King returns to the Net

After saying that he was quitting the Net, horror impresario Stephen King is to debut parts of his new novel using the World Wide Web. Readers of the Time magazine Web site will be able to catch a 6,000 word extract of Dreamcatcher, King's first full-length novel in three years. Excerpts of the piece will be available in three weekly instalments from 5 March and it is the first time that the author has allowed a Web site other than his own to feature his work. ...more

Sony brings Palm OS5 in large-screen Cli

Sony announces the Cli? NX70V with the largest ever screen resolution for a handheld - 320x480. The NX70V sports Palm's swanky OS5 and takes advantage of ARM chip compatibility to feature a 200Mhz chip under the hood. The fast processor improves the quality of video playback and users can take videos and still images with the integrated camera, which offers a 2x digital zoom. ...more

'Spam King' faces 35 charges

One of the internet's most notorious spammers is being held in custody after becoming the first man to be charged under new US anti-spam laws. Robert Alan Soloway, 27, is currently being held without bail after his initial appearance in a San Francisco court on Thursday. Soloway has been dubbed the 'Spam King' by federal prosecutors for allegedly sending hundreds of millions of spam emails via hijacked networks. ...more

Web services to be as ONE

Sun has announced its strategy for integrating Web services across a computing infrastructure that ranges from handheld devices, through home computers, to high-powered servers. Sun ONE is its name. Think "Open Net Environment". ...more

Microsoft downplays Blu-ray

Just as Sony makes its bid for Blu-ray domination with the final part of its global launch of PS3 kicking off in Europe today, Microsoft has been at pains to point out that rumours of the death of the HD DVD format have been greatly exaggerated. At the recent tech trade fair CeBIT, the Blu-ray Disc Association chairman for Europe, Frank Simonis, claimed that in three years time 'it will just be Blu-ray'. With the PS3's built-in Blu-ray player, it is widely expected that such a strong product and brand will give Blu-ray a stronger platform. ...more