Digital divide narrowing - Ofcom

The digital divide between the various parts of the UK has diminished significantly over the past 12 months, according to new Ofcom research. In its Communications Market Report for the Nations and Regions of the UK, the telecoms regulator looked at take-up and usage of Internet, telecommunications and broadcasting services across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the nine English regions. Where last year's report showed significant geographical differences, particularly in take-up levels of broadband and digital television, this year's shows that the gaps are closing. ...more

Palm eyes Linux future?

As rumours go it is among the more speculative: PDA- and smartphone-maker Palm is developing its own Linux-based operating system as an alternative to Palmsource's Palm OS and Microsoft's Windows Mobile. According to Software Everywhere, Palm has been investigating the possibility of developing a version of Linux to run on its devices since 2004. More recently it has been hiring Linux software engineers who will be responsible for the 'design and development of components of a new software platform'. ...more

iTunes to win 'exclusive' Beatles rights - report

Apple is close to winning exclusive online rights to The Beatles music, according to a Fortune report. The report claims that the details of the deal have yet to be finalised, but Apple's iTunes Store will be the sole source of Beatles downloads for a limited period, to the undoubted chagrin of other music store operators. 'Other music stores, such as Microsoft's and [Real's] Rhapsody, have courted the Beatles over the years to no avail, but it appears Apple is close to getting first dibs on the band's hits,' the report says. ...more

eEye scans networks for slack patchers

eEye Digital has announced it is to marry its network scanner with management technologies from BigFix to pinpoint slack patchers. COO Firas Raouf explained: 'Our focus initially was selling this software scanner to IT administrators and security consultants. But the problem that you have with things like Blaster, Code Red, Nimda and so on, you wonder why these worms have such an impact when a patch has been available months before. ...more

B2B future is bright, for some

The future for most B2B exchanges isn't good, says IDC, but some will survive and prosper. According to the research firm, many of the B2B marketplaces that launch will close down and some planned exchanges won't even make it that far. Those that do survive will find it hard to exist in an overcrowded market and will consolidate into 'super e-marketplaces', said Leo Lipis, senior analyst at IDC. ...more