Belkin goes compact with MiniWireless Optical Mouse

These days, you associate Belkin with wireless networking. But the components company has today launched a new mouse in the UK. A wireless mouse, nonetheless: the MiniWireless Optical Mouse. ...more

Intel reports harder times ahead for PC industry

Wall Street takes the temperature of Intel, as another IT corporation announces its quarterly financial results. Once again, expectations that had been played down in advance have been met, but discouraging noises are being made about repeating the achievement. On the one hand, read record levels of revenue, on the other, heed the warnings (again) about future growth. ...more

MP3 pioneer trials watermarking

The organisation that developed the MP3 format has now created software designed to prevent MP3 files being shared on p2p networks. Next month, Germany's Fraunhofer Integrated Publication and Information Systems Institute (IPSI) will demonstrate two applications that use digital watermarking to detect files that are being shared without authorisation from the copyright holder. The technology is based on making the software appear as if it were a user in a file-sharing network. ...more

Linux company Mandrake remade as Mandriva

French Linux company Mandrake has changed its name following its acquisition of Conectiva - neatly side-stepping an ongoing trademark dispute. The company's new name is Mandriva, and its product line and web addresses have all been changed to reflect this. Its logo remains the same shooting star motif. ...more

British computer users pay twice as much for IT

British IT users can sidestep the great British rip-off and save up to 50 per cent by importing products from the US, PC Pro reveals. British buyers are having the wool pulled over their eyes, as sellers in the US are able to offer exactly the same goods at huge discounts. An in-depth investigation in the new issue of PC Pro shows that a copy of Microsoft Office 2003 is ?362 in the UK, but can be picked up for ?211 in US stores. ...more