Mobiles to Leapfrog Into the Future (BBC News, September 30th)
One of the things helping developing countries to rapidly close the communications gap with the West is the mobile phone.

US P2P Hacking Bill Draws Support, Critics (The Register, September 30th)
US lawmakers last week sat down with proponents and opponents of a controversial bill that would allow copyright holders to use techniques critics compare to "hacking" to prevent content being pirated on peer-to-peer networks.

Cyantel Launches Mobile Child Finder (ElectricNews.net, September 30th)
Irish telecom software developer Cyantel has developed a new technology that allows parents to pin down the location of their children using a mobile phone.

PDA Revenue Found in Consumer, Wireless (CyberAtlas, September 30th)
Latin American market growth is on par with worldwide forecasts, as competing vendors try to seize share from Palm.

Spam Opponents Turn to Lawsuits to Stop Junk E-mail (Forbes.com, September 30th)
Anti-spam advocates are hoping that lawsuits will do what technology and state laws have so far failed to do -- stopping what has become the digital equivalent of swatting away flies at a picnic.

The Power of Utility Computing (ASPNews.com, September 30th)
The emergence of a universal computing grid will create the need for a new breed of service provider - a role that telecoms and hosting providers are well-suited to fill.

Mouse Scans Palms to Verify ID (PCWorld.com, September 27th)
Fujitsu is eyeing a variation on the centuries-old art of palmistry as the latest biometric weapon against unauthorized access to computer systems and facilities. The company has developed a computer mouse that will scan the palm of the user and deliver not a look into the future but verify the identity of that person.

Will Satellite Radio Catch On? (ABC News, September 27th)
The plan behind satellite radio: stage a revolution in which listeners pay for the right to listen to music or talk — uninterrupted or disturbed by fewer commercials.

Wireless Cable Modem On the Way (80211Planet, September 27th)
The general setup for the average home or small business network goes like this: Take your cable or DSL modem, plug it into a router, and use it to share the high-speed Internet connection with all the networked PCs. Toshiba America Information Systems, Network Products Division of Irvine, CA, has announced a new cable modem that might let you skip that router step.

Nvidia and ATI Trade Fire on All Fronts (HardwareCentral, September 27th)
The 3D rivals are waging war across the middle and value segments of the market with an unprecedented array of new chips, cards, and (an AGP 8X GeForce4 MX?) potential hype.

NCS Prepping 'Gee-Whiz' Pilot (FCW.com, September 26th)
The National Communications System is in the early stages of a Global Early Warning Information System (GEWIS) pilot project in which government and industry will examine the health and topology of the Internet.

US Slow on Wireless Data Uptake (eMarketer, September 26th)
There will be 23.4 million mobile data service subscribers in the US by the end of this year, according to Yankee Group, but those numbers should double annually until 2004.

Nokia Provides Cosmetic Launch of 3G Phones (Reuters, September 26th)
The unveiling of Nokia's first, next generation color-screen mobile phone on Thursday will enable US mobile operators to test fast 3G networks but will mean very little for consumers until next year.

More Than Just Games (ABC News, September 26th)
Now that its blockbuster game console PlayStation 2 is hooked up to the Internet, Sony Corp is ready to upgrade the machine further so it can record television shows.

The Dark Side of Wireless Number Portability, or Lack Thereof (M-Commerce Times, September 26th)
You can't take it with you. Your cell number, that is. That's what the carriers would like to able to tell you when you do the old switcheroo and opt for another cellular company. But is such an intransigent attitude helping or hurting broader adoption of wireless wonderments in the m-commerce world?

An iMac Wanna-Be, Or Really Nice PC? (HardwareCentral, September 26th)
Think Apple's modern-art iMac was the first LCD-screened desktop? Gateway's all-in-one Profile has been around since 1999, and the new fourth generation combines blazing Pentium 4 power and a cool 17-inch flat-panel display at an affordable price. Is this the peak of PC chic?

Update on Latin American Wireless (eMarketer, September 25th)
Mobile subscribers outnumber fixed-line subscribers across Latin America. How long will it be before the steep growth rates level off?

