Intel to develop chips for 802.16a 'wireless backbone'

Intel says it plans to enter the IEEE 802.16a market with a range of new chips aimed at exploiting the expected demand for reliable point to point wireless data transfers. The company is to work with Israeli broadband wireless access developer Alvarionto develop the silicon to work with its range of wireless offerings. ...more

Big Brother tops UK search terms

Channel 4's Big Brother was the UK's most searched for term in June, according to Google's latest Zeitgeist figures. June's top ten is an eclectic, if somewhat predictable, selection. After Big Brother, the top search terms were Eminem, cheap flights (it had to be there somewhere), 2 Fast 2 Furious, Justin Timberlake, Harry Potter, David Beckham, Matrix Reloaded, Avril Lavigne and Wimbledon. ...more

Sony stops selling lipstick and French food

Sony is to sell off some of its more unlikely assets in order to generate cash for its core consumer electronics businesses. Having already announced the closure of its QRIO and AIBO robot programme and Qualia, its high-end electronics experiment, Reuters reports that the Japanese firm will now dispose of Sony Plaza, an import-export business, B&C cosmetics, the French restaurant chain Maxim and a mail order business, all of which were bought by former CEO Akio Morita. Sony declined to comment, but according to Reuters' source it plans to sell more than 50 per cent of the four businesses. ...more

EC picks Brit boffin to monitor Microsoft

A British academic has been appointed by the European Commission to ensure that Microsoft complies with the rulings following the antitrust case in 2004: Professor Neil Barrett. In March 2004, Microsoft was fined 497 million euros (?330 million) by the EU for abusing its monopolistic position. The EC also imposed penalties that included opening up Windows to be used with other vendors' servers and to produce a version of Windows without the controversial media player. ...more

Branson breathes life into Virgin Mobile, NTL merger

Flamboyant entrepreneur Richard Branson has offered to forgo a ?42 million payday in order to finalise a deal with cable company NTL. Last month an $817m bid for the Virgin Mobile phone business was rejected by the board even though Branson, who owns a 71.3 per cent stake in the business had given the deal his backing. ...more