Sony calls out the Cli? PDAs

Sony has launched two new Cli? PDAs, starting with a colour model at ?148 inc VAT. If the world needed more PDAs Sony is happy to turn them out. The latest pair cater for business and first-time users. ...more

IBM finds 'holy grail' for processor insulation

IBM has developed a way to make microchips run up to one-third faster or use 15 per cent less power by using an exotic material that 'self-assembles' in a similar way to a seashell or snowflake. The computer services and technology company said the new process allows the wiring on a chip to be insulated with a vacuum, replacing the glass-like substances used for decades but which have become less effective as chips steadily shrink. It is the latest achievement for IBM researchers, who have announced a number of advances in recent months allowing chips to get smaller despite challenges posed by physical laws at those tiny dimensions. ...more

NEC Computers wins Honourable Mention

PC Pro has awarded NEC Computers UK with an Honourable Mention for its business PC, following both an increase in specification and a price correction. In this month's Labs (see p58 of the May 2002 issue, out on sale now), the price was incorrectly printed as ?704 due to a miscommunication between NEC and PC Pro; the price should read ?599. Also, NEC will upgrade the processor from a 1. ...more

Elections prompt Internet boom

Internet servers have been swamped by users desperate to get the latest developments in the race to the US presidency. Records have been broken for a number of news sites as surfers are using the Internet to view results as they happen and look at information unavailable on television. At ABC News, a record 23 million page impressions crushed its previous high of 10 million when the site posted the Starr report following the Lewinsky debacle in 1998. ...more

US record industry to sue music swappers

The body that represents the US music industry has announced that it will sue anyone that it discovers has been sharing music files over the Internet. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will be gathering evidence against individual US computer users who are illegally sharing 'substantial amounts' of music from their computers over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as Kazaa or Grokster. The organisation believes that its investigation could result in the filing of thousands of lawsuits as soon as August this year. ...more