Unmetered Internet access for the UK

Unmetered Internet access for the UK is almost here. Oftel has put the squeeze on BT with new guidelines that prevent it charging rivals by the second for all connections going through the BT network. The new deal - known as "single tandem FRIACO" - should force British Telecom to provide a pricing package for Internet access all the way from the consumer's home to the network of a competing operator. ...more

iPod nano Teardown priced at $90

Apple's iPod nano uses a custom chip from Portal Player, the company that makes the processors behind the hard-disk iPods but which has never before worked on a flash-based player. iSuppli Teardown Analysis, which examines the cost impact of device components, reports that the nano uses Portal Player's 5021C System on Chip, which it describes as a 'surprising choice'. Previously Apple had used SigmaTel chips in the iPod shuffle. ...more

Oracle accused of insider trading

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has been accused of illegally selling shares in the company knowing they'd soon be devalued after the software firm's third-quarter results were published. San Diego law practice Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes and Lerach has filed the suit on behalf of Local 144 Nursing Home Pension Fund which, according to reports, bought 50,000 Oracle shares only to see them devalue by more than 50 per cent after the third quarter report. The class-action suit is open to anyone who purchased Oracle shares between 15 December 2000 and 1 March 2001. ...more

UPDATED: Microsoft fails in bid to dismiss 'Autoplay' lawsuit

Microsoft has suffered a setback in a patent dispute over 'auto play' features in Windows. Its bid to have a patent suit dismissed has been denied by a District Court judge for Northern California. The case was brought by TV Interactive Data (TVI), a Californian company specialising in video on demand technology. ...more

Ofcom says ultrawideband is ready for the limelight

Ultrawideband (UWB) could be worth billions of pounds to the UK economy over the next 15 years according to a report published today by Ofcom. The report recommends that in order to achieve these benefits, the restrictions on UWB need to be the minimum necessary to avoid interference with other devices and says that Ofcom needs to work with the EU to establish Europe-wide standards. Developers of UWB devices see initial applications as being like Bluetooth on steroids being able to transmit large amounts of data around the home, for example, high-definition video transmitted wirelessly from a broadband connection to TVs around the house. ...more