EU sets limits on mobile roaming charges

The EU has finally agreed limits on the cost of using a mobile phone abroad. European Union ministers adopted price ceilings established after a year of debate between the European Commission, Parliament and member states. Current EU president Germany said that the new rules will slash the price of making and receiving calls between one EU country to another by cutting 'roaming' charges to a quarter or a fifth of what phone users now pay. ...more

Microsoft could face XP opposition

The imminent release of Windows XP has not gone unnoticed by the US state attorneys behind the current Microsoft antitrust case. Two of the attorney generals believe that the company may be continuing in its efforts to build a monopoly by including features within Windows XP such as Instant Messaging and Smart Tags that allows Microsoft to influence consumers' Internet use and Internet Explorer, which is at the heart of the current antitrust case. Richard Blumenthal, attorney general for Connecticut, and Tom Miller, attorney general of Iowa, put down their feelings about Windows XP in a press release yesterday, re-iterating that they had "serious concerns" about the operating system and Microsoft's continuing business strategy. ...more

Yahoo not good enough for Wall Street

Having reported earnings slightly above what was expected on Tuesday, Yahoo stock was promptly dumped by Wall Street after temporarily basking in the glory. It seems the results were not enough to reassure concerns about the overall health of online advertising. "Yahoo's numbers were very good, very solid," said Andrea Rice, an industry analyst with Deutsche Ban Alex Brown. ...more

EU rules to sort out battery waste

The European Parliament has passed a new law governing the usage and disposal of batteries, giving the go-ahead for its adoption by member states over the next 18 months. The parliament has approved a set of proposals agreed in May by the 25 states and the European Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas. These include strict rules on recycling and on the disposal and re-use of hazardous materials, particularly heavy metals. ...more

Jobs attacks Apple dealers

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, launched a fierce attack on a meeting of some 300 US Apple dealers at Macworld San Francisco last week. The meeting came as a surprise to the dealers, to whom Jobs had not spoken directly for over five years. No less surprising was the content, as Jobs allegedly employed less than clean language as he railed against those who he said have made buying a computer "the worst purchasing experience". ...more