A new Wi-Fi network has been launched in London called Online- 4-free.com, covering around a 13.6 mile stretch of the River Thames, running through the centre of the capital.
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Category: Geographic
Chatpad On Xbox 360 Announced
Microsoft have confirmed that they will be releasing the Messenger Kit for the XBox 260 in the US this September, after a long period of building up anticipation for it.
As well as a headset for voice chatting – which have been around since the original Xbox – the interesting part is the introduction of a full-sized, if mini, qwerty keyboard, letting you IM your mates until your thumbs bleed.
While Microsoft aren’t disclosing any plans for Europe or the UK, they say it should retail at $29.99 when it goes on sale on 6th September.
PS3 Price Drops, Or Not: Sony Lose The (Gaming) Plot
I don’t what the people driving the European wing of Sony think that they’re up to, but they appear, of late, to be perfecting the art of making the wrong decision.
We learnt last week that Sony will be dropping the price of Playstation 3 in the the US by $100, but will not be offering a reduction in the UK or Europe.
Do they think that no-one in the UK reads the International press? Do they not realise that UK gamers already feel insulted by their action on the PS3?
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300Mbps ‘Super 3G’ Floated By NTT DoCoMo
3G is a bit old hat in Japan. It’s been available commercially there since 2001 thanks to the dominant mobile provider there, NTT DoCoMo.
On Friday, NTT DoCoMo started talking to the world about where they see the standard evolving to. Named in an almost 1970s tribute – Super 3G, has a anticipated maximum download speed of 300Mbps.
Continue reading 300Mbps ‘Super 3G’ Floated By NTT DoCoMo
BBC Trust To Listen On iPlayer Going Open Source
Finally the BBC Trust appears to be open to talking about the iPlayer going Open Source.
Good to see that the BBC Trust is to take representation from the Open Source Consortium (OSC) regarding their concerns about the fact that the BBC iPlayer is currently dependent on Microsoft’s Windows DRM.
The OSC made an official complaint to the BBC Trust in January this year but did not hear back from them until now. Quite unlike Ofcom and the old DTI, who they did get replies from.
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Sony PSP A Hit In Beijing
Writing about the announcement of the new PSP brought the following little ditty to mind – one we’ve been meaning to write for a while.
You may be thinking that the Sony PSP hasn’t been the hit that it might have been, because in and around Europe you don’t see many on the street.
It’s easy to lull yourself into a false state of knowledge when you’re in a major capital, leading you to think that the behaviours that you see around the street are representative of the world as a whole.
This was clearly show in our recent visit to Beijing, where PSP usage told a distinctly different story. There were tons of the things knocking around, primarily on the Beijing Underground.
Used mostly by the under 30s, but not limited to males, we often saw people playing games on them during the crushed morning rush hour (and it was a serious crush). The other frequent use was using them to catch up on TV or film programming.
Alongside the genuine PSPs, we also spied quite a few copy PSPs having a similar form factor, but a rougher, less-engineered finish.
New PSP Shown at E3
Sony made a big song and dance at E3 yesterday in showing the new version of the PSP.
Much press reaction is pretty unimpressed – which seems to be a increasingly reaction to Sony news these days. A shame for a company that five years plus ago could do no wrong.
The changes for the new PSP centre around the reduction in size and weight – and video output.
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Nominet Registrar’s Open Day
On Thu 5th July Nominet (the domain registry for .uk) held an open day for registrars (people who register domains). This was a chance for Nominet to explain what they do, and what services are available currently and what will be introduced in the future.
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Digital SwitchOver: The Rubbish Dump Awaits! UK MPs
While the UK Government is keen as mustard for the Digital Switchover of TV in the UK, there’s now discussion of the impact that disposing of the analogue kit will bring on – that of further waste generation.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) was under discussion yesterday at Westminster Hall by UK MPs.
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UK Information Commissioner Calls For Great Powers
The security of information is always something that the government and financial institution are banging on about – pushing the responsibility of this on to the individual.
Personal responsibility for your own data should be part of your every day, but it sticks in the throat when the big companies that are lecturing about personal data security then go and treat the data under their control with gay abandon.
Continue reading UK Information Commissioner Calls For Great Powers