Technology vs. Civil Liberties? (The Washington Post, September 25th)
The US government's increased use of biometrics security technology continues to worry some privacy activists.

Canada's Cyber-Snooping Plans Raise Ire (Reuters, September 25th)
Proposed amendments to Canadian laws that would allow police to monitor e-mail is worrying privacy experts and leaving Internet service providers wondering who will pay for the probing of their customers' Internet activity.

Digital Snapshot of the Future (BBC News, September 25th)
Digital cameras and the net are radically changing the way that people think of and use images, the head of photography firm Kodak has said.

Openwave Browser Boasts Color, Cookies (internet.com, September 25th)
Openwave launched two products Tuesday aimed at providing PC-like Web browsing on IP-based 3G phones in the U.S.

Are Media Companies Missing the Boat? (internet.com, September 25th)
A new study suggests that media companies are spending too many resources of battling the tech revolution, while failing to develop strategies to recognize and leverage their online intellectual property assets.

Intel Is Kicking Silicon at AMD (BW Online, September 24th)
The upstart's soon-to-be launched Clawhammer chip, while a step forward, may not be enough to keep pace with the giant.

New Technologies Showcase the Not-too-Distant Future (USA Today, September 24th)
The bar is noisy, yet the blaring music makes an impression just the same. You might actually buy the record if you knew the title and performer. So you pull out your cell phone, dial a four-digit number and hold the phone up near the speakers for 15 seconds. Moments later, a text message arrives on the handset with the song's name and artist. You might even be able to buy the CD right from the phone.

Library Of Congress Goes Grid (GridComputingPlanet, September 23rd)
Grid computing technology may soon be used to preserve such priceless artifacts of American history as films of the Spanish-American War and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the photographs of Matthew Brady and Ansel Adams, and Walt Whitman's notebooks.

Report: Demand Low for Broadband Among U.S. Consumers (USA Today, September 23rd)
Almost all U.S. families live in areas where a high-speed Internet connection is available, but many see no compelling reason to pay extra for it, the government reports.

Greek Net Cafes Face Ruin (BBC News, September 20th)
Greek police have been accused of using "Taleban tactics" after a fresh wave of arrests under a controversial law banning all forms of computer games closed down internet cafes around the country.

Canesta Launches Invisible Keyboard (ElectricNews.Net, September 20th)
Finger cramps from typing into mobile phones or PDAs could be a thing of the past following the launch of a full-sized keyboard made out of light.

Bringing Criminal Justice Into the Information Age (CIO Information Network, September 20th)
When police stopped Mohammed Atta two months before he flew a plane into the World Trade Center, they let him go, not knowing the next county had issued an arrest warrant for him. Using XML and Java, one state is hooking up its courts, police and jails, so that doesn't happen again.

Memory Wars - The Double-Edged Sword (HardwareCentral, September 20th)
It seems DDR memory has hardly had a chance to enjoy its recent replacement of SDRAM and RDRAM as the unchallenged PC standard - now performance systems are starving for even more bandwidth, and everyone from VIA, SiS, and Nvidia to Intel and AMD has a stake in the race.

High-Speed Connects High-Income Homes (CyberAtlas, September 20th)
Broadband is the connection of choice for high-earning U.S. households, with cable modem maintaining the top spot over DSL.

BT Spending Big Bucks on Broadband (internet.com, September 20th)
After a dismal year of debt-wrangling and restructuring, the company has high hopes for wiring Britain with ADSL, and is willing to bet $50 million on its latest ad campaign in order to stimulate the transition. Meanwhile, however, residents of those regions that are unafforded the privilege of being able to switch to broadband are reacting negatively to the campaign.

Reason to :-) (ABC News, September 19th)
It was 20 years ago today that Scott Fahlman taught the Net how to smile. A bout of casual discussion concerning the birth of everyone's favorite emoticon may be found here.

