Category
Mobile
Napster offers rented music to go
Music downloading, for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services, can be a costly business. The cost of paying even as little as 70p per…
Britons growing 'digitally obese'
Gadget lovers are so hungry for digital data many are carrying the equivalent of 10 trucks full of paper in "weight". Music, images, e-mails, and text…
France starts digital terrestrial
France has become the last big European country to launch a digital terrestrial TV (DTT) service. Initially, more than a third of the population will …
What price for 'trusted PC security'?
You can now buy "trusted computers", but can we really trust the PC vendors, asks technology analyst Bill Thompson. If you have recently bought an IBM…
Digital guru floats sub-$100 PC
Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of MIT's Media Labs, says he is developing a laptop PC that will go on sale for less than $100 (£53). He tol…
Camera phones are 'must-haves'
Four times more mobiles with cameras in them will be sold in Europe by the end of 2004 than last year, says a report from analysts Gartner. Globally, …
Mobile multimedia slow to catch on
There is no doubt that mobile phones sporting cameras and colour screens are hugely popular. Consumers swapping old phones for slinkier, dinkier versi…
When technology gets personal
In 2020, whipping out your mobile phone to make a call will be quaintly passé. By then phones will be printed directly on to wrists, or other parts of…
Fast moving phone bugs appear
Security firms are warning about several mobile phone viruses that can spread much faster than similar bugs. The new strains of the Cabir mobile phone…
Mobile TV tipped as one to watch
Scandinavians and Koreans, two of the most adventurous groups of mobile users, are betting on mobile TV. Anders Igels, chief executive of Nordic opera…
Consumers 'snub portable video'
Consumers want music rather than movies while on the move, says a report. Produced by Jupiter Research the analysis of the portable media player marke…
IBM puts cash behind Linux push
IBM is spending $100m (£52m) over the next three years beefing up its commitment to Linux software. The cash injection will be used to help its custom…
Mobiles rack up 20 years of use
Mobile phones in the UK are celebrating their 20th anniversary this weekend. Britain's first mobile phone call was made across the Vodafone network on…
Looks and music to drive mobiles
Mobile phones are still enjoying a boom time in sales, according to research from technology analysts Gartner. More than 674 million mobiles were sold…
UK gets official virus alert site
A rapid alerting service that tells home computer users about serious internet security problems is being launched by the UK government. The service, …
Europe backs digital TV lifestyle
How people receive their digital entertainment in the future could change, following the launch of an ambitious European project. In Nice last week, t…
Humanoid robot learns how to run
Car-maker Honda's humanoid robot Asimo has just got faster and smarter. The Japanese firm is a leader in developing two-legged robots and the new, imp…
'Friends fear' with lost mobiles
People are becoming so dependent on their mobile phones that one in three are concerned that losing their phone would mean they lose their friends. Mo…
When invention turns to innovation
It is unlikely that future technological inventions are going to have the same kind of transformative impact that they did in the past. When history t…
Hotspot users gain free net calls
People using wireless net hotspots will soon be able to make free phone calls as well as surf the net. Wireless provider Broadreach and net telephony …
US hacker breaks into T-Mobile
A man is facing charges of hacking into computers at the US arm of mobile phone firm T-Mobile. The Californian man, Nicholas Lee Jacobsen, was arreste…
Mobile networks seek turbo boost
Third-generation mobile (3G) networks need to get faster if they are to deliver fast internet surfing on the move and exciting new services. That was …
Text message record smashed
UK mobile owners continue to break records with their text messaging, with latest figures showing that 26 billion texts were sent in total in 2004. Th…
Apple iPod family expands market
Apple has expanded its iPod family with the release of its next generation of the digital music players. Its latest challenges to the growing digital …
Lifestyle 'governs mobile choice'
Faster, better or funkier hardware alone is not going to help phone firms sell more handsets, research suggests. Instead, phone firms keen to get more…
T-Mobile bets on 'pocket office'
T-Mobile has launched its latest "pocket office" third-generation (3G) device which also has built-in wi-fi - high-speed wireless net access. Unlike o…
Mobiles get set for visual radio
The growth in the mobile phone market in the past decade has been nothing less than astonishing, but the ability to communicate on the go is not the o…
Format wars could 'confuse users'
Technology firms Sony, Philips, Matsushita and Samsung are developing a common way to stop people pirating digital music and video. The firms want to …
Cyber crime booms in 2004
The last 12 months have seen a dramatic growth in almost every security threat that plague Windows PCs. The count of known viruses broke the 100,000 b…
Fast moving phone viruses appear
Security firms are warning about several mobile phone viruses that can spread much faster than similar bugs. The new strains of the Cabir mobile phone…
Go-ahead for new internet names
The internet could soon have two new domain names, aimed at mobile services and the jobs market. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbe…
Can Yahoo dominate next decade?
