Sony and DoCoMo sign up to mobile gaming

With the news that NTT DoCoMo is bringing its popular i-mode service to mobile users in Europe, even better is that you'll soon be able to use its handset to play PlayStation 2 games. NTT DoCoMo's six global partners have signed an agreement with Sony to develop the technology to link the devices. And now that the PS2 has Internet connectivity, we should soon see gamers all over the world competing with each other, whether from a console in the front room, or a mobile on the train. ...more

Microsoft investigates release of Internet Explorer 6

Microsoft is investigating the unauthorised release of beta versions of IE6, after it was posted up on the Web. Someone has been breaking non-disclosure agreements. The browser - beta build 2403 - was released to a wider world than authorised testers when it started to appear on various software enthusiast sites, for example The-Ctrl-Alt-Del. ...more

Broadband support gets airborne

The search for an answer to the last-mile broadband riddle has taken to the skies after a US company moved closer to enabling high-speed connections via unmanned solar-powered aeroplanes. SkyTower claims to have achieved a world first by successfully testing a commercial telecom application using a relay 65,000 feet in the air. In tests this summer, the solar-powered planes allowed engineers to surf the Web using laptops with a wireless link. ...more

Microsoft promises to hang patent fire over web services

Microsoft has announced that it will not assert patent claims against those involved in a range of web services standards. The move has been welcomed by the open-source community. Redmond's Open Specification Promise (OSP) shows Microsoft's commitment to ensuring the unencumbered progress of a range of some 35 WS-X web service standards covering security, policy management and communications, regardless of the final specifications of these standards. ...more

AOL buys its way into music downloads

AOL demonstrated another shift in its changing priorities when it announced the acquisition of the online music downloads service Music Now. In a burst of originality the new service will be called AOL Music Now. Currently available in the US only, Music Now allows visitors to either buy music at 99 cents a track or through a subscription basis from any Internet-connected PC for $9. ...more