Robotic heart by-pass

London surgeons are to perform the first heart by-pass in the UK using tiny robots. At St Mary's in Paddington, the new virtual surgery simulators have been installed and specialist surgeons are being trained in how to use the new equipment. The system consists of two parts, the base station where the surgeon controls the robot using a monitor and the actual robot, which features three arms. ...more

HP goes B2B against Dell online

In a bid to challenge Dell as the undisputed champion in direct sales over the internet, HP has launched its "Business to Business" web site. The company claims that the new site offers an end-to-end purchase, delivery and billing system that will make it easier for companies to manage their IT budgets. The site, confusingly at customeradvantage. ...more

Microsoft returns to patching for June security update

Microsoft is expecting to announce a slew of patches for security flaws in its monthly update next Tuesday. Following last month's lull, which was clear of critical updates, 14 June will see Redmond's Windows product range subject to seven patches. The most severe is rated as Critical and some will mean computers need to be restarted. ...more

French AFP news service sues Google

The French news service Agence France Presses is suing Google for at least $17.5 million because the search engine allows AFP copyright pictures headlines and stories to appear via its Google News service. AFP is also demanding an injunction which bans Google from showing such material accord to papers filed at the U. ...more

Broadband opened up

BT has been ordered to allow broadband suppliers to make ADSL interconnections to its network, in a move designed to give a 'major boost' to broadband competition. The ruling, by industry regulator Oftel, will allow broadband suppliers to take DSL traffic from BT's network and carry it on on their own. This will enable the provision of what Oftel calls, 'a much wider range of broadband services in competition with BT. ...more