Global Reach provides ‘Thames Online’ service
March 30, 2007
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Global Reach Group has installed a Wi-Fi network that turns 12.5 miles of London’s River Thames into a Wi-Fi hot spot.
The Wireless broadband Internet access stretches from the Millennium Dome out in Greenwich up to Millbank by […]
IBM developing ‘Koala’ wiki tool
March 30, 2007
IBM is developing a Wikipedia-like tool for how-to knowledge, at its Almaden Research Lab.
The tool, a Firefox Web browser plug-in called Koala, will help people automate repetitive online tasks, such as filling out forms or paying bills.
An IBM researcher demonstrated Koala at the ETech (emerging technology) conference in San Diego, but it has […]
Paypal goes Pro in the UK
March 30, 2007
Paypal have announced the launch of their Website Payments Pro system into the UK.
The system integrates a combination of merchant account as well as payment processor, and offers three main integration options: Express Checkout, Direct Payment API and Virtual Terminal.
While Paypal have received bad publicity in the past, not least because it is so commonly […]
Visa moving to cell phone payment in USA
March 29, 2007
At the CTIA Wireless convention in Orlando, Visa USA revealed plans to expand the use of wireless payment transactions.
The company has entered into collaborations with several wireless technology companies to explore technology which allows customers to pay with the wave of a handset, rather than a traditional plastic card.
Wireless transactions are already common […]
Mac users run Vista with Boot Camp beta
March 29, 2007
Apple has made the newest version of Boot Camp available for download on its website.
The software allows Mac users to run the Vista operating system on their Intel-based systems.
The new version is still officially a beta product, but it now works with the 32-bit version of Vista and also includes support for updated […]
UK leads Western Europe in broadband penetration
March 29, 2007
New reports from eMarketer and the IAB place the UK as the most digital country in Western Europe, reinforcing the findings of a report by Informa which was published in May 2006.
According to eMarketer’s “UK Online†report, the UK has the fifth-highest number of broadband connections in the world. In 2006, 12 million […]
Yahoo offers unlimited email storage
March 29, 2007
Yahoo is planning to offer unlimited storage to its free Web-based e-mail users, in a move that could herald similar offers from rivals such as Google.
Unlimited storage will be available from Yahoo this May. It will be made available globally, except for in China and Japan, where discussions on storage plans are continuing.
The […]
Intel extends Wi-Fi range
March 29, 2007
Intel has developed Wi-Fi technology which can transmit signals over 60 miles, rather than the few hundred feet that current Wi-Fi signals travel. The system uses regular Wi-Fi hardware combined with modified software.
The technology has been developed by researchers from Intel Research Berkeley, an Intel lab which cooperates on research projects with the University of […]
Microsoft Vista sales soar to 20 million?
March 29, 2007
Microsoft says it has sold over 20 million copies of its Vista operating system since it was released on 30 January.
This beats initial sales of Windows XP, which sold 17 million copies in its first two months on sale, although a direct comparison is misleading as the PC market has grown substantially since XP […]
£1.1m investment in underwater wireless communication
March 29, 2007
A consortium led by Wireless Fibre Systems has secured £560,000 funding for a two-year research project into technologies to allow divers and machines to communicate wirelessly underwater.
The funding from the Department of Trade and Industry will part-fund the £1.1m project, which hopes to develop equipment to transmit data wirelessly underwater. Initially it is expected […]
Xbox 360 Elite expected to feature IPTV capability
March 29, 2007
According to Dean Takahashi from the The San Jose Mercury News, the Xbox 360 Elite edition will include IPTV capabilities, allowing users to view internet videos, trailers and TV channels on the console.
It has been confirmed that the console will feature a 120GB HDD, which would be ideal for IPTV and will also feature […]
Dell develops virtualisation-capable server
March 23, 2007
Dell’s PowerEdge division is developing a server optimised to run virtualisation software.
Virtualisation allows a single computer to run multiple operating systems in compartments called virtual machines. This both increases efficiency and reduces costs.
The technology can be combined with multicore processors which let a single chip handle the work of two or four single-core […]
Microsoft temporarily closes Soapbox
March 23, 2007
Microsoft is closing newly launched ‘Soapbox’ video-sharing site, to bolster its defences against pirated content. Current subscribers will be able to continue using the site, but no new subscribers will be accepted.
Since a test version of the site was launched in February, Soapbox has filled up with unauthorised clips from companies such as News […]
McAfee conflicts with Zonealarm
March 23, 2007
Windows users with multiple security programs installed may be in for a rude awakening this morning - the latest update to McAfee Security Suite 9 won’t allow the software to work in conjunction with the free Zonealarm firewall.
According to McAfee technical advisor Bill Chapman, this is due to a software conflict between McAfee Security Security […]
Simply Media and JumpTV in UK TV partnership
March 23, 2007
Digital entertainment provider Simply Media has entered into a partnership with JumpTV, which broadcasts ethnic television over the Internet, to provide international television channels to subscribers of ‘Simply TV’.
Simply Media’s new Internet Protocol set-top box, Simply TV, will provide JumpTV channels from Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Customers will be […]
Free MoD spectrum auction to begin in 2008
March 23, 2007
It was announced in the budget that the government will begin to auction radio spectrum currently used by the Ministry of Defence in 2008.
A study of the spectrum allocated to the MoD will be completed in May 2008. This will identify how much spectrum the MoD can spare. A full plan for the sale […]
Apple TV now available in UK
March 23, 2007
Apple TV, which allows iTunes content from a PC or Mac to be wirelessly played on a widescreen television is now shipping in the UK following a one-month delay.
All types of content can be viewed, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts, via a wireless network.
Operation of Apple TV is […]
Laptop demand overtakes desktop
March 23, 2007
According to a new report from market intelligence company IDC, demand for laptops will overtake demand for desktop PCs by 2011.
Desktop shipments grew 2% to 138.3 million in 2006, while shipments of portable computers, excluding handhelds, increased 26.3% to 82.4 million.
The laptop market is expected to grow by 16.1% year-on-year until 2011, compared […]
Yahoo provides OneSearch for mobile users
March 23, 2007
Yahoo has launched an Internet search system for users of internet-enabled mobile phones.
The service will start in the US, but will be rolled-out to international markets later in 2007.
The service, called OneSearch, which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics show in January, will focus on providing local information rather than just a list […]
Edinburgh University unveils green computer
March 23, 2007
A ultra-fast computer which is 10 times more energy efficient than traditional computers, has been developed at Edinburgh University’s Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC).
The computer, called Maxwell, uses field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). The silicon in FPGA chips can be rewired for specific uses, increasing the computer’s speed by up to 300 times compared […]