Plug and play

The latest MP3 player from Creative Labs features a unique plug-in USB drive that does away with untidy cables. The Nomad MuVo has 64Mb of storage that slots out of the player and plugs straight into a PC's USB slot. Transfer your MP3 or WMA music files to the MuVo via Windows Explorer - no additional software or drivers are required - and simply plug the drive back into the player. ...more

O55 - that's my business number

Businesses will be able to 'own' the telephone numbers they use for voice, data and mobile calls under new proposals made by Oftel. These numbers would be covered under a new 055 corporate numbering scheme. Oftel sees the scheme as primarily of interest to larger companies with their own private internal networks or who are based across a range of locations. ...more

CES: Video calling gets real

Motorola hopes to make widespread video calling a reality with the launch of its Ojo Personal Video Phone. The idea that seeing the person you're talking to provides more a personal experience has had telecom firms excited for years, but implementation of the concepts have generally been disappointing. Yet Motorola's Ojo, which plugs into a broadband connection and supports 30fps video on its 16:9 7in LCD, has captured the imagination of many visitors to CES. ...more

Skype makes video-version 2.0 official

Skype has released the new look version 2 of its Internet telephony software, the first version to provide one-to-one video calls. It also boasts Skype's best-ever call quality and around a dozen or so minor feature additions such as the ability to group and filter contacts, new sound events and an improved history. There is also a long list of bug fixes and support for several additional languages. ...more

Microsoft previews XP-friendly shopping portal

Microsoft is entering the online shopping portal business with the introduction of the Windows Marketplace website. The site enables visitors to search for Windows XP products and compare prices before clicking off to their chosen vendor. Announced in July, Microsoft says that the 'preview' version of Windows Marketplace is intended to provide a single point find all things to do with Windows XP, both hardware and software. ...more