Most of us in the modern day world lead stressful and hectic lives. We do not have the time to indulge in outdoor fun and games. And recreational activities are restricted to weekends. In this context, it makes a lot of sense to invest our money in some of the “best” gadgets in consumer electronics [...]
Amber is considered a gemstone or a semi-precious stone and is the name that refers to tree sap or fossil resin which is basically appreciated for its color. This stone is also used for the manufacturing and production of different jewelry pieces and other ornamental objects. Most of the amber that exists toady would be [...]
The Televisions that use Liquid Crystal Display for an improved image quality are termed as the LCD Televisions. This is one of the latest inventions of technologies in TV and computer monitors. LCD televisions are easy on the eye and the intensity of strain to the eye balls is greatly reduced. Thus they make prolonged [...]
If you are planning to buy a gadget as a gift for someone special or for yourself, then you need to employ certain guidelines in choosing the best. Receiving gadgets can be one of the coolest things yet choosing the right one for a person can mean a big difference. Also, with a lot of [...]
pRegulator Ofcom was yesterday sent back to the drawing board to rework plans to reduce the time it takes for customers to switch mobile phone network while retaining their number, after losing a crucial court case./ppThe competition appeal tribunal (CAT) yesterday ruled that the regulator needed to rethink its plans after failing to provide sufficient evidence to back up its claim that changing the so-called number porting regime would cost the industry pound;5m./ppLast year, Ofcom announced plans to reduce the time it takes to switch from five days to two hours by September 2009. It has now come down to two days and a company called UK Porting has been formed to act as a central database for all phone numbers./ppBut Vodafone, which mounted a legal challenge against Ofcom’s plans in January, estimates the real cost of the regime will be closer to pound;37m per network, or a grand total of pound;185m. It was joined in its challenge by O2 and Orange./ppThe judgment was met with dismay by rival operator 3, which pointed out that the UK shares its “number porting” regime, in which customers must ask their old operator before they quit, with only one other country, the Dominican Republic. As the smallest of the five UK networks it is in the interests of 3, owned by Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, to make it as easy as possible to leave the big four operators./pp”Vodafone and the other incumbents have fought this all the way,” said a spokesman. “Ofcom is trying to achieve fast, hassle-free mobile number porting to give UK consumers flexibility and choice, but the incumbents have consistently put up roadblocks./pp”UK consumers might well ask why are the incumbents going to such lengths? Consumers ought to be able to expect more competitive pricing and a painless process when they choose to move to a new operator.”/ppHe pointed out that customers of Vodafone and O2 - as well as 3 - in Ireland have been able to switch between operators in about 20 minutes for many years. The CAT, however, threw out 3’s argument that the number porting regime distorts competition./ppA spokesman for Vodafone stressed the company’s objections to the plan were over Ofcom’s bad maths. “We are fully behind number portability. What we object to is a costly and ill-conceived plan,” he said./ppThe CAT was particularly scathing about Ofcom’s lack of evidence to substantiate its calculations, saying: “At the hearing, counsel for Ofcom stated that the figure of pound;5m was adopted from internal working by Ofcom staff. The calculation did not appear in any documents before the tribunal.”/ppA spokeswoman for the regulator, whose plan included proposals for changing the way that numbers for fixed line phones are moved to other operators, said it will continue with attempts to simplify the porting process./pp”Following today’s judgment … Ofcom will reconsider its decision on telephone number portability for consumers switching suppliers … Ofcom is giving careful consideration to the CAT judgment and is considering next steps.”/pimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’http://www.guardianfeeds.co.uk/c/288/f/7511/s/1eb7496/mf.gif’ border=’0′/div class=’mf-related’pRelated Stories/pullia href=’http://www.guardianfeeds.co.uk/c/288/f/7511/s/1ead98d/story01.htm’NHS staff will be required to seek patients’ consent before accessing electronic medical records/a/lilia href=’http://www.guardianfeeds.co.uk/c/288/f/7511/s/1eb3e89/story01.htm’Tech’s high rollers scoff at Wall Street/a/lilia href=’http://www.guardianfeeds.co.uk/c/288/f/7511/s/1eb7497/story01.htm’FBI on the trail of hackers after Palin’s emails made public/a/lilia href=’http://www.guardianfeeds.co.uk/c/288/f/7511/s/1eb7498/story01.htm’Missing link: creationist campaigner has Richard Dawkins’ official website banned in Turkey/a/lilia href=’http://www.guardianfeeds.co.uk/c/288/f/7511/s/1eb7499/story01.htm’Click to download: Oasis and Third Eye Blind/a/li/ul/divdiv class=’mf-viral’table border=’0′trtd valign=’middle’a href=”http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/sep/19/telecoms.regulators?gusrc=rssfeed=technologyfulllink=Ofcom forced to rethink number portability plan” target=”_blank”img src=”http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif” border=”0″ //a/tdtd valign=’middle’a href=”http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/sep/19/telecoms.regulators?gusrc=rssfeed=technologyfulllink=Ofcom forced to rethink number portability plan” target=”_blank”img src=”http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif” border=”0″ //a/td/tr/table/divbr/br/a href=”http://da.feedsportal.com/r/19345390108/f/7511/c/288/s/32208022/a2.htm”img src=”http://da.feedsportal.com/r/19345390108/f/7511/c/288/s/32208022/a2.img” border=”0″//a
‘The Internet rules us all’ seems to be the gist of a new YouGov survey that polled thousands of people to discover just how addicted to the Internet we really are.
