Comment: UK really really keen for digital TV

A new poll conducted by Gallup for set-top box manufacturer Pace Technology says that half of UK viewers are planning to have digital TV by the end of the year. In a poll of a thousand people, the research shows that digital TV is more popular with younger people. Some 38 per cent of those aged between 25-34 already receive digital TV, while 33 per cent of 35-44 year olds have already switched. ...more

Music stores face closure of Microsoft DRM programme - reports

Microsoft is planning to cease development of the PlaysForSure DRM technology that it provides to online music stores and portable player manufacturers, according to reports. According to reports coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft will concentrate exclusively on its Zune platform, which is not compatible with PlaysForSure. Microsoft has neither confirmed or denied the reports, which draw on comments made by an executive for one unnamed music service and have been confirmed by others in the industry. ...more

Broadband growth in Europe set to plateau

Broadband growth across Europe is expected to falter at about 60 per cent, according to analysts Datamonitor. In its latest report, 'Consumer broadband markets: approaching maturity?', the company predicts that in the next 18 to 24 months the aggressive pace of broadband adoption across Europe will follow a similar pattern to the uptake of dial-up and begin to plateau. 'The current situation in many markets can be best described as one of rapidly increasing penetration, where broadband has effectively entered its growth sweet spot,' says Tim Gower, enterprise communications analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report. ...more

Almost half SMEs are virus lazy

Survey shows 42 per cent of SMEs don't update virus protection more often than weekly. A survey from Sophos reveals that 42 per cent of SME businesses and nearly a third of large businesses leave themselves open to attack by failing to update antivirus software more regularly than once a week. The survey, in which Sophos polled 4,500 administrators from companies of all sizes from across the globe, reveals that with 150 new viruses detected - some of them spreading in minutes - companies are leaving themselves unnecessarily vulnerable to attack. ...more

Creative shrinks Zen MP3 players

After the Micro, the Neon, the Touch, the NX, the Xtra and the USB 2, there's another Zen family of MP3 players from Creative - the Zen Nano Plus. The 'ultra portable' model, which works with MP3 or WMA files, comes in 3 capacities - 256MB, 512MB and 1GB - and a range of 10 colours. It is a reworking of the MuVo Micro N200 series and commemorates, according to Creative, the 10th anniversary of the MP3 format. ...more