Apple, Dell, HP and Lenovo to talk lithium-ion battery standards

Four of the leading laptop makers are to meet to discuss the formation of manufacturing standards for lithium-ion batteries. Apple, Dell, HP and Lenovo hope to have agreed a standard by July 2007 that will prevent the kind of problems that recently led to Dell having to recall more than four million Sony-made batteries. Apple has also had to replace batteries in the past, having recalled 128,000 in 2005. ...more

Blu-ray backers band together

The battle lines for next-generation optical format wars are being drawn. The struggle to establish industry momentum has taken a new turn with the formation of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) by Sony and other electronics companies. It is intended to help promote the next generation optical drives that enable over two hours of recording on a 27GB disc (about 13 hours of standard-definition television) and up to 50GB on a dual-layer disc. ...more

Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo square up for console battle

The battle for market share in the multi-billion dollar video game industry begins again this week with the US launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 on Friday and the debut of Nintendo's Wii on Sunday. A limited supply, delayed debut and drop in the number of games built exclusively for the new PS3 could choke market leader Sony's quest for mainstream hearts and dollars until after the crucial holiday season, a far different scenario from the last console battle when Sony beat key rivals to market. 'It's a significantly more competitive market this time,' said Yankee Group video game analyst Michael Goodman, adding that many parents are not brand loyal and will not let Christmas pass without a console for the gamer on their list. ...more

Yahoo! to launch its own blogging service

Internet portal Yahoo! has finally announced its long-awaited move into the blogging arena. The company says that it will be making a version of its Yahoo! 360 'Web log and social networking service' to a restricted number of users from March 29th. At the moment, the name of the game with Internet portals is to integrate a number of existing services into a compelling single package. ...more

LaCie designs stackable hard drives

LaCie is launching a design-led stackable external hard drive system, which it is calling the 'Brick'. The range was designed by Ora-?to and includes desktop and mobile editions in capacities as great as 500GB and 120GB respectively. Modelled on a famous children's construction toy, the Brick is equipped with a Hi-Speed USB 2. ...more