In-flight WiFi premieres

One of the US's last Internet-free zones was plugged in yesterday as a fleet of American Airlines jets became flying WiFi spots, offering passengers full, in-flight Web access, except for phone calls, says San Francisco Chronicle.

E-mailing and messaging from 30 000 feet became reality with the launch of Gogo, a service from Aircell that was introduced on three non-stop routes, from New York to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami.

The first such service in the US, Gogo promises wireless broadband at your seat, enabling fliers to keep working, and playing, on the device of their choice.

Mobile broadband over 3G may be able to offer speeds to compete with ADSL, but it can't offer access to the Olympics - at least not from the BBC, which is blocking mobile users from video streams of the event to comply with International Olympic Committee (IOC) rulings, says The Register.

Those wanting to watch the latest developments at the Olympics should be sure not to rely on a 3G USB dongle, such as those being pushed so heavily by the mobile operators, as the BBC is refusing to provide content to those it can't locate.

The corporation complains that it can't be absolutely sure where a mobile broadband user is, and they're not going to take any chances upsetting the IOC by streaming video out of the country.

Data protection officials in Germany have called for privacy laws to be tightened amid a scandal over illegal sales of personal data, reports The BBC.

The officials say they were able to buy six million items of personal data on the Internet, including bank account details and phone numbers.

The data cost just 850 euros, the officials said. Call centres and lottery firms are suspected of trading in the data. Prosecutors are now investigating.

Yahoo has outlined an effort to provide the software underpinnings of network-enabled TV, a move that could transform not only what it means to watch TV, but also what it means to advertise on it, says CNet.

Though the TV experience has been spiced up by voting for American Idol contestants, it generally has retained its famously passive character. Yahoo wants to change this by bringing a version of its Yahoo Widget Engine, a software foundation that can run small applications called widgets, to network-enabled TVs.

This new version, called the Widget Channel, will resemble the version that's available for PCs, but will come with a different user interface to let programmers build widgets that can be controlled from a distance with a remote control, said Patrick Barry, Yahoo's VP of connected TV at Yahoo.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has asked the UK government to consider introducing lower VAT rates for firms using "sustainable materials and less virgin raw resources", reports Computing.co.uk.

The move will come as a boost for prime minister Gordon Brown, who first proposed such a tax cut more than a year ago in a joint statement with French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

In response to the Lords report, a treasury spokesman said: "The government has been engaging constructively at EU level for more widespread application of reduced VAT rates to energy-saving and energy-efficient products."