French MEP proposes 'email tax'

A French politician has come up with a new idea to help solve the European Union's budget problem. MEP Alain Lamassoure has suggested that the EU put a tax on emails and mobile phone text messages. The centre-right MEP says that all 25 EU national parliaments and governments should make computer users pay a tax of €0. ...more

iTunes to win 'exclusive' Beatles rights - report

Apple is close to winning exclusive online rights to The Beatles music, according to a Fortune report. The report claims that the details of the deal have yet to be finalised, but Apple's iTunes Store will be the sole source of Beatles downloads for a limited period, to the undoubted chagrin of other music store operators. 'Other music stores, such as Microsoft's and [Real's] Rhapsody, have courted the Beatles over the years to no avail, but it appears Apple is close to getting first dibs on the band's hits,' the report says. ...more

Speakers without corners

Philips has launched a range of speakers with a premium on design The smoothly curved MMS460, at ?55, comprises five satellites and a wooden subwoofer. The curvy satellites are so designed to reduce noise reflection, while the octagonal sub-woofer's design minimises standing waves and further features reduce distortion at the low end of the spectrum. The speakers also use Philips' new TDA8947J Integrated Amplifier Chip which offers 18V architecture - rather than the usual 12V - for an 'improved dynamic range'. ...more

CD-R prices to skyrocket

One of the big PC success stories in recent years is blank CD media. Using a CD burner, you can easily use it to make audio CDs or efficiently archive your computer data. The honeymoon, however, could soon be over as media prices look set to rise dramatically. ...more

Want some three-way action?

There's a new MOD in town (almost) and it comes with a little twist like this: it offers players the chance to enter into some 'Quake III Arena Capture The Flag' action, but with three teams. Welcome to the world of Tribal 3-Team CTF. Although the MOD is still in development, the first release is imminent, so we thought we'd fill you in on a few details in preparation. ...more