Browser wars are back on, claims Firefox chief

The browser wars are back on in Europe where Mozilla's Firefox now claims 23 percent market share, two years after its word-of-mouth launch, new research reveals. And now the open-source Web browser is aiming for 35 per cent market share by the end of 2007. 'In July of 2003, Microsoft gave AOL a $750 million cheque to kill off the browser wars, and let all of us developers go,' said Tristan Nitot, president of Mozilla Europe. ...more

Apple regains laurels as world's leading brand

Following a stunning year for iTunes and iPod Apple has regained its crown as the world's top brand according to the Readers' Choice award from Brandchannel.com. The computer company managed to snatch the top spot from Google which has held prime position for the past two years. ...more

Eyes on... Handspring Treo 180 Communicator

We've been lucky enough to have one of these highly-anticipated little beauties pop through our letterbox last week. So we put the all-singing, -talking and -surfing gadget through its paces. Out of the box it's a reasonably discreet affair. ...more

Dell plans to open two retail stores

Dell has announced plans to open two retail stores later this year, abandoning its adherence to Internet and mail order sales. The Austin-American Statesman reports that the computer maker will open a store in Dallas, close to its Texas home, and one in New York in bid to capitalise on rising consumer sales. The company has always insisted that retail stores would be loss making, but Apple's success in generating over $1bn worth of sales in a single quarter through its network of more than 100 stores appears to have presaged a change of heart. ...more

Open source `stimulates local economies`

Local public sector bodies can use Open Source software to stimulate the local economy, according to delegates at the Open Source in the Public Sector conference. At the conference many IT heads were unhappy that millions of pounds spent on software licensing each year were piped direct across the Atlantic to Silicon Valley or Redmond. Martin Dekkers, Principal, Cynaptic Information Industries, said: 'When you look at Open Source software for the public sector, it's such a good fit on so many levels. ...more