London comes under the cloud of wireless Internet access The City of London Corporation is partnering with private Wi-fi firm The Cloud to build a wireless network that will cover the entire city in the next few months. The Cloud will install the network hardware on lamp posts and street signs, allowing city workers and visitors to access the internet for high-speed browsing, e-mail, music and video anywhere in the city on wireless devices. The project will also support voice over Wi-fi services and secure access and private data networks for emergency services. Private users can opt for business subscriptions or pay-as-you-go accounts. The Cloud will allow service providers to use the network for a fee to provide services to customers. The firm already runs Wi-fi hot spots at Canary Wharf, the British Library and cafe chain Coffee Republic. Operators such as BT and Nintendo already use the company's network.
Japan launches sky-mapping satellite Japan's space agency on Wednesday launched a satellite into orbit around the Earth, where it will map the sky using infrared wavelengths. The launch of the one-tonne ASTRO-F - first developed by Britain, the US and the Netherlands - follows a string of successes for the agency, which had struggled in the past. An M-V rocket carrying the sky-mapping satellite lifted off from Uchinoura, 1,000km southwest of Tokyo, later entered its planned orbit and flew normally, said Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency spokeswoman Nobuko Sato. Japan has recently been racing to catch up with China, a regional rival that has put astronauts in space twice since 2003. China is the third country to send a human into orbit, after Russia and the US. Following Beijing's success, Japan - which put its first satellite in orbit in 1972 - said it was reconsidering its focus on unmanned missions while announcing plans to send its first astronauts into space and set up a base on the moon by 2025. The agency has launched two H-2A rockets from the remote, southern island of Tanegashima this year, each carrying observation satellites. Japan has also said it will launch two spy satellites by March 2007 to monitor North Korea and other trouble spots. Associated Press
Air-powered bike Uruguayan Armando Regusci has invented a compressed air-propelled motorbike that will go on sale in Montevideo from April. The amateur !inventor runs the website airenergycars.com. He aims to build vehicles that will reduce society's reliance on oil by using renewable sources of energy such as compressed air. Agence France-Presse
Dell vs Dell PC maker Dell is suing web designer Paul Dell over his homepage dellwebsites.com, according to a report in The Register. Mr Dell has been summoned to appear before the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris where the computer manufacturer is seeking about $1.4 million in damages for the name of the site and a further $4,625 for every mention of Dell on his website. It accuses the web designer of parasitism and unfair competition. Mr Dell is facing legal action from the US firm for the second time. In 2002, Dell took similar action but abandoned it when Mr Dell refused to give in to its demands. A group of his friends have set up Help-paul-dell.com to receive donations via PayPal to help fund his defence. Mr Dell also runs Dellimages.com.
Wing Lung Bank joins hands with IBM IBM China/Hong Kong and Wing Lung Bank, one of the oldest Chinese banks in Hong Kong, have started an ambitious joint software development initiative at IBM's Shenzhen facility. The three-year arrangement, worth US$1.8 million, is expected to help transform the Chinese bank's products, services and customer channels, and support its expansion into the mainland. 'Establishing an offshore development centre in Shenzhen to handle some of the work being done in Hong Kong, requires extensive planning and strong knowledge of information technology, business processes and human resources,' said Philip Wu Po-him, executive director and chief executive of Wing Lung Bank. 'We're looking to capitalise on IBM's expertise in these areas, as well as their vast experience in doing business in China.' The co-development team will be located at a new facility inside IBM's Shenzhen Global Delivery Centre, one of three such IBM centres on the mainland. The team will streamline and modernise the processes and tools used by the bank to create its software applications. The agreement followed the recent opening of the bank's Shenzhen Nanshan sub-branch. Founded in 1933, the bank today has 40 offices and a total staff of more than 1,300. 'To maintain and grow shareholder value, banks must control costs by integrating core business applications, reduce risk with tighter information security, and diversify and grow with customer-focused initiatives,' said Dominic Tong Wah, general manager at IBM China/Hong Kong. IBM's so-called 'accelerated solution delivery' approach can reduce product development cycles by about 67 per cent and development costs by about 30 per cent for its banking clients.
Google on expansion drive in Southeast Asia With an eye on international expansion, Google has set up a regional sales and operations base in Central to oversee all its activities in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The internet search giant, a provider of online advertising programmes, last week also unveiled a new reseller strategy aimed at small- and medium-sized enterprises in Hong Kong. 'Google's advertising programmes have proven effective for advertisers around the world in conducting business online,' said Crid Yu, head of sales for Google Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. 'Our reseller partners are important to the success of Google AdWords here.' New authorised resellers in Hong Kong included PCCW Directories and AsiaPac Net Media. Google AdWords matches text-based advertisements to users' search queries, providing them with relevant information. The highly-targeted service enables any advertiser - regardless of location - to reach potential customers in any other part of the world from one interface.