Joost signs up 31 advertisers
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Internet television company Joost has signed up 31 advertisers ahead of the launch of its free service.
Joost, which was launched by Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, is testing the service prior to a public launch. […]
April 28, 2007
Technical hitch angers Google home page users
by Jan Harris
Google’s Personalized Home Page service is suffering from technical problems which are causing some home pages to revert to older versions or to their original default settings.
Users have posted numerous complaints on discussion boards about the loss of home pages which they have personalised with RSS feeds, links and bookmarks to act as a […]
April 27, 2007
Microsoft cracks down on counterfeit software
by Jan Harris
Microsoft has vowed to crack down on software piracy after research showed that one-third of customers still run counterfeit software.
Microsoft’s ‘Keep IT Real’ anti-piracy campaign has helped reduce the Windows XP piracy rate to 12.9 per cent in the campaign’s first year - a drop of 3.8 per cent.
As the campaign moves into its second […]
Nokia Joins Mobile Wallet Initiative
by Brian Turner
Nokia is the latest handset maker to join the “mobile wallet” initiative, which was initiated by the GSM Association, the global trade association for mobile phone operators.
The mobile wallet or Pay-Buy Mobile programme, aims to establish a global standard based on an embedded, wireless chip in a cell phone that allows a user to […]
April 25, 2007
Intel plans to integrate processor and chipset
by Brian Turner
Intel is planning a radical PC redesign in which multicore chips will have memory & I/O functions.
Intel processors are traditionally connected to a chipset comprising a memory controller and an I/O controller.
In the new design, the functions carried out by these chips, and other components inside the PC, will be integrated with the […]
Health Protection Agency calls for Wi-Fi study
by Brian Turner
Following news that the Department for Education and Skills is planning to equip more schools with Wi-Fi systems, Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency, has called for the health effects of Wi-Fi on children to be investigated.
Although there is no evidence that Wi-Fi can have harmful effects when used as specified, […]
Blu-ray captures 70% of HD disc sales
by Brian Turner
Blu-ray is riding high in the high-definition disc market.
Acording to US trade mag ‘Home Media Magazine’, during Q1 2007 nearly 1.2m pre-recorded Blu-ray and HD DVD titles were sold but while 832,530 of these were Blu-ray discs, only 359,300 of the titles were on rival format HD DVD.
Blu-ray overtook its rival in February, and […]
T-Mobile Launches Heathrow Express Wi-Fi HotSpot
by Brian Turner
Heathrow Express and T-Mobile now offer seamless Wi-Fi connection between London and Heathrow Airport.
All Heathrow Express trains have been wi-fi-enabled, allowing passengers to send emails and use the internet, with broadband speeds of up to 2Mbps, for the 15 to 20 minute journey between Paddington station and Heathrow Airport.
The service, which is supported by […]
Microsoft aims to double PC ownership to 2 billion
by Brian Turner
In one of a series of initiatives aimed at emerging markets, Microsoft plans to double the numbers of PCs owned globally by 2015.
The company has announced plans to charge governments in developing countries just three dollars for copies of Windows and Office as long as the software is installed on computers for schoolchildren.
The move […]
Google rises over Microsoft and Yahoo
by Jan Harris
Google has had a double dose of good news this week; it posted sparkling first quarter results and was also named most powerful global brand of 2007, knocking Microsoft off the top spot.
Google’s first quarter revenue rose 63% to $3.66 billion, more than double Yahoo’s $1.67 revenue for the same period.
The company’s first-quarter […]
April 23, 2007
Med1a Launches View TV Local
by Brian Turner
Med1a, the IPTV consultancy, is launching ‘View TV Local’, a platform of IPTV channels on which content owners, marketers and publishers can provide Internet TV to local towns and communities.
The View TV Local portal comprises website technology, video footage and User Generated Content (UGC) such as news and weather reports and local information, which […]
UK companies collaborate on cross-channel DMX link
by Brian Turner
dAFTdATA, the UK-based wireless specialist, joined with Belgium-based Luminex, UK rental company Essential Lighting and French equipment distributor Sonoss, to send the first “eDMX” wireless DMX signals across the Channel.
The signal was transmitted on 15 March between Dover and Cap Gris Nez, near Calais, a distance of 20.82 miles.
The transmission is believed to be […]
Intel favours WiMax over 3G for Centrino
by Jan Harris
Intel has dropped plans to add 3G HSDPA technology to its Centrino laptop platform and has confirmed the adoption of WiMax.
The company announced the decision at a media briefing prior to the opening of this week’s Intel Developer Forum in Beijing.
The decision was attributed to the low adoption rate of 3G, while WiMax […]
Police caution wifi thieves
by Brian Turner
Two people have been cautioned for using wi-fi broadband internet connections without permission, in what are believed to be the first cases of wifi theft in the UK.
A man, spotted using a laptop while parked in his car outside a house in Redditch, was arrested on Saturday.
A 29-year-old woman was arrested following a similar […]
Nokia forms DVB-H partnerships
by Brian Turner
Nokia is planning a partnership with fellow handset maker Samsung to develop interoperable products based on the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld) standard for mobile TV.
It is also hoped that the partnership will accelerate the deployment of DVB-H, which allows broadcasts to be received while other mobile services, such as telephony and internet […]
Intel announces Linux-based UMPC platform
by Jan Harris
Intel is planning to announce a new ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) platform at this week’s Intel Developer Forum in Beijing.
The Mobile Internet Devices (MID) will run an embedded Linux operating system and will be targeted at consumers and prosumers rather than mobile professionals.
They will feature screens ranging from 114 to 152mm (4.5 to 6 inches) […]
April 16, 2007
1.5 million UK homes will have IPTV by 2011
by Jan Harris
New research from the Centre for Telecoms Research suggests that the availability of faster broadband will boost the use of IPTV to 5% of UK households by 2011. This represents around 1.5 million households, compared with 80,000 users in 2006.
The transition to IPTV will also be driven by the release of hybrid DTT/IPTV set top […]
BT invests in 21CN rather than home fibre
by Jan Harris
According to a presentation at a press briefing in London, BT Group Plc expects to complete its 21CN next-generation network (NGN) migration process at the end of 2011. The group initially said the network would be finished by the end of 2010.
The 21st century network (21CN) will replace the UK’s public switched telephone […]
London becomes Europe’s biggest wireless internet hotspot
by Jan Harris
A wireless network spanning London’s entire Square Mile, will be turned on next week, making London Europe’s biggest wireless internet hotspot.
The network was built by The Cloud, Europe’s leading wireless network operator, in conjunction with the City of London.
It will give an estimated 350,000 workers internet access via their laptop or mobile phone. […]
European Court rules on monitoring staff communications
by Jan Harris
In a landmark case in the European Court of Human Rights last week, it was found that the private use of a company’s telephones and internet by an employee could be protected under European human rights legislation.
Lynette Copland, a public-sector employee of Carmarthenshire College, won €3,000 in damages and €6,000 in court costs and […]