Norwich sets UK broadband first

Norwich is to be the first UK city with its own dedicated high-speed broadband network. A system that will cover the city centre, business parks and Norwich Airport could be up and running in 2004. By using existing installations such as sewers, river beds and spare ducting, the project is expected to save some 60 to 70 per cent on schemes that involve digging up the roads, and is designed to provide small and medium-sized businesses - who might be put off by the high cost of leased lines - with affordable broadband access. ...more

Sony sends robot to nursery

A Sony robot is going to nursery school, mingling with the young children to learn how to interact with humans. This rather startling development is part of a study into artificial intelligence and human-machine interaction. The humanoid robot - dubbed Qrio (after Quest for Curiosity) and developed by the Sony Intelligence Dynamics Laboratories - has been conscientiously attending the school in San Diego California since March, reports Kyodo News. ...more

VeriSign keeps hold of .com

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced that VeriSign will keep control of the .com domain name until 2007. At the moment, VeriSign has . ...more

Thin's back in, says NEC

NEC is attempting to breathe new life into the thin client market with the launch of its Virtual PC Center. The company claims the Virtual PC Center offers all the functionality of a desktop PC environment, but with the security, cost and manageability benefits of thin clients. Its desktop thin client - the US100 - is the size of a hardback book (155 x 104 x 34mm) and can be attached to the back of an LCD screen, so that it has no desktop footprint whatsoever. ...more

Google boxes clever for enterprise search

Google has announced that it will introduce a new version of its search technology that will be designed to delve deep into business software applications and databases. The Google OneBox for Enterprise will be a customisable solution built into the search hardware boxes that the company has been selling for the last four years. The software will allow administrators to create organisation-specific searches where employees can use the standard Google interface to search for information such as contacts or calendars and sales or purchase information. ...more