Google+ challenges Facebook in social network battle
Online search giant Google has launched a new social networking website in its latest attempt to take on Facebook, which now claims more than 500m users. Google+ allows individuals to share photos, messages and comments but also integrates the company's maps and images into the service. It also aims to help users easily organise contacts within groups. But some analysts say Goog...full article >>
dabs.com says sorry for delivery debacle
dabs.com has apologised to customers for months of delivery delays following the replacement of its back-end purchasing systems. The BT-owned online reseller dragged itself into the 21st century by replacing its DEC Alpha monster - running software reputedly designed by founder and previous owner Dave Atherton - with one running Microsoft Dynamix but this threw its order systems into a spin...full article >>
Further News on plans for wireless network to cover broadband ‘not spots’
EVERY home and business in rural areas of east Suffolk should get a super-fast internet connection as part of a project to cover the “not spots” ignored by the main service providers, it has been claimed. Rural charity Suffolk ACRE is planning a wireless broadband network to cover even the most remote areas that currently have little or no internet connection. Project leader...full article >>
Nokia unveils N9 smartphone
Chief executive says he has 'increasing confidence' of shipping Windows Phone devices by the end of the year. Nokia has launched a new smartphone, the N9, which uses its own Meego software, while chief executive Stephen Elop said he has "increased confidence" that the struggling Finnish mobile phone maker will launch its first Windows Phone device this year and ship in...full article >>
Openreach announce further 66 exchanges for fibre broadband
BT Openreach have announced 66 further exchanges to be upgraded with fibre-based broadband today which include different areas of the country. This will cover nearly one million new homes and businesses, the majority of which will go live next year, but some are to be enabled by the end of 2011. Those who sign up will have access to speeds of up-to 40meg downstream and 10meg upstream through fi...full article >>
BT and TalkTalk denied Digital Economy Act appeal
Court of appeal's decision means long-running battle by UK's biggest ISPs is effectively over. BT and TalkTalk have been refused permission to appeal against their failed legal challenge of the Digital Economy Act. Britain's two largest internet providers were looking to overturn a high court judicial review of the controversial legislation at the court of appeal. ...full article >>
iPhone 5 to launch in September
Upgraded Apple handset will look like iPhone 4 but feature A5 processor and 8MP camera, according to reports Apple is on track to release an "iPhone 5" in September, according to reports from component suppliers in Asia who are gearing up to build the next generation of the company's smartphone. Although reports vary on the naming – with some sources suggesting that ...full article >>
eBay to raise fees for private Buy It Now listings
eBay is introducing a flat 10% fee for private sellers using its "Buy It Now" fixed price listings from next month. The changes will affect users trying to sell all items except mobile phones sold under contract, motor vehicles and property. The new fees will be capped at £40 and will be introduced on 21 July. The auction website says the changes will not affect smal...full article >>
Australia strikes broadband deal with Telstra and Optus
Australia's two biggest telecoms companies have joined the government's A$36bn (£24bn) plan to roll-out high-speed internet across the country. Telstra and Optus will close down their infrastructure and transfer customers to the state-owned National Broadband Network Company (NBNC). About 60% of households have broadband, but speeds are slow compared with many industrialis...full article >>
FBI targets cyber security scammers
A gang that made more than $72m (£45m) peddling fake security software has been shut down in a series of raids. Co-ordinated by the FBI, the raids were carried out in the US, UK and six other countries. The money was made by selling software that claimed to find security risks on PCs and then asked for cash to fix the non-existent problems. The raids seized 40 computers used t...full article >>
Microsoft warns on support scams
Thousands still falling for old-school tech support swindle A survey from Microsoft reveals just how widespread the fake tech support call scam is becoming. The crooks cold-call people at home and claim to be calling from Microsoft or a well-known security firm and offering "free security checks". The software giant surveyed 7,000 computer users in the UK, Ireland...full article >>
National Express deploy Wi-Fi on Stansted to London coaches
National Express have installed free Wi-Fi on Stansted Airport Coach services which run between the airport and London. Using the Icomera Moovbox, travellers will be able to gain access to the Internet through an HSPA link installed on the coaches which connects with T-Mobile. This offers a 7.2Mbps link to be shared between passengers. Whilst not astoundingly fast, it will be available for free...full article >>
Nintendo unveils new Wii console
Gaming giant Nintendo has been showing off its next-generation Wii game console, at the E3 games show in Los Angeles. The much-anticipated console, dubbed Wii U, comes with a controller that features a touchscreen and camera. The original Wii console was hugely popular but Nintendo has faced pressure from rivals with similar devices. Nintendo hopes the new console will create a new ...full article >>
Web giants promote new IPv6 internet address system
he biggest ever test of the internet's new address system is taking place. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Bing and Facebook are among the companies switching-on IPv6 versions of their websites for the one day trial. The technology is gradually being introduced because the world is running out of older IPv4 addresses as more devices come online. Companies and home users may need new ne...full article >>
GOOD NEWS FOR RURAL BROADBAND IN SUFFOLK
