union.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced plans to launch a limited edition PlayStation Portable (PSP) bundle containing a 1GB memory stick and a number of other accessories in time for the run-up to Christmas in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

According to Games Industry, the PSP giga pack will include a USB cable and a newly-designed PSP stand for hands-free viewing along with the new larger capacity memory stick, which offers enough storage for around 30 hours of music, 500 digital photos or two feature films.

The pack will go on sale in the UK on 21 November and will launch in other European territories, and in Africa and the Middle East a week later on 28 November.

For the second time in two weeks, Microsoft has revised one of its "critical" security bulletins after some users complained of difficulty in deciding which patch to apply.

eWeek says it appears that Windows 2000 users running Microsoft DirectX 8.0 or DirectX 9.0 had problems sorting through the bulletin to find the appropriate patches, with some applying the incorrect patch and exposing PCs to further vulnerability.

Microsoft has acknowledged the information mix-up, but says it affected only a small subset of Windows 2000 users who applied the wrong patch manually and not those using automatic updates.

Although the latest fifth-generation iPod has a nice screen that displays video, it is still primarily an audio player, according to PC World.

Reviewer Richard Baguley says the new iPod is not a dedicated video player, although the 320 x 240-pixel screen is bright and sharp, and videos look great on it at roughly 30 frames per second. He also says downloading videos from iTunes is simple and reasonably fast over a broadband Internet connection and battery life is reasonable at 2.5 hours.

Baguley`s complaints about the image quality are that details are difficult to see and the glossy surface of the screen faceplate tends to be highly reflective. He also says iTunes` inability to convert existing video into an iPod-friendly format is its biggest failing.

While praising the overall design, Baguley says if video is a priority, a portable media centre would probably be a better choice than the new iPod because of its relatively small screen size.