Google launches Orkut.com for social networking

Google is jumping on the current bandwagon for social networking with the launch of Orkut.com. `to Orkut` is not a word which instantly springs to mind when looking to increase your circle of contacts, although Orkut is the name of one Orkut Buyukkokten who is an employee at Google who developed the system. ...more

Yahoo! turbo charges Mail service

Internet portal Yahoo! has upgraded its popular Web-based mail service with, it claims, the most significant makeover of the service since it launched in 1997. According to Yahoo! the response times for the new version, which is currently in beta only, are equivalent to a desktop email program. Typically, web based mail services have had a few seconds delay while the browser communicates with the remote servers. ...more

Spammer slapped with billion-dollar fine

A US ISP has won a suit filed against a prolific Florida-based spammer with an award of $11.2bn (?6.5bn). ...more

HP gets cold feet over Blu-ray

HP is considering dropping its support for Blu-ray and backing the rival HD-DVD format for high definition optical discs. The change of heart follows a decision by the Sony-led Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) to stick with its Java-based software for providing interactive features on Blu-ray (BD) discs. HP had asked the BDA to adopt the iHD platform, as this will be supported in the forthcoming Vista version of Microsoft Windows. ...more

Sir Tim Berners-Lee punctures Web 2.0 hype

Tim Berners-Lee has debunked all the hype surrounding Web 2.0 insisting that what it purports to describe is exactly what he intended the Web to be when he first conceived it. Web 2. ...more