Berlin - Internet surfers looking to cut their energy costs should turn their attention to their modem and router. Switching off the devices when they are not in use can save significant money each year, reports the German Energy Agency (DENA).

If there is no on/off switch, then a power strip with a switch can be used to cut power to the devices.

If a device needs to run around the clock because it is connected to a telephone, then in many cases it's possible to at least turn off unnecessary functions like the WLAN. The operating instructions should provide information on how to do this.

Espoo, Finland - Finnish cell phone maker Nokia is expanding its data services. The new version of its portal Ovi. com allows for synchronisation of appointments, contacts and notes, as well as photos and videos, between a PC and the Nokia cell phone.

It also allows users to use their cell phones to access data stored on a PC. Ovi. com is available in an official beta version, Nokia announced in Espoo. All services are free with the beta version, a corporate spokesman indicated.

Nokia is providing users with new services like Ovi Sync, the Nokia Ovi PC suite and Files on Ovi. The Nokia Ovi PC suite allows for files and information to be copied from a Nokia telephone to a computer, such as to store content.

Bonn, Germany - Microsoft has released a series of new updates for closing security gaps this month as part of its monthly Patch Day event.

According to Germany's BSI Federal Office for Information Security, the security gaps were present in Windows system components responsible for rendering graphics. Other applications included Windows Media Player, Windows Media Encoder and Microsoft Office.

Hamburg - Most computer programs are usually bought in a store stored on a CD or DVD-ROM and packed in a box.

But the ways of shopping are changing and computer users are finding more offers to download software directly from the internet. Experts see many pros to the switch, but also a few cons.

Commercial software downloads were fairly rare until a few years ago, says Daniel Rasch, an editor at the Hamburg-based Computer Bild magazine. Many people did not have fast-enough internet connections to make downloading new applications practical.

"But the variety is definitely picking up now."

Dusseldorf - Playing online poker for real money is an illegal activity in Germany. Gamers who ignore the ban could theoretically even face time behind prison bars.

Practically speaking, however, the real problem for poker fans is enforcing their winnings from providers who are often far away in other countries, says Michael Terhaag, a lawyer in Germany.

In the event of a problem, the gamers "generally have no legal options for suing to get their money back," the expert in internet law told the Hamburg-based Computer Bild Spiele.

Berlin - A boom in netbooks begun by the Asus EeePC is in the early phase as evidenced recently at IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin. Producers are launching smaller, lighter and cheaper versions of notebooks, called netbooks.

The new netbooks include the Amilo Mini from Fujitsu Siemens. The notebook weighs just one kilogram and has a 9-inch display, plus Intel's N270 Atom processor, the company said. It comes in five different colours and with a transparent cover, so users can insert and display their own photographs.

Packed with either a 60 or 80 gigabyte hard drive, Bluetooth and Windows XP Home, the notebook goes on sale in October for 400 euros (570 dollars).