Is Apple's Innovation Only Skin-Deep? (NewsFactor, September 19th)
Apple is well known for bringing new styles and form factors to the world of computing, but is the fruit inside as tasty as the shiny Apple exterior might imply? After all, the company's groundbreaking original Macintosh GUI was based on an interface in use at the Xerox PARC research center years earlier, and many of its newer products are heralded more for their innovative design than for great leaps in technological capability.

Phone Makers Hope Games Lift Sales (MSNBC, September 19th)
The mobile-phone industry hopes wireless games will catch on by offering arcade action on handsets, but flaky software means it is unlikely to score big soon.

PC Backup: Bother or Benefit? (eMarketer, September 19th)
Although 57% of US personal computer (PC) owners say they have lost an electronic file they thought was sufficiently saved, only 26% say they "frequently" back up the information on their computer, according to the Imation Data Storage Survey.

Tauzin Sets New Digital TV Deadline (MSNBC, September 19th)
U.S. lawmakers are working on an effort that would render standard televisions and VCRs obsolete within five years by requiring broadcasters to switch to digital, copy-protected signals.

American Surfers Keep It Simple (CyberAtlas, September 19th)
A profile of online behavior indicates gaps between gender, age, and income levels with some common threads among access and activity.

Cell Phone Users Flip for AOL Instant Messaging (USA Today, September 18th)
The company's nascent rollout of its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) for wireless phones is quietly paying dividends. The number of unique users — many teens or young adults — swelled to 500,000 in the past month from just 500 in November, AOL says. Mobile phone companies charge for the AIM service, with AOL getting a small cut of monthly fees of $3 to $12 or per-message charges of about 10 cents. Revenue is small but growing.

Controversial Web Filtering Storms Schools (internet.com, September 18th)
Under the Children's Internet Protection Act, which takes affect this school year, the use of Web filters is mandated in order for most publicly funded schools to receive so-called e-rate funds for Internet access and internal connections. But civil liberty groups, teachers, and students around the nation are up in arms about the filters, asserting that the software is ineffective, often blocking access to sites needed for study.

Startup Pioneers Wireless Peer-To-Peer Technology (CRN, September 18th)
Startup Greenpacket Wednesday plans to announce a peer-to-peer technology that lets mobile workers create a wireless LAN on the fly, even when no access point is present.

Finally, a Killer App for Broadband (ISP Planet, September 18th)
Someone has finally found the killer app for broadband. That’s right—broadband’s killer app has been located and it is sports-on-demand. The real question is: What took so long?

Click and Watch (ABC News, September 18th)
Want to kick back and relax at home with a good Hollywood movie? Soon, you'll have to choose from your DVD player, cable TV system, a local video store — and the Internet.

Biometric Tests Uncover Passport Fraud (ZDNet, September 18th)
The Australian government is poised to crack down hard on identity fraud amid indications trials of biometric technology are already unveiling instances of individuals illegally securing multiple passports.

Bush Cybersecurity Plan Found Short on Details (MSNBC, September 18th)
A national computer security disaster is simply a matter of time, Bush administration officials said Wednesday at the unveiling of proposals for securing America’s slice of cyberspace. “The worst case has not happened,” said Richard Clarke, the administration’s cyber-security czar, and while the plan contains no new proposed laws, it instead depends heavily on “empowering” ordinary citizens to “secure their piece of cyberspace.”

Cybersecurity: No Mandates, Only Ideas (internet.com, September 18th)
The Bush Administration's long awaited "National Strategy for Securing Cyber Security" will be released Wednesday in a draft proposal form at a Stanford University press conference. Industry reaction to the drafted plan has been mixed, with many suggesting that while awareness is good, until something is put into law, there will be little incentive for the private sector to shore up its security infrastructure. Read more on that here.

Senators Introduce Nanotech R&D Legislation (NanoelectronicsPlanet, September 18th)
Concerned that the United States is in danger of falling behind European and Asian nations in supporting nanotechnology, three members of the U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday to promote nanotechnology research and development.

Ranking the Top 20 Global ICT Markets (eMarketer, September 18th)
With an index rating of 65.88, Hong Kong and China lead the world in terms of mobile and internet implementation and efforts, according to the latest ITU report.

