More iPods by year-end

Apple Computer plans to introduce more iPods before the end of the year, reports CNET.

Executive VP Tim Cook didn`t say whether the new iPods would be announced at a press event Apple has scheduled for this morning.

But during a conference call with analysts, he suggested that the iPod Nano would not be the last new iPod of the year.

"Over a year ago we set out to create revolutionary updates to our core iPod line-up," Cook said.

"Last quarter was the final quarter for the older products. We think we did rather well with the prior line-up and believe that we will do even better with the new line-up that we have for the holiday season, including the new iPod Nano and some very innovative new products that we have yet to introduce."

Scientists predict the San Francisco Bay area has a 25% chance of a magnitude 7.0 or greater earthquake during the next 20 years, reports Physorg.

A University of California-Davis computer simulation called Virtual California was used to simulate earthquake activity in the San Francisco segment of the San Andreas fault over a 40 000-year period, yielding 395 simulated earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or higher on the Richter scale and an average recurrence interval of 101 years.

The simulation data predict a 25% chance of another magnitude 7.0 or greater quake occurring during the next 20 years, a 50% chance in the next 45 years and a 75% chance during the next 80 years.

John Rundle and colleagues designed the computer simulation in an effort to better predict earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay area.

Paypal is paying $370 million for VeriSign`s payment portal business, reports The Register.

It will incorporate the portal with its merchant services to better target small and medium businesses.

The payment gateway provides a way for merchants to add simple, scalable payment pages to their Web sites.

VeriSign claims more than $40 billion in transactions went through the portal in 2004.

VeriSign is also providing Paypal and parent company eBay with security services.