Dell 'sued over international e-commerce patent'

A Virginia company that claims to hold a US patent for an international e-commerce system is said to be suing Dell according to the Wall Street Journal. DE Technologies, which says it specialises in 'advanced international electronic order entry systems', claims it received the patent for a 'Borderless Order Entry System'. This covers all aspects of an international trade transaction - from purchase orders, to invoices, to ocean and airway bills of lading, to commercial invoices - in any language or currency. ...more

Sony develops wireless LAN-compatible 20-inch LCD TV

Aimed at the corporate display market or simply those who love mixing their technologies: Sony has announced a wireless LAN-compatible LCD TV. For the Japanese market only at present, the 20-inch KLV-20WS2 will work with both the 5GHz 802.11a and the 2. ...more

Apple applies for iPod interface patent

Apple has applied for a patent on the iPod's interface, invented in-part by Steve Jobs. The company's CEO is credited as one of three inventors of the 'graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player'. Apple is seeking a patent for the method of displaying the content on an iPod by means of a series of hierarchical lists. ...more

HP budgets for first-timers with new printer range

New Deskjets to suit anyone's pocket. From August it will be possible to buy the HP Deskjet 3550, 3650 and 5159 inkjet printers at ?49, ?69 and ?89 inc VAT respectively. The former will produce prints up to 2400dpi (dots per inch) using HP's PhotoREt III droplet technology on premium photo paper. ...more

BT Broadband dips below ?20

BT has launched a 'no-frills' wires-only 512K broadband service which will cost just ?19.99 a month. However, 'BT Broadband Basic' customers will still have to pay a ?30 connection fee and buy a ?50 modem both of which are currently free to customers of the existing BT Broadband and BT Yahoo! Broadband services. ...more