Vodafone in the picture

Leading mobile phone network Vodafone has teamed up with electronics company Casio to produce a gadget that is part digital camera and part organiser. The new Message-Cam is a palm-top device with an in-built digital camera and full Internet access when connected to a Siemens C35i phone. The package, including the C35i phone, will be available from most mobile phone outlets and is expected to cost ?349. ...more

Intel and Microsoft plan mobile assault

Reuters reports that the tech giants are planning to knock off Nokia's crown and mash Motorola. Intel and Microsoft are to collaborate on offering a platform for handset manufacturers. Optimising Windows CE . ...more

NEC, Mandriva develop corporate Linux

French Linux builder Mandriva and NEC computers have announced a joint initiative to develop customised Linux solutions for the corporate and public sectors. NEC already runs a variety of Linux platforms on its Express5800 server range, mainly Red Hat, but also Novell SUSE and Japan's Turbolinux. However, the deal inked with Mandriva will see the open source operating system deployed beyond servers and into desktops and notebooks. ...more

Sony announces 8-speed DVD+R drives

Sony has announced internal and external drives that sport the DVD Alliance's 8-speed DVD+R spec. The internal drive (DRU-530A) will be available from next month for ?152 ex VAT, while the external one (DRX-530UL) will be available from January at a price yet to be confirmed. The 8-speed write specification was ratified by the Alliance in August, promising to burn DVD+R discs in less than ten minutes. ...more

mPack one-stop media player ships in the UK

The mPack all-in one set-top box movie and music player and recorder and digital photo album is now being shipped in the UK. Designed and built by Taiwan's Power Quotient International (PQI) the mPack includes 40GB of disk space with USB 2.0 connectivity, and if all its multimedia capabiites are not enough, it can be used as a standard external hard drive. ...more