Apart from 87% of us stating that the Internet is our main source of information, we’re also a lazy bunch with a third saying they’d choose the Net over exercise for a month. Oh yeah, we’re also going to burn in the fiery pits of Hell because almost half believe the Net is more important in people’s lives than religion. Sacrilege!
The survey, carried out for 118118, highlighted our increasing junkie tendencies towards the Net and how - wait for it - ‘Discomgoogolation’ ['a feeling of distress or anxiety when unable to gain immediate information access'] is making us all crazy.
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Do you feel that you can’t live without your mobile phone?!!
Cell phone abuse is gradually becoming a world wide epidemic, which is now affecting millions of men, women and children.
Like substance abuse, excessive use of mobile phones can lead to personal problems.
Mobile-addicts can be seriously affected at the psychological level but, as they don’t show [...]
India’s second largest IT services business, Infosys Technologies, yesterday swooped on UK-based Axon Group with an all-cash offer of £407m as it attempts to strengthen its position in European markets. The deal will see the three men who founded Axon in 1994 walk away with nearly £70m.
Infosys employs more than 90,000 people, with the majority in India. IT consultancy Axon has 2,000 employees and works with firms that use business software from German developer SAP.
Infosys chief executive Kris Gopalakrishnan, one of the original team of seven who founded the company in 1981 with only $250 (£140), moved to assuage fears that the deal would lead to job losses and mass-outsourcing of Axon’s work to the subcontinent. He said there is little overlap between the clients of the two companies.
“It is very important to us that people stay and make the whole thing work,” he stressed. “We are doing this acquisition so we can leverage all the employees.”
The deal, which values Axon at 600p and is being funded from Infosys’s cash pile, has the backing of Axon’s management and its founders who hold just under 17.9% of the business.
The deal will crystallise the fortune of Mark Hunter, the Belfast-born IT expert who stepped down as chairman at the end of last year. He was part of the three-man team who founded Axon back in 1994, and brought it to the stock market five years later. He has been selling down his stake over the past few years and now holds just under 11.5% which is worth £44m.
Co-founder Donald Kirkwood will receive more than £14.4m for his remaining shares while the last of the original team, Paul Manweiler, will get about £10.4m.
Axon has expanded into the US over recent years, buying rival Feanix in 2005 and clinching three further deals the following year. It also has operations in Asia including a base in China.
In April at the company’s annual meeting chief executive Steve Cardell, who Infosys hopes will remain with the business, said “despite the uncertain macroeconomic environment, trading has been encouraging”.
Axon is due to report its half-year results this morning with analysts expecting revenues of about £120m and operating profits of about £20m.
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Consider me to be in a state of shock. For nearly half a decade Diebold has always responded in the identical way to every single report of a problem or security vulnerability with its e-voting machines: attacking those who pointed out the problem and claiming it really wasn’t a problem at all. This has happened time and time again that I’m not even sure how to react when the company (renamed Premier to get away from the Diebold name stigma) has finally admitted that its machines have a flaw that drops votes. Oops. It’s warning 34 states that use the machines of the problem which was highlighted in the lawsuit Ohio filed against Premiere/Diebold. Not only that, but it’s admitting the flaw in the software has been in the software for the past decade.
So, uh, why was the company blaming anti-virus software just a couple months ago?
It should also make us question Premier/Diebold’s longstanding claim that independent outsiders should not be allowed to inspect its machines for problems. Of course, Diebold execs are already downplaying all of this, claiming that they were “confident” that this hadn’t actually impacted any elections, though they offer no proof of that. The company’s president admits he’s “distressed” that they were wrong in their previous analysis, but he fails to explain why the company is so against letting outsides inspect the machines to avoid such flaws. In the meantime, the company insists that the problem will be patched in time for the November election, and I’m sure we’re all confident that there won’t be any other problems with their machines, right?
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You may remember a story we had last year about a principal at a school so overreacting to some students creating a fake MySpace profile for him that he took them to court. It’s one thing to ask MySpace to take down such a profile or to discipline the students in school (both of which would likely backfire as well), but to take them to court seems extreme. And, apparently, the courts think so too. An appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that there was no defamation or intentional infliction of emotional distress in the case. Of course, the judge does also scold the kids for their “unacceptable” conduct. Luckily for the kids, “unacceptable” wasn’t against the law in this case.
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