Putting the parent in the chat-room

MSN Messenger 5 - Instant Messaging worth paying for? Along with its beefed up, hyped up and paid-for MSN 8 service, Microsoft will also launch a new version of MSN Messenger: MSN Messenger 5. What's new is that many of the best features of the service will only be available to paying subscribers of MSN 8. A free standalone client will be released, as well as a Windows Messenger that offers a few features exclusive to XP users. ...more

Nvidia sees profits slump

A bad day on the markets for Nvidia as it announces its second quarter results. The reason? A big drop in profits as the graphics chip giant failed to meet analyst expectations. 'Q2 was challenging and disappointing as the desktop GPU segment declined significantly as a result of several unusual market events,' said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA, referring to attritional price competition with rivals ATi and Intel's delay of its Grantsdale chipset, which was blamed for holding back the advance of PCI-Express products. ...more

Computer users warned over US daylight saving hours

Computer users are being warned to make sure that they are ready for a change in US daylight saving hours, to be introduced in 2007. A new energy bill passed by the US Congress and due to be signed by President Bush today will bring daylight saving - the equivalent of the UK's British Summer Time - forward by three weeks in order to cut energy consumption. Any programme or process that's set to begin at a certain time, may find itself running an hour late. ...more

Computing rivals aviation for CO2 emissions - Gartner

The global information and communications technology (ICT) industry generates as much CO2 as aviation, according to new research by Gartner. Gartner estimates that ICT accounts for around two per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. The research firm believes that despite the overall environmental value of IT, this level is unsustainable. ...more

Logitech mice get tactile

Logitech has announced a new range of mice that provide feedback with programmable vibrations. The iFeel Mouse, designed for left- and right-handed users, features three buttons while its big brother, the iFeel MouseMan, has a more ergonomic design and a fourth thumb-operated button for right-handed users. Both models use optical technology instead of the traditional roller-and-ball mechanism, meaning that they will operate on any flat surface and don't require cleaning. ...more