Does M-Commerce in Asia Hint to the US' Future? (eMarketer, September 18th)
Though US users may consider mobile commerce a foreign concept, Japan and South Korea offer clues as to what could lie ahead when m-commerce develops stateside.

Net, TV Are Often Roommates (internet.com, September 17th)
comScore Media Metrix reports that 45.1 million US net users have their net-enabled PC and TV in the same room, and roughly one-half tune in to both at the same time. But, they are not necessarily viewing related content. More on this may be found at eMarketer and ElectricNews.Net.

Help On The Way In Spam Wars (Datamation, September 17th)
New spam-fighting tools will flood the market in the next 18 months, helping companies and consumers battle the growing deluge of spam that's filling inboxes with an increasing amount of porn and money schemes. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Hotmail service has given its spam-filtering systems a significant boost by employing technology from Brightmail, as noted within this article.

Internet As Weapon (ABC News, September 16th)
Intelligence experts worry that the next terrorist strike on the United States will be what they call a "swarming attack" — a bombing or suicide hijacking combined with a hit on computers — that will make it tougher for law enforcement and emergency teams to respond.

The Coming Virus Armageddon (NewsFactor, September 16th)
Computer virus writers are known for building on each other's work to create ever-deadlier malware. In the future, a truly malicious code might not create an immediate uproar by hitting the Internet with a big bang. Instead, it could slowly and quietly seize control of a vast number of computers, doing significant but not immediately apparent damage to data.

The Missing Link (SF Gate, September 16th)
Users wait for a way to send digital content from PC to TVs and stereos, while Sony's PlayStation entertainent system makes inroads into the area.

Pew Survey: College Net Use at 86% (MSNBC, September 15th)
Student usage is considerably higher than general population.

The Supercomputing Speed Barrier (NewsFactor, September 13th)
The Q supercomputer eventually will be able to surpass 100 teraflops, Los Alamos National Laboratory spokesperson Jim Danneskiold told NewsFactor. "We don't see a significant barrier, and we've announced plans for 200 teraflops," he said.

IM Giants Told to Work It Out (CNET News.com, September 13th)
Two weeks ago, six top financial institutions met privately with AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, IBM and other leading corporate instant messaging providers and urged them to build communications networks that interoperate. For the Wall Street firms, a lack of IM interoperability has been a source of increasing frustration and a possible pinch on profits.

Widespread Use Despite Abuse (CyberAtlas, September 13th)
The good news: almost every internet user has an active e-mail account. The bad news: many of the incoming messages are unsolicited.

Revisiting Information Security Issues One Year Later (eMarketer, September 13th)
Before 11 September 2001, only 22% of worldwide IS professionals said their companies were "very concerned" about cyberterrorism and its impact on their firms, compared to 48% who said the same this month, according to an ISAlliance/NAM/RedSiren survey.

Canadian Internet Use Continues to Grow (eMarketer, September 13th)
eMarketer predicts Canada will post double-digit compound annual growth in internet users through 2004. Electronic banking has shown the greatest surge in popularity among online activities.

Phones Join File-Sharing Revolution (BBC News, September 12th)
Soon you could be using your phone to share music, games and images with almost anyone, just like you used to do with Napster.

Cecom Pitches Virtual Environment (FCW.com, September 12th)
The Army has many technologies and ideas that could help first responders do their jobs better in disaster situations, and the service thinks it has found the perfect place to collaborate with the entire homeland security community: cyberspace.

Hong Kong Leads High-Speed Pack (eMarketer, September 12th)
Nielsen//NetRatings reports that 66% of Hong Kong households were making broadband connections as of Q2, and eMarketer estimates there will be 749,000 high-speed households in Hong Kong by the end of this year.

Pay-Per-IM is Here (internet.com, September 12th)
Cross-network instant messaging client Trillian has dipped its toes into the premium market with the new Trillian Pro version, the first time a consumer-focused IM application will require an annual subscription.

