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Microsoft has announced changes to the anti-piracy computer software in its Windows XP operating system.

The new update will verify the legality of a user’s version of its former flagship operating system and remind them by causing the background image to blackout.

Each time the user logs on, their computer’s background image will disappear and they will be unable to-add permanently replace the picture as the screen will continue to blackout every hour.

The anti-piracy update will also include a "persistent desktop notification" in the form of a banner at the bottom of the screen reassuring pirates their copy of Windows is stolen.

Microsoft’s Alex Kochis has said Windows XP is "the most stolen" operating system the company has ever produced.

In related news Microsoft has said it is testing a new piece of software that allows for "traceless browsing".

The new inPrivate feature will be implemented in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8.

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Offices looking for the latest technology should take into account more than just the technical specifications of new products, according to a tech-review publication.

Shoppers are being warned of the pitfalls of deciding their purchase on technical specs like processor speed and contrast ratios.

IT magazine PC World has come up with a definitive list of over-hyped specifications that are given too much weight when people are considering a purchase.

Commonly misunderstood technology buzzwords are the megapixel rating of digital cameras, the GHz of a laptop’s central processing units and the refresh rate of high-definition TVs, reports the IT magazine.

Shoppers are warned against overloading their PC with extra RAM which their operating system may not even support and spending excessive amounts of cash on quad-core CPUs when they’re just checking their emails and uploading photos.

Meanwhile, according to Business Week, Tom Smith of Standard and Poor’s Equity Research said it is "surprising that PC sales have held up" during the credit crunch.

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Canon has officially unveiled its latest digital SLR EOS camera - the 50D.

After rumours circulated the web following a supposed accidental leak on Canon’s Chinese website, the company has officially unveiled the replacement to its EOS 40D.

The 15.1-megapixel camera will feature Canon’s new Digic 4 processor, that will increase the speed at which photographers can take pictures.

Canon’s 50D also has enhanced noise reduction at high ISOs, a self-cleaning photographic sensor and an 18-200mm lens.

Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager of Canon US’s Consumer Imaging Group, said: "Advanced amateur photographers blur the line between the hobbyist and the professional, looking for professional features and capabilities in their equipment that will allow them to capture that awe-inspiring image."

Canon swiftly removed the offending specifications that were posted on the company’s Chinese website last week, but not before they made it onto several amateur digital photography websites.

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Canon has inadvertently released the specification for the EOS 50D on a Chinese website.

The Canon EOS 50D, which is expected to replace Canon’s 40D, is the manufacturers latest high-end SLR offering.

Specifications for the new camera, which are believed to have been leaked in error, have been removed from the Chinese website they were uploaded to, but not before they made it onto a number of digital photography websites.

The EOS 50D is expected to be a 15.1-megapixel camera with a 920,000 pixel LCD screen, up to 12,800 ISO and will be capable of shooting 6.3 frames per second.

Canon’s current entry-level SLR camera the EOS 1000D just received a five-star review at stuff.tv, which claimed the camera had awesome image quality and low noise levels at high ISOs.

Stuff.tv said despite stiff competition from the Nikon D60 and the Olympus E-420, the EOS 1000D puts Canon at the top of the budget DSLR pile.

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Nokia has unveiled its most exclusive phone to date aimed at the more discerning customer.

The Nokia Carbon Arte 8800, which is crafted from carbon fibre, titanium, stainless steel and glass, is an upgrade of Nokia’s previous Arte models.

It features a 3.2-megapixel camera, 4GB or memory – an expansion of 3GB – and is fully 3G capable.

Nokia said that the Arte 8800 "is for individuals who appreciate uncompromised high performance".

The two-inch screen also has a tap-for-time feature, with the phone relinquishing the current time whenever it receives a short knock.

Nokia’s new Arte handset will be available in October and will cost £870.

It is bundled with custom wallpapers and sounds, a touch-sensitive Bluetooth headset and a desk stand – so users can show it off to their colleagues without having to let them touch it.

Carbon fibre was first created in 1957 by Dr Roger Bacon at the Union Carbide Parma Technical Centre in America.

