Tech Shorts

A round-up of other technology news in brief...

Lehman Brothers turns to eBay to raise cash

Lehman Brothers may no longer be selling dodgy subprime mortgage-backed securities, but the former Wall Street investment bank has reinvented itself as an internet shop, selling off self-branded merchandise ordered during the boom years on eBay in an effort to pay down some of its $250 billion (€170 billion) debt.

The idea for the eBay Official Lehman Brothers Store came after Lehman staffers started selling their own memorabilia on the auction site following the bank's collapse last autumn. A bricks and mortar store has also opened in the bank's Sixth Avenue office in New York.

The store covers everything from T-shirts to mugs to golf umbrellas. An infant baseball cap is $5.

Game on for price cuts

Nintendo is to cut the price of its Wii console by 20 per cent from next Friday in response to a similar price cut for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

In the US, the price will be be reduced by $50 to $200.

A spokesman for Nintendo in Ireland said it did not set the retail price but confirmed that wholesale pricing would be cut.

It will also offer a new hardware configuration which will see the console bundled with the new Wii Sports Resort game and Wii MotionPlus controller.

Palm smartphone to fend off competition from iPhone

Mobile operator O2 has said the Palm Pre will go on sale exclusively on its network from October 16th next. The smartphone, which runs Palm's new web OS software, is seen as a competitor to the iPhone, and has helped a revival of the smartphone maker's fortunes in the US.

In addition to its touchscreen interface it has a physical keyboard that slides out from under the body of the phone. Other features include multi-tasking and both 3G and wi-fi connectivity.

The Palm Pre will be free, €49 or €99, depending on the type of 18-month contract customers choose. On pre-pay it will cost €419. It will be sold in O2 shops and Carphone Warehouse.

Pills with chips send messages to patients

Patients who fail to pop pills on time could soon benefit from having a chip on their shoulder, under a new electronic system being developed by Swiss pharma group Novartis.

The company, in partnership with Proteus Biomedical, is testing technology that inserts a tiny microchip into each pill swallowed and sends a text reminder if they fail to follow their prescription. - Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009