MSN added to Starbucks' blend

Will that be a high-speed connected environment with your decaff latte, sir? Starbucks and Microsoft have announced an agreement for the incorporation of MSN into the "inviting and relaxing coffeehouse experience" that is otherwise known as Starbucks. The idea is that customers, as well as checking their email, will be able to download information about local entertainment while sipping their mocchiata. MobileStar Network will provide a wireless broadband network to underpin the operations. ...more

Palm increases share of PDA market

Palm - soon to be renamed palmOne - has increased its share of the worldwide PDA market. Handhelds running the Palm OS now account for more than 50 per cent of worldwide shipments, according to the latest figures from industry analyst Gartner. During the second quarter of 2003, Palm claimed 38 per cent of the market, up from 30. ...more

Dell takes the Windows out of n-Series PCs

Dell is to begin shipping Precision and OptiPlex corporate desktops with an 'n' addendum - signifying the absence of Microsoft's Windows operating system, or any other. Instead the machines come without any OS pre-installed. And to get around Microsoft licensing terms that require PCs to ship with an operating system, a copy of FreeDOS is included in the box. ...more

IDF Fall 2003: Next-gen Centrino processor takes a bow

Intel has been showcasing its next-generation processor, which will appear under the Centrino banner. Codenamed Dothan, it will replace the Banias core of the current Pentium-M processor. It contains 140 million transistors, 2MB of level 2 cache, improved register data retrieval and has a more efficient data pre-fetcher. ...more

Vodafone live! living up to expectations

Vodafone has announced that it has signed up 380,000 customers and is on target for a million users. Vodafone has announced that it has signed up 380,000 customers for its live! service, which offers picture messaging, games and other multimedia services through a mobile handset, in the two months following its 31 October launch. Sir Christopher Gent, Chief Executive, said: 'In the first two months of Vodafone live!, we have achieved over 380,000 customers across eight markets and are on track to achieve our target of a million sales to customers by the end of March. ...more