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Reports of faulty iPods getting hot enough to scorch paper have been blamed on sub-standard batteries, according to a statement by Apple.

The mp3 player and mobile phone manufacturer claimed that only very early iPods were affected and the "failure and deformation of the iPod nano" was extremely rare.

Apple has said that less than 0.001 per cent of its first-generation iPod nanos had been destroyed by a faulty battery and added that no cases of serious injury had been reported by users affected.

Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry issued a statement saying: "Users need to be careful about overheating of the machines."

"Our ministry told Apple to improve its technological development and probe the cause of the incidents," it added.

Apple has been notified of 14 incidents involving over-heating iPod nanos in Japan, with two users suffering minor burns.

The company has sold more than 1.8 million mp3 players in Japan between September 2005 and 2006.

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Software giant Microsoft has jumped on the Apple bandwagon and unleashed a multi-touch version of its Windows operating system.

Unveiled at the All Things Digital conference in San Dieg, the short demonstration showed "a small snippet" of the company’s new touch-screen interface technology.

Mircrosoft is hoping that the new version of its popular Windows operating system will "do better" than Windows Vista, which has received a luke-warm reception from users and critics alike.

Speaking at the conference, founder of Microsoft Bill Gates said: "The way you interact with the system will change dramatically."

"Today almost all the interaction is keyboard-mouse. Over years to come, the role of speech, vision, ink - all of those things - will be huge," he added.

Microsoft has sold 150 million copies of Windows Vista since it was launched, but, according to research by Devil Mountain Software, more than a third of PC users who bought a computer in the last six months have downgraded to Windows XP.

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Logitech has shaken up its high-end computer mouse line with the new wireless MX1100.

The peripheral manufacturer will bundle the new mouse – which marks the first major peripheral redesign by Logitech in two years – with its ergonomic cordless Wave Pro keyboard.

Logitech’s latest mouse has a plethora of cutting edge features and claims to have the fastest data-transfer rate of any wireless device on the market, ensuring users do not experience jumps or delays in input.

The MX1100 comes bundled with Logitech’s SetPoint computer software, which allows users to reprogram the eight button mouse and alter scrolling and pointer speed.

SetPoint also monitors how much battery power the mouse has left.

Vice-president of product marketing for Logitech Denis Pavillard said: "Independent research clearly demonstrates that the Wave Keyboard can help improve the comfort of your typing experience."

Logitech’s Wave Pro and MX1100 bundle costs around £65 and the company claims the keyboard’s battery will last for three years.

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Intel has announced it will start shipping six-core processors in September as it aims to replace its current quad-core offering.

The firm’s senior vice-president Pat Gelsinger said the new Xeon X7460, which uses the chip manufacturer’s 45-nanometer Penryn technology, will provide customers with a significant boost in performance.

He said: "The big cache and six cores will give customers a nice bump in performance."

"We’re quite excited about it," he added.

According to industry experts, the pressure is now on AMD as the new Xeons are expected to outperform anything that AMD currently has on offer.

But analyst at In-Stat Jim McGregor claimed that the amount of software that supports quad-core processors is in the minority and without proper software support buying a multiple core chip doesn’t necessarily boost performance.

AMD started shipping its own quad-core processors earlier this year, releasing 2.6Ghz, 2.0Ghz and 1.8Ghz Phenom chips in July.

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A new gadget that manufacturers claim boosts productivity by improving people’s posture has been unveiled.

The iPosture is designed to be worn around the neck or clipped to clothing close to the chest and gently vibrates to warn wearers when they are slouching .

According to iPosture.com, bad posture can cause hunched shoulders, reduced height and lower back pain.

The company, which aims its products primarily at women, also claims that females who improve their posture drop their waste size by an average of two inches and become more attractive.

Using a Wearable Intelligent Nano Sensor (Wins) the one-button iPosture can be calibrated by the user to give them optimum performance, allowing more than one person to use a single device.

The iPosture costs £50 and comes with a free guide to improving your posture called Young, Sexy and Healthy: the Ten Best Exercises for Your Posture, written by neurologist Dr Moacir Schnapp and Dr Elma Schnapp.

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