US teens wary of social networking sites

In spite of the high profile of social networking websites such as MySpace and FaceBook, US teens are not flocking to them en-masse. According to recent research from the Pew Internet Project, little more than half are using them. The headline 55 per cent total may strike you as being on the low side and this is, in fact, the Pew perspective: 'There is a widespread notion that every American teenager is using social networks, and that they're plastering personal information over their profiles for anyone and everyone to read,' says Pew's Amanda Lenhart. ...more

BT offers restaurants a taste of e-commerce

Finding somewhere decent to eat at short notice might be a bit easier in future. Restaurants with empty tables can now advertise them in real time via Lastminute.com or through special kiosks built in city centres. ...more

Net yourself a canine winner

If you like to have a flutter on the dogs and don't like the smoky atmosphere of your local betting shop then you may be in for a treat if Gaming Internet gets its way. The company intends to offer greyhound racing over the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week and have just secured a deal that ensures that they have access to 20 per cent of the dog tracks in Europe. They have also made in-roads into the Australian, African and Asian greyhound world. ...more

3G fares badly under DoCoMo tests

NTT DoCoMo is concerned over 3G's capability to handle large video and sound downloads, one of the key revenue streams for operators of the new high-speed mobile networks. Keiichi Enoki, who heads up DoCoMo's i-mode Internet service, said that, after testing the technology, it would be too expensive for consumers to download large files, such as pop videos. He said: "We will perhaps offer short video clips of ten to 15 seconds and previews of music that people can purchase to download at home through their PCs or TVs. ...more

Cinema 4D cuts cost of 3D

The new modular version of the highly-rated Cinema 4D offers the option of a low-cost entry into the world of 3D animation. New users can buy the basic application for less than ?400, then add extra moduels as required. The application's developer, Maxon, is also offering XL and Studio versions which already include various modules. ...more