BT signs up Marconi for Multimedia Terminals

Public phone boxes as we know them could be replaced by multimedia 'Web phones' following a deal between BT and Marconi. E-mail, text messaging, full Internet access and general 'location-based services' for e-commerce are among the offerings that should appear in the 28,000 (Marconi-built and BT-managed) terminals. With a built-in keyboard and tracker ball, the design is intended to be robust enough for such British public spaces as bus and rail stations and shopping centres and motorway service stations. ...more

Intel digs chips off a new block

Intel has developed new materials to take transistors to new levels of miniaturisation and speed. Researchers in Intel's labs have produced a high resistance 'dialectric' they call high-k that insulates against current leakage more than one hundred times better than the current silicon solution. And as the standard transistor gates won't work with the new material, they have also successfully developed a metal gate to resolve this. ...more

Improving prospects for NTL

Embattled Internet and TV company NTL has reported improved earnings for the latest financial quarter, despite a fall in the number of subscribers to its services. Earnings rose 3.6 per cent over the quarter and the company reduced its net losses from $1. ...more

The Christmas present no one wants

A federal agency in the United States has warned of increased hacking activities over the Christmas festivities. The National Infrastructure Protection Center has issued a warning of an "increase in hacker activity specifically targeting US systems associated with e-commerce". Sources of information behind the alert include the FBI. ...more

Outlook gloomy as Infineon reports losses

Infineon Technologies, posting fiscal year 2002 results, has reported larger-than-expected losses for its fiscal fourth quarter (ended September 30) and a less-than-optimistic outlook for some segments in the first part of 2003. The German DRAM maker surprised analysts with a quarterly net loss of about $511m, up from a net loss of $77m in the previous quarter and $528m a year earlier. The company cited a deferred tax valuation allowance of $277m as included in the net loss. ...more