Gadget Watch: Toshiba Satellite L550-113

Considering hitting the shops at the weekend? Looking for inspiration? Check out the latest in our series of gadget mini-reviews, courtesy of silicon.com’s sister site CNET.co.uk, the home of technology reviews. For the full review and details, click on the link below. What is it: 17.3-inch desktop-replacement laptop

The Weekly Round-Up: 09.10.09

How often have you had the following conversations with your significant other? “I’ve just been speaking to Tim, he’s madly in love.” “Really? I didn’t hear the phone ring.” “No, it was through instant messenger.”

BBC names new CIO as part of tech shake-up

The BBC has appointed a new CIO as part of a restructuring of its broadcast and enterprise technology area within the Future Media & Technology division. From 12 October, Tiffany Hall will be responsible for strategic planning of the BBC’s infrastructure and information security systems as well as heading up the development and delivery team.

Cheat Sheet: The Kindle, Amazon’s e-book reader

The Amazon Kindle then – is that one of those book readers?That’s exactly what it is. e-book readers are typically small, thin devices – about the size of a paperback novel – that can store hundreds or thousands of books in digital form. The text is displayed on the device’s screen, with readers able to flip virtual pages with the touch of a button. The Kindle’s been around for a while, hasn’t it…About two years to be exact – the first Kindle was launched in November 2007.

Downturn means fewer outsourcing workers saying ‘I do’

Economic hard times are causing Indian outsourcing workers to put off tying the knot, says Saritha Rai. What’s Bangalore’s hottest outsourcing trend? It’s got nothing to with high-value services or cost savings – but rather the marriage prospects of outsourcing workers.

Acorn co-founder on the BBC Micro and the early days of personal computing

Andy Hopper is co-founder of the iconic Acorn Computers and currently head of the computer laboratory at the University of Cambridge. silicon.com’s Nick Heath talks to Hopper about the BBC Micro, Acorn’s early days and sustainable IT. The BBC Micro, with its beige box and chunky keys, gave many people in the UK their first taste of personal computing.

Video: 60-Second Pitch: Identity verification

CIOs spend hours listening to suppliers pitch their latest technology. How would these vendors fare with just one minute to get their message across? silicon.com turns up the heat and gives vendors only 60 seconds to impress a panel of CIOs with their products. The IT chiefs then quiz them before delivering their verdict on the technology in the form of a red or green light.

Thousands of Hotmail account details posted online

Hotmail account logins and passwords have been posted to a public forum following a phishing attack. Several thousand users are thought to be affected although the lists of Hotmail user credentials have since been removed from the code-sharing site where they were posted.

Steve Ballmer on Microsoft software ‘gotchas’

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted the company could do more to simplify its software licensing. Speaking in London yesterday, Ballmer said the software giant’s licence terms could be made clearer: “I’m sure we have fine print we don’t need – I’m not trying to say we are saints.”