I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...

The Computer Entertainment Show in Las Vegas saw a product that seems to be very appropriate for 2001. Home Automated Living (or 'HAL') won the Tech TV Best of Show Award in the Home Automation and Networking category for its HALdeluxe software. The software allows users to control all manner of devices in their homes from anywhere in the world using their voice. ...more

IBM to offer E-mail Security Management Service to stamp on spam

IBM has gone into battle against the spammers with the announcement of its E-mail Security Management Services. Developed in conjunction with MessageLabs, the service aims to provide a 'first line of defence against' spam and virus threats. The service is claimed to scan and monitors both inbound and outbound email before it hits the customer's network, guarding against viruses via multiple scanners. ...more

Child's free Net access costs ?17,000

Tusk! Kids, eh? Thinking he'd found the deal of a lifetime, a Florida schoolboy signed up for a free internet access deal, only to be presented with a ?17,000 phone bill one month later. Coming across the promising deal while browsing the MCI WorldCom website, fourteen-year-old Ryan Johnson took it upon himself to sign his parents' name on the dotted line. Unfortunately for little Ryan, he didn't realise the company is located here in the UK, so every time he and his family logged on they were making an international call, raking up those charges. ...more

A revolution in your laundry

Forget the Web tablet, it's the Persil tablet you'll want on hand for the latest gadget from Japanese electronics giant Matsushita. The ten-litre N-BK2 Electric Bubble Bucket goes on release in Japan from 1 September and promises to be "the fun and snappy way to wash away the dirt". The company bills it as "not just another ordinary bucket, this one can wash clothes too. ...more

Google gives Firefox sync tool

Google has unveiled a new tool designed to give Firefox users a seamless browsing experience even on different machines. Google Browser Sync links up bookmarks, passwords, history and persistent cookies for any computers on which you install it. It saves the last browsing session and allows you to open that up again on a different machine. ...more