Sun breathes on Java logo and creates new Java portals

Sun has used the JavaOne conference in San Francisco to launch a new design for its Java logo and also launched two new Web sites to promote Java: Java.net and Java.com. ...more

UK MPs on spam trip to the US

Hot on the heels of the UK's opt-in spam-canning moves, a delegation of parliamentary MPs and members of the APIG (all party Internet group) are US-bound to lobby US lawmakers on legislating against spam. e-Envoy Andrew Pinder will join members of APIG, including Derek Wyatt MP, Brian White MP and Andrew Miller MP, in a three-day meeting with US Senators and officials to try and bring US spam law in line with the tighter controls being put in place in the UK and EU. In particular, they are looking for the US to agree an opt-in policy, where users opt in to receiving unsolicited correspondence, rather than having to opt out. ...more

Toshiba delays HD DVD, again

Toshiba USA has said it will be delaying the launch of the first HD DVD players until April - a month later than planned. The official reason given is that it wants to synchronise the debut of the HD-A1 and HD-XA1 players with the release of a number of movie titles. At January's Consumer Electronics Show Toshiba said it would launch HD DVD in March. ...more

Supporting the encryption of XML

W3C - the body that looks after Internet standards - has announced the launch of the XML Encryption Activity. Its aim is to specify the data model, syntax, and processing necessary to best help encrypt XML content. Because XML (the eXtensible Markup Language) is designed to preserve the logic of data - rather than be a literal mark up language, such as HTML - the encryption could be used wherever sensitive data is to be transmitted. ...more

CeBIT 2007: Sneak preview

The biggest names in the IT industry are putting the finishing touches to their stands at CeBIT 2007, but our team in Hannover has sneaked on to the show floor to find out what we can expect to see over the coming week. In the consumer and digital entertainment halls there's one big theme this year: high-definition displays. The centrepiece of the Sharp stand is an enormous 108in LCD TV (pictured below), which the company claims is the world's biggest. ...more