Microsoft goes for driver's seat

A report in the New York Times has confirmed that there are no no-go areas in Microsoft's bid for world domination. It wants to put its software in your car.

According to the NYT, Microsoft aims to use the CE operating system to drive devices which will let users perform routine tasks - including reading email and surfing the Web - while in the car.

The project, called Apollo, is a follow-up to an earlier scheme in which Intel and Microsoft cooperated to develop in-car systems.

Both Ford and Daimler have expressed interest in the scheme, also set to include navigation systems.

But the idea could face opposition in countries worried more about safety than software. The UK Government is moving to outlaw the use of handheld mobiles on the road, and surfing the Web could prove more distracting yet.