Google Talk with GMail
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Search engine Google has launched a free service called Google Talk, which enables e-mail account holders to talk to each other via a PC, microphone and speakers.
It had been rumoured that Google might use the proceeds from [...]
Shoppers still wary of online buying
by brian_turnerResearch by The Welsh consumer council found that despite an increase in online shopping in Wales, concerns about Internet security and credit card fraud were the major deterrents to online shopping. Of those questioned who said they did buy online, 66% did not feel they knew their consumer rights.
The Welsh Consumer Council advised that [...]
EU faces discussions with China on textile imports
by brian_turnerChina and the European Union are scheduled to begin discussions on Chinese textiles, in Beijing on Tuesday. The talks aim to find a solution for Chinese textile products that have been detained at EU ports because EU quota limits have been filled.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said: “We now need a pragmatic solution that [...]
S2P pension opt-outs may have lost out
by brian_turnerThe Financial Services Authority (FSA) has warned that people who contracted out of the state second pension (S2P) and paid money into a personal scheme, may receive a pension on average £4 a week smaller than those who stayed put.
Three million people have chosen to opt out of S2P, or its predecessor SERPS, and [...]
August 23, 2005
Google Desktop search evolves
by brian_turnerGoogle is updating its desktop search software with the facility to suggest web links, personal documents, blog entries and images relevant to the user’s current activity on their computer. These can be instantly displayed in an on-screen panel.
The updated software includes applications that expand the abilities of the panel. It can automatically subscribe to [...]
DVD format talks break down
by brian_turnerTalks between Toshiba and Sony, about bringing together rival DVD technologies, have broken down.
The Japanese Daily Yomiuri newspaper reported that the two companies now plan to go ahead with their own formats. Toshiba, with NEC and Sanyo, is promoting HD-DVD, while Sony, with support from Dell and Samsung, favours Blu-ray technology.
The next generation [...]
Sirotta find management hampers employees
by brian_turnerA three-year survey by Sirota Survey Intelligence, of staff at firms such as Shell, Tesco, Microsoft and Dell, found that most workers consider their managers to be excessively bureaucratic, inconsistent in decision-making and likely to apportion blame wrongly.
The report found that the belief that managers hamper staff is deeply ingrained. Workers said that would [...]
Sunbelt finds server filled with stolen information
by brian_turnerWhile researching spyware infections, security firm Sunbelt Software say they have discovered a US-based server storing data stolen from compromised computers.
The server held passwords for online accounts from 50 banks, log-in details for Ebay and Paypal, credit card numbers and vast amounts of personal data. It is reported that the FBI has launched an [...]
Rolls Royce win defence contract while workers strike on union dismissal
by brian_turnerAerospace company Rolls-Royce has secured a £1.3bn contract to develop engines for the next generation of US stealth fighters. The company will collaborate with US peer General Electric for the US government contract that is expected to run until 2013.
The deal will be welcomed by the 200 workers who have been involved in early [...]
August 18, 2005
Royal Mail to charge by size, not weight
by brian_turnerFrom September 2006 the size and shape of letters and parcels will affect the cost of posting them, as well as their weight.
Industry regulator Postcommm has approved Royal Mail’s plan to charge a higher rate for light but large items, and a lower rate for some heavier items.
Lorna Clarkson, Royal Mail’s director of [...]
Ofcom will seek reduction in call charges
by brian_turnerIndustry regulator Ofcom is planning to introduce new limits to the price BT can charge other providers to carry calls and dial-up internet between the telephone exchanges it owns. BT is one of several companies that give landline providers access to infrastructure that routes their calls.
Ofcom expects that together with effective competition in the [...]
Virus writing groups target each other
by brian_turnerHacker groups are competing to produce malicious programmes that exploit a recently discovered loophole in Windows 2000. Some of the variants seek out and delete rival viruses they find on machines they manage to infect.
A patch for the Windows 2000 loophole was released on 9 August and malicious programmes designed to exploit it appeared [...]
Working long hours causes injury and illness
by brian_turnerA study by the University of Massachusetts found that working long hours greatly increases the risk of injury or illness.
Workers who did overtime were 61% more likely to fall ill or suffer injury, once factors such as age and gender were taken into account. Working over 12 hours a day increased the risk by [...]
Neighbourhood information could increase segregation
by brian_turnerResearch by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) suggests that websites providing prospective house buyers with data on neighbourhood income levels and ethnicity, could increase segregation between poorer and more affluent neighbourhoods.
According to the charity, similar sites in the US had led to people on high incomes increasingly living in the same area, causing a [...]
August 17, 2005
Jobless figures continue to rise
by brian_turnerThe number of people out of work and claiming benefits in the UK (claimant count unemployment) increased for the sixth consecutive month in July, by 2,800 to 866,000, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is the longest series of rises for 3 years.
ILO unemployment, which includes those not on benefits, increased [...]
Bank of England made close call on rate cut
by brian_turnerAccording to Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) minutes, the Bank of England’s decision to reduce interest rates to 4.5% was finely balanced. Members of the committee voted by just five to four to cut rates by a quarter percentage point.
Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England opposed the cut and those who voted [...]
XBox 360 priced up by Microsoft
by brian_turnerThe Xbox 360 games console will cost £209 when it goes on sale at Christmas. Microsoft announced the price of its next generation console at the German Games Convention in Leipzig. A more expensive version costing $399 (£279) will also be available. This will include a 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, headset and remote [...]
.uk domains see surge in sales
by brian_turnerNominet, the organisation which controls .uk domain names, says that over 150 web addresses ending in .uk are created every hour, daily.
Separate research for Nominet also showed that 47% of web users are more confident dealing online with companies that have a .uk address.
Lesley Cowley, Nominet’s chief executive said: “The combination of greater [...]
IPA lobbies for looser London Olympics advertising
by brian_turnerThe Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) is lobbying the Government about the Olympics bill, which it claims could prevent companies from benefiting from the 2012 Olympic Games.
The Olympics Bill rules on the use of Games-related words and images by non-official advertisers. It was drawn up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport [...]
August 16, 2005
Cable & Wireless to become UK’s largest telecoms provider
by brian_turnerCable & Wireless (C&W) is acquiring business telecoms provider Energis for an initial £594m, but the contract will lead to 700 job losses, by early 2008, as part of an £80m cost reduction strategy.
Cable & Wireless will be the UK’s largest telecoms network provider following the takeover, placed second only to British Telecom.
C&W [...]