Dixons lays into BT

Dixons has become the latest tech firm to jump into the broadband debate with an attack on BT. The retailer's chief executive John Clare told The Sun that BT was directly responsible for holding back fast Internet access. "There are two factors in faster Internet access: the modem and the phone line. ...more

Microsoft signs up Spiderman

Microsoft has signed a deal with comic book giant Marvel that will allow it to develop massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) featuring Marvel's superheroes for the Xbox 360. While Net play has been around for a few years on PCs and consoles, the worldwide take up of broadband connections, has made MMOGs big business. Games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest claim to have millions of players each one not only paying for the game itself but also a monthly subscription. ...more

Smartphone with Weeble-like screen

MyOrigo, a subsidiary of handset maker Microcell, will release its flagship MyDevice in high street stores as well as through network operators. MyOrigo reorients mobile devices MyDevice has a number of unique, and of course patented, features geared around making the device as physically ergonomic as possible. For example, the colour display is self-righting, so no matter what orientation you hold the device, the display remains upright. ...more

Sun and Microsoft announce fruits of their partnership

One year since Sun and Microsoft kissed and made up after many previous years of acrimony, CEOs Steve Ballmer and Scott McNealy have announced the first fruits of their co-operation deal. Last year the two companies buried the hatchet after years of public name-calling and lawsuits. In what was seen as a public shift by Microsoft, the Redmond company paid Sun a total of $2 billion to settle their differences. ...more

Microsoft prepares to open Windows

Microsoft has revealed how it will modify Windows XP to comply with last year's agreement that the company must allow PC manufacturers (OEMs) to include software from other developers on new machines. The company will release a 40Mb service pack update that will introduce a new option on the Windows Start menu - Set Program Access and Defaults tool - which will allow the user or OEM to hide Microsoft applications such as Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and Outlook. OEMs will be able to use this feature to effectively replace the Microsoft products with alternative from the likes of Netscape and Real Networks. ...more