Intel's future is 3D

Higher processor performance, with greater power efficiency, is promised by Intel's research in transistor design. As opposed to traditional 'flat' transistors, Intel suggests a future for a 3D design. Transistors, of course, are the mini On-Off switches that are combined to build microprocessors. ...more

Twenty-four new broadband exchanges

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States may request bare bones Windows

A source close to the antitrust case has told Reuters that attorney generals for the remaining states still unhappy with the proposed settlement may request that Windows be offered in an unbundled form. The nine States are putting together a draft remedy to submit to US District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly tomorrow. Not only would a stripped-down Windows open the door for third parties to put their email and browser applications and the like onto the OS, but other sanctions being considered include the disclosure of key source code, so that third-party software can be made compatible, the inclusion of Sun Microsystem's Java and the requirement that Microsoft's Office be cross-platform compatible. ...more

Sony intros first 'Smart' camera

Consumer electronics giant Sony has introduced what it is calling its first 'smart camera'. The company says that the XCI-SX1 can process the images it captures internally through off the shelf software. Later, the processed data is transmitted directly to a PC via a network. ...more

Microsoft offices raided in Japan

Japan's Federal Trade Commission has raided the offices of Microsoft to look for evidence of anticompetitive behaviour, according to reports. Officials are investigating complaints from Japanese computer builders that the software company had included terms in Windows XP licensing agreements that forbid those companies from seeking licensing revenues from Microsoft - even if Windows XP contained their intellectual property. Japan is Microsoft's second largest market after the US. ...more