IBM unveils latest high-performance disk drive

With a speed of 15,000 revolutions per minute, IBM is claiming its new 36Gb disk drive - the Ultrastar 36Z15 - will be the best performer on the market. There are other 15K RPM models available, for example from Seagate Technology, but IBM asserts that with a media transfer rate of up to 647Mb/sec and a seek time down to 3.4 milliseconds the Ultrastar will be in pole position. ...more

Saboteur discovered inside Instant Messenger

Instant Messenger, the popular chat application, has been hacked from the inside by one of AOL's own men, enabling users to delete adverts from the software. 21-year-old programmer Justin Frankel distributed the software on Internet music site Nullsoft, originally owned by himself but which was later bought by AOL for ?59.8m. ...more

LaCie increases PocketDrive to 80GB

LaCie has added an 80GB PocketDrive to its range of portable hard disks. PocketDrives are both compact, measuring 89x146x25mm, and light, weighing 340g. When connected via FireWire they can draw their power from the computer, eliminating the need for a separate power cable. ...more

Jabra preps Bluetooth headset range

Jabra headset maker GN Netcom will launch a range of new Bluetooth devices at next week's CES show in Las Vegas, including a Bluetooth hub that allows headset wearers to pick up deskbound and mobile calls through their headsets. The A7010 will hit UK stores in April and includes a Jabra JX10 Bluetooth headset in the bundle. The hub on its own will be available in March. ...more

Intel goes mobile

Intel has recently announced a new business relationship with Microsoft, QNX Software Systems, Wind River Systems, IBM, Fonix and Lerner & Hauspie. With a gaggle of software companies on board, you would expect Intel to be announcing a new processor or something similarly spectacular, but instead the company is trying to get into the in-car computer market. These new telematic systems (the posh way to say in-car computer) will be based upon StrongARM processors and will also utilise speech recognition hardware. ...more