SanDisk shuts MP3 stand at IFA show over patent spat

SanDisk has been forced to shut down its stall at a Berlin consumer electronics fair by a court injunction granted to an Italian patent management company. Societa Italiana per lo Sviluppo Dell' Elettronica (Sisvel) persuaded a court in the German capital that SanDisk was in breach of patents on MP3 technology that it manages on behalf of the patents' owners: France Telecom, TDF, US Philips, Philips Electronics NV, Institut fur Rundfunktechnik and Bayerische Rundfunkwerbung. SanDisk declined to comment, but complied with the court ruling and removed its portable music players, including the recently unveiled e280, from the stall at IFA, leaving it distinctly bare. ...more

NTL splits in financial restructuring

Internet service provider NTL is to split into two following a restructuring of its $17 billion debt. The process should be completed in August or September. NTL's UK and Irish operations will form one new company - possibly called NTL UK and Ireland - and will get $500m of new financing. ...more

UPDATED: New Power Macs - faster, cheaper

Apple has introduced a new top-spec Power Mac, and drastically cut the prices of its desktop professional machines. The dual 1.42GHz Power Mac will sell for just ?2099 (inc. ...more

Dell and IBM see revenue growth for the server market

The global value of the server market was $12.3bn in the last three months of 2002, according to the latest figures from IDC. Although this represents a year-on-year decline of 5. ...more

BT signs up 3 for hidden network points

BT has announced that 3 has become the first mobile operator to take advantage of its new shared antennae system for city centres and 'heritage sites'. BT's Microconnect Distributed Antenna (MDA) technology is designed to enable mobile network operators to share small, low-powered access points that can be concealed in existing street furniture such as road signs and lamp posts. The advantage to the network operators is that they can ensure greater coverage and signal strength and deliver a wider range of services, including locally-targeted services. ...more