Apple's 30th Birthday [part 1] - Riding the whirlwind

Thirty years ago this Saturday, 1 April, Apple Computer was founded by three some-time employees of Atari and HP: Steve Jobs, Steve 'Oz' Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. No-one seems absolutely sure of the origins of the name. It has variously been suggested that the name is a tribute to The Beatles' company Apple Corps, to Alan Turing, the father of computer science who killed himself by eating an apple laced with cyanide, or to Sir Isaac Newton, who is pictured sitting beneath an Apple tree in the very first company logo. ...more

Melissa virus attacks Mac Office 2001

The Microsoft Word macro virus Melissa has been reported as having a new Mac-based lease of life, originating in the UK. The virus appears in an email message reading: "Subject: Important Message From (person's name). 'Here is the document you asked for . ...more

ASA ticks off Telewest for anti-BT broadband advert

Cable broadband provider Telewest has been admonished by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for misleading advertisements. Ads placed in the regional press targeted existing dial-up users with the slogan: 'Faster broadband for just a few pounds more than dial-up,' and the claim that its '256kbps service is the fastest home cable broadband connection available at the price.' However, the advertisement compared Telewest's entry-level offering with that of BT, which offers a more expensive product, but at 512Kbps. ...more

Kenwood show off Bluetooth PDA

It seems you can't throw a stick these days without hitting an electronics company touting its latest Bluetooth development. Kenwood has stepped into the fray with its mobile phone-beating PDA. The InfoVendor has an in-built Bluetooth module and is designed for outdoor use. ...more

ASA investigates 'free' ISPs

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has demanded a crack down on misleading claims by 'free' ISPs, with ntl and BT in the frame. The ASA has received around 170 complaints about cable operator and ISP ntl. The problems lie with the fact that ntl couldn't cope with the demand for its ntlworld unmetered service, and had stopped sending out access CDs - yet was still advertising and distributing fliers encouraging customers to sign up. ...more