■ Operating systems
HP to sell Linux PCs
Hewlett-Packard Co plans to begin selling personal computers running Linux software in June in 12 Asian countries, including Japan, Nikkei English News reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the company's plans. Shipments of the desktop computers could reach 1 million in the first year, Nikkei said. The operating and applications software for the computers will be purchased from Japanese vendors, Nikkei reported. The computers, which will also be sold in China, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand, will be cost ?44,000 to ?165,000 (US$398 to $1,493), making them less expensive than PCs using Microsoft Corp's Windows software, Nikkei said.
■ Online music
Apple sells 50 million tunes
Apple Computer Inc said Monday it had sold more than 50 million songs through its online iTunes Music Store. Apple's latest tally falls short of its one-year anniversary target of 100 million songs by April 28, but company officials said they weren't discouraged. "Setting that goal was a way to put the stake in the ground and say that we were going to be the leader," said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of applications marketing. A dozen other online music services followed Apple's US$0.99-per-download debut with similar a la carte song services.
■ Online security
EBay warns of fake e-mails
PayPal, the e-mail payment service owned by EBay Inc, said users may receive fraudulent e-mails from intruders who took customer names and e-mail addresses from its Web site. The intruders probably used deceptive e-mails to trick merchants who sell products on EBay into giving them their PayPal passwords, company spokeswoman Amanda Pires said. The passwords allowed the intruders to gain access to PayPal's Web site and look at customers' non-financial information. PayPal said customers should be wary of suspicious-looking e-mail that appears to come from the company or online merchants.
■ Crime
Martha quits board
Martha Stewart resigned Monday from the board and as chief creative officer of the media empire she built, a little more than a week after she was convicted of lying to federal investigators related to a 2001 stock sale. The self-made queen of domestic arts will remain affiliated with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in a new role of founding editorial director. In that role, Stewart, 62, will continue to provide creative inspiration for new product design and development; pen two pending books, Homekeeping and Baking; and provide input on the continuing evolution of the company and its brand and strategic issues. Stewart will report to chief executive officer Sharon Patrick. Stewart is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
■ Music retailers
Tower ready for sales
Fabled music retailer Tower Records emerged from bankruptcy with its creditors owning 85 percent of the company, its debt newly trimmed by US$80 million and a last hurdle cleared on the way to selling itself. The 93-store chain, launched in 1960 during the "Twist" dance craze, completed the process in near-record time, resurrecting itself only 35 days after filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source