Spam fine for German operator

German mobile telephone operator Debitel has been fined 269 000 euros for sending unsolicited text and e-mail messages to phone users, reports AFP.

In April 2003, Debitel sent 12 000 SMS messages and 36 000 e-mails containing offers to the customers of competitor Telmore.

Consumer mediator Hagen Joergensen, who filed the complaint against Debitel, recently created an e-mail address where consumers can send their complaints about spam. He has since received up to 1 500 e-mails per day.

Five major Dutch Internet service providers have agreed to co-operate in a crackdown on illegal file sharing, saying they will send warnings to clients suspected of swapping copyrighted files.

The providers will forward letters from the Brain Institute, which represents the entertainment industry in the Netherlands, warning clients that sharing copyrighted material is against the law, reports Associated Press.

The decision was a compromise, because the providers refused to reveal customers` names or addresses directly to the Brain Institute.

The Brain Institute was founded in 1998 to fight what the entertainment industry sees as piracy and copyright infringement. It can trace the Internet addresses of computers that are being used to trade files but has no way of finding out who owns them without a court order.

IBM researcher James Levine has developed the Assistive Mouse Adapter, an adapter that helps people with hand tremors use a computer mouse, reports Mercury News.

The device can be adjusted for tremor severity and to filter out unintended multiple clicks on the mouse, caused by trembling fingers.

The adapter uses an algorithm to filter out high-frequency motion. Another algorithm helps people who have trouble double-clicking.