Suffolk ACRE has secured a £250,000 grant from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) to deliver super fast next generation wirelessbroadband to rural areas in the east of the county. The money will also be used to develop a community network that can potentially provide fibre optic access to every home and business in Parham. Suffolk ACRE have been leading the campaign for bet...full article >>
Twitter users who breach injunctions risk legal action
People who use Twitter to breach privacy injunctions may face legal action, according to the government's senior law officer. Attorney General Dominic Grieve said that individuals could be prosecuted for contempt of court for publishing sensitive material. Enforcement was normally a matter for whoever had taken out a privacy order. But Mr Grieve told the BBC he would take action...full article >>
Apple boss Steve Jobs shows off iCloud service
Apple has unveiled its much-anticipated iCloud service at its annual developers' conference. Apple boss Steve Jobs returned from medical leave to show off the features of the web-based service. He said iCloud was necessary because the PC was no longer the digital hub of users' digital lives. The web-based service aims to synchronise and co-ordinate the key content people sto...full article >>
Google's Chromebook set to transform how we think about computers
With its promise of hassle-free computing, Chromebook marks a radical departure for the search giant On 15 June, Google will officially take the next step on its road to global domination. From that day onwards, online shoppers will be able to buy the Google Chromebook, a device that the search giant hopes will change the way we think about computers – and in the process rain on t...full article >>
Sony offers successor to PSP and hacking apology
Sony has taken the wraps off its long awaited update to the PlayStation Portable. The company launched its next generation handheld, PlayStation Vita at the E3 video games show in LA. Jack Tretton, the boss of Sony's US gaming division used the opportunity to apologise to for the recent attack on the PlayStation Network. Around 77 million user accounts were compromised when hack...full article >>
How safe is life online?
How safe are we living our lives online and whose job is it to make sure of that? When you hand over your photos, your credit card details, your e-mails to companies which will store them on vast banks of computers somewhere the other side of the world, what are you risking? And if you try to access all that personal data when you are on the move, is there a danger that someone else mig...full article >>
How the smartphone is killing the PC
The smartphones in our pockets are far more powerful than the desktop computers we dreamed of in the 1980s. This year they are outselling PCs – and soon they could replace our wallets as well. When he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last summer, Tim Smith was given a blood sugar monitor, and a notebook with a pencil. The monitor, obviously, to test his sugar levels; the noteboo...full article >>
Google to abandon older browsers
Google is phasing out support for older browsers from 1 August. Those using IE7, Safari 3, Firefox 3.5 and their predecessors to view Gmail, Google Calendar, Talk, Docs and Sites will then lose some functions. Eventually, it warned, these web services will stop working for those sticking with older browsers. The move is part of a trend to stop the use of ageing browsers which can be...full article >>
HP issues annual exploding battery recall
HP came thiiis close to getting out of the month without its traditional May laptop-battery recall – but it didn't quite make it.The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that HP is recalling another 162,600 lithium-ion batteries that shipped with HP- and Compaq-branded laptops. These new recalls are in addition to the70,000 that it recalled ...full article >>
Mobile signals to interfere with digital TV
Interference from future mobile signals might make digital TV unwatchable for some Britons, Ofcom has said. The telecoms watchdog is starting a research programme to find out how to help people affected when future mobile technology is switched on. About 3% of TV-watching Britons could suffer interference from fourth-generation (4G) mobile, said Ofcom. Filters will solve the problem...full article >>
Toshiba prices its new tablet to undercut Apple's iPad2
Toshiba has announced its foray into the fast-growing tablet market with its latest gadget called Thrive. The Japanese electronics maker has priced its entry level model at $429 (£262), which is cheaper than the base model of Apple's iPad2. The company said its base model comes with wi-fi ability and is targeted at consumers who use tablets at home. The tablet will go...full article >>
Windows 8 previewed by Microsoft
Microsoft has shown off early releases of the next version of Windows. Demonstrations of Windows 8 running on tablets, phones and desktop computers were given at separate conferences in the US and Taiwan. As expected, the software can be used via either traditional keyboard and mouse or by gestures on a gadget's touchscreen. No date has been given for the release of Windows 8 bu...full article >>
Apple ships removal tool for Mac-menacing malware
Apple has updated its Mac operating system to protect against a malicious application that has been hoodwinked untold numbers of users by masquerading as legitimate security software that warns they have serious infections on their machines. Apple issued Security Update 2011-003 on Tuesday to update Mac OS X to detect for MacDefender, one of several trojans that gets installed through an el...full article >>
Cisco predicts internet device boom
The number of internet connected devices is set to explode in the next four years to over 15 billion - twice the world's population by 2015. Technology giant Cisco predicts the proliferation of tablets, mobile phones, connected appliances and other smart machines will drive this growth. The company said consumer video will continue to dominate internet traffic. It predicts that ...full article >>
Seagate, WD should put a gun to Brussels' head
Opinion What if the European Commission's competition authority finds against Seagate and Western Digital in its acquisition investigations? Could it ban their products from Europe? The EC thinks it possible that both acquisitions run the risk of reducing competition in the hard disk drive market, and that this is "likely to harm consumers through higher prices, reduced choic...full article >>
