Majority of Britons Now Use Internet (Excite News, March 27th)
While US net usage crept above the 50% mark last year, the UK crowd is quickly gaining ground, with a recent survey indicating that some 51% of Britons have used the Internet.

TI Backs Fingerprinting for Wireless Web (Excite News, March 26th)
The rise of wireless net devices that may hold personal and proprietary data has raised several security concerns. Texas Instruments has expressed its interest in the field by making a substantial investment in a biometric security firm, AuthenTec, whose technology aims to protect devices through fingerprint identification.

Europe to Lead iTV Revolution (internet.com, March 26th)
The Yankee Group predicts that more consumers within Europe will access the net through digital TV units than PCs by 2005.

Time for Plug and Go Internet? (BBC News, March 26th)
Freeing the internet from the restrictions of the PC, mobile device giants Ericsson and Nokia have released two hot internet appliances aimed at providing increasingly user-friendly experiences to consumers.

Adobe to Unveil 3D Software (CNET News.com, March 25th)
Although 3D net worlds have been considered as a possible hot application for a while now, VRML and related technologies have not yet lived up to the hype (or hope) as yet. A new release by Adobe however, entitled Adobe Atmosphere, hopes to change all that by making the form more user-friendly to developers and users alike.

MIR's Return Paralyzes Websites (7AM News, March 23rd)
Hot news events such as the smooth MIR re-entry often generate huge surges of web traffic. Such heavy bursts would be of great benefit to publishers - if existing servers could cope with the load. Unfortunately, as was demonstrated this week, excessive server load can cause said servers to crash, effectively disabling sites during their most crucial (and potentially profitable) moments.

Peer-to-Peer: The Promise of Shared Computing Resources (Application Planet, March 21st)
In theory, P2P networks promise amazing things. By aggregating computing power across networks, particularly during a PC's idle time, amazing advances in data processing and file sharing can be acheived.

After the Hoopla Dies (SignOn San Diego, March 21st)
After losing the house through the irrational stock prices associated with the tech sector last year, wireless pundits are not considering a slower rollout of services, with a focus on developing a business plan that shows signs of turning profit.

The Internet's Absolute Worst Threat (NewsFactor Network, March 20th)
Forget the stockmarket or the efforts of competing media, the security analysts suggest that the most severe threat facing the Internet today are hackeers, crackers and cyber-terrorists, who could potentially cause the entire communications infrastructure to grind to a halt if they were to bring down major routers or DNS servers through virus dissemination, DDoS attacks or security breaches.

The Recording Industry's Secret Weapon Exposed (7AM News, March 20th)
In a shocking exposé, 7AM News has revealed screenshots from an application that the music industry is supposedly using to track illegal action through file trade systems, IRC chatrooms, newsgroups and FTP. The software apparently tracks users by time and IP address, and reporting back to their ISPs in an attempt to cut down on piracy. Read more about this battle here.

Bringing the Desktop Into the Net Age (TheStandard, March 19th)
Tech visionary David Gelernter has developed an application he hopes will revolutionize digital file storage and retrieval.

WeMedia Develops Talking Browser (ElectricNews.net, March 16th)
An amazing new browser aims to assist people with disabilities by providing features such as text-only browsing, translation and speaking text options, enlarged buttons, etc has been developed by a New York-based firm. It is presently available as a free download for Windows platforms. You'll find a review of this application, and another browser competing for the same market here.

Wireless Looks for a Lift to Clear Adoption Hurdles (internet.com, March 16th)
With users of wireless web services set to soar within the next 5 years, those looking to enter the market must be aware of the hurdles to be faced. Competing service providers, a hugely competitive environment, narrowband networks and the unproven nature of wireless advertising and m-commerce make the medium unpredictable, and frought with economic risk.

Web Executives Play Down Wireless Internet Hype (Excite News, March 16th)
Executives are using due diligence when considering their entrance into the mobile communications market. It seems that you can teach an old dog new tricks ;-).

In-Car Net Access Ready to Hit the Road (CNET News.com, March 15th)
Californian-based company MobileAria hopes to have voice-activated net devices active within cars by midyear. Palm will build the devices to bring services such as e-mail, driving directions, restaurant and hotel referrals, news and stock quotes to gadget-loving drivers in the United States.

