MIT to launch cheap laptops

The MIT Media Laboratory is to launch a prototype of a $100 laptop in November that is designed for use by school children to stimulate learning outside the classroom, particularly in developing countries.

IT World says the laptops should start appearing in volume in late 2006 and will be initially targeted at SA, Egypt, Brazil, China and Thailand.

According to developers, the rugged 500MHz laptop will run a "skinny version" of the open source Linux operating system. It will have a two-mode screen, so it can be viewed in colour or black-and-white for viewing in bright sunlight. The laptop can be powered either with an AC adapter or using a wind-up crank.

The laptops will also have four USB ports, be WiFi- and cellphone-enabled and come with 1GB of memory.

Organisers of the World Cup soccer competition have warned that Internet fraudsters are using the FIFA name in a global phishing scheme, particularly targeted at SA, Spain and Britain.

According to News.Com, several groups are distributing fraudulent e-mail messages that claim to be associated with the FIFA soccer committee. The e-mails tell recipients they have won a lottery and ask them to disclose personal information, including bank account data, in order to collect their winnings.

The latest phishing attack comes only months after a computer virus spread widely via an e-mail promising free tickets to the 2006 World Soccer Cup.

Technology to make voice calls over broadband has hit the UK market with the launch of Freetalk kits that enable users to make calls over the Internet using a phone handset and without switching on a computer, reports BBC News.

The Freetalk voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) kits are sold with a monthly subscription, enabling users to make free UK landline calls and cheaper international and mobile calls.

The Freetalk kit includes an adaptor, which connects the phone directly into the Internet, eliminating the need for a computer.

Like other Internet phone call systems, the services let people choose their own area code wherever they live in the UK, but the kit keeps its phone number, even if it is plugged into another broadband connection. This means people can use their home phone number anywhere in the world.

Toshiba`s US launch for its HD DVD players has been delayed until at least February next year, but the company says its next-generation DVD player will probably still be out before those with the competing Blu-Ray format backed by Sony.

A Red Herring report says Sony and Toshiba have been waging a three-year battle for supporters of their respective formats, both of which promise better visual quality and storage capacity over current-generation players.

The players with the HD DVD format backed by Toshiba were originally scheduled for release in the US by the end of 2005.

Toshiba says the HD DVD delay is because partners such as retailers, studios and replication houses do not want to release anything before all the hardware and software is ready.

Dell is expanding its luxury line of XPS PCs, which already includes gaming desktops and laptops.

PC Mag says XPS will now signify a special class of high-end entertainment PCs and will offer specialised customer support, new services and better security implementations in addition to standard high-end components and features such as Windows Media Centre Edition 2005.