Easy ride for 3G and broadband under Ofcom?

Dave Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications at Oftel, has outlined the role of Ofcom, the joint regulator of the broadcast, media and communications industry. He indicated that Ofcom would be at pains to avoid: "Inappropriate regulatory decisions [that] could threaten the ?8bn of investment planned by operators for building new third generation mobile phone networks and upgrading existing networks for broadband services." Speaking at a conference today at the Oxford Economic Research Association, he said: "Ofcom will need to balance incentives to invest and innovate with the opportunities for greater competition between communications networks. ...more

Intel Developer Forum, Spring 2006 - the rolling roundup

For all the latest processor news from San Francisco, here is a rolling round up from Intel's Developer Forum. 9 March Spring IDF 2006: Intel's Conroe on test We test Intel's Conroe - and reveal exactly what AMD thinks 8 March Spring IDF 2006: Leaner, meaner Intel Intel's CEO heralds the 'dawn of energy-efficient performance' Spring IDF 2006: USB goes wireless Bye-bye Bluetooth? Spring IDF 2006: Intel unveils faster memory More information on its upcoming memory standards Spring IDF 2006: Wireless to go global Intel calls for easy global internet roaming for all Spring IDF 2006: Boot times cut in half PCs and applications start quicker as Intel introduces some new architectural features Spring IDF 2006: WiMax goes mobile The metropolitan area network wireless technology gets a run out on a converted scooter Spring IDF 2006: Your DVD player is as hot as a cup of Starbucks coffee But Viiv is cooler than a baby's night light, claims Intel Spring IDF 2006: So, what is Viiv technology? Is Viiv technology so complicated that even Intel employees struggle to explain it without resorting to marketing? 7 March Spring IDF 2006: Intel reveals reign of Tera PCs could have tens or even hundreds of cores within a decade, and as a result your car may be able to drive itself.. ...more

NEC-Mitsubishi goes public with wide screen

At a price of ?100 an inch NEC-Mitsubishi has launched a 30 inch LCD screen costing ?3,000 (ex VAT) aimed at offering a cost-effective alternative to (even more) expensive plasma displays. Marketed for use as a public display for venues such as airports and railway stations, the LCD3000 trumps CRT and plasma displays in that it uses no phosphor to display images and thus is not subject to static images being burned indelibly onto the screen. It also consumes 30 per cent less power than plasma screens of similar dimensions. ...more

Sony PSP console hits UK high streets

Sony's first handheld games console, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), finally went on sale in the UK this morning after months of delay. The much-hyped games machine, which also plays films and music, was originally set to go on sale in Europe in March. But, after supply shortages caused by huge demand in Japan and the US, Sony was forced to postpone the launch to 1 September. ...more

ECTS 2001: ECTS awards, er, awarded

Rage's Denki Blocks is the unlikely game of the show, with the ECTS Stars heading in some surprising destinations. This year's European Consumer Trade Show, held at ExCeL, London, was a disappointingly underwhelming affair, thanks largely to many of the major players withdrawing from this year's event. Nevertheless, for other developers and publishers ECTS is a vital date in their calendar, with the event being used to showcase up-and-coming product. ...more