The Cloud has a silver lining for Vista users

The Cloud, which operates Europe's largest number of Wi-Fi hotspots, is offering UK-based Vista users a month's free wireless access. Until 30 April 2007, all Vista users who register with The Cloud will be able to connect to its 7,500 hotspots nationwide, located in coffee shops, hotels, train stations, pubs and airports. This is in addition to the 'hotzones' that provide coverage within the city centres of Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford, plus the City of London and the boroughs of Camden, Islington and Kensington. ...more

Apple and Google in video talks

Apple and Google are reportedly in talks over providing video content to be available through Apple's forthcoming 'iTV' device. Apple broke with its tradition of closely guarding details of future products when it recently previewed its set-top box for wirelessly transmitting video from a Mac or PC to a TV. Now, according to reports from Newsweek, , Google's consumer product chief, Marissa Mayer, has confirmed that the two companies are 'engaged in talks' over video content. ...more

Symantec launches Norton 360 security suite

Symantec has launched its eagerly awaited Norton 360 security suite in the US today. A UK launch isn't due until March, and will cost ?59.99 inc VAT. ...more

Gates promises more transparency and security

In an email to Microsoft customers, Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's progress towards Trustworthy Computing and admits 'there is still more to do - at Microsoft and across our industry'. The 'executive email' concentrates heavily on what the company has already achieved: investing more than $200m in improving Windows security; taking whole sections of the workforce off the production line to introduce security training and practices; automating security analysis and updates, and offering clearer explanations of security issues to consumers; and making new products secure by default as oppose as features turned on by default. Championing Microsoft's Palladium initiative, Gates waxed lyrical on the benefits of the 'new hardware/software architecture' that will allow physical areas of the system to be 'curtained off' from others. ...more

Nine in ten surfers keep up-to-date virus protection

In our recent poll, 92 per cent of site users had installed regularly updated antivirus software. With reports from Sophos claiming that the Klez worm has been in the top ten most infectious worms for more than a year, we can safely say that our readers are doing their bit to make the Internet a safer place by shutting out nasty viruses with up-to-date protection. Many of our readers say installing antivirus software is the result of bitter experience. ...more