Orange Micro debuts USB 2

Orange Micro has released what it claims to be the first USB 2.0 PCI card. USB 2, which is backward compatible with USB 1 devices, is up to 40 times faster than its predecessor at its top speed of 480Mb/sec and faster than FireWire, which has a top speed of 400Mb/sec. ...more

Scratch-proof CD has the edge

Why did no-one think of this before? Scratch-Less Disc Industries has found an incredibly simple way of preventing the surfaces of CDs becoming scratched. Rather than focus on the difficult task of developing harder coatings that still allow the laser to pass through them to read the CD content, the firm's founder Todd Kuchman just added a series of small bumps around the edge of the disc. This prevents the surface from coming into direct contact with table tops and the like, although a 'scratch resistant polymer' has been added to the surface, just in case. ...more

Microsoft faces new legal battle

A Florida court has given the go-ahead for Microsoft customers to bring a class action lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit alleges that Microsoft overcharged for its Windows and MS-DOS operating systems and Word and Excel applications, in violation of a Florida state law prohibiting unfair trade and anti-competitive practices, reports the Associated Press. The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages, the amount of which will not be specified until the end of the trial. ...more

Preliminary doubts over BT's link patent

BT about as likely to win hyperlink case as a mammoth getting a US pilot's licence. Judge Colleen McMahon, presiding over a preliminary hearing in New York yesterday warned BT that its 1976 hyperlink patent may be difficult to prove, likening the differences between a computer in 1976 and today to those between a mastodon and a jet. The FT reports the Judge's awkward analogy as BT goes to court to prove that its hyperlink patent means it has a case to demand royalties from US ISPs. ...more

Broadband capping gathers apace

Tiscali, Freedom2Surf and Bulldog are the latest ISPs to announce sub-?20 capped 512K ADSL connections. They follow closely in the wake of BT, which announced its service earlier this month. Freedom2Surf has introduced two packages: Freedom2Surf Connect at ?17. ...more