Online Privacy at Odds with Security (internet.com, September 11th)
With the wise words of former US President Benjamin Franklin - who once remarked, "...those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve, and will have, neither." - seemingly forgotten by a paranoia-enriched post-911 society, act after act is being brought upon the populace that threatens to obliterate the few vestiges of freedom and privacy that we had held firm through the Cold War. This article looks at the sacrifices made as ISPs and telcos increasingly transform into readily-accessible libraries of surfer data.

Media Player War Picks Up Steam (RedHerring, September 11th)
Although the control of video-compression standards may not seem like one of the strategic choke points of the digital age, a hard-fought battle is being waged between several industry kingpins. The companies involved - Apple Computer, DivXNetworks, Microsoft, and RealNetworks - say compression is the key to opening new markets for video entertainment. One of the central battlefields is that of alternative platforms beyond-the-PC. Set-top systems for digital TV and wireless devices are two fronts in which Microsoft is presently vying for position against DivX particularly, as this article attests.

Interactive TV Gaining Acceptance (CyberAtlas, September 11th)
Gaming and t-commerce may lead the way for enhanced television services, particularly in Europe.

Mozilla Rising (Salon.com, September 10th)
Netscape won't dislodge Internet Explorer from its hegemony over browser space. But its open-source sibling is aiming at even bigger game: Windows. Meanwhile, open-source operating system Linux is making in-roads into the desktop market, with vendors Red Hat and Sun Microsystems releasing consumer and corporate desktop versions to compete with Microsoft.

Broadband Market Going Strong in Australia (eMarketer, September 10th)
ACNielsen reports that the number of broadband subscribers in Australia now stands at 500,000, thanks in large part to the rise in local advertising by ISPs offering high-speed.

Technology Versus Terrorism (NewsFactor, September 10th)
Satellite-based communications networks can help combat terrorism, according to a new report issued by Datacomm Research. These networks were originally built for ordinary civilian communications, but they failed to compete effectively with land-based cellular networks. However, some are proving to have significant military and security applications. Part II of this feature may be found here and Part III here.

Anti-Trusting Microsoft (RedHerring, September 10th)
Acclaimed legal scholar Lawrence Lessig takes a look at the obstancles facing an effective roll-out of Microsoft's ambitious security and digital-right-management system - dubbed 'Palladium' - given the little faith that consumers have in promises made by the beast from Redmond.

Securing Cyberspace (Fortune.com, September 10th)
The U.S. is still vulnerable to cyber-attacks, say experts. But with more and more broadband connections in homes, your computer could be the next target.

Bush Administration Considering Creation of Cybersecurity Fund (USA Today, September 9th)
The Bush administration is considering creation of a fund that would combine tax dollars and money from the technology industry to pay for Internet security enhancements, according to internal documents from the government's effort to develop a national cyberprotection plan.

Survey Says: One-Third Vulnerable to Cyberattacks (internet.com, September 9th)
Despite a high level of awareness of the risk of computer attacks even before the events of last Sept. 11, a new survey of information security specialists shows almost one-third of the companies queried say they may still not be adequately equipped to deal with an attack on their computer networks by cyberterrorists.

ISPs Gird for Copyright Fights (CNET News.com, September 9th)
Record companies and movie studios have long turned to Internet service providers for help in their battle against online piracy, but ISPs are beginning to balk at what they see as increasingly onerous demands to step up pressure against online copyright infringement.

Microsoft Rolls Out Windows XP Update (internet.com, September 9th)
Service Pack 1 will let computer makers and users avoid key Microsoft middleware programs, as mandated by the company's pending antitrust settlement. CNET's somewhat-unflattering review of the 140MB download may be found here. Another critical review of the buggy upgrade may be found here.

HP Leaps Toward Next-Generation Memory (Nanotech Planet, September 9th)
Researchers at Hewlett-Packard have announced three breakthroughs in the field of molecular electronics, which combine to give a glimpse of the future of memory.

Microsoft, Allies Gear to Reshape Copyright Debate (Reuters, September 7th)
An industry push to tighten security on personal computers could be either the salvation of electronic commerce or the bane of consumers, who view the Internet as their digital information playground.

