Digital TV set to reach 274 million households in Western Europe and the US by 2012
[Chris Khouri] Digital television services are experiencing strong growth in Western Europe and North America as analog switch-off looms and consumers demand additional digital services. 21 Aug 2008 06:18

Japan demands probe into cause of nano flame-outs
[Erika Morphy] Several incidents of iPod nanos bursting into flames have created consumer jitters in gadget-happy Japan. Apple is downplaying the problem, pointing out that no major injuries or damage have been reported. The problem is due to defective batteries, the company said, and only a tiny percentage of the devices have caught on fire. 20 Aug 2008 12:04

Plan B for Toshiba: The low-cost road to high definition
[Chris Maxcer] After losing the high-definition DVD format war to Sony's Blu-ray, Toshiba is digging in around the standard definition DVD market. The company has launched a new upscaling DVD player, the XD-E500, which promises to bring standard DVD quality closer to high-definition (HD) than ever before. 19 Aug 2008 11:21

Stix game controller takes Wii-style play to PC
[Barbara Ortutay] USA - Looking at its size, shape, white wrist strap and B-button on the bottom, it's easy to compare the Stix with the Wiimote, the wireless controller for the popular Nintendo gaming console. Except the Stix is for your PC. 15 Aug 2008 09:38

Google killer, brand killer
[Patrick Carmody] On an infamous Friday in 1993, Marlboro rocked the business world by slashing the price of its premium brand - a mini-crash ensued as all brands were suddenly deemed brittle. ‘Marlboro Friday' has since proved to be a wobble rather than a seismic shift as brands have continued to command healthy and often increasing profit margins over a sustained period. The recent launch of search engine Cuil (28 July 2008), although seemingly innocuous, again raises some Marlboro Friday-type questions around the value of brands, this time in the Web 2.0 economy. 15 Aug 2008 09:02

Where there's a web, there's a way: A business guide to getting social
Web 2.0 represents big opportunities for small businesses. With so many free and low-cost utilities on the Web, the cost of advertising and communicating with customers and using convenient online tools is low enough for many SMBs to afford. The trick is to align your online activities tightly with your overall business strategy. 14 Aug 2008 08:23

Lenovo bulks up with latest laptop release
Targeting a segment of the laptop market it hasn't previously gone after, Lenovo launched the W700 ThinkPad Workstation. The unit is one of the first to be built with Intel's Core 2 Quad-Core Extreme processor. It isn't light, though, weighing in at 3.8kg (8.3 lbs.) 13 Aug 2008 11:37

The incredible shrinking desktop
[Brier Dudley] Budget laptops and the iPhone have been getting most of the attention in gadget circles lately, but there's another intriguing trend under way. 11 Aug 2008 10:44

HomeChoice 'saves 50% on call costs'
SA home shopping giant HomeChoice says that it has implemented a VoIP solution from Orion Telecom. VoIP technology converts voice calls from analogue to digital to be sent over digital data networks. 8 Aug 2008 13:16

'GTA IV' to move in on PC's turf
[Walaika Haskins] PC gamers will see the release of 'Grand Theft Auto IV' (GTA IV) for their platform of choice this fall. Game developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two announced Wednesday that the popular title will hit store shelves on 18 November 2008. 7 Aug 2008 10:11

Get a shot of James Bond's limited edition mobile
Sony Ericsson, in an exclusive partnership between Sony Ericsson and MGM Pictures/Columbia Pictures, is launching a limited edition Titanium silver C902 Cyber-shot phone as used by James Bond in the eagerly awaited Quantum of Solace. The new mobile phone will make sure users are ready for any challenge, immersing them into the world of a secret agent with interactive 007 content and a spy-style game. 6 Aug 2008 13:08

Making mobile networks cheap and green
[Jennifer L. Schenker] It has taken 21 years to get mobile phones into the hands of 3 billion people around the world. Reaching the next 1.5 billion, who live in the world's poorest and most remote corners, is expected to take a lot less time but will pose much tougher challenges. 6 Aug 2008 11:21

NMMU leads the way with new technology for repelling bugs
[Sipho Masondo] The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) has pioneered a range of ground-breaking insect repelling products which have now been patented in over 40 countries. 5 Aug 2008 08:41