Sexually explicit spammers targeted in new lawsuits

Microsoft has announced seven new lawsuits against email spammers. The defendants, who have yet to be identified, are accused of emailing sexually explicit content in a way that contravened the US CAN-SPAM law. Microsoft says they violated the provision in CAN-SPAM known as the 'brown paper wrapper', i. ...more

EU sets targets for recycling batteries

The EU has announced that it has reached an agreement on targets for the collection and recycling of batteries. European Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas, said that new Battery Directive aims to ensure the collection and recycling of all batteries in the EU at the end of their useful life. The EU hopes to end incineration and landfill-disposal of batteries, and the consequent threat to both the environment and public health problems posed by the heavy metals they contain. ...more

Broadband rollout continues apace

BT has announced when another batch of exchanges are to be upgraded to ADSL broadband. ...more

London cabbies spurn SatNav

It maybe all the rage among BMW-driving reps, but London's cabbies are spurning SatNav in favour of the tried-and trusted Knowledge. According to Bob Oddy, general secretary of the London Taxi Drivers' Association, few drivers have bothered to install the technology since they were permitted earlier this year. 'I would say take-up has been about four or five per cent, maybe higher for drivers doing the airport runs and those doing jobs in the London suburbs,' Oddy said. ...more

IBM inside

IBM is to launch its first branding campaign, for when its technology features within third-party products. Along the lines of Intel's Intel Inside branding on PCs and other technology products that raised the recognition of the Intel brand to the ranks of Coca-Cola and Levis, the IBM sticker will show a blue and white striped logo in the shape of a peeled back flag with the tag line "IBM Technology". The first product to get the IBM seal will be Nintendo's GameCube, which launches in Japan mid September. ...more