2GHz Notino notebook goes for under ?600

Hi-Grade describes its new Notino notebooks as desktop-replacements, but they still start from a price under ?600. Featuring a new silver-and-black casing, the 3600 series starts with the 2000A model, which runs on a 2GHz Intel Mobile Celeron. Other aspects of the spec include a 14. ...more

First test: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS & GT

Nvidia has launched one of the most eagerly anticipated GPUs to date, the 8600 - and PC Pro has put two new cards through our extensive tests. Evesham's Solar 8600GTS PC is the first system to use these promising new cards - read our full review here. With previous mid-range GeForce GPUs garnering huge praise for offering great performance at very reasonable prices, the new chip has much to live up to. ...more

RIAA tells students to drop out to pay fines

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is apparently advising students in the US to drop out of college so they can work to pay off their fines. One MIT student blog details what happened when she negotiated with an RIAA representative over paying the $3,750 fine imposed after she was found to be illegally swapping music over the Internet. After being told that the RIAA does not negotiate settlements, the student was offered a six month repayment plan. ...more

Gameboy Advance to top 24 million?

Nintendo, which already dominates the handheld console market with its evergreen Gameboy unit, plans to ship around 24 million of the Gameboy Advance. The new machine is expected to hit the shelves next March, with the initial factory run to begin in January. The company is expected to ship a million units a month, which will rise to 2 million by June and there are to be 10 games released on the same day as the unit. ...more

BT previews research projects at Adastral Park [part 1]

When BT threw the doors of its research centre Adastral Park open to journalists to take a peak at futuristic projects, Sirius House B.54 was our campus destination. Among the research projects previewed was nature-inspired computing (the lessons that biology can offer to computer scientists), pervasive gaming (looking at ways of combining media sources for mobile gaming), virtual reality systems and ambient devices (including a drooping digital plant that can indicate changes in share prices or aspects of your social life that need improving), futuristic telecare systems (using unobtrusive sensors to accurately gauge the well-being of independent, elderly citizens) and, finally, the hottest topic of all: broadband. ...more