Finns give music back to air guitarists

Students in Finland have written a computer program that can translate the hand and finger movements of an air guitarist into real music. The Virtual Air Guitar Project at the Helsinki University of Technology uses a video camera to track the movements of special gloves worn by the player. The three students, Aki Kanerva, Juha Laitinen and Teemu M?ki-Patola, created a library of guitar sounds based on the pentatonic minor scale commonly used for rock guitar solos. ...more

The spy lurking in Apple's 'DRM-free' music

Apple's so-called 'DRM-free' music tracks are actually embedded with the name and account details of the person who downloaded the track. The company released a selection of the 'iTunes Plus' albums as part of an iTunes update yesterday. The AAC audio files can be freely moved from PC-to-PC or to any compatible digital music player. ...more

Vodafone unleashes 3G live! service

Vodafone has flicked the switch for the start of its 'Vodafone live! With 3G' service. Its portal of mobile services has had a 3G makeover for UMTS-based (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) video calls and messages, music downloads, games and also 'mobile TV' for streaming clips to your handset. 'Today is an important day for Vodafone and the start of a new era in mobile communications,' boasted Arun Sarin, Vodafone Chief Executive. ...more

O2 buys Be

The Spanish owned mobile operator O2 is the latest mobile company to join the rush to convergence with the purchase of the high-speed broadband operator Be in a deal worth ?50 million. Founded only two years ago in 2004, Be was the first UK broadband internet service provider (ISP) to use ADSL2+ technology, which theoretically offers speeds of up to 24Mbps. Be has so far rolled its network out to 150 local exchanges and has plans to be in 400, covering half the UK population, by the end of 2006. ...more

Argos launches shopping by text message

The high street retailer Argos has launched a 'Text & Take Home' service. Building on the popularity of mobile text messaging, the shop will now let your mobile take the strain of shopping. You can find out latest prices, check stock availability and go on to reserve goods. ...more