Apple resellers throw their doors open

Two new Apple Premium Resellers will open stores on Saturday, 4 November in Glasgow and Brighton. Scotsys will open Scotland's first Apple Premium Reseller at 164 Great Western Road, Glasgow [pictured]. First-day visitors to the store will be able to take advantage of offers and promotions, including a free iPod nano to the first ten shoppers and a prize draw for a new iMac. ...more

HP packs wireless iPaq

HP has launched a raft of new iPaq PocketPCs - one of which incorporates Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPRS wireless capabilities. 'The new line of iPaqs sets the standard by which all other mobile devices should be judged, and includes the flagship h6300, which takes full advantage of the rich digital services that today's wireless networks provide,' said Alex Gruzen, senior VP at HP's Mobile Computing GLibal Business Group. The HP iPaq h6340 (?479 inc VAT) automatically connects to the fastest wireless data network it finds and can switch to another available network on the fly should an existing connection no longer be available. ...more

Zune lacks iPod polish - US reviewers

Two of the leading technology columnists in the US have given their first impressions of the Zune portable media player and were largely underwhelmed by Microsoft's rival to the iPod. The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg acknowledges that it does have some good points - the user interface and navigation for instance - but on the whole Zune falls short of the standards set by Apple. 'This first Zune has too many compromises and missing features to be as good a choice as the iPod for most users, he wrote. ...more

Dell buys Alienware

Dell Computers has agreed to buy Alienware, the manufacturer of funky high performance computers and notebooks beloved of the gaming community. The deal, which has been doing the rounds of the blog rumour mill for the past week, was finally confirmed yesterday. Both companies were quick to reassure customers that the Alienware brand approach, and the bling that the company is famous for, will not disappear into the Dell corporate culture. ...more

AOL faces VAT

Freeserve smug on AOL facing VAT come July. New EU law that comes into effect in July will mean AOL has to start paying VAT on sales inside the region. Freeserve is delighted that the anomaly which it believes has saved AOL ?150mn over the past seven years is to come to an end. ...more