Yahoo has reached the grand old age of 10 and, in internet years, that is a long time. For many, Yahoo remains synonymous with the internet - a vetera…
Progress on new internet domains
By early 2005 the net could have two new domain names. The .post and .travel net domains have been given preliminary approval by the net's administrat…
Video phones act as dating tools
Technologies, from e-mail, to net chatrooms, instant messaging and mobiles, have proved to be a big pull with those looking for love. The lure once wa…
Solutions to net security fears
Fake bank e-mails, or phishing, and stories about ID theft are damaging the potential of using the net for online commerce, say e-business experts. Tr…
Global digital divide 'narrowing'
The "digital divide" between rich and poor nations is narrowing fast, according to a World Bank report. The World Bank questioned a United Nation's ca…
Tough rules for ringtone sellers
Firms that flout rules on how ringtones and other mobile extras are sold could be cut off from all UK phone networks. The rules allow offenders to be …
Cebit fever takes over Hanover
Thousands of products and tens of thousands of visitors make Cebit the place to be for technology lovers. "Welcome to CeBit 2005" was the message from…
Speak easy plan for media players
Music and film fans will be able to control their digital media players just by speaking to them, under plans in development by two US firms. ScanSoft…
Musical future for phones
Analyst Bill Thompson has seen the future and it is in his son's hands. I bought my son Max a 3G phone, partly because they are so cheap and he needed…
Gadget growth fuels eco concerns
Technology firms and gadget lovers are being urged to think more about the environment when buying and disposing of the latest hi-tech products. At th…
The future in your pocket
If you are a geek or gadget fan, the next 12 months look like they are going to be a lot of fun. The relentless pace of development in the hi-tech wor…
Mobile picture power in your pocket
How many times have you wanted to have a camera to hand to catch an unexpected event that would make headlines? With a modern mobile phone that has a …
Lifestyle 'governs mobile choice'
Faster, better or funkier hardware alone is not going to help phone firms sell more handsets, research suggests. Instead, phone firms keen to get more…
BBC leads interactive Bafta wins
The BBC and the National Theatre have led the field at this year's Interactive Bafta awards. The National Theatre's Stagework website picked up the pr…
Long life promised for laptop PCs
Scientists are working on ways to ensure laptops can stay powered for an entire working day. Building batteries from new chemical mixes could boost po…
TV future in the hands of viewers
With home theatre systems, plasma high-definition TVs, and digital video recorders moving into the living room, the way people watch TV will be radica…
Mobile multimedia slow to catch on
There is no doubt that mobile phones sporting cameras and colour screens are hugely popular. Consumers swapping old phones for slinkier, dinkier versi…
BT offers free net phone calls
BT is offering customers free internet telephone calls if they sign up to broadband in December. The Christmas give-away entitles customers to free te…
Mobile music challenges 'iPod age'
Nokia and Microsoft have agreed a deal to work on delivery of music to handsets, while Sony Ericsson has unveiled its phone Walkman and Motorola is wo…
Looks and music to drive mobiles
Mobile phones are still enjoying a boom time in sales, according to research from technology analysts Gartner. More than 674 million mobiles were sold…
Virgin Radio offers 3G broadcast
UK broadcaster Virgin Radio says it will become the first station in the world to offer radio via 3G mobiles. The radio station, in partnership with t…
Media gadgets get moving
Pocket-sized devices that let people carry around video and images are set to have a big year in 2005, according to industry experts. Last year saw th…
Toxic web links help virus spread
Virus writers have begun using the power of the web to spread their malicious wares. A Windows virus called Bofra is turning infected machines into di…
Smartphones suffer Skulls attack
Owners of some Nokia smartphones are being warned to watch out for malicious wallpaper. Those downloading the software could find all the icons on the…
Mobiles double up as bus tickets
Mobiles could soon double up as travel cards, with Nokia planning to try out a wireless ticket system on German buses. Early next year travellers in t…
Text messages aid disaster recovery
Text messaging technology was a valuable communication tool in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Asia. The messages can get through even when t…
Hi-tech posters guide commuters
Interactive posters are helping Londoners get around the city during the festive season. When interrogated with a mobile phone, the posters pass on a …
Cebit opens to mobile music tune
Cebit, the world's largest hi-tech fair, has opened its doors in Hanover for a look at the latest technologies for homes and businesses. There are mor…
Mobile networks seek turbo boost
Third-generation mobile (3G) networks need to get faster if they are to deliver fast internet surfing on the move and exciting new services. That was …
Mobile gig aims to rock 3G
Forget about going to a crowded bar to enjoy a gig by the latest darlings of the music press. Now you could also be at a live gig on your mobile, via …
More power to the people says HP
The digital revolution is focused on letting people tell and share their own stories, according to Carly Fiorina, chief of technology giant Hewlett Pa…
Home phones face unclear future
The fixed line phone in your home could soon be an endangered species. Research by handset maker Nokia shows that more and more people are using their…
Chip maker backs net phone calls
Rich Templeton, the head of giant chip maker Texas Instruments, has given his backing to the growing sector of Voice over Internet Telephony (Voip) Vo…
Cabs collect mountain of mobiles
Gadgets are cheaper, smaller and more common than ever. But that just means we are more likely to lose them. In London alone over the past six months …
New Year's texting breaks record
A mobile phone was as essential to the recent New Year's festivities as a party mood and Auld Lang Syne, if the number of text messages sent is anythi…
Ultra fast wi-fi nears completion
Ultra high speed wi-fi connections moved closer to reality on Thursday when Intel said it would list standards for the technology later this year. Int…
Text message record smashed again
UK mobile owners continue to break records with their text messaging, with latest figures showing that 26 billion texts were sent in total in 2004. Th…
Finding new homes for old phones
Re-using old mobile phones is not just good for the environment, it has social benefits too. Research has found that in some developing nations old mo…
Half of UK's mobiles 'go online'
Multimedia mobile phones are finally showing signs of taking off, with more Britons using them to go online. Figures from industry monitor, the Mobile…
Web logs aid disaster recovery
Some of the most vivid descriptions of the devastation in southern Asia are on the internet - in the form of web logs or blogs. Bloggers have been off…
How to make a greener computer
The hi-tech industry is starting to get more environmentally aware. Bill Thompson thinks it's about time. My first car ran on four star petrol and pum…