CeBIT 2007: Up close with Toshiba's new smartphones

Toshiba might not be the first company you think of when looking for a new smartphone, but since it announced two new models at the recent 3GSM show, it's shown that it wants to be up there with Palm, Blackberry and HTC. PC Pro has been given hands-on access to both models at CeBIT 2007. Both phones are Portege branded, a Toshiba marque better known for business laptops. ...more

Scotland to become independent Net state

Scotland is too dependent on the UK for Internet access, says SNP minister Kenny MacAskill. He feels that Scotland should have its own domain name - .co. ...more

Intel 'to slash jobs'

Intel is planning to cut about 10,000 jobs or ten per cent of its workforce according to sources close to the company. The proposed cuts follow a 90-day internal review ordered by Intel chief Paul Otellini as the company attempts to address plunging profitability at the chip giant. The cuts are predicted to be particularly heavy in the marketing department as the company will attempt to ring fence the key R&D businesses. ...more

Canadian scientists weave solar cells into clothes

Scientists in Canada have invented a new material based on nanotechnology which may one day remove the need for batteries. Instead, clothes may be woven with ultra fine solar cells which can gather the sun's energy and turn it into electricity. The team at the University of Toronto led by Ted Sargent, says that the solar cells based on a type of plastic collect infra red radiation rather than visible light used by conventional solar cells. ...more

Microsoft's aQuantive deal signals Web video fight

Microsoft's $6 billion acquisition of Internet marketing firm aQuantive is just a beginning, according to industry executives and experts. As well as capturing a bigger role in the nascent Web video market it will increase pressure on competitors to make acquisitions of their own. AQuantive will likely have fetched the largest price in a wave of online ad consolidation, but as many as eight more deals are likely for smaller, niche ad plays, with a range of $300 million to $500 million, believe industry sources. ...more