THE NEWS WRAP: Steve Jobs to testify in court from beyond the grave

Never-before-seen video testimony of Steve Jobs is set to be played as part of a legal trial in the US.

CNN reports the case alleges that Apple engaged in anticompetitive behaviour by not opening up its digital rights management scheme and allowing music purchased on other music download sites to play on its iPods.

In the footage, originally recorded just months before Jobs’ death in April 2011, the tech pioneer discusses the digital rights management deals Apple signed with leading record labels that allowed its iTunes store to sell their music.

FBI warning over Sony malware attack

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US has warned about the destructive potential of cyberattacks against corporations after malware locked Sony Pictures Entertainment staff out of their computers.

According to Reuters, the FBI report warns the malware used in the attack reformats the entire hard disk of a computer including its master boot record, making it impossible to recover data with standard forensic schools.

“The overwriting of the data files will make it extremely difficult and costly, if not impossible, to recover the data using standard forensic methods,” the report said.

New Microsoft product tracks the pulse of events

Microsoft is expanding its release of audience polling tool Bing Pulse, with the tool remaining in free beta testing until the end of January next year.

The tool allows event organisers to poll attendees by pointing them to a unique URL that asks users to turn a dial on their smartphone or laptop to rate how attendees feel about an event.

After beta testing concludes, TechCrunch reports the product will be moved to a freemium model with a free basic version and additional features costing extra.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 37.25 points, or 0.21%, to 17916.8. The Aussie dollar is down to US84.09 cents.