Apple applies for mouse, scroll pad patents

Apple has applied for a new patent for a 'Mouse having a rotary dial'. The patent describes a mouse where the main body is replaced by a rotating, tilting wheel, which in addition to the usual clickability, provides the ability to scroll backwards and forwards through documents. As the technoblurb introducing the application puts it, the user can manipulate the disc side to side for horizontal scrolling and backwards and forwards for vertical scrolling. ...more

Two in the Palm

Two new top of the range offerings for Palm's m100 and m500 series. Colour has traditionally put a PDA out of reach for the consumer pocket. But Palm's new m130 (pictured right) offers just that, in the form of a backlit 16-bit colour STN LCD screen, for ?229. ...more

Update: Multivision Computers ceases trading

West Midlands based Multivision Computers appears to have gone out of business "due to reasons beyond the control of the proprietors" according to a recorded message at their phone number. Customers with outstanding orders, warranty issues or repairs are told to write to the company's business address at 29-53 High Street, Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 3BG. At the time of writing, we couldn't get any further statement from anyone at Multivision. ...more

AMD tweaks Athlon XP prices

AMD has tweaked the pricing for its desktop Athlon XP processors. The top of the range processors (such as the 3200+) remain unchanged, but mid-range offerings see cuts of up to 10 per cent. Specifically, the 2600+ is reduced by 9. ...more

Vodafone plugs in '3G broadband' data cards

Vodafone will launch its Mobile Connect 3G broadband data cards tomorrow, for wireless Internet access from laptops. Dubbed by Vodafone as '3G broadband', the PCMCIA cards are based on HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. This extends 3G network performance and could provide more direct competition to fixed line and wireless broadband. ...more