Online video stores will 'peak this year' - report

Online video sites such as Apple's iTunes Store that sell shows and movies will likely peak this year as more programming is made available on free outlets supported by advertising, according to a study released on Monday. Sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year, according to Forrester Research. ...more

AMD opens new developer centre

AMD has announced the opening of an AMD Developer Centre in Sunnyvale, California, which will offer technical and validation resources for the upcoming Hammer-core-based Opteron and Athlon processors to product developers. The centre will provide AMD partners with code and development platform services, either directly on-site or remotely via secure high-speed access. It will allow consultation with AMD 64-bit code experts, helping partners to accelerate development and validation of products. ...more

Life's a beach

Cast out any thoughts of Leonardo Di Capro or donkey rides when you think of a beach. If you are missing the sun-kissed bliss of a day by the sea, you might just be able to buy your own. A clever punter has been selling sand from New Jersey's Atlantic Beach in an Internet auction. ...more

Springtime for Halo 3 public testing

Microsoft will open up testing of the next Halo release to the general public. An Xbox Live multiplayer public beta of Halo 3 is scheduled to be available in spring 2007, according to Redmond. Running exclusively on the Xbox 360 - via the Xbox Live multiplayer feature - gamers will be able to play in a pre-release version of Halo 3. ...more

Freeserve bundle in broadband land

Freeserve and PC World have teamed up to offer cheap broandband, for a bit Customers buying an emachine computer from PC World, can tap into a special deal from Freeserve, bundling in the modem and microfilter for free and giving them broadband access for ?19.99 a month for half a year, and ?29.99 inc VAT thereafter. ...more