Fujitsu's Freaky Fast Hard Drives

Notebook owners the world over will soon feel disk envy when Fujitsu releases its MHZ2 BJ series 2.5" hard drives this summer. Each drive in the new series will feature a rotational speed of 7200RPM, capacities reaching 320GB, and SATA 3.0Gb/s support. The 320GB model will be the world's first notebook drive to reach that size and speed, giving Fujitsu temporary bragging rights. But the boasting doesn't stop there; the new drives will only consume 2.3W for read and write operations, and comply with RoHS standards. How dreamy!

Ubisoft Acquires Tom Clancy Rights

Just how much is a name worth? For Tom Clancy, the answer could be a staggering $128 million. That's how much Ubisoft is believed to have valued the intellectual property rights to the Clancy brand, to be paid over three years. The exorbitant sum frees Ubisoft from future royalty payments for use of the Tom Clancy branding and is expected to save the company at least 5 million Euros ($7.6 million USD) per year.

Sony Bails on Paid Bloat Removal

In days past, buying a pre-built PC meant investing in an unhealthy dose of bloatware during your first boot. And while OEMs still like to outfit rigs with loads of crapware, some of them give potential buyers the option to remove unwanted software during the online configuration process. Sony recently caused an internet uproar when they began charging for such a service, which they dubbed Fresh Start. Days later, the service is now free. Why? In the words of Mike Abary, Senior VP of VAIO, "We heard the message loud and clear."

DirecTV Pay-Per-View Policy Change

Starting April 15, DirecTV subscribers who rent movies through the satellite TV provider will no longer have an unlimited amount of time to view the flick. Instead, there will be a 24-hour time limit put in place, which starts as soon as the movie is purchased. Special events and movies purchased before April 15 will remain exempt from the 24 window. DirecTV blamed the policy change on major movie studios, who the company claims is now requiring satellite and cable operators to put the restriction in place. Read the policy change announcement and FAQ here.

FBI's Fake Links Leads to Real Arrests

We've all been Rick Rolled or sent to horrible corners of the web under the guise of innocent looking links, but if being duped weren't enough, clicking a prank URL could lead to a visit by the FBI and jail time, according to an Arstechnia report. The write-up cites a case against Roderick Vosburgh, a Temple University doctoral student who ended up in court after allegedly clicking an FBI-planted hyperlink set up to appear as though it led to child porn. However, court documents show that Vosburgh may never have accessed the forum were the links were originally planted, which means the URL and purported contents could have been disguised when he clicked. Inconceivable? Only if you've never been Rick Rolled...

Microsoft Security Advisory (950627)

Microsoft's latest security advisory warns of a newly discovered vulnerability in the Microsoft Jet Database Engine that can be exploited through Word. The security hole affects multiple versions of Word, including 2007 SP1, running on Windows 2000, XP, or Server 2003 SP1. OSes not at risk include Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Vista (with or without SP1). Believe you've been attacked? Obtain no-charge support here.