Intel bins big screen technology

Intel has ceased development of a major new flat screen technology that it saw replacing LCDs in large screen TVs and monitors. As recently as last January, the company said that the Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology would halve the cost of large screens before the end of this year. LCOS involves layering liquid crystal silicon onto transistors. ...more

Media Center to be given new spin with Xbox 360 support

Microsoft is to release a free software update to Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 to take advantage of the multimedia features built into the new Xbox 360, which has been showcased at the E3 gaming conference in Las Vegas. The new software will use the Xbox's Media Center Extender technologies to provide access to digital music, video, photos, and standard and high-definition television and movies The Media Center interface will be accessible simply by pressing a green button on the Xbox remote control. For example, players will be able to stream high-definition TV and movies already stored on Media Center PCs while they chat with friends remotely. ...more

Larger companies take more than their fair share of virus damage

Half of UK businesses suffered from virus infections according to a new survey from the DTI. Preliminary results from the biennial Information Security Breaches Survey show that last August's Blaster worm was the biggest headache in 2003, particularly for large companies for which the worm was the culprit in more than half of infections. In fact big business suffered unduly - of all companies one would expect the big players to take security the most seriously with latest in antivirus software and system security. ...more

American praise for UK government's handling of technology

Senior US diplomats have been praising the UK government's handling of technology in private dispatches from the London embassy. They note that the productivity within emerging technology sectors has been channelled to help turn the domestic economy into one of Europe's top performers. The private dispatches of officials at the US Embassy have been obtained by The Guardian, being disclosed under the terms of the US freedom of information act. ...more

Blue Gene retains supercomputer crown

The Blue Gene/L System retains the No. 1 position as the world's fastest computer for the third year running. According to the latest Top500 supercomputer listings IBM also retains its lead as the principle builder of ultra fast machines. ...more