Telecoms News
January 31, 2008
Communications regulator, Ofcom, has agreed to allow public bodies in the UK to re-sell spectrum licences. Around 50 per cent of the useful spectrum below 15GHz is owned by Government organisations, with the MOD holding about half of this. The spectrum held by the MOD includes prime bands around 2.7GHz and 3.5GHz. It is considered likely that it will sell off this ...
Ofcom allows MoD to sell WiMax spectrum
by Jan HarrisCommunications regulator, Ofcom, has agreed to allow public bodies in the UK to re-sell spectrum licences. Around 50 per cent of the useful spectrum below 15GHz is owned by Government organisations, with the MOD holding about half of this. The spectrum held by the MOD includes prime bands around 2.7GHz and 3.5GHz. It is considered likely that it will sell off this ...
Toshiba brings VoIP phone/modem to UK
by Jan HarrisToshiba Mobile is entering the UK smartphone market with a three new phones, including a USB modem/VoIP phone hybrid - the G450. Toshiba is marketing the G450 as a USB broadband modem, which allows the user to browse the web without having to hunt for a WiFi hotspot. It is HSDPA capable, providing fast broadband speeds. The G450 also doubles as ...
BBC iPlayer to show Six Nations Rugby
by Janet HarrisThe BBC has secured a deal to bring a major sporting event to iPlayer viewers. Full coverage of the Six Nations rugby union games will be available via iPlayer from this weekend. The matches will be available via a broadband-connected computer for seven days after the live broadcast on BBC TV. They are also being simulcast live on the BBC Sport ...
Western Digital launches My Passport Essential USB Drives
by Jan HarrisWestern Digital has extended its range of Passport products with the introduction of new My Passport Essential Portable USB Drives. The smart, glossy-black drives weigh less then five ounces, and can be slipped easily into a pocket or handbag. The drives are USB powered, eliminating the need for an external power adapter. They provide nearly a third of a terabyte of digital storage ...
Lenovo & Fujitsu use MacBook Air chip
by Janet Harris
BeoVision 4 Plasma TV automatically adjusts picture
by Janet Harris
Bang & Olufsen has made it easy to check that your set is delivering the best possible picture with its BeoVision 4 Plasma TV.
The 1920 x 1080 resolution set has a robotic arm with a camera at the end to check the picture quality. The arm is normally ...Garmin launches innovative GPS phone
by Janet Harris
Garmin International Inc, which specialises in satellite navigation and global positioning systems (GPS), has launched it first mobile phone, the nuvifone.
Nuvifone is a GSM/HSDPA based, touch-screen phone, mobile web-browser and personal navigator, all in one innovative device.
To use the navigation system, the phone is docked onto the vehicle mount. This automatically starts ...Vodafone Amend Mobile Broadband Offerings
by Dave NixonBeginning on the 4th of February, Vodafone have announced modifications to its mobile broadband services. The new customer price plan, providing 3GB of data and speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, will be offered for £15/month (inc. VAT). This represents a reduction in price by half over present contracts which are presently available for £30 for 3GB. Business products will see usage allowances ...
Orange has 14% VoIP market share in Europe
by Lin FreestoneRecent research into VoIP retail consumer offers shows that the three largest VoIP providers in Western Europe are Orange, Neuf Cegetel and Free. Neuf Cegetel and Free operate in France. Livebox from Orange is also active in the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, in addition to France. InfoCom’s research shows that Orange had 3.57 million VoIP customers in these four countries in ...
Dish, cable or no TV
by David Allen
Apple “take two”, soon…
by Grant Draper
Sony VPL-VW40 – new home theatre projector
by Grant Draper
Yahoo, cuts a 1,000 jobs
by David Allen
1,000 new IPTV users a week for Telekom Austria
by Lin FreestoneTelekom Austria has released the latest details of its recently introduced IPTV service. Its aonTV service is gaining 1,000 new customers a week, and there are now almost 100 channels available. The company expects to be able to offer aonTV to approximately half of all households, including rural areas, in Austria by the end of this year. It is aiming to become ...
Village could end up with no broadband
by David AllenTiscali moves Pipex customers
by David AllenNokia N70 Review
by Franz Bicar
Nokia is one of the foremost mobile phone companies in the world. They had phones that were a big hit in today's mobile society. With this, a lot of people are expecting great things from this company. That is also the case with the Nokia N70. A lot of people are expecting big things from ...The Sharp LC-19SK24UW 19-inch LCD TV
by Franz Bicar
Stunning in white, that is probably one of the best description that we can give the Sharp LC-19SK24UW High-Definition TV. If your still searching for a great TV for your bedroom, kitchen, or guest room, then your search ends with the high definition, high-performance, high-contrast capabilities of the Sharp LC-19SK24UW.The LC19SK24UW fits just about anywhere, and ...Estonian Convicted Of DDoS Attacks
by Lashan ClarkeThe 20 year old Estonian Dmitri Galushkevich was served a fine of $1,641 when he was convicted of domain service attacks last year. The fine is quite large, and would be consider the annual salary in Estonia. Galushkevich was working along with other accomplices to cause web sites to malfunction, by subjecting them to DDoS attacks. These attacks are not the ...
