Oftel twists BT's arm over broadband

Oftel has told BT that it must make its local-loop unbundling prices transparent, remove one-off charges and act immediately on ISPs' requests to enter BT's exchanges. As we reported yesterday, BT has been complaining that no-one is taking up the offer to install equipment in its exchanges and offer their own broadband Internet access services. The ISPs are naturally responding that this is because BT is making it virtually impossible. ...more

FTC uncovers seedy porn scam

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and New York attorney general have filed a lawsuit against dozens of porn websites, alleging that they illicitly billed customers for material that was offered for free. The suit, which names such dens of iniquity as Playgirl.com and Highsociety. ...more

US Marines play Operation Flashpoint

Life imitates art imitates soldiers... ...more

AMD bumps up speeds for latest dual-core Opterons

The Opteron server processor is the workhorse that is powering AMD's battle for market share with Intel, and three new dual-core models have been announced. A 64-bit, x86-based processor, the dual-core versions contain two cores within a single die, rather than two separate processors working together. According to AMD, they offer significant performance gains while operating in the same power and thermal infrastructure as the single-core equivalents. ...more

Dell plans to open two retail stores

Dell has announced plans to open two retail stores later this year, abandoning its adherence to Internet and mail order sales. The Austin-American Statesman reports that the computer maker will open a store in Dallas, close to its Texas home, and one in New York in bid to capitalise on rising consumer sales. The company has always insisted that retail stores would be loss making, but Apple's success in generating over $1bn worth of sales in a single quarter through its network of more than 100 stores appears to have presaged a change of heart. ...more