Paragon Software has released a new version of SlovoEd 6.03 dictionary for Palm OS based devices. The new SlovoEd 6.0 dictionaries work under a new generation software engine with unique morphology features. The built-in morphology module includes up to 2 million word forms and synonyms for one language additionally to the general word data base content.

By now, everyone who regularly reads Computing Unplugged has noticed that our summer editorial has been devoted to a single topic. We’ve been devoting our article-level coverage to a single, apparently obscure topic called broadband-over-powerline, otherwise known as BPL. Why? In this article, Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz explains why this issue is important for us all to understand.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

A company has defended its decision to sack one of its staff by text message, claiming it was keeping in touch with youth culture. Katy Tanner, a 21-year-old sales assistant, received the message while she was off work with a migraine. The text message said: “We will not require your services anymore… Thank you for your time with us.”

Cyber-thieves who hacked into the ATM information of at least 800 retail customers in California and Oregon have stolen as much as $700,000 from personal accounts during the last two months, according to police reports. People who used ATM cards to purchase items at Dollar Tree in Modesto and Carmichael, CA, and Ashland, OR, have turned in reports of unauthorized withdrawals in the computer-based scam. Federal and local investigators would not discuss with eWEEK how the thieves stole the information.

Greenlight Wireless Corporation announced that Skweezer has been nominated for Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine’s Best Software Awards, both in the “Pocket PC Browsers and Web Utilities” and “SmartPhone Phone Tools and Synchronization” categories. The annual Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine Best Software Awards helps users select software that best suits their Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone needs by honoring companies that produce outstanding software. Pocket PC and Smartphone experts from around the world help select the nominations and determine the award winners, who will be announced in October. The panel of 90 judges includes prominent Microsoft MVPs, support forum moderators, and Pocket PC Magazine contributors.

Two teenagers were arrested Saturday in the theft of a laptop and hard drive containing sensitive data on up to 26.5 million veterans and military personnel, authorities said. The government-owned equipment was stolen May 3 during a burglary at the Maryland home of a Veterans Affairs employee. The laptop and hard drive were turned into the FBI June 28 by an unidentified person in response to a $50,000 reward offer. The equipment contained the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of veterans discharged since 1975, in what was the worst-ever breach of government data.

On paper, the Tesla Roadster is the electric car that’s finally going to revolutionize transportation. If Tesla wants to change the course of history, it has to change the mixed history of electric vehicles. Tesla says it will ship its first Roadsters in mid-2007. The numbers are Corvette-like: 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds, 250 miles between charges, and recharging in 3.5 hours. The price however, is more Porsche than Corvette, with the Roadster estimated to sell for $80,000 to $120,000.

BoxWave’s Armor Case is a form-fitting, trendy aluminum case that is designed to fit your BlackBerry 7100t perfectly. It’s exterior is made of anodized aluminum that is strong yet lightweight while the interior is padded with a layer of foam for optimal security. While Armor Case works to protect your BlackBerry 7100t from everyday wear and tear, it’s accessible openings give quick access to display, trackwheel, headphone jack, center button functions, and now with this new version, you even have direct access to your keyboard.

Intel has updated the software behind its Centrino chip bundle to fix three security vulnerabilities that, in one case, could allow an attacker to execute code remotely on a laptop. The chip maker on July 28 posted a trio of updates for its Intel/PRO Wireless Network Connection wireless modules. The Wi-Fi modules, which allow notebooks to connect to 802.11 wireless networks, are part of the chip maker’s Centrino chip bundle, which it has offered for notebook PCs since 2003.

The Federal Communications Commission decided Aug. 3 to reaffirm its stance on the deployment of broadband-over-power-line technology. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order adopted by the FCC, the commissioners affirmed that BPL providers have the right to provide data access using power transmission lines, provided they don’t interfere with existing radio services. By adopting this order, the FCC rejected requests by several groups, including the amateur radio community, the aviation industry and broadcasters, to either limit the service or to disallow it completely. However, the FCC did adopt provisions to protect some aeronautical stations and to protect radio astronomy sites from interference.