Dell updates Inspiron with fastest Centrino processor

Dell's new notebook, the Inspiron 8600, features a choice of Intel's Pentium M processors from the 1.3GHz to the latest 1.7GHz versions. ...more

Napster pushes cards for pre-paid downloads

The Dixons Group has begun selling pre-paid vouchers for downloads from Napster's Windows-only, iPod-incompatible online music store. The vouchers will be plastic cards with a PIN that give access to 15 tracks for ?14.85 or 60 tracks for ?56. ...more

Smartphones sales lead market

Smartphones continue in their ascendency, claims analysts Canalys in their quarterly report for the sector. Figures for the second quarter of this year saw shipments more than double, with Palm making a smooth transition from handheld to smartphone maker. Prospects continue to blacken for the PDA sector, which was down 14 per cent. ...more

BT Wireless to be snapped up by Europeans

BT may be about to sell its new mobile arm BT Wireless, say financial analysts. According to Bloomberg, investors are looking to European players Telefonica Moviles or Telecom Italia Mobile to buy the newly-independent division and help BT decrease its debt burden. As we reported yesterday, BT has just split the business into a mobile division, called BT Wireless, and its fixed-line offshoots under the umbrella Future BT. ...more

Intel's Centrino brand goes Pro

There's a new entry to Intel's growing stable of brands - the Centrino Pro, which will bring elements of its vPro desktop technology to high-end laptops. Specifically, Intel states that Centrino Pro processor technology will be available 'in the second quarter this year' - expect an announcement at the Beijing IDF, 17 April - with the arrival of Santa Rosa. This is Intel's next-gen Centrino offering, based on Core 2 Duo processors and promising increased energy efficiency and thus longer battery life, according to Intel. ...more