2004 proved year of the blog

Internet users reading blogs, or online diaries, have rocketed 58 per cent in the last year in the US to 32 million, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. That figure represents more than a quarter of the online community. The surging interest in blogs stems not only from its high profile media coverage over the past year, but it was also galvanised by events that polarised political opinion, such as the US election campaign and the Iraq war - suggesting blogs are only as interesting as the events they comment on rather than those that write them. ...more

ITV to broadcast simultaneously on TV and mobiles

Although the BBC and Sky transmit some pre-recorded content to mobile phones, the ITV deal with mobile network 3 is the first time simultaneous broadcasts will be available on handsets in the UK. ITV is putting some of its most popular shows including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The X Factor and Prime Suspect on the service. Customers will also be able to download highlights packages on demand. ...more

An envoy to the land of e

Prime Minister Blair has given his blessing and so Andrew Pinder has officially been appointed as the next e-Envoy in the Cabinet Office. Pinder already held the post as an interim appointment following the quick exit of Alex Allan last Autumn, so he already knows his way around the halls of Westminster. He faced an open competition for the post, however, before being confirmed the by Civil Service Commissioners. ...more

ICANN and Verisign agree to agree

ICANN and Verisign have dropped all litigation and agreed to shake hands in a cosy new agreement. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the .com registrar Verisign were embroiled in a dispute arising from the latter's use of a search engine - Sitefinder - to which surfers were sent if they typed in a non-existent web address. ...more

Which? finds ink racket prices outstrip vintage champagne

Is the cartridge a third-full completely empty? No, it's not a way of looking at life, but the findings of the latest report on inkjets by Which? magazine which discovered that chips in Epson inkjet cartridges prompted the user to replace them, even though they were sometimes more than one third full. Replacement cartridges cost as much as ?29 for a typical HP replacement cartridge, which works out at ?1.70 per millilitre, more expensive than a bottle of 1985 Dom Perignon Champagne (about 23p per millilitre). ...more