German chancellor calls for 3G rethink

Billions of euros of debt have been incurred to win 3G licences, but opinions on the matter are shifting in Europe. The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, has now added his voice to the call for a rethink. Speaking at the huge CeBIT technology trade show in Hannover, Schroeder applauded a recent decision by German telecom companies to bury their rivalries in order to pool the costs involved in a new communications infrastructure. ...more

Stay at home and watch Java on the (interactive) TV

The range of Java has just increased. Sun's Java TV technology brings Java to the digital television market. The release of Java TV includes a finalised specification, a reference implementation and a test suite, and Sun is hoping it will drive the development of interactive services for digital TVs. ...more

eBay Express pulls into the UK

Online sales giant eBay has launched its eBay Express service in the UK. Debuted in the US earlier this year, eBay Express is a marketplace for selected 'professional sellers' to market their ranges of new goods and services, instantly at a fixed price. The service is likely to take on existing volume Internet suppliers in the UK ranging from Amazon to Tesco. ...more

Solaris 9 x86 finally released by Sun

After months of waiting Sun Microsystems has finally released its Unix-based Solaris 9 x86 Platform Edition operating system for PC based servers. With the release of this product, Sun is hoping to capture part of the entry-level Unix based server market and take some of the wind out of the April launch of Microsoft's Windows Server 2003. Included with the product are SunScreen 3. ...more

Wireless trains go online today

Rail passengers travelling between London, the North East and Scotland can now get wireless Internet access throughout their journeys. GNER, which operates trains on the lines running from Kings Cross, through York and Leeds, to Newcastle and Edinburgh has launched the scheme today on one high-speed train and will gauge customer reaction before deciding whether to provide access across its entire fleet. The company is using technology from Swedish firm Icomera that comprises antennae mounted on the train roof which are linked to an onboard server and through to a standard wireless network. ...more