EC creates new regulatory groups

EUtel? EUcom? EU-name-it we'll-regulate-it. The European Commission has announced the formation of regulatory bodies to advise on pan-EU radio spectrum policy issues. They will also advise on consistent implementation of EU regulatory policies for electronic communications networks in member states. ...more

Intel clocks new mobile processors

Hot on the heels of price reductions for mobile processors, Intel releases six new processors for notebooks. It has also announced an integrated graphics chipset for its mobile processor family, the Intel 852GM chipset. The six new processors include a new top-of the range Mobile Pentium 4, clocking 2. ...more

Nokia trumpets the N91 as mobile jukebox

Nokia has introduced a new sub-brand Nokia Nseries dedicated to presenting multimedia content. The phones - the N91, N90 and N70 - were unveiled at a Destination Multimedia event in Amsterdam, where Nokia has been proclaiming 'the next step in digital convergence' with major support for mobile multimedia content. Leading the way is the N91 (pictured, left), which is marketed as a mobile music centre as much as a phone, with its storage for up to 3,000 songs on a 4GB hard disk and its support for transferring music files from a computer and sharing playlists, a la iTunes. ...more

US lawmakers seek to open up the iPod and iTMS

US legislators are considering legislation that would force interoperability onto online music stores and make Apple open up the iPod to songs bought from download sites other than its own iTunes Music Store. However the Congressional subcommittee hearing on Digital Music Interoperability and Availability was told by William Pence, the chief operating officer for Napster, that new laws are not necessary, as the market will eventually force competing operators to co-operate on digital rights management technologies. 'It is my belief, and the essential point of my participation today, that marketplace forces will continue to drive innovation in the DRM arena with attendant consumer benefits - new ways to enjoy digital music at a variety of different price points - while also gradually solving the interoperability problem,' he said. ...more

Socket surfing

56K modems? Pah. ADSL? Too slow. No, to really 'connect' you want to plug in to a domestic electric socket and enjoy always-on bandwidths of up to 3Mbits/sec, 20-30 times faster than ISDN, according to companies involved in powerline technology. ...more