Hands-on with Lexmark's new wireless inkjets

Lexmark today unveiled its new line of inkjet printers and all-in-ones, with a firm emphasis on making wireless printing affordable for all. PC Pro was given a hands-on demonstration of the new models at the company's headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky. The new line consists of two inkjets and three all-in-ones, with wireless printing available as standard on the dearest models. ...more

BT launches micropayment service

BT has launched click&buy - a micropayment service that allows Web sites to offer goods and services at prices below ?1. The service operates in a similar way to Microsoft's Passport system: the user first sets up an account by entering their details (credit or debit card) and a (case-sensitive) username, password and a 'security question' (in the vein of 'What colour are your dog's teeth'). They can then shop at participating Web sites that display the click&buy logo. ...more

Mobile phones ring up the downloads

Mobile phone downloads have hit their stride, with declining prices fuelling a massive growth. Research firm Mintel predicts that this year, mobile phone downloads will number 760m in the UK alone, some 25 times the figure for 2002. This will create a market worth some three-quarters of a billion pounds. ...more

PlusNet takes broadband pricing into the realm of dial-up

PlusNet has announced the UK's first 512Kbit broadband service costing less than ?15. Of course there is a trade-off, a 1GB per month download limit, but unless you have a particular desire to stream lots of video or download thousands of MP3s this is sufficient for most home users' needs. Home Broadband Lite takes ADSL into the realm of dial-up pricing, although you will have to stump up the activation fee of ?70. ...more

Sony goes organic with new TVs

Sony aims to be first in a new market of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions offering ultra-thin displays Several companies are investing in OLED technology because it can produce bright, colorful images and does not require a backlight as do liquid crystal displays (LCDs), allowing for a thinner panel. OLED panels are also said to be energy-efficient and good at reproducing fast-moving images. At a display forum in Tokyo, customers, suppliers and even rival TV makers turned their backs on 50-inch and bigger TVs to throng before Sony's tiny 11-inch OLED TVs. ...more