BT uses bar-room technology to fine-tune fibre pipes

BT has solved a major problem en route to connecting UK homes and businesses with optical fibre using beer pipes. Technology used to join lengths of piping for delivering beer from barrel to bar proved ideal for joining optical fibres, which work best when they have as few joins as possible. Optical fibres will play a big part in BT's 21st Century Network programme, as they enable the delivery of high bandwidth content such as video. ...more

Europeans paying twice over for music downloads

UK music buyers are among a minority of Europeans who are not being charged twice for digital music. The Business Software Alliance has found that most Europeans are paying 'private copying' levies on digital equipment. The monies collected are going to record companies and other copyright holders as compensation for supposed lost income as a result of copying. ...more

IBM shores up multi-user network security

IBM has introduced security technologies to ensure the network knows who you are. New features to IBM's Embedded Security Subsystem on select ThinkPad notebooks and desktops will allow a user to log onto a network from any access point and be authenticated along with the provision of security credentials such as cryptographic keys and certificates. This is particularly appropriate to work environments where multiple users will log on to a single system or where a user roams from system to system. ...more

Palm punches out at Pocket PC

Palm splits off its software division and takes a pop at Microsoft's 'bloated' handheld software. Today sees the completion by Palm of the splitting off of its OS division into a separate subsidiary. The new and, as yet, unnamed software unit - amid speculation that it will be spun-off by Palm - will now report its financial performance separately. ...more

Microsoft polishes Vista iPod patch

Microsoft has released a revised version of the Vista patch that enables safe ejecting of iPods. The patch improves compatibility with Windows Vista's Safely Remove Hardware feature and Windows Explorer's Eject command. In some cases, using either method to unmount an iPod could corrupt data on the portable media player. ...more