OpenOffice gets groupware boost

The Open Office Group has announced the formation of the OpenGroupware.org project. The new software is said to be the final piece of the 'OpenStack' roadmap to develop open source versions of all the key components of modern office applications. ...more

Matsushita insulates fire-free laptop batteries

Matsushita has begun production of a new lithium-ion battery using a process that it says is free from the problems that forced Sony to recall almost 12 million batteries this year. The company, which better known by the Panasonic name it uses to brand its products, began manufacturing the batteries in test quantities in April; it expects to begin shipping five million per month by the end of the year. Sony's recall was caused by small shards of metal that got trapped in the battery cells during manufacturer could create a short circuit leading to the battery overheating. ...more

BT bows to Ofcom, cuts broadband migration cost by three-quarters

BT is to cut the price of migrating customers from one broadband package to another by 78 per cent, following a proposal that they do so from industry-regulator Ofcom. Ofcom's recommendation came after two ISPs, Demon-owner Thus and Tiscali, complained that BT's ?50 charge for moving customer from an IPStream connection to DataStream inhibited their ability to compete effectively with BT. DataStream is a BT Wholesale product that allows ISPs to take traffic from their end users onto their own networks; as opposed to the more common IPStream product where ISPs 'rent' BT lines. ...more

Google translates search to translate results

Google has added a new feature to its Translate tool that enables you to search foreign language websites using English search terms. It works by translating the search terms into the specified language - in our example [see picture] the term 'belgian beer' was accurately translated to 'bi?re belge'. If you are not happy with the translation you can edit it. ...more

Microsoft is fined over unfair trade practices

A federal court has ordered Microsoft to pay Bristol Technology $3.7m in costs, as well as an award of $1m, over unfair trade practices. US District Judge Janet C. ...more