Ofcom finds 118 numbers getting cheaper and more accurate

The deregulation of the directory inquiries service and the replacement of the old BT 192 service with 118 numbers is working, according to OfCom. In a survey of 118 numbers, the watchdog claims that 87 per cent of requests for numbers were accurate and that half the providers charge less than 40p to provide a single number. Researchers made mystery shopping calls to the top 30 directory enquiries providers who now account for 95 per cent of the market. ...more

AMD poaches senior Intel engineer

Chip manufacturer AMD has confirmed that it has poached one of Intel's senior engineers. Intel fellow Samuel Naffziger has been hired to help design a new generation of chips as a Senior Fellow. Naffziger is said to have taken eight of his colleagues with him. ...more

Microsoft's Starter Edition of XP will roll out to India and Russia

Microsoft's Windows XP Starter Edition, which is aimed at desktop PCs in developing-world markets, is to be made available in India and Russia. Announced in August - Microsoft launches no-frills XP Starter Edition for South East Asia - the pilot initially targeted Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The new Starter Editions - which should become available early in 2005 - will have a specially tailored Russian and Hindi interface. ...more

BlueGene/L heads the list of world's fastest computers

IBM confirmed its position as the builder of the world's fastest computers by claiming both the numbers one and two slots in the annual TOP500 list of supercomputers issued by the 20th International Supercomputing Conference (ISC2005) in Heidelberg Germany. To no-one's surprise, the Numero Uno piece of kit is the BlueGene/L System developed by IBM and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and installed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California. However, in the ensuing 12 months, the machine, which, among other things, simulates nuclear explosions, has doubled its size. ...more

Broadband boost sees a new connection every 10 seconds

BT is boasting of an increased broadband take-up - a new connection every ten seconds, according to BT Wholesale. The company has passed the four million mark for wholesale broadband customers. In other words, the service that ISPs resell to end-users. ...more