IBM bags most US patents in 2006

Big Blue has topped the patent pile once again, earning 3,621 patents in the US in 2006. IBM outdid its own previous records and topped the patent list for the fourteenth consecutive year. While IBM was awarded 3,651 patents, Samsung was second with 2,452 and Canon was third with 2,378. ...more

Friends Reunited seeks buyer

Friends Reunited at 'quite advanced' stage of pin-pointing buyer. Worth some ?25m, popular Web site Friends Reunited is looking for a buyer or management buy-in, reports the Sunday Times. The Web site, which provides a means for old school and university friends to get in contact with each other, has proved a huge success, with 8m members having registered since its inception in 2000. ...more

Oftel sets prices for access to local loop

Oftel has released its guidelines to the prices BT will charge other ISPs for access to the local loop. Annual rental for a loop will be ?118 with a ?95 connection charge, while an internal tie cable connecting 100 loops to an operator's equipment will be ?21 annual rental with a ?1,433 connection charge. Both BT and ISPs wanting to take advantage of the unbundling of the local loop, due in January next year, have until 4 December to raise objections. ...more

Carphone Warehouse to pounce on LLU

Carphone Warehouse is poised to make a major investment in broadband technology. The Sunday Times reports that the mobile phone retailer plans to invest 'millions of pounds' on installing local loop unbundling (LLU) kit in BT exchanges. Carphone Warehouse currently has around 70,000 broadband customers connected via BT. ...more

Google adds file transfers to Google Talk

Google has released an updated version of Google Talk, its instant messaging client, adding file transfer, voicemail and music status. File transfer has consistently been the top requested feature. Any type of file or files can be shared by dragging and dropping them onto a chat window. ...more