A Web of Babel (Salon.com, March 13th)
Here, Esther Dyson, ICANN's former chairwoman, speaks about the future of ICANN and the effects that New.net and others will likely have on the online landscape.

The VDSL Experience (ISP Planet, March 13th)
With traditional phone lines being supplanted by the deployment of fiber optic lines, the next generation of direct subscriber lines are shaping up to vastly increase the speed of consumer internet access.

Technology: Is That All There Is? (Wired News, March 13th)
While IT and the so-called 'New Economy' has changed the way many industries operate, they have yet to eliminate many of the most mundane and unnecessary elements of life. This article introduces some concepts that would make IT products more pervasive and intuitive.

BlueArc Hopes Its New Server Will Bypass the Web Bottleneck (MSNBC, March 12th)
A Silicon Valley startup has created server systems that it says alleviate many of the problems associated with present data bottlenecks. That is, while networks no longer inhibit speedy data transfer, the storage systems and general-purpose processors present in today's servers do. BlueArc escapes this by basing its system on an assembly line of specialist components, each of which performs a particular task at blinding speeds.

Usenet Users Up In Arms After Deja Sale (USA Today, March 12th)
Before the Web, the center of interactivity and community on the internet were the Usenet discussion boards. While many usenetters have migrated to web-based forums, the archives still provide a valuable resource for millions the world over. This article indicates how Google's purchase and temporary removal of the Usenet archives have caused uproar within their user ranks. Thinking of jumping aboard the newsgroup bandwagon? Check out this primer.

New Web Browser Thinks Inside the Box (The Nando Times, March 11th)
Architect Mike Rosen's CubicEye browser takes an old concept - user familiarity with 3D room-shaped environments - and melds this with the Web environment to create a browser that allows you to interact with 5 pages at once - with one plastered to each internal 'wall' of the room. This is an exciting development for power-users, and could extend to operating systems and other environments if proven popular. Read more about this here.

PCs of the World, Unite! (BusinessWeek Online, March 9th)
We've all heard about Seti@Home, the revolutionary program that allows users to install a screensaver onto their conputers that utilizes your PC's processing power while the computer is idle to crank through mountains of data related to the search for extra-terrestrial life. Now, FightAIDS@Home and many other startups are hoping to proceed along the same lines - using the raw power of networked PCs to analyze data in seconds that would otherwise occupy their in-house supercomputers for years.

Cyber Cafes to Boost Learning (BBC News, March 8th)
In an effort to bridge the digital divide, the UK goverment has supported the launch of several cyber cafes that will operate out of community centers to provide net access and basic computing skills to those who do not have access from home.

Cellphones Make Online Shopping Safer (Yahoo! News, March 7th)
A Singapore-based company Systems+Work has come up with a unique security system to safeguard online transactions. It combines online encryption with password protection and the personal link between a user and his/her mobile phone SIM card.

Young Internet Users Prefer E-Browsing to E-Commerce (internet.com, March 7th)
A study conducted by Ipsos-Reid into online activity of youth aged 12-24 within 16 countries has found that internet usage is very high, and that youth regularly visit shopping sites to window or comparison shop, but rarely make purchases. Of all countries, US youth are thus far the most prolific online buyers.

Laptop Surfers Take Unplugged Plunge (USA Today, March 6th)
While smaller wireless devices have yet to support high-speed methods of access or delivery, laptop users who live and work in US-based urban areas are finding some success with the emerging high-speed wireless networks.

Be Cautious About Wireless Web Growth (Newsbytes, March 6th)
With many new cellphones and palm computing devices coming equipped with technology that allows their users to access the wireless net, the number of people to use this platform is set to skyrocket during the next few years. Despite its rapid uptake rate though, regulations, narrowband connections and limited user interest create obstacles that may impede innovation and commercialization.

Surf the Net Through Your Power Socket (Excite News, March 2nd)
With cable modems and DSL providers already at war for market share, a new firm based in Germany promises to bring broadband access to the masses through their existing electricity sockets.

Broadpage Widens your Browsing Horizons (Boston Globe Online, March 1st)
One of the most innovative features offered within the Opera browser is its support for multi-window browsing. Now, BroadPage provides this functionality to IE users. This piece of software enables you to view two or more sites side-by-side, or navigate through several tab-seperated browser windows.