Point and click and talk on the Web

IBM and Opera are to team up to produce a multimodal browser - one that can process voice commands as well as input from keypad or stylus. Based on the XHTML+Voice (X+V) specification, a beta version of the browser for mobile devices is expected to appear by the autumn. 'Multimodal technology' is the means of supporting the much-talked-about pervasive computing - the general principal being that users seamlessly interact with devices in different ways in different situations. ...more

Adobe updates Reader and Acrobat

Adobe has released minor updates to its Reader and Acrobat applications. Both updates add viewing and annotation support for 3D content embedded in PDF documents created with Adobe Acrobat 3D. There are also stability and performance enhancements. ...more

BT promises 4,000 hotspots by summer 2004

BT has announced a number of initiatives on the wireless networking front. As well as a 'hotspot in a box' product, it is bringing forward its target for the creation of 4,000 UK hotspots and reducing some Openzone charges. BT has teamed up with Toshiba to provide the hardware for what is dubbed a 'hotspot in a box'. ...more

Yahoo! launches fresh Messenger beta

Yahoo! has released a new beta of its Messenger communications suite. As well as support for plug-ins - to better customise the application - Yahoo! has opened up the program interfaces (APIs) to encourage third-parties to pick up the Messenger ball and run with it. Those leading the way include Amazon and eBay. ...more

Time tips the best sites of 2006

The Time.com web site has published its annual list of rising stars on the Internet for the past four years and has tipped some established stars such as eBay, Hotmail, Paypal, Google along the way. The 2006 list includes a healthy slice of so-called Web 2. ...more