Stories by Ian Paul

GE crams 500GB of data on DVD with holographic tech

General Electric Global Research says it has figured out a way to put up to 500GB of data on a regular-sized DVD disc under laboratory conditions. GE says its breakthrough was achieved by writing 3-dimensional patterns that represent data onto a disc made of highly reflective material. The disc then acts as a mirror that makes it possible for a laser to pick up the entire piece of data. GE's process doesn't just put information onto the surface of the disc--as DVDs and CDs do--but etches the micro-holographic patterns below the surface of the disc as well.

Mozilla Fennec

Mozilla this week put out its first beta release of Fennec, the mobile version of its Mozilla Firefox web browser.

Ten iPhone 3.0 Features You'll Love

Apple unveiled iPhone OS 3.0 which boasts over 100 new features. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until the summer to get our hands on the new iPhone operating system. To tide you over until then, take a look at 10 iPhone 3.0 features that look the most promising.

AT&T Plans to Double 3G Speeds

AT&T is doubling the download capacity of its HSPA 3G network just before a new iPhone device is expected to launch. The new speeds take AT&T's capacity from 3.6 Mbps to 7.2 Mbps for 3G devices. Called HSPA+, the tweaked network is currently in two test markets and will roll out across the country later this year, according to Telephony Online.

Ogg and friends challenge Flash

Mozilla has given US$100,000 to improve and develop Ogg Theora, an open source video codec being developed by the Xiph.org Foundation. Wikimedia will disburs funds over a six-month period. Although not the best-known video format, Ogg already has some major support from web developers. Theora will be built into Firefox 3.1, which is currently in Beta 2, as well as into Norway's homegrown browser Opera. Theora is also the video format of choice for all Wikimedia Foundation projects.

Netbook popularity reshapes tech sector

We've all heard about the netbook phenomenon. They're small, low on power, ultra-cheap, super portable and the fastest growing segment of the computer industry.

Best five MacWorld Expo rumors

Steve Jobs may not be coming to MacWorld Expoin San Francisco next week, but that hasn't stopped the Apple rumor-rama from charging ahead at full speed.

3G iPhone unlock expected

The iPhone Dev Team (not the Cupertino version) plans to release the first ever software-based unlock application for the iPhone 3G on New Year's Eve.

Top searches of 2008

The year is coming to a close, but the endless year-in-review articles are just beginning. Google's annual Zeitgeist is out today with its compilation of the most popular search terms around the world.

Storm fans lash out at critics

When Research In Motion's first touchscreen device, the BlackBerry Storm, came out a few weeks ago, many BlackBerry fans hoped to see a viable challenger to Apple's wildly popular iPhone. According to critics and fans alike, what they got instead was a gigantic flop.

New OS Reaches for the Clouds

Good OS has introduced a new operating system for the Internet era called "Cloud," which is the successor to company's Linux-based gOS that Wal-Mart introduced in a line of Everex desktops last fall. The Everex computers were pulled from the shelves only months later after Wal-Mart cited a "tepid customer response."

Gmail gets emotional

You know that guy who replaces every period in his e-mail with a wink ;) ? Well, if he's got Gmail, watch out -- because now he can take his emoti-madness to a whole other level.