Commons Committee warns of risks to E-government

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has warned the Government that its plans to provide all its services online by 31 December 2005 is at risk. The danger is that the public will not use the services unless they 'see real benefits in doing so'. The Committee says in its latest report that the government has committed some ?10 billion on 100 major IT projects for providing services as diverse as applying for a fishing licence to filling in tax returns. ...more

UK moves to regulate gambling ads

The government has produced a set of draft proposals that will regulate the content of adverts promoting gambling on television. Currently only the National Lottery is allowed to advertise itself on TV. However, from next year, online gambling sites and the new breed of Las Vegas-style casinos will be able to promote themselves - with certain restrictions. ...more

Vodafone reshapes its Mobile Internet

A new mobile data service that includes Web access has been unveiled by Vodafone. According to the company it should provide users with an experience of the Web on their phones that is far closer to the type of browsing experienced via a laptop of desktop computer. The offering, dubbed Vodafone Mobile Internet, won't require people to upgrade their phones, states the communications giant. ...more

Half a keyboard = faster typing

Do you own a PDA? Are you constantly banging your head against the wall whenever you want to write a document using a stylus? Well your prayers could be answered in the shape of the Half Keyboard - it is exactly what it says on the box, half a keyboard. The keyboard was designed with Palm and Handspring PDAs in mind and the people behind this unique input device say that you can type even faster using half as many keys. Matias, who designed the Half Keyboard, has also developed a version that can be worn on the wrist. ...more

Forte for Java 2.0 ready for the New Year

Featuring support for just-in-time upgrades and the latest JavaServer Page technology, Sun Microsystems has announced the release of Forte for Java 2.0. It's still in beta, but a full release is scheduled for January 2001. ...more