Local initiatives provide 18 exchanges with broadband

Eighteen more exchanges have been equipped with broadband, following joint initiatives involving BT and local organisations and authorities. The ActNow scheme, which has been very successful in bringing ADSL to areas of Cornwall that might otherwise have been excluded, has announced that the following seven exchanges will be ready for service on 17 December: Callington, Callingford, Lostwithiel, Mevagissey, St Day, St Just and Three Waters. Elsewhere, partnerships between Regional Development Agencies and BT have led to 11 exchanges in Wales and Leicestershire getting the go-ahead. ...more

PDA market in downward spiral reports IDC

palmOne is at the head of a downward spiral of the PDA market according to research group IDC. IDC's figures showed a 8.7 per cent slump year on year for the third quarter of 2004 - the third successive quarter of year on year decline. ...more

Bluetooth in your ears

The newly formed joint venture, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, has announced one of its first products - an innovative Bluetooth handsfree earpiece. The Bluetooth Handsfree HBH-20 is about half the size of a credit card and some two cm thick. It's designed to clip onto your shirt or be carried on a necklace. ...more

New Duron for Windows XP

A 1.1GHz Duron is AMD's latest offering for mainstream desktop PCs. With Windows XP due to appear on the shelves, AMD is emphasising the multimedia capabilities of the new chip - as well as hardware-based data pre-fetch, it uses 3DNow! Professional technology. ...more

Use your Gameboy to sew

Can you believe it? It's a cross-platform deal that would leave the average gamer in a cold sweat; Singer sewing machines are using the humble Gameboy with their new range of sewing machines. The new Singer IZEK sewing machine comes complete with a Gameboy and connection cables. The package packs a Gameboy cartridge filled full of sewing patterns. ...more