Web services, the Java way

Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystem's CEO and Chairman, rallies the Java troops at the seventh JavaOne conference. Speaking yesterday in San Francisco, McNealy emphasised the worldwide success of Java technology. 'From the more than 30 application server suppliers to the 15 handset manufacturers offering Java-based products to the companies leading the exciting developments in the smart card, automotive telematics and gaming markets, Java technology is stronger and in more places than ever,' said McNealy. ...more

More Internet banks at risk

The National Crime Squad has warned that a number of Internet banks could already have been targeted by organised crime syndicates. The revelation follows the success of operation Skoda, in which NCS officers uncovered an attempted fraud on the Internet bank Egg. Three men were arrested earlier this week in connection with the scam, but the NCS believes that more online banks may be at risk from members of the same group and other elements of the criminal fraternity. ...more

HP to sell 'value' cartridges for all inkjet models

HP is to extend its high-yield cartridges to the whole inkjet family under the new XL value range. The inkjet giant today told selected journalists at its ThInk in Business event in Singapore that it will be reshuffling its consumable lines in 2007 to distinguish more clearly the gap between light and heavy users. 'What we want to give is a choice, not only of printer but also of the type of supply you can get for it,' said Eduardo Macias, HP's business development project manager. ...more

Legal downloads top half a million a month in UK

Legal music dowloads in the UK have topped 500,000 a month, according to new figures from industry body the BPI. Between April and June 2004 1,500,000 songs were sold following the launch of Napster and the iTunes Music Store. In the previous quarter, sales were a third of that. ...more

WiFi hot-spot bubble set to burst

Forrester Research is predicting that a proliferation of Bluetooth devices and an abundance of WLAN access points at home and in the office will burst the spot-com bubble come 2008. 'With all the hype today about the rollout of WLAN public hotspots, it's as if the dot-com boom and bust never happened,' said Forrester Senior AnalystLars Godell. 'We believe that much of the money being poured into public WLAN today to enable access - from places as diverse as bars, marinas, hotels, and airports, as well as train, bus, and metro stations - is being wasted. ...more