Napster announced today that it plans to relaunch its Web-based platform, which allows subscribers access to their music from anywhere, shifting the focus of the service away from its standalone software.

Most subscribers currently use Napster's desktop application to access the music database. The Web-based model will allow users more freedom to stream their tracks anywhere they are connected to the Internet.

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Switzerland has announced its upcoming national election results will be encrypted with an allegedly "unbreakable" code.

While such claims are always invitations to opposition, this method of encryption essentially self-destructs the key in the event of an attempted interception.

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Attempting to bolster its underdeveloped Web presence, Discovery Communications Inc. today announced its intention to acquire HowStuffWorks.com.

The site, founded in 1998 by a former NC State professor and currently owned by The Convex Group out of Atlanta, GA, USA, will be purchased by Discovery for $250 million.

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Nintendo's diminutive, modestly-powered gaming machines have helped make it the third most valuable company in Japan, behind Toyota Motor Corp and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group - Japan's biggest bank.

Nintendo's stock rose 5.3 Percent on Monday, putting a market value of 10 Trillion Yen ($85 billion USD) on the once-struggling Japanese company.

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The Internet2 consortium has been pushing record data transfer speeds for the last 11 years. Yesterday it was announced to have raised its ceiling tenfold.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure will not be publicly available any time soon, but the speed is enough to make people wonder how they'd use such a resource. DVD-quality video streams with 5.1-channel audio would be just the tip of the iceberg. These speeds make even the most demanding consumer's tasks sound easy.

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An Australian government-commissioned report recently said that Plasma and LCD TV's consume more power than traditional CRT displays and thus strict regulations must be placed upon them.

The study and subsequent report came in answer to the government's Equipment Energy Efficiency Committee fact sheet that said these types of televisions are contributing to skyrocketing energy consumption in the country. It is speculated that they could overtake refrigerators, air conditioning units and washing machines as the major contributors to household greenhouse gasses.

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Today at 10:00 AM EST, Nullsoft and AOL released the latest version of Winamp. The timing of the 5.5 release was deliberately chosen (10/10, 10:00) to commemorate the software's tenth year as a leading media player.

Some more features have been added to the popular utility, including a GraceNote powered instant playlist generator called "More Like This," as well as a feature that allows users to access their Winamp content through their next-generation game consoles.

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Sometimes, it takes an esoteric name to open the floodgates of interest onto an idea that's existed for a long time.

"Clouds" is a term describing software designed to be rich internet applications that balance the computing between thousands of processors working lightly, rather than fully taxing a single one. Many current cloud apps were once remanded to the user's machine, but can now be accessed online and with minimal demand on the user end.

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The .asia domain, approved in December 2006, became available today to businesses and organizations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN,) controlled by the US Department of Commerce oversees about 20 generic domain suffixes, including the country-specific. Registration is being headed by the non-profit group DotAsia, which is based in Hong Kong.

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Wal-Mart's presence in rural American life continues to grow. Today, the company announced it will begin selling HughesNet Broadband service at 2,800 stores across the nation, with a notable presence in rural areas where terrestrial broadband services are still largely unavailable.

HughesNet is a satellite-based Internet service, formerly known as DirecWAY, which relies on "a clear view of the southern sky" to deliver broadband speeds.

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AT&T today unveiled its first Windows Mobile 6-enabled smartphone, the Tilt. Named for its 2.8" screen, which tilts like a laptop's when slid up to reveal the handset's full QWERTY keyboard.

Containing a host of powerful features, the device includes Wi-Fi with 802.11b and g frequencies, a 3-megapixel camera, the highest resolution yet for AT&T, Bluetooth 2.0, support for up to 32Gb microSD memory, and global 3G Capabilities from AT&T's UMTS/HSDPA-based BroadbandConnect Network.

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Wii owners may have noticed their consoles glowing blue yesterday, which typically indicates firmware updates and important messages from Nintendo HQ. The message yesterday said that the Wiimote controllers will receive an additional safety upgrade: a silicone covering.

This is part of what has become an ongoing process to minimize potential injury related to the controllers which, in the hands of overzealous gamers, could become quite a safety hazard.

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Verizon is adding four new devices to its lineup of phones to be released for the holiday season, headed by the new LG VX10000 Voyager.

Dominated by its 400x240 touch screen, the Voyager outwardly looks like that other phone on the market. "We think it'll be the best phone ... this year. It will kill the iPhone," Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview with Reuters.

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Today, HTC announced a new Windows Mobile 6-equipped touch screen smart device. The HTC Touch Dual is the latest in the company's line of TouchFLO devices, and will be available in Europe later this month.

HTC works with Devicewire and Expansys as direct retailers of its product line. Unfortunately for United States consumers, the Touch Dual only comes with support for European HSDPA/GSM/EDGE networks.

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Sony, which has in the past been the market leader in portable music with the ubiquitous Walkman in the 80's and video games with the Playstations in the 90's and beyond, hopes to establish dominance in the flat screen TV market with the first OLED displays.

The Japanese company is currently placed behind Samsung at the top of LCD display sales.

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