CD-R prices to skyrocket

One of the big PC success stories in recent years is blank CD media. Using a CD burner, you can easily use it to make audio CDs or efficiently archive your computer data. The honeymoon, however, could soon be over as media prices look set to rise dramatically. ...more

Microsoft goes public with Longhorn server beta

Microsoft has unveiled the first publicly available test version of the next edition of Windows Server, code-named Longhorn. It says Longhorn has been designed to build on Windows Server 2003 R2 by addressing the automation of daily management tasks, tightening security, improving efficiency and increasing availability. According to Microsoft internal research, approximately 70 per cent of an IT budget is devoted to daily management tasks, indicating a high demand for services such as help desk, infrastructure health monitoring, and systems and update management. ...more

Fujitsu takes the tablet

The trend to ditch the keyboard and make mobile PCs continues with the announcement that Fujitsu is launching its new high-performance tablet PC. The Stylistic 3500 features a large 10.4" TFT colour display, which is viewable outdoors as well as in an office environment, and is powered by an Intel Celeron 500Mhz processor. ...more

Music file swapping network in the dock

Another file sharing network has been brought to book over copyright infringements. The Taiwan music service Kuro has been found guilty of criminal charges and becomes the first such case to see the imposition of gaol terms. The owners of the Taiwan-based Fashionow company, which operates Kuro, have been sentenced to three years in prison, and the company has been fined 3 million Taiwanese dollars (T$). ...more

Japan leads the world in wireless Net access

A recent survey by Accenture has revealed the extent to which the world is ready for the wireless Web, and the answer is… we’re not. Not unless you’re in Japan, that is, where 72 per cent of cell phone owners used their handsets to connect to the Web. Obviously, they’re getting a much better Net experience with their i-mode service than we do with WAP, but fortunately NTT DoCoMo is to roll out i-mode throughout Europe soon. ...more