Mozilla Ranks Firefox Bug Threat
by Dave NixonMozilla has increased the threat ranking for an unpatched Firefox bug to "high," and assures that a fix is imminent in Version 2.0.0.12, now set for release on 5 February. Window Snyder, the company's head of security, corroborates that the browser can be exploited to steal "session information, including session cookies and session history, when running any of more than 600 ...
Researchers Discredit Microsoft's Bug Claim
by Dave NixonA security researcher has dismissed Microsoft's assertion that the year's first critical Windows vulnerability would be "difficult and unlikely" to be exploited by attackers. On Tuesday, in relation to the TCP/IP flaw spelled out 8 January in Microsoft's MS08-001 security bulletin, Immunity updated an operational exploit, and published a Flash demonstration of the attack on its website. The exploit, unavailable to the ...
Motorola Taiwan releases sales predictions for 2008
by David AllenMotorla Taiwan's general manager of mobile device business, Bill Chen, predicts that Motorola's Taiwanese handset sales for 2008 will be over one million units, a similar number to the previous year. Profitability, however, will be boosted by a drive to sell more handsets in the mid- and high-end segments, with their market share to reach over 15% in terms of sales ...
Microsoft will be scrutinised over anti trust ruling for 2 years
by Alan Harten
Asus Eee PC a hit for Asustek
by David AllenThe Asus Eee PC by Asustek performed well in Japan, with around 10,000 units sold during the launch-week. Since then, worldwide demand has been hugely outstripping supply, with many retailers finding it difficult to get the Asus Eee in stock. However, Asustek's president, Jerry Shen, expects that the low-cost PC market will be flooded with new competitors by ...
Popularity of music phones means record sales for C-Media
by David AllenSound card manufacturer C-Media Electronics are predicting a healthy rise in sales for January, due to the huge popularity of music phones. C-Media partners with handset vendor Amoi Electronics and handset chip designer Spreadtrum Communications in producing these phones. Amoi, Spreadtrum, and Kuro, a Taiwanese provider of music services, earlier this month made a joint announcement of the launch of ...
CHT requests Olympic co-operation from Samsung
by David AllenChungwa Telecom (CHT) have indicated that they are in negotiations with Samsung electronics regarding co-operation on video streaming and other marketing projects during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. CHT wants to release the P318+ handset into the Taiwan market - but Samsung designed this handset exclusively for the Olympic games. CHT also wants to better serve its clients by introducing more of ...
HTC predicts 20-30% increase in revenue for 2008
by David AllenCFO of High Tech Computer (HTC) Huei-ming Cheng said yesterday that he expects HTC's revenues to grow 20-30% in 2008 compared to the previous year. Revenues will be boosted by the company's plans to launch a series of new products in the second quarter of this year. Cheng added that revenues for the first quarter of this year will continue ...
Another Submarine Cable Cut
by Fahim FarookWith most of the major communications lines across the continents being via underwater cables, a submarine cable cut is a serious matter. Several cable cuts and natural disasters have affected the Asian region in the last couple of years. Another has just occurred in the Mediterranean resulting in major Internet slowdowns for much of the Middle East as well as ...
Boeing Set to Launch New DIRECTV Satellite
by Fahim Farook
January 30, 2008
Mitek Systems is planning to demonstrate new camera phone technology at BAI-Transpay on 5 February, a tradeshow targeted at the banking industry.
The new software, ImageNet Mobile Deposit, can be used by banks to let customers deposit cheques or pay bills via a Windows Mobile phone.
The software uses the phone’s ...
Mitek turns camera phone into banking tool
by Janet Harris
Mitek Systems is planning to demonstrate new camera phone technology at BAI-Transpay on 5 February, a tradeshow targeted at the banking industry.
The new software, ImageNet Mobile Deposit, can be used by banks to let customers deposit cheques or pay bills via a Windows Mobile phone.
The software uses the phone’s ...Philips focuses on design to attract female buyers
by Janet Harris
Consumer electronics giant, Philips, is increasing its focus on design, following research which found that style is an important factor for 98% of female consumers when choosing which product to buy.
The company is launching a 'Design Collection' of LCD TVs with three new LCD TV series, the ...Ribbit to launch Amphibian VoIP service
by Jan HarrisTelephony start-up, Ribbit, is set to launch ‘Amphibian’ in the second quarter, a consumer service which bridges traditional telephony and the Internet. Amphibian, which is the code-name for the new service, will be able to convert any phone for use with Web environments. Ribbit announced the service this week at the Demo show in Palm Desert, California, a showcase for innovative ...
