Tiny customers unlikely to see money back
by brian_turnerIf you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thank you for visiting!
According to a source at administrators Grant Thornton, customers with outstanding orders from Time and Tiny computers are unlikely to either receive their goods or get their money back. They will become unsecured creditors and as such, will […]
Debenhams sued over DDA
by brian_turner
Greg Jackson, a wheelchair user from Derby, has become the first person to use the Disability Discrimination Act to prosecute a firm for lack of access.
Mr Jackson is unable to access all parts of the Debenhams store in Derby, because of steps leading to the menswear section, where there is no lift or ramp. […]
Misleading e-mail confuses mobile users on London Underground
by brian_turner
London Transport and mobile phone companies have issued warnings about a spam e-mail giving inaccurate safety information. The message says that London Tube passengers can contact emergency services via a satellite signal from their mobiles underground. Mobiles do not work in the London Underground, and satellite signals cannot reach there.
A spokesperson from London Transport […]
SIPP property rules least benefit to lower tax payers
by brian_turner
The government has acknowledged that new rules allowing the purchase of property through a pension will be inappropriate for most people.
Revenue and Customs, which is in charge of bringing in the new scheme, has said this type of investment, would only be realistic for those with the largest pension pots.
The rules will […]
Satellite stations join with music download services
by brian_turner
Napster, the online music service, has entered into an alliance with satellite pay-radio station XM, to enable its subscribers to buy the music they hear. The joint venture will take advantage of next-generation MP3 players which are able to receive satellite radio stations.
XM/MP3 digital music players will allow users to bookmark songs they hear […]
July 28, 2005
Promise TV records all channels all the time
by brian_turner
At the OpenTech conference in London, Promise TV revealed the prototype of a digital video recorder that can record and index and full week’s worth of digital television programmes. The device is approximately the size of a 1990 VCR. Promise TV plans to unveil the new device next month.
Dominic Ludlam, Promise TV’s lead developer, said […]
Sony suffers from falling hardware prices
by brian_turnerSony, the electronics company, recorded a net loss of 7.3bn yen (£37m) for the three months to June, compared with profits of 23.3bn yen last year. The result was attributed to a significant decline in the price of televisions and DVD recorders, slowing sales for the company’s PlayStation games console and reduced demand for image […]
BT reports strong Q1 profts
by brian_turner
BT Group, the telecoms company, recorded a 21% increase in pre-tax profits to £499m, in the first quarter, helped by “new wave†broadband and mobile services, which increased by 48% to £1.38bn. Revenue increased by 5%, buoyed by recent acquisitions Infonet and Radianz and the buyout of Albacom, an Italian firm.
The company secured global […]
Nationwide remains optimistic on housing soft-landing
by brian_turner
According to a survey by Nationwide, house prices increased by 0.2% in July and the average house cost £158,348. During the three months to the end of July house prices increased by 0.6%. However, the annual rate of house price inflation fell to 2.6%, its lowest rate since May 1996.
The Nationwide said that although […]
Orders may be made against staff of polluters
by brian_turnerIn its annual report on corporate environmental behaviour, the Environment Agency warned that companies who persistently break environmental laws could be given anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos). The agency believes that the use of Asbos could more effective in deterring environmental offences than the imposition of fines. An Asbo would apply to all employees, not just […]
Repossessions increase over 50%
by brian_turner
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) says that the number of UK home repossessions has risen for the first time in seven years, in large part due to five rises in in mortgage interest rates since late in 2003.
Data shows that 4,640 homes were repossessed in the first half of this year, compared […]
UK is worth £5.8 trillion
by brian_turner
The UK’s Office of National Statistics reported on Monday that the value of the UK at the end of 2004 was £5.8 trillion, an increase of £404 billion from the previous year.
Taking an historical perspective, the report said that the value of non-financial assets was up from £533 billion in 1948 to £2.53 […]
July 27, 2005
Security company looks to work with hackers
by brian_turner
Security company Tipping Point is establishing the ‘Zero Day Initiative’ to pay security researchers for finding bugs in popular programs.
Tipping Point said it would share finds with other security firms.
Many small security companies exhaustively analyse programs, such as Microsoft Windows, for loopholes and bugs. Leaving bugs unpatched makes users of the programs vulnerable […]
Blackberry awards women technologists
by brian_turner
Women who are leading the way in the technology industry, or who are using technology to be successful, are to be recognised in the first Blackberry Women and Technology awards.
The awards have been established by Research in Motion (RIM), which produces the Blackberry mobile device, and Aurora, a women’s business networking group.
Prizes will […]
Music pirates buy most music
by brian_turner
Data from digital music research firm, The Leading Question, suggests that people who illegally share music files online also spend four and a half times more on paid-for music downloads than average fans, making them highly valuable customers.
According to the study, illegal downloaders spent an average of £5.52 a month on legal digital music, […]
MI5 offers new anti-terror advice for business
by brian_turner
In an initiative supported by MI5, London’s largest businesses have received new security guidelines. A security booklet has been prepared by business support group London First and the National Counter-Terrorism Security Office. The initiative follows the recent bomb attacks in the capital.
Over 300 firms, including Tesco and HSBC, have been advised on counter-terrorism measures, […]
Time up for Tiny as company closes
by brian_turnerGranville Technology Group, the Lancashire based company that makes Tiny and Time PCs, has been placed into administration and all of its 80 Computer Shop stores have closed. The company has recorded monthly losses of up to £2m since the start of the year, the scale of which meant that it was unable to continue […]
How to build a successful online community
by Brian TurnerBuilding up a forum
Building a community: a hard work earning opportunity
Forums as a permission marketing opportunity
Blogs vs forums as a marketing opportunity
The difficulties of building community momentum
Tips on growing a community
Conclusion
Recently, one of the forums I built and admin reached over 100,000 posts . With over 2,500 members, it’s already the largest forum of its […]
July 26, 2005
Xbox planned for Christmas release
by brian_turner
Microsoft is planning to launch its new Xbox 360 game for the Christmas shopping season.
Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 in May and had already announced plans to launch the console this year in the US ahead of the holiday season, which begins in late November. The company had said that European and Japanese launches […]
Search engine offers all profits to charity
by brian_turnerA new search engine Rectifi.org.uk donates 90% of its profit to charity. The remaining 10% is used for running costs. The site gains its profits from sponsored links, where companies pay for a place in the search rankings, and from the commission generated by online sales. Over 400 shops have signed up to the new […]