1Mbit home broadband trial underway

BT's trial of its 1Mbit/sec home broadband service is underway and users who signed up should be getting activated this week. Although the length of the trial is flexible, it is not expected to last much longer than three months, after which, unless there are unforeseen problems, the trail will be converted to a full service. Users who have subscribed to the trial should not notice any difference when this happens. ...more

IDF, Fall 2005: Intel looks to multi-core future

It's the type of change that doesn't cause headlines, but on the opening day of IDF Intel announced a fundamental new approach to its business: for the first time, it is basing its mobile, desktop and server chips on the same micro-architecture. And while previous desktop architectures have focused on increasing power with little heed to power consumption, Intel's new vision is based on performance-per-Watt. Intel has already had great success in reducing the power consumption of its notebooks, and it's now bringing those skills to the desktop and server business. ...more

AMD chops chip prices

In the wake of new Opteron servers, AMD has breathed on its processor pricing. In addition to the Opterons, there are changes to the Sempron, Athlon 64, Mobile Athlon 64 and MP line of processors. Beginning with the Opterons, the new two- and eight way models are at priced at $851 and $1,514, respectively. ...more

BenQ LCD display boasts 8ms response time

BenQ is releasing an LCD monitor with an ultra-fast response time of 8ms, which - it claims - is a world's first. Aimed at the home entertainment market, such as games enthusiasts or movie lovers, BenQ boasts that it 'lets the naked eye see the world the way it's supposed to be seen'. The 17-inch monitor also features BenQ's Senseye technology, for automatically managing colour, contrast and sharpness. ...more

A quantum leap, using silicon

A quantum computer may sound futuristic, but researchers are working on such a model using existing silicon fabrication techniques... ...more