Highland Council progresses with broadband roll-out
by Jan HarrisHighland Council has reported good progress with the roll-out of high-speed broadband internet connections across the Highlands and Islands, including Argyll and Bute, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. The Pathfinder North project was six months behind schedule and £1.6m over budget, according to an official report published in November, but 111 of 452 sites have now been connected. The project, ...
Another New Face to UK Broadband Minister
by Dave NixonStephen Timms has moved from his function of Competitiveness at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (which replaced the Department of Trade and Industry in June 2007), following parliamentary reform on 24th January. Taking over from Timms, Baroness Shriti Vadera, (previously advisor to Gordon Brown as the Chancellor of the Exchequer) will take on the role of Parliamentary Under ...
IM Attacks Increasingly Malevolent
by Dave NixonAccording to Akonix, a merchant of messaging security systems, unremitting attacks on instant messaging systems grew more sophisticated and dangerous in January. The company tracked 14 new attacks on IM systems in January, finding that although the figure was comparatively low, the attacks are improving at targeting users. IM attacks are a comparatively new trend, but have developed drastically in number in ...
DisplayLink links monitors with wireless USB
by Jan HarrisDisplayLink is planning to release a wireless USB adapter, to connect a computer to multiple monitors, in September or October 2008. It will also release wireless USB universal docking stations and monitors at the same time. The company demonstrated a wireless version of its display adapter at CES 2008. The technology is ideal for organizations such as financial institutions, which use ...
Firefox gains market share across Europe
by Janet Harris
Exterity prepares for IPTV growth in Scotland
by Janet HarrisExterity Ltd, an Edinburgh-based manufacturer of network IPTV equipment, has appointed a Channel Sales Manager for Scotland, in response to growth in demand for its products in its home territory. Exterity has had considerable success in global markets over the past seven years. Its products are used by over 500 customers in 17 countries, including media-giant Reuters and global brewer ...
HD DVD rising…
by Grant Draper
Audiovox CDM8900 Camera Phone Review
by Franz Bicar
The Audiovox CDM8900 is a compact flip phone offered by Verizon Wireless. Its a fairly easy phone and for me, it's a good break from all those fancy high-tech stuff that's coming out of today's mobile phone companies. The CDM8900's menus are easy to navigate and is fairly simple to use. Of course, as most ...Samsung HL-T5687S DLP HDTV
by Franz Bicar
With the long lasting LED light engine of the Samsung HL-T5687S DLP HDTV, its Full HD (1920 x 1080p) picture will last for a very long time. An ultra-thin, piano-black bezel around the 56" screen lets you enjoy more screen and less frame. Its slim depth, light weight and hidden speaker system allow ...Fujitsu Files Lawsuit Against Tellabs
by Rohan ParkerA lawsuit has been filed against Tellabs Inc by Fujitsu Ltd for allegedly infringing on four optics-related patents. The suit, filed in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, seeks unspecified pecuniary damages along with an injunction order against Tellabs. There are four patents listed as a part of the lawsuit - Nos. 5,526,163; 5,521,737; 5,386,418; and 6,487,686 - ...
Problems for free music site
by David AllenPace treble profits
by David AllenIBM Embarking on Asset Encryption
by Dave NixonIn providing 355,000 employees with PGP's whole-disk encryption to ensure data confidentiality, IBM is embarking on an enormous rollout of desktop and laptop encryption. Although IBM already uses encryption in areas of its organisation, predominantly with Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions encryption in Lotus Notes, the rollout of PGP whole-disk encryption symbolizes Big Blue's biggest-ever pledge to data-scrambling. According to Alan Mitchell, ...
Highland broadband on course
by David AllenBe Broadband in ad trouble
by David AllenNvidia Announces Launch of New nForce 790i Chipset
by Rohan Parker
PayPal Acquires Israeli Security Company
by Dave NixonEBay's online payments division, PayPal, will pay US$169 million for the acquisition of an Israeli security company specializing in identifying online fraud. Private company Fraud Sciences, has developed technology designed to differentiate between real and fraudulent transactions, which will be integrated into PayPal's anti-fraud systems, which will be "significantly" enhanced this year, eBay said. Fraud Sciences' chief operating officer, Yossi Barak, and ...
German Police Skype Hack Leaked
by Dave NixonLeaked documents appear to indicate that company has been hired by German police to create Trojans capable of capturing traffic from Skype and SSL. Appearing on the Wikileaks website in their German form, the two scanned documents are difficult to authenticate, but one appears to describe how a security company, Digitask, was asked to create a “Skype Capture Unit” based around ...
