Uninterruptable Power Supplies recalled

Leading uninterruptable power supply manufacturer APC is recalling two models in its range following reports that they may represent a fire hazard. The two models - the Back-UPS CS 350 and Back-UPS CS 500 - may cause overheating of the units, resulting in the melting of the outer casings. APS says that 2. ...more

Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo 'to list shares in the US'

Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo is planning an IPO in the US, according to the Shanghai Youth Daily. The company bought IBM's PC division in December of last year for $1.75 billion. ...more

Macs to get USB ADSL

BTopenworld, the Internet division of BT, is poised to launch an ADSL service for USB Macs. In conjunction with Alcatel, which is developing the Mac drivers, BT is expected to launch the service in March. ADSL provides an broadband Internet connection with speeds up to 512Kbps, compared to the standard modem speed of 56Kbps. ...more

The beetle with a mighty suck

This beetle-shaped device could soon be sucking up dust and grime from households across Japan, if Matsushita has its way. The vacuum-cleaning robot will begin field trials in May and will vacuum a room autonomously, detecting dust wherever it may hide and avoiding physical obstacles as well as heated objects and drops such as stairs. It operates in a criss-cross fashion and is as powerful as a regular vacuum cleaner. ...more

US file sharers face five years in prison

The US is set pass a bill that puts a five year sentence on those making 1,000 or more copyrighted media files available for upload across peer-to-peer networks. The Piracy Deterrence and Education Act (PDEA) has been approved by the House Judiciary Committee, reports the Washington Post, putting the legislation up for debate to the full House in Congress. If passed into law, the terms would make those with 1,000 or more infringing files available on file-sharing networks liable to face prison terms of up to five years if done for financial gain - three years in other cases. ...more