Original version

BBC World Service Online

Click

Digital Planet

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Technological and digital news from around the world.

Digital Planet: 01/07/2008

Factual: Science & Nature

01/07/2008

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, 01/07/2008

Technology news with Gareth Mitchell and Bill Thompson. Every Tuesday.

Opening up Symbian
Symbian, the world’s most popular mobile platform, could soon be available for free, according to Nokia.
The Finnish handset manufacturer has announced that the operating system that powers half the world’s smart phones will become open source, after it acquired the remaining shares in Symbian.
Will this announcement lead to better and cheaper phones?
David Wood Executive Vice President of Research at Symbian joins Gareth Mitchell and Bill Thompson in the studio.


Power saving computers
Does your IT department insist that you leave your computer on all the time so they can upgrade systems overnight? 
Researchers at Oxford University may have come up with a solution that will allow these upgrades to take place, but also save massive amounts of energy by switching off computers until the upgrade actually takes place.


ERNIE on display
The world’s first electronic random number generator to be used in a national savings scheme has just gone on display at London’s Science Museum.
It used the random movement of electrons in a neon valve to produce the winning numbers in the British Premium Bond Scheme that was launched in 1957.
Affectionately called ERNIE – Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment – it proved extremely popular with the British public.  
Digital Planet met Jack Armitage, one of ERNIE’s engineers, who took us on trip down memory lane.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Digital Planet

01/07/2008

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service