Tag Archives: UK

BT boasts one-million strong Wi-Fi hotspot network

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BT boasts one-million strong Wi-Fi hotspot network

As a prime example of a large telecoms company embracing a concept rather than railing against it, British Telecom has announced a one-million user strong Wi-Fi network. BT’s customers are expected to spend over a billion minutes on Wi-Fi this year, thanks to a not insignificant amount from iPhone users. Hotspots include the BT FON Wi-Fi community of ordinary users sharing a separate part of their home connection with the public, plus BT Openzone nodes. To celebrate, BT is running a competition in which you have to locate the millionth hotspot. Read more »

NewsNow not welcome on The Times web site

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NewsNow not welcome on The Times web site

Do you remember my rant last month about the Right2Link campaign? It seems as if News International, the British newspaper publisher owned by News Corporation, has decided it doesn’t want the patronage of visitors to NewsNow, a UK-based content aggregator. News International has told NewsNow that it is no longer to link to content on The Times website (no link, for obvious reasons) despite the fact that some two million visitors would have benefited from seeing the content. They’ve done it purely by using the robots.txt file, and because NewsNow is a reputable service, it has honoured that block. What’s interesting is that no other aggregators have yet been targeted. Read more »

Nokia UK announces Calling All Innovators winning mobile app developers

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Nokia UK announces Calling All Innovators winning mobile app developers

Nokia has revealed the winners of its latest Calling All Innovators contest to find a range of innovative new applications for its Ovi Store. The overall winner was the woZZon search engine application that gives access to a 60,000-strong database of geocoded venues and 90,000 unique events. When used with Ovi Maps, it makes it easy to find local events, whether they’re huge stadium gigs or small, local shows. The winning company wins £20,000, a place in the Ovi Store, plus ticket and travel to a Nokia developer event in Spring 2010 and one year’s membership to Forum Nokia Launchpad. Runner-up apps were Little Spender, which tracks spending behaviour; Live Read more »

Cool British LEGO advert from the 1970s

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Forget CGI for the moment and take a look at this wonderful British TV ad from the 1970s for our old favourite: LEGO. I don’t know what TV ads are doing Stateside (or elsewhere) at present, but in the UK there’s a resurgence of ads from the 1970s and ’80s. I think it’s probably because the kids who grew up with these adverts are now in nostalgic mode and have kids of their own. Narrated by the late, great British comedian Tommy Cooper, it shows off the versatility of LEGO (assuming you have a lot of it) in a humorous way, with various LEGO creatures and objects pitting themselves against Read more »

Britain to get 50p broadband tax

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Britain to get 50p broadband tax

British netizens who are already paying through the nose for broadband will no doubt be irritated to learn that a new “broadband tax” will be introduced in the next budget. Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced that the 50p per month tax will be added to the bill of every household with a fixed line telephone. Given that many broadband users have to keep a landline in order to use the Net, even if they don’t make phone calls with it, this will be sure to raise a fairly substantial revenue. The £6 (about $10) per year tax will be used to fund “super fast broadband”, particularly in rural areas which Read more »

Top ten Christmas gadgets are so predictable

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Top ten Christmas gadgets are so predictable

Honestly, I despair. The Great British public has no imagination. It has plumped for the technological equivalents of underwear for its top ten list of Christmas presents this year. Name a really exciting gadget that you would really like for Christmas, and it won’t be on the list. Not the list compiled by publisher CNet UK, anyway. 1. Ooh, look, Sony has brought out a slim version of the PS3. That’s number one. Don’t worry that you’ve already got a PS3. 2. The iPhone isn’t on the list, but the HTC Hero smart phone is. Maybe it’s because it’s cheaper. 3. Those who don’t want a PS3 Slim still want Read more »

Brits spend three days a month online. Is that all?

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Brits spend three days a month online. Is that all?

I do hope you’re enjoying the survey results we’ve discovered recently, because here’s another one for you concerning how much time Brits spend online. Now, either I spend way too much time online (read, just the right amount of time) or people are underestimating, because the figures from a survey by a price comparison website found that Brits spend just three days per month online. I spend three days a day online. (Yes I did mean to type that, it was supposed to be humorous.) UK peeps say they’d struggle to organise their lives without access to the Internet, and that they’d contact their friends and family far less without Read more »

British IT workers seventh healthiest profession. Doesn't include gamers

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British IT workers seventh healthiest profession. Doesn't include gamers

A new survey for a British medical company has revealed the healthiest and unhealthiest professions to be in, and while chefs and farmers are the least healthy, it seems that IT workers are the seventh most healthy. Does that surprise you? Of course, “IT worker” isn’t particularly specific, and where there may be some highly paid techies who are eating salads, running to work and not boozing or smoking heavily, there are sure to be some others who are glued in front of their computer screen with only caffeinated drinks and fast food to keep them going. And exercise? We don’t even have the need to visit the mall now Read more »