Study: 20% of U.S. Feels Web Is "Essential" (internet.com, September 6th)
Internet media -- including the beleaguered streaming sector -- continues growing in importance to consumers, according to Arbitron and Edison. In fact, 20% of Americans surveys claim that the Web is the "most essential" medium in their lives.

Wearable Computers to Go Mainstream (ElectricNews.net, September 6th)
Computers worn on wrists and belts and woven into clothing are set to move from the margins to the mainstream over the next couple of years, a new report has said. Present applications of wearable devices include the use of Protolex' prototype systems that are being used to hasten the repair job effected on the Pentagon in the wake of its September 11th damage. For more on that, see this Wired News article.

Wireless Surfer Numbers Grow (CyberAtlas, September 6th)
Proving that Internet users are more than 'mouse potatoes' are reports from comScore Networks, Inc. estimating that between 5 and 10 million Americans surf from cell phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

RealNetworks, MLB.com Put Games on Cellphones (internet.com, September 6th)
Rabid baseball fans are being targeted for the new Gameday Audio Mobile service, which broadcasts live baseball games on mobile phones nationwide.

Will Bush Say Phooey on FOIA? (internet.com, September 6th)
While the Senate debates a Homeland Security bill that would create a $38 billion, 170,000-employee department aimed at defending the nation's physical borders and securing the government's computer networks from cyber attacks, corporate America is anxiously awaiting a White House report detailing the private sector's responsibility in protecting the country's IT infrastructure from a possible terrorist attack.

Almost Organic: MIT Develops Life-Like Robotic Creature of the Deep (ABC News, September 6th)
It looks like an oversized sea anemone, but it doesn't exactly behave like one. Instead, the Public Anemone robot follows its own instincts in an interactive, alien-like setting and offers an entertaining study in what robots might become in the future.

National Science Foundation Launches Grid Testbed (Grid Computing Planet, September 6th)
Eight universities are participating in a National Science Foundation-coordinated effort to deploy and evaluate emerging technologies that will link applications and services across the Internet.

Baby, You Can Network My Car (80211 Planet, September 6th)
The next stop for Wi-Fi might be in the dashboard, as your 802.11-equipped car downloads new music and pays for your tolls, gas, and drive-through purchases.

Study: Most Support Government Web Action (SiliconValley.com, September 5th)
More than two-thirds of Americans say it's OK for government agencies to remove public information from the Internet, even though many didn't believe it would make a difference in fighting terrorism, a new study finds. But Americans were evenly divided on whether governments should be able to monitor e-mail and Web activities, with 47 percent opposed and 45 percent in support.

A Story Of Piracy And Privacy (The Washington Post, September 5th)
The recording industry and the nation's largest telephone company are crossing legal swords in what could be a test case of how far big record labels can go to track down computer users who swap music online. Meanwhile, techies are beating out new systems that promise to offer some level of control and identification of copyrighted material, while not impending on basic 'fair use' rights or otherwise limiting the enjoyment of an entertainment product. More on that is mentioned within this Wired article.

Lights, Cameras, Wireless Video? (M-Commerce Times, September 5th)
Is watching a movie on your phone the next m-commerce blockbuster, or simply the latest case of smoke and mirrors?

Rights Group Decries Internet Guerilla Warfare (NewsFactor, September 5th)
A respected international rights group, Reporters Without Borders, has released a report claiming that Internet privacy and freedom are being significantly curtailed by measures taken by some governments to combat global terrorism. Yet more on the erosion of privacy enforced by governments in the alleged interest of security is noted here.

Philips, Sony to Foster Comms-with-Payment Standard (CommsDesign, September 5th)
Royal Philips Electronics NV and Sony Corp., two global consumer electronics companies that frequently work together, have said they will establish a new short-range wireless communication technology to allow data and services to move between their products under access and payment controls. More on the ultra short-range radio technology in question is mentioned here.

