China overtaking US for fast internet access as Africa gets left behind

Almost 300 million people worldwide are now accessing the internet using fast broadband connections, fuelling the growth of social networking services such as MySpace and generating thousands of hours of video through websites such as YouTube more...

Sound start to music on mobiles

Swedes have become the first to try a music download service for mobile phones that is taking on Apple's iPhone. Developed by British hi-tech firm Omnifone, the MusicStation service gives subscribers unlimited access to music for a weekly fee more...

Web inventor gets Queen's honour

The inventor of the world wide web has been awarded the Order of Merit, one of the UK's most prestigious honours. Sir Tim Berners-Lee joins an elite group who have received the honour from the Queen for exceptional contributions in arts, sciences and other areas more...

New ways of developing blur the border between online and offline

One of the biggest drawbacks of web-based applications is that you can only use them when you are online - and very often you aren't. But that could change. Google, Adobe and Microsoft are all working to make online applications available while you are offline, or vice versa more...

Halo 3 Xbox 360 Accessories Announced

The Halo 3 Beta has now concluded and it'll be months before diehard fans will next get to romp and frag on the famous ring-worlds. Microsoft doesn't want fans' enthusiasm for the game to go to waste, however, and will be releasing a variety of Halo 3 themed accessories and gear to sate the populace's thirst for all things Halo more...

McDonald's to test wave and pay system

McDonald’s is considering letting customers pay by waving a credit or debit card over a reader. The scheme could help to drive contactless payment technologies into mainstream use. The fast food giant wants to offer the service within the next few years, building on a new payment infrastructure to allow credit and debit card payments, due for completion next month more...

Safari on Windows shows path to iPhone

Steve Jobs last month described the Windows version of Apple's iTunes application as "like giving a glass of ice water to somebody in hell". This week at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) he made an audacious bid for the bottled water franchise, launching a version of Apple's Safari browser to run on Windows - and pointing to it as the window through which external applications for the upcoming iPhone will work more...

Microsoft unveils patch package

Windows users are being urged to install the June package of security patches from Microsoft. The security update contains six patches which close 15 vulnerabilities found in a variety of Windows programs more...

Download store 'takes on iTunes'

British download store 7digital says it will "take on iTunes" in the battle for digital music and video. The download service, which relaunches on Tuesday, is promising cheaper prices and greater ease of use than the Apple store in a bid to attract customers more...

Sony upbeat in DVD format battle

Sony says shipments of its Blu-ray high definition DVD players in the US could jump sixfold this year, to 600,000. It attributes the growing demand to some films coming out on its format and not the rival HD DVD technology, according to Bloomberg more...

Yahoo's China policy rejected

Yahoo shareholders have rejected plans for the company to adopt a policy that opposes censorship on the internet. Proposals to set up a human rights committee which would review its policies around the world, specifically China, were also heavily defeated more...

Sony files patent but says gaming phone not ready

Sony Ericsson has filed a U.S. patent application for a mobile device with video game features, but said on Monday it is not poised to launch a phone based on its PlayStation Portable (PSP) video game brand more...

Apple announces Windows browser

Apple has launched a version of its web browser Safari for Windows, competing head to head with Microsoft's Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox. Chief executive Steve Jobs said Apple "dream big" and wanted to expand the 4.9% market share Safari enjoys more...

Google Maps aids terrorists, NY lawmaker warns

Adding to the chorus of critics who say detailed images on Google Earth can aid and abet terrorists and snoops, a New York state lawmaker is calling on the company to blur potential terrorist targets. The plea from Assemblyman Mike Gianaris follows the alleged discovery earlier this month of a plot by a Muslim terrorist cell to blow up fuel tanks and a jet fuel pipeline at John F. Kennedy International Airport more...

Smart clothes to monitor health

European scientists are developing clothing which they say will be able to monitor your health. The "intelligent textiles" contain embedded sensors designed to monitor body fluids such as blood and sweat more...

Sony PlayStation 3 Hits One Million Milestone in PAL Regions

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) said that one million of end-users have acquired Sony PlayStation 3 gaming machine in all countries. Even though one million sell-through units seems to be quite an achievement, not everything is that bright more...

Google's e-mail for universities

Google is expanding its empire into universities - with entire campus e-mail networks switching over to using Google's e-mail service. This will give the internet company a "relationship for life" with students - who can carry on using these e-mail addresses after graduating more...

Test-drive Vista from your current PC, free

A blog post at Tech Republic provides links to two ways to try Windows Vista for free. The simplest is to try a business version online at the Windows Vista Test Drive site. This runs in a browser window, after you install the (ActiveX) Virtual Server VRMC Advanced Control. Of course, it doesn't tell you anything about Vista's performance. The better but more cumbersome alternative is to install Vista in a "virtual PC" on your hard drive more...

Slim PSP rumours surface

Last week speculation was that the next PSP might come in the form of a VOIP telephony device. This week others are suggesting that the next iteration of the PSP will be a slim line device coupled with a bulky addition of flash memory more...

YouTube: made in Taiwan

Clearly not satisfied with its already vice-like grip on the video-sharing market, it would appear, according to various media reports, that hugely popular Google-owned YouTube could soon run its roots deep into Taiwanese cyber soil – as well as other globally regional markets more...

Carillion signs £26.6m deal to intregrate Mowlem IT

Construction and support services firm Carillion has struck a deal BT to help it manage the integration of recently acquired firm Mowlem. The company has signed a £26.6m contract with BT to manage its converged networks and the integration of Mowlem's legacy systems more...

Report: U.S. backs Microsoft against Google complaint

The top antitrust official at the U.S. Justice Department last month urged state prosecutors to reject a confidential antitrust complaint filed by Google against Microsoft, reported the New York Times on Sunday more...

Google ranked 'worst' on privacy

Google has the worst privacy policy of popular net firms, says a report. Rights group Privacy International rated the search giant as "hostile" to privacy in a report ranking web firms by how they handle personal data more...

Better ear implant hope for deaf

US scientists have unveiled what they say could be the next generation of implants designed to offer hearing to the profoundly deaf. The new device described by the University of Michigan team fits directly to the auditory nerve more...

Cathedral to demand Sony apology

Church of England officials will send a letter to Sony demanding an apology over the use of Manchester Cathedral as a backdrop for a violent computer game. They will ask the technology firm to remove images of the building from the game, and to provide backing to anti-gun campaigns in the city more...

ITV launches online initiative with new broadband portal

ITV, the main commercial television broadcaster in Britain, is due to roll out its new online service this week. The majority of its programmes will eventually be available as previews, live simulcast streams and for up to 30 days after transmission. ITV plc is reportedly investing £20 million in the initiative which was originally due to launch earlier in the year more...