Study: Fewer see e-shopping as a bargain
It might have started out that bargain-hunters knew they could find cheaper prices on goods on the internet, but these days the reality is no longer the perception. According to a new study by Case Western Reserve University, shoppers don’t think there are online bargains for goods such as books and CDs even though online outlets still provide cheaper wares. Consumers think that there isn’t that much difference between prices online and those in traditional stores. The survey finds that consumers think books are 3 percent cheaper online but actually cost 10 percent less than they do in traditional retail stores.

IBM gives late open-source Xmas present 
Christmas may be over but some are still in the gift-giving mood. IBM, which pumps out more computer services and patents than any other company in the world, is making 500 of its patents available to software developers in open-source format – free, that is. In what sounds like a direct challenge to Microsoft, Jim Stallings, IBM's vice president in charge of intellectual property, said the company aims to motivate other companies to share patents for the advancement of technology. IBM will issue a statement today regarding the initiative and its move toward redefining patent laws.

McAfee updates Google-based security tool
Security company McAfee has released a modified version of Foundstone SiteDigger 2.0, which uses Google to search websites for vulnerabilities that appear on search engines. Companies can download the free tool to scan their web sites for information that could be a prime target for hackers. It's a useful tool because employees can unknowingly expose confidential information, including financial records, passwords and personal information, on a company’s web site. After Foundstone scans a site, it issues a report with recommendations for minimizing the information leaks and correcting potential problems.

Free from Yahoo, a way to organize the desktop
We could get used to this freebie thing. Yahoo will announce today that it is giving away free software that will help office employees sort through all the miscellany on their hard drives. The technology is the result of a licensing agreement with Pasadena-based startup company X1 Technologies. The comprehensive tool can look through more than 200 different file types and offers privacy controls to prevent unauthorized access to private information. But Yahoo’s gesture may be more about keeping up with the Joneses than goodwill. The company is trying to stay competitive with Microsoft and Google, who both released similar free tools late last year.