The Mozilla Foundation has released the first update to Firefox since its official launch last November. Version 1.0.1 features a number of stability and security fixes, including a workaround for Internationalized Domain Names, which caused a stir earlier this month after researchers discovered the potential for spoofing.

"Regular security updates are essential for maintaining a safe browsing experience for our users," said Chris Hofmann, director of engineering for the Mozilla Foundation.

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Microsoft is closing a loophole that enabled unscrupulous resellers to use Windows XP product keys that were stolen from large OEMs. The result: customers who purchase Windows on a new PC may not be able to reinstall their operating system without first calling Microsoft.

The problem lies in the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels on PCs, which often contain unused unique product keys because OEMs preinstall Windows and bypass product activation.

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Positioning itself to better compete in a crowded database market, Microsoft has introduced a new low-cost edition of SQL Server 2000, and outlined its product plans for the upcoming 2005 upgrade. Offered at $3,899 per processor or $739 per server with five users, SQL Server Workgroup comes in at $2,000 less than Standard Edition.

SQL Server Workgroup is targeted at small businesses and sits between the no-cost Microsoft Database Engine and SQL Server Standard. Starting with SQL Server 2005, MSDE will be branded Express Edition while remaining free. Enterprise Edition, meanwhile, includes a complete database analysis platform for $24,999 per processor or $13,499 per server with 25 users.

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Google isn't the only search engine ramping up its local capabilities this month. AOL has announced a new Local Search service that integrates regionalized content from the company's media properties, as well as partners. The move continues AOL's strategy of building a central destination to access the company's wide range of content.

AOL previously launched its overhauled Web search in January, which included local highlights, but is now following Google's approach of separating location based searching. AOL Local Search remembers a user's location and displays weather information on the main page, along with popular search terms for that area.

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Although Microsoft has endeavored to keep updates to Windows confined to its monthly "Patch Tuesday," the company has quietly posted a critical fix for Windows XP SP2. The patch resolves a potential "blue screen" caused by a coding error in the Http.sys file and primarily affects users with anti-virus or firewall software.

Microsoft posted an advisory about the issue in December, but because it relates to an operating system crash rather than vulnerability, Redmond officials did not rush out a security bulletin. However, the fix has been deemed critical and will be pushed to customers via Windows' Automatic Update. Although Windows Server 2003 is also affected, no patch is currently available.

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PERSPECTIVE A number of news reports, helped along by media-savvy prosecutors, are positioning the recent arrest of teenage spammer Tony Greco as a significant milestone in "spim," or instant message spam. Many of the articles suggest IM spam is about to flare out of control.

This pegs my hype-meter. First, to be precise, Greco was sending "private messages" (PMs) from within the MySpace.com system to registered members. He was not using a public IM service like AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger. PM spam (pspam?) is one of the least annoying types, since you often don't even know you've received it. Greco's became obvious only because MySpace.com sends a notification email to members whenever they receive a PM.

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Google has added yet another offering to its long list of custom Web searches: movie reviews. By including the "movie:" operator within a search query, Google brings up organized reviews of a flick from across the Web. The new service even calculates a movie's combined rating out of five stars.

For the forgetful, Google can pull up movie reviews simply based on plot details or famous lines.

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Refusing to let rival Intel steal the show when it comes to dual-core processors for desktop PCs, AMD today demonstrated its upcoming consumer offering. The dual-core Athlon 64 chip was manufactured on 90-nanometer technology and allows for better multitasking. But AMD is keeping quiet on the processor's specs.

Intel, meanwhile, expects to ship its dual-core Pentium 4 "Smithfield" processor in the second quarter. AMD unveiled dual-core Opteron chips for servers last week at LinuxWorld, but has remained relatively quiet regarding its plans for the desktop space.

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Microsoft Researchers have found another use for the anti-spam technology that keeps inboxes junk-free: developing vaccines for HIV.

With the same software techniques traditionally used to analyze databases and track spam, medical researchers can find hidden patterns in millions of HIV strains and create improved vaccine designs. The genetic patterns are necessary to train a patient's immune system to fight the deadly virus.

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As expected, Apple announced an overhaul to nearly its entire iPod line Wednesday in order to strengthen its position in the industry.

The most notable changes were to Apple's iPod mini, which was bumped to 6GB and given three new vibrant colors. Battery life was also increased to 18 hours. Despite reports, however, Apple did not endow the Mini with a color screen.

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Continuing its new Microsoft-like approach of issuing a unified monthly security update for Mac OS X, Apple has patched a single vulnerability in its flagship operating system. The February update includes a fix to Sun's Java, which addresses a flaw that could allow an untrusted applet to run arbitrary code.

Mac OS X users can download the patch from Software Update, and find detailed information in Apple's knowledge base. Microsoft, meanwhile, issued its February security roll-up earlier this month, which was comprised of 12 fixes for vulnerabilities in MSN Messenger, Microsoft's .NET Framework, Office, and Windows Media Player. Nine of the flaws were deemed "critical" by Microsoft.

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Qwest is refusing to give up in its fight to acquire MCI, preparing to launch a revised offer before the week is out. Although Qwest came in with a higher bid, MCI agreed to sell its global network and customers to Verizon. Some MCI investors are reportedly unhappy with the sale, and lawsuits have been filed to stop the deal.

MCI, however, remains adamant it made the right choice. Verizon, which leads the market, is valued 10 times higher than Qwest and is financially more stable. "After an exhaustive review of the alternatives on the table, we're confident the board made the right decision," MCI spokesman Brad Burns said. Nonetheless, Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert sent a letter to MCI's board last week saying a modified offer was on the way.

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Samsung is ramping up its efforts of convergence between consumer electronics devices and mobile phones, announcing an ambitious plan to unveil a 5-megapixel camera phone before the end of the year.

Although camera phones are currently far more limited -- and often more expensive -- than standard digital cameras, Samsung says mobile handsets will account for 75 percent of digital cameras sold this year. The company says it will offer photo capabilities on over half its U.S. handsets in 2005.

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Facing pressure following reports that its Winamp media player enables copying of protected Napster To Go files, AOL has sprung into action.

The company has remotely disabled Windows Media Audio playback on current players, and will issue an updated version of Winamp that prohibits saving the output of WMA files.

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Opera Software has called on its fellow browser makers and the Internet community as a whole to band together in an effort to fix the security issues related to Internationalized Domain Names. The IDN standard was called into question earlier this month following news that it could lead to domain spoofing and phishing attacks.

The problem with IDN stems from its use of the Unicode character set to enable domain names that include international letters. But because the DNS system that facilitates the Internet only understands ASCII, or U.S. English characters, Unicode URLs must be converted by a Web browser into a format called "Punycode."

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