Internet-over-powerline becomes reality

The first US broadband Internet-over-powerline site covering 25 square kilometres has been inaugurated in Manassas, Virginia, reports Information Week.

Service provider, COMTek, says similar installations could be rolled out in the next two years in other communities across the US.

With about 700 initial subscribers, COMTek is targeting the 12 500 households in Manassas, providing broadband Internet connectivity for $29 a month. The company says it plans to eventually offer a voice over Internet Protocol service.

The Internet-over-powerline technology has been put forth as an alternate to DSL and cable broadband, and is viewed as a way of bringing the high-speed solution to rural areas that are too expensive to be reached by DSL or cable.

An Internet security company says a new phishing threat spread by instant messaging (IM) forces computers to install faked Google software, which then goes phishing.

According to an eWeek report, FaceTime Security Labs says this is the first time this sort of phishing attempts have been made using IM.

In the recent cases, IM users unwittingly download a rogue Google tool bar, which is installed on a Web browser and provides easier access to an Internet search provider.

Microsoft is creating a "Cluster Compute" version of Windows and intends to work more closely with grid industry standards bodies to make its operating system work better with data-intensive computing grids, reports News.Com.

Grid computing describes ways to make several machines work together to tackle computing jobs more efficiently by letting multiple applications share formerly separate resources or by automatically juggling priorities.

Microsoft`s competitors, such as IBM, Sun Microsystems and Oracle, have already launched plans for grid computing, which mostly use Linux on low-cost servers.

A hundred people are to take part in WiMax trials in Belfast and Birmingham as British Telecom (BT) tests the market for this form of wireless broadband.

The Register says BT is partnering with US-based Navini Networks to carry out the pilots, which will run until March 2006.

According to the report, Navini`s WiMax systems are already being used in Europe, Australia, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Americas.

BT is said to be bullish about wireless broadband and is on record as saying WiMax is expected to take the place of current 3G mobile phones.

Oscar-winning film director Peter Jackson and his team are to produce the planned film based on popular video game Halo, reports BBC News.

The report says Jackson will use his Weta production facilities in Wellington, New Zealand, where the film will also be shot. Author Alex Garland has written the script, which is said to draw heavily on the game. A director and cast are expected to be named in coming weeks.

The Halo game was originally released in 2001 and has sold more than five million copies around the world. A sequel was released last year.

Microsoft sold the Halo movie rights for lb2.8 million plus 10% of movie ticket sales.