The most recent News from Computeractive

Auto Trader releases iPhone app for car buyers

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:13:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Wednesday 17 March 2010 at 15:13:00

Motoring website uses iPhone to make hunting for a car easier

Auto Trader has developed an iPhone app that uses image-recognition technology to read car number plates. The popular motoring website said the new app enables users to quickly search for...

Ofcom publishes advice on getting best mobile deals

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Wednesday 17 March 2010 at 15:00:00

Consumers could save significant amounts of money by choosing best deals says regulator

A new guide from Ofcom has been published to help consumers save money on mobile phone deals and get the most from their package....

UK consumers unaware of online shopping rights

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:17:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Monday 15 March 2010 at 12:17:00

Figures reveal UK consumers are biggest online spenders in European Union

Almost eight in ten people in the UK who shop online are unaware of their rights under statutory consumer law, according to a Government survey....

Public urged to report scams to Action Fraud

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:24:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 11 March 2010 at 16:24:00

New agency will collate information, provide advice to victims and push for investigations into scams to be launched

The deputy head of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has advised victims of fraud to report these directly to a new agency rather than their local police force....

Ofcom advisers request feedback on communications issues

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:12:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 11 March 2010 at 11:12:00

Communications Consumer Panel wants people's views on areas it plans to investigate over next two years

The Communications Consumer Panel has launched a public consultation into its proposed work plan for 2010/11. The panel of independent experts looks at issues in the communications markets from the...

Online banking fraud continues to rise

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:50:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Wednesday 10 March 2010 at 15:50:00

But card and cheque fraud in the UK is down

Overall losses from fraud in the UK has fallen except for one area; online banking, according to the latest annual figures released by the UK Cards Association and Financial Fraud...

Vintage computing festival planned for Bletchley Park

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:57:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Tuesday 9 March 2010 at 10:57:00

Home of British computing gathers together experts for two-day festival

Sophie Wilson, one of the leading innovators of British microchip and computing technology will be a special guest at Britain’s first Vintage Computer Festival....

Music companies failing to educate people about legal music sites

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:49:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Monday 8 March 2010 at 09:49:00

Consumer champion slams entertainment industry for failing to put in the effort to publicise legal alternatives

The entertainment industry is "shooting itself in the foot" and must bear some responsibility for the growth in illegal online downloads says Consumer Focus....

Friday Fives: What's on show at Cebit 2010

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:29:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Thursday 4 March 2010 at 21:29:00

We pick the five key trends, and ten best products, from the biggest computer show in Europe

CeBIT, held each March in Hannover, Germany, is one of the biggest showcases of new computer technology in the world, and this week Computeractive has been there to check out...

ISPs fury at amendment to Digital Economy Bill

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:26:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 4 March 2010 at 14:26:00

Amendment 120a is called "misguided" and "disproportionate"

Internet service providers (ISPs) have reacted with alarm and anger over a surprise amendment to the Digital Economy Bill, which would force them to block websites accused of hosting copyright...

Cebit 2010: Kaspersky launches Pure

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:22:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Wednesday 3 March 2010 at 17:22:00

New top-of-the-range product includes encryption, backup and more

Kaspersky Lab has announced a new, top-of-the-range security suite with added features. The product, Kaspersky Pure, includes everything found in the computer security firm's original Kaspersky Internet Security suite, plus...

Phonepayplus warns 'missed call' scammers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:13:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Tuesday 2 March 2010 at 16:13:00

Premium-rate call watchdog says operates zero-tolerance policy to 076 scams and will shut fraudsters down

Phonepayplus has issued a warning to operators of 076 numbers that it will shut them down and involve the police if they are found to be defrauding consumers....

EU caps roaming charges for mobile internet surfers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:48:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Tuesday 2 March 2010 at 14:48:00

Mobile operators will have to impose cut-off limit

Mobile phone customers can control how much they want to spend on surfing the internet while travelling within the European Union (EU)....

Peers urge legal action over piracy of cinema films

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:46:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Monday 1 March 2010 at 15:46:00

"Glaring omission" that Digital Economy Bill does not cover recording cinema films on camcorder

A committee of peers has called for the use of camcorders in cinemas to be outlawed. The Lords Communications Committee, which supports the Government’s efforts to combat illegal file sharing,...

Number of spam emails increases dramatically

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:19:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Monday 1 March 2010 at 14:19:00

Higher spam output from Grum and Rustock botnets in February blamed for surge

Spam levels soared last month and internet users can expect more of the same, according to Symantec. The security software developer's monthly Messagelabs Intelligence Report found that in February spam...

Tory iPhone app to provide election updates

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:54:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Monday 1 March 2010 at 10:54:00

Voters can download the tool to get updates on general election from Conservative party

The Conservative Party have launched a General Election iPhone app. The tool, which is free to download from Apple’s App Store, is designed to help supporters keep up to date...

10 ways the web can cut your motoring costs

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:38:00 GMT

Kelvyn Taylor, Computeractive, Saturday 27 February 2010 at 18:38:00

From petrol to insurance and spare parts to car clubs, we help you save money

From buying or selling cars, insuring them, repairing them and driving them, there are now online services that can help you keep a tight grip on the escalating costs of...

Virgin to launch 100Mbits/sec broadband

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:49:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 25 February 2010 at 15:49:00

Super-fast broadband service will be rolled out to selected regions first

Virgin Media has announced it is to begin the rollout of a 100Mbits/sec broadband service by the end of 2010....

Ofcom seeks volunteers for broadband monitoring

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:25:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 25 February 2010 at 14:25:00

Telecoms regulator and broadband advice site Samknows team to gather information as consumers move to faster services

Ofcom is looking for people to take part in the next step of its broadband speed research. The purpose is to establish a picture of the true speeds people in...

Law agencies call for tighter domain registration controls

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:26:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Tuesday 23 February 2010 at 17:26:00

Report highlights major problem with accuracy of information, resulting in problems tracking down criminals who set up bogus websites

Domain registration procedures could be tightened up in a bid to help clamp down on cyber crimes. Following concerns expressed by law enforcement agencies around the world, the Internet Corporation...

Samsung targets blurry photos, dirty floors and airborne viruses

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:20:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Monday 22 February 2010 at 18:20:00

Shows cameras, computers and a few unusual products at Vienna conference

Korean electronics giant Samsung has shown off a huge range of new products at its annual forum in Vienna, Austria....

Samsung 3D HD TVs on sale in March

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:52:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Monday 22 February 2010 at 14:52:00

3D LED TV sets will also support iPlayer and record shows to any USB storage device

Samsung will launch 3D Full High Definition (1080P) LED televisions in the UK starting in March. Three models have been announced: the C9000, C8000 and C7000....

Leaked proposals show ISPs may have to police the internet

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:34:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Monday 22 February 2010 at 13:34:00

Leaked document from secret trade negotiations show ISPs could be forced to monitor users' internet traffic

A leaked document, said to be part of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta), proposes to force internet service providers (ISPs) to police the internet....

Windows browser choice coming in March

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:10:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Friday 19 February 2010 at 16:10:00

Browser choice tool will appear on Windows XP, Vista and 7 computers

Months after reaching an agreement with the European Commission over allegations of anti-competitive behaviour, Microsoft has finally revealed how Windows users will be asked to pick a web browser for...

Tories plan to clamp down on ads targeting children

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:02:00 GMT

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 18 February 2010 at 17:02:00

Conservatives propose legislation to protect children from inappropriate marketing

The Conservatives have published a set of proposals to crack down on companies targeting children through “irresponsible marketing practices and products”....