Shrek takes on Spider-Man

Even in the wildest Hollywood imagination, Shrek is unlikely ever to square up to Spider-Man. However, a potentially expensive battle between the two characters is heading to television screens across the UK over the months ahead, reports The Telegraph.

Spider-Man will be on HD-DVD; Shrek will be on Blu-ray.

Movie enthusiasts face confusion reminiscent of the VHS versus Betamax clash in the 1980s. Each hero is used to champion one of two rivals in the next generation of home entertainment as high-definition DVD formats fight it out to determine how we will watch films.

Internet titan Yahoo is introducing an upgraded free e-mail service with enhancements that include letting people send text messages from computers to mobile telephones, says The Age.

The improved Yahoo! Mail being rolled out around the world in the coming weeks is the most extensive overhaul of the Web-based e-mail service since it was launched a decade ago.

Because the text messaging feature depends on co-operation of mobile phone service providers, its debuts are limited for now to India, Canada, the Philippines and the US.

Bread and potatoes are sources of human energy, and now a carbohydrate diet might soon power Walkmans, reports Times of India.

A Japanese technological giant, hoping to be eco-friendly, has developed a prototype battery cell that generates electricity from carbohydrates and sugar.

The test cells have achieved output of 50 mill watts, enough to play music on a Walkman, the company said. In a demonstration, an employee poured a sugary sports drink to power a music player and speakers.

The digital music wars are entering a new phase, says Reuters. Several digital music service providers, including MTV's Urge, Rhapsody, Verizon Wireless, Wal-Mart and Yahoo Music, have unveiled new forays designed to shine light on their struggling services in the shadow of Apple's still-dominant iTunes.

While no individual effort is likely to dislodge Apple from its top spot, all are clearly efforts to chip away at its commanding lead. According to data from NPD Group, Apple controls 73.7% of the retail digital-music market, with more than three billion tracks sold since it went live.

iTunes is the third-largest music retailer of any kind, surpassed only by Best Buy and Wal-Mart.