Western Digital unveils 80Gb of external storage

Got around ?350 and the need for simply bags of external storage? Then Western Digital's 80Gb external drive could be what you need. The 7,200rpm drive is three times faster than previous external models, benefiting from a new UDMA 66 1394 bridge card. It's FireWire compatible, which is good for Mac-owners, and there's the PCI adaptor card for desktops and a CardBus PC Card for notebooks. ...more

Mac-to-PocketPC syncing software to launch

PocketMac, the first software to enable Macs to sync with PocketPC-based handhelds such as the Compaq iPaq, will make its public debut tomorrow at the PocketPC 2002 launch in San Francisco. PocketPC 2002 is the new version of Microsoft's OS for handhelds and is the rival to the Palm OS used on handhelds from the likes of Palm themselves and Handspring. PocketMac will sync handhelds with Entourage, part of the Microsoft Office suite of software, though the developers are working with other PIM (personal information management) software developers, and will be compatible with existing PocketPC devices as well as those which will be running 2002. ...more

Apache on warpath with Microsoft Caller ID

Open Source development group the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) is at loggerheads with Microsoft about licensing restrictions it places over its contributions to the Sender ID technology proposed to help combat spam and fraudulent email. One of the pillars of the Sender ID technology is the Caller ID software, which has been added under a Royalty-Free Sender ID Patent License Agreement. But in an open letter, the Apache Foundation, which builds the popular Apache Web server and other Internet and email applications, has criticised Redmond for placing any restrictions on the technology. ...more

Broadband Britain arrives - official

The inexorable march of Broadband Britain continues. In the latest official figures for the end of 2005, the National Statistics Office found that nearly two thirds of Internet connections are now broadband while dial-up continues its slow decline. The NSO found that throughout 2005 broadband connections continued to rise and increase their market share. ...more

Microsoft kills work on Mac Windows Media Player

Microsoft's Mac Business Unit has confirmed that it has ceased development of the OS X version of Windows Media Player. The current version will remain available to download, but in future Windows Media playback on Macs will be in the hands of the Flip4Mac WMV Player, which Microsoft is distributing. The player provides codecs that provide Windows Media content support within OS X's QuickTime environment. ...more