Sony delivers MP3 playing Network Walkman

Sony has unveiled its latest attempt to capture a share of the iPod market. The new Network Walkman, snappily titled the NW-HD3, is the company's first to play MP3 files in addition to those in its own ATRAC format. The player has a 20GB hard drive with skip and shock protection and a claimed 30 hours of battery life. ...more

SMEs lead data and comms convergence

Nearly half of small businesses in the UK have no idea what a converged network is, according to BT's Convergence Report, despite SMEs being at the vanguard of convergence. Some 48 per cent of small businesses with staff between 20 and 100 admitted they had 'limited or no understanding of what a converged network actually is,' compared with 32 per cent of all SMEs. However, 37 per cent of all SMEs have now moved to a converged network, meaning they can conduct all their data and communications across a single platform. ...more

The weekly roundup - Friday 4 May

Keep abreast of the news with our weekly roundup of the week's main tech stories. The battling blue laser formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD, are never far away from the news and this week's main development was the battle to contain the cracking of AACS copy-protection. The organisation responsible for licensing AACS, which is used by both Blu-ray and HD DVD, sent out 'cease and desist' notices to various websites that were linking to a software key that enables the DRM to be cracked. ...more

Eminem agrees out-of-court settlement with Apple

Eminem has settled a lawsuit with Apple over the 'unauthorised' use of one of his songs in an advertisement. His company, Eight Mile Style, agreed an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount. 'The parties were able to reach an amicable resolution,' said Howard Hertz, a lawyer for Eminem. ...more

Internet Explorer has six appeal

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 6, the latest version of its leading Internet browsing application. IE 6 is one of the core technologies of the forthcoming Windows XP but whilst it retains much of the functionality of its predecessor, it does have a number of new features designed to make it easier to get the most out of the Web. The principle new features are the Image Toolbar, Auto Image Resize and the Media bar. ...more