Microsoft working on virtual wireless

Microsoft is developing Virtual Wi-Fi software that will enable a single Wi-Fi equipped device to simultaneously connect to multiple wireless networks. The technique, described as a 'virtualisation architecture for wireless LAN cards', creates virtual wireless cards each of which can be configured differently to connect to separate networks. Moreover once the device is connected to more than one network, it can then act as a bridge or router to extend the network's range. ...more

BT plans to squeeze knowledge from the Net

With the start of the WWW2006, the 15th international World Wide Web conference, which this year is being held in Edinburgh, BT has been outlining its R&D efforts for the Semantic Web and how to make it more of a commercial proposition. In a nutshell, the Semantic Web is a World Wide Web Consortium-backed initiative (W3C to give the Web more meaning) that seeks to put more 'meaning' into online data, such that it can be more effectively processed by computers rather having to be interpreted at a basic level by humans. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web no less, is among those pursuing development of the Semantic Web, at Southampton University. ...more

Samsung unveils world's first 60nm 8GB Flash device

Samsung Electronics says it has developed the industry's first 60nm, 8GB NAND Flash memory device aimed at the booming market for storage media for portable consumer electronic devices. The company says that the 8GB NAND flash memory will allow designs of up to 16GB of storage on a single memory card which could store 16 hours of DVD quality video or 4,000 MP3 audio files. The company says that the 60nm process technology used is around 30 per cent smaller than the recent 70nm 4GB NAND Flash memory. ...more

Sony PS2 to get RealPlayer

A strategic alliance has just been announced between Sony Computer Entertainment and RealNetworks. RealPlayer 8 and other RealNetwork software technology will be embedded into the Sony PlayStation2 console and the PlayStation2 Software Development Kit. This move underlines Sony's intention of transforming the PS2 into a broadband online multimedia unit. ...more

Japanese record labels win landmark P2P settlement

Japanese record labels have won a landmark settlement from the MMO peer-to-peer service for breach of copyright. It is the first time anywhere in the world that a peer-to-peer service has been found liable for the illegal sharing of files using its software. A Tokyo court rejected MMO's appeal and awarded damages of Yen36. ...more