This is maptastic!

If you are like me and lack any sense of direction, you probably refer to your trusty A to Z more times than you'd like to mention. There are quite a few map databases on-line, but one of the most popular is Mapquest. The company behind Mapquest has recently announced a UK regionalised version of the site. ...more

IDF Fall 2006: Intel offers $1m prize to evolve the beige box

Intel is offering PC builders a million-dollar incentive to build a 'sexy, stylish and small' PC for the home, based on its ViiV multimedia platform. The 'grand prize' winner of the Intel Core Processor Challenge - to 'evolve the "big, beige box" and help bring to market more stylish, small, quiet and cool-running PCs perfect for any room in the home' - will receive $300,000 to help enable the mass production of the winning system and $400,000 to finance Intel-backed marketing. The 'first-place winner' (whoever comes second!) will receive up to $300,000 to help enable the mass production of their system. ...more

HP unveils mid-market disk backup

Aimed at small businesses, HP has launched a disk-based backup and recovery system, which it claims will make protection and disaster recovery more reliable and affordable. The HP StorageWorks D2D Backup System is, according to the company, at least 50 per cent cheaper than competing systems and can be integrated into existing network-based IT environments. The company said that restoring lost or corrupted files would be easier on the new systems as backup data is stored online, where is can be retrieved in minutes instead of hours. ...more

EU Microsoft probe will continue

Having dealt with media players and servers, the EU will now turn its attention to two further areas in which Microsoft has been accused of acting unfairly. Competitors in both instant messaging and mobile phones markets have accused the company of using Windows XP to strengthen its position. Any future ruling will be based on the precedent set today, said EU competition commissioner Mario Monti. ...more

Directgov launched to offer online Government services for all

The Office of the e-Envoy has announced the first stage of its Directgov online service. The idea is to simplify access to government services and information. So whichever departments of Whitehall you need access to - the site is a one stop shop for all of them. ...more