Microsoft Launches New Media Player (MSNBC, September 4th)
Microsoft Corp is stepping up efforts to court Hollywood. At a lavish event in Los Angeles Wednesday, Microsoft plans to introduce a preliminary version of its latest multimedia software for the Internet — Windows Media 9 — that it promises will bring the experience of viewing video on the Web a little bit closer to watching television. The new product, earlier code-named "Corona", is explored further within this Internet.com article.

Review: Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.0 Public Beta (CNET, September 4th)
Just weeks after RealNetworks debuted Player Plus - which can play every file format under the sun - and almost a month after AOL released a new version of Winamp, Microsoft has just released a public beta of Windows Media Player 9.0. Featuring improved playback, a new Services button that links to music-subscription services, and snazzier video, the new Player is meatier than those of the past. But does Redmond really have your interests at heart?

What Can Nanotech Do for You? (NewsFactor, September 4th)
While tiny technology, such as minuscule robots that take inventory or scan the bloodstream for signs of disease, never fails to amaze, it also tends to generate skepticism over the extent of its practical applications. But experts say that nanotechnology and, more immediately, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are already benefiting a range of industries and are poised to deliver significant advances in computing and business.

Intel to Unveil Nanotechnology Plans (CNET News.com, September 4th)
Intel will unfurl its nanotechnology plans at its developer conference next week, shedding light on what will power its chips for the coming decades.

Steal This Car! (Salon.com, September 4th)
General Motors wants to take its pioneering EV1 electric automobiles off the road, claiming the experiment to have failed the economic test. But the geeks who drive them won't let go of the steering wheel.

Sony Unveils Net-Connected Hard-Disk Video Recorder (Reuters, September 4th)
Japan's Sony Corp gave a fresh peek on Wednesday into its strategy for linking consumer electronics to the Web, unveiling a Net-connected video recorder that can seek out and record TV programs it thinks its owner would like.

ATI Is Gunning for NVidia (RedHerring, September 4th)
Nvidia's graphics chips are no longer invulnerable as a former market leader comes from behind with a killer GPU.

Asia-Pacific Claims Greatest Share of World's Online Population (eMarketer, September 4th)
In its latest report, Asia-Pacific Online, eMarketer reports that there will be over 180 million net users in the region by year-end 2002.

Report: Anti-Terror Efforts Pinch Privacy (CNET News.com, September 3rd)
In the year that has elapsed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the world's governments have moved to restrict privacy, boost surveillance and increase linking of databases, according to a survey released by a pair of advocacy groups on Tuesday. MSNBC reports more on the issue of an ever-degrading sense of privacy in a tech-laden and security-centric world, in this article.

Bush Administration to Call for Privacy Czar (internet.com, September 3rd)
The Bush administration is expected to call for the creation of a federal chief privacy officer to help minimize criticism of increased electronic surveillance capabilities attached to its National Strategy for Securing Cyberspace.

China Blocks Google Search Engine (The Mercury News, September 3rd)
China has blocked access to popular U.S. Internet search engine Google amid government calls to tighten media controls ahead of a major Communist Party congress. Update: As of September 12th, the ban was lifted as suddenly and mysteriously as it had begun. Read more here. More on the controversy raised by this issue is presented in this article.

Weatherbug to Distribute Emergency Alerts to PCs (internet.com, September 3rd)
WeatherBug is expanding its standard weather service to visually and audibly notify PC users about any Civil Emergency Message (CEM) alerts that are issued by federal, state and/or local officials.

UWB: A Disabling Technology In the Aair? (UltrawidebandPlanet, September 3rd)
Could ultrawideband force airplane passengers to forego using their laptops on all flights? Yes, if preliminary tests by Britain's Civil Aviation Authority and NASA prove to be conclusive.

Get Ready For Video-Over-IP (CommWeb, September 3rd)
One analysis of the burgeoning voice-over-IP industry suggests that this technology is setting the stage for a wide variety of video-related applications that run over on corporate LANs. In fact, Ethernet technologies are beginning to usurp applications in the professional video arena that had previously been the exclusive province of specialized, or proprietary, networks.