Japanese company bids to build methanol powered mobile

Japanese corporation KDDI is looking to be the first to develop a commercial mobile phone powered by fuel cell technology. Working with Toshiba and Hitachi, the company is planning a fuel cell that would extract hydrogen ions from methanol to generate power, reports NE Asia Online. According to the website, simply replenishing the supply of methanol would enable the battery to operate continuously - no recharging time would be necessary. ...more

Check for spyware before installing SP2 warns Microsoft

Windows users who install Service Pack 2 should first scan their systems and remove any spyware, according to a Microsoft Executive. Quoting a group product manager, Barry Goff, Associated Press is saying that some computers might lock up when SP2 is installed. It is said that certain spyware already resident on the machine might interfere with the new security features. ...more

AMD aims for a quiet revolution

AMD has set out a new range of its desktop processors with the emphasis on low power consumption. The company has announced new energy efficient AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core, AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Sempron processors, based on the new socket AM2 design. Two new types of lower power design are being introduced - a standard 'energy efficient' range and an 'energy efficient small form factor' series. ...more

Hewlett-Packard agrees German CD-R fee

Leading hardware manufacturer Hewlett-Packard has agreed to pay a new levy, in Germany, that is meant to compensate musicians and artists whose work has been duplicated by CD burners. The company has signed an agreement to pay 3.60 marks (?1. ...more

Mobiles are must-have toys for Xmas

Mobile phones will be given as presents by 10 per cent of the population this Christmas, says a report from NOP Research Group. This translates into a further 4.7 million phones being added to the UK total, but the most interesting news is that 16 per cent of those intending to buy a mobile will buy one with WAP. ...more