Parthus on the integrated Bluetooth trail again

Parthus announced new Bluetooth-integrated products at the Bluetooth Developers Conference yesterday. It demonstrated the first Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player, integrating its BlueStream (Bluetooth) and MediaStream (multimedia) platforms, which allows peer-to-peer and peer-to-multi-peer file sharing. This means users could share their audio files wirelessly using products based on this technology. ...more

Sun launches x86 64-bit server range

Sun Microsystems has announced its new range of 64-bit x86-compatible servers, codenamed 'Galaxy'. Powered by dual core AMD Opteron processors, the new range represents another shift in the company from its traditional platform of proprietary SPARC processors and Solaris to industry standard hardware and software. In the fierce battle for the mid-range server market Sun has been gradually losing market share to IBM, HP and Dell, since the high water mark of the dot com boom. ...more

Online video stores will 'peak this year' - report

Online video sites such as Apple's iTunes Store that sell shows and movies will likely peak this year as more programming is made available on free outlets supported by advertising, according to a study released on Monday. Sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year, according to Forrester Research. ...more

High copper prices prompt BT rethink on fibre optics

BT is considering changing its policy on the installation of fibre optics, having previously rejected them as an alternative to its copper-based network. Bob Cowie, chief engineer of BT Openreach, said that the rising price of copper had prompted the telecoms company to reconsider. 'The most significant change in the last 12 months has been the price of copper on the world market, Cowie, told journalists in Tokyo. ...more

Tesco enters VoIP business

Supermarket giant Tesco has moved into the VoIP business to try and kick start the mass market for Internet telephony. The company has begun to sell a handset able to make calls across the Internet for just ?19.97. ...more