SystemTek

SES ASTRA AND DANCE TV HD SIGN CAPACITY AGREEMENT FOR CONTRIBUTION ACROSS EUROPE

SES announced that it has signed an agreement with Netherlands-based Dance TV HD for the delivery of its programme to HD bouquets throughout Europe. Under the terms of the agreement, SES ASTRA will provide capacity on its 23.5 degrees East orbital position and deliver uplink services from its playout centre in Munich, Germany. The agreement with SES ASTRA will allow Dance TV HD to deliver its programme to various HD bouquets throughout Europe. It will thereby benefit from the enlarged footprint of SES ASTRA's newly launched satellite, ASTRA 3B, that offers coverage from Spain to the Black Sea.

Mobile phones and pylons do not harm your health

There is no persuasive evidence that normal mobile phone usage or exposure to pylons and power lines causes harmful health effects, such as cancer, according to Europe’s largest body of engineering and technology professionals. The findings are published as part of a new Position Statement from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Its Biological Effects Policy Advisory Group (BEPAG) says that the overwhelming majority of the evidence does not indicate that normal exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields has harmful health effects.

Ministry of Sound Gets Legal on Downloaders

Thousands of British internet users have been issued with letters from solicitors representing the Ministry of Sound] demanding compensation for alleged illegal downloading of its music. According to the Guardian, the music label instructed its solicitors, Soho firm Gallant Macmillan, to send the letters to the suspected downloaders, threatening them with court action unless they agree to pay the compensation of around £350.

BT in new drive to target cable thieves

Telecoms giant BT today launched a drive to target thieves who steal cables in the face of a big increase in the crime fuelled by surging scrap copper prices. Thieves are targeting the copper contained in the local telecoms network, leaving affected areas cut off and costing BT millions of pounds every year. There was a 9% increase in incidents last year, leading to more than 200 arrests.

BT raises call charges for landlines

BT has confirmed that it will raise its landline calls by 10 per cent and charge 50p more in line rental from October. In a move that is likely to convince many that the landline is becoming less and less viable in the era of the mobile phone, BT will hit its customers with a price hike. BT will write to 12.5 million customers in order to inform them of the change.

Microsoft Reaches Chip-Design Pact

Microsoft Corp. has reached a licensing deal with ARM Holdings PLC that allows the software giant to design chips based on ARM's technology, a mainstay for cellphones that is also playing a role in new tablet-style computers.

BT launch smart meter bid

BT has launched a bid to develop a new secure wireless network that will transmit energy use data from people's homes directly back to utility companies. It comes as the government has set a goal of rolling out smart-meters nationally by 2020 in an effort to cut consumption and lower carbon emissions.

Times loses almost 90% of online readership

The Times has lost almost 90% of its online readership compared to February since making registration mandatory in June, calculations by the Guardian show. Unregistered users of thetimes.co.uk are now "bounced" to a Times+ membership page where they have to register if they want to view Times content. Data from the web metrics company Experian Hitwise shows that only 25.6% of such users sign up and proceed to a Times web page; based on custom categories (created at the Guardian) that have been used to track the performance of major UK press titles online, visits to the Times site have fallen to 4.16% of UK quality press online traffic, compared with 15% before it made registration compulsory on 15 June.

Intel's Slowest CPUs Used In World's Fastest Car

Intel Atom processors, which power netbooks and other light performance devices, will be used in the forthcoming Bloodhound project, one which aims at pushing a car to travel on land at 1000mph. Four 1.6GHz Atom processors, specifically designed to withstand extreme conditions, will be used to power the car, which looks like an F-16 fighter plane without wings.

Apple adds Bing to iPad with newest firmware update

Along with the much-sought-after 4.1 update for the iPhone 4, last night Apple also pushed out an update for the iPad, bringing the software up to version 3.2.1. This update promises to fix Wi-Fi issues reported by many users, where their iPads would fail to reconnect to a wireless network. Apple acknowledged this problem and blamed third party dual-band routers.