US Safety Commission warns: do not use laptops on your lap

We know America can be a litigious and over-cautious society, but confirmation is seemingly provided by a new recommendation from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In the wake of the recent 'fire hazard' battery recalls, it is now warning: do not use your laptop computer on your lap. The CPSC states that it is aware of at least 47 incidents involving smoke or fire related to laptop computers, between January 2001 and August 2006. ...more

Apple admits mini over-spec

Apple has confirmed that some Mac minis have shipped with a better-than-advertised spec. However the company would not also confirm whether the reported specs - including 1.5GHz processor, extra video RAM and Bluetooth 2. ...more

Intel calls for end of the floppy

Intel is calling on PC manufacturers to finally do away with the floppy drive still common in the Windows world, according to a report on the Register. The Register claims to have seen "confidential Intel documents" which reveal that the leading chip manufacturer is hoping to see the floppy phased out in the second half of 2002 along with serial and PS/2 ports. Apple was ridiculed by the PC world when it decided, with the introduction of the first iMac in 1998, to dispense with what is known as legacy IO - the jumble of old input and output ports that included floppy drives, ADB (for mice and keyboards), SCSI and serial. ...more

Scotland to go 100 per cent broadband

BT and the Scottish Executive have signed an agreement that will ensure 100 per cent broadband coverage north of the border. Under the Broadband for Scotland's Rural and Remote Areas initiative, 378 exchanges will be ADSL-enabled, extending broadband to 51,000 households and 5,400 businesses in 20 local authority areas. 'We made a commitment in our Partnership Agreement to ensure that every community in Scotland has access to broadband by the end of 2005,' said Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace. ...more

Iomega extends SMB storage range

Iomega has added three new products to its range of storage devices for small and medium-sized businesses. The NAS 200d Server provides 320GB of network storage with integrated backup to the company's REV removable drive system, and is the first NAS device to provide built-in backup, Iomega claims. The company has also introduced a SATA version of its REV system, enabling internal mounting of the drive. ...more