Google opens Gmail

Google has finally lifted the invitation-only restriction on opening Gmail accounts. From today anyone can get an email address with the company, with its accompanying 2.7GB (and growing) of online storage space. ...more

Microsoft bids to overturn record EU fine

Microsoft is to go to the European Courts this week in a bid to overturn the record fine and conditions imposed by the EU after it found that the company had engaged in anti-competitive practices. Following the decision Microsoft was fined a record half a billion euros and told to open the Windows APIs to rival server manufacturers such as Sun Microsystems and remove Media Player from copies of Windows XP shipped in Europe. In a statement a Microsoft spokesman said 'As we indicated in March, when the European Union issued its decision, Microsoft will appeal the ruling. ...more

Children recruited to commit cyber crime claims report

McAfee says that computer users are at risk from a range of criminal activities - often commited by gullible youngsters. A pan-European study into organised crime and the Internet reveals how irrestistable the Internet is to criminals who see it as a low risk way of making money. 'Aside from the scale that's available, and the fact that they don't have to be there to commit the crime, there isn't the legislation to subsequently apprehend them after the event` said Lee Fisher, McAfee Security Strategist. ...more

Dell gives Centrino a lighter touch

Dell has announced the X300 Centrino notebook - its lightest and thinnest Latitude notebook to date at just 20mm in height and 1.32kg in weight. At this scale, the box contains the bare minimum of hardware. ...more

Intel's chip to make camera phones cheap

Intel announces a new integrated processor. Designed to ease the manufacturing of today's high-end feature-phones and put them in the bargain buckets of tomorrow, Intel's PXA800F processor combines processing power with dedicated multimedia components on one chip. Code-named Manitoba, the processor is manufactured using Intel's 0. ...more