The satellite broadcaster BSkyB has part completed a deal with Virgin Media that will see the channels that make up Virgin Media TV become part of the BSkyB network.

However, it may not be as straight forward as it seems, because so far the deal has only been given the green light by the regulator in Ireland.

The UK regulators have yet to announce their decision.

The deal is worth £160 million, but BSkyB has paid just 105 million to Virgin Media with the remaining 55 million being payable on UK approval.

It is believed that once the deal has been given approval, the group of channels that includes, Virgin 1, Living, Livinglt, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Bravo and Bravo 2, will go under the name of the Living TV Group.

Sky completes channel deal with VM

After several weeks of beta-testing, Google has added a new feature to its Chrome web browser in the form of automatic language translation.

So if you’re a Chrome user, there’ll be no need to fumble around on the Google page with the translation tool any longer.

Instead, the browser will automatically detect the language of a foreign site, and will offer to get it translated by running it through Google Translate. This will decipher the site in its entirety, in less than a second.

It doesn’t quite work with any website, as it has to be written in one of the 52 supported languages, but that’s a pretty wide range with all the major bases covered. A nifty extra indeed.

Some new privacy features have also been introduced to Chrome, with added options that allow the user to decide how to manage cookies, pop-ups and JavaScript amongst other issues.

For example, it’s now possible to block all cookies except those from sites you trust.

Chrome certainly seems to be moving forward with some momentum, and built-in translation may well prove another tempter.

See the original post:
Google Chrome polished with translation features

The conservatives could lose support at the next election over the party’s next-gen broadband policy.

That’s the opinion of a research firm called Point Topic, which has analysed some of Tories key rural constituencies, so states a BBC report.

The Conservatives have decided to adopt a “wait and see” policy with rural broadband, and have opposed Labour’s broadband funding landline tax.

However, this funding is most needed by remote areas, many of which are key Conservative seats. They will then be left waiting for faster broadband under the Tories, and might not be too chuffed at the prospect.

It’s the Tories hope that the party can persuade private companies to finance the roll-out of super-fast broadband to rural locations.

Otherwise, it’s making provisions to dip into the TV license fund, if these efforts aren’t successful; hence the “wait and see” label.

Could this become a real issue in the upcoming general election, where the Conservative’s lead appears to be shrinking anyway?

It’s certainly a possibility, although another survey we reported on at the start of this month, from ISPreview.co.uk, indicated that 74% of people don’t support Labour’s next generation fund tax.

And the most supported alternative was the Conservative’s plan to use the TV license budget instead.

Obviously that isn’t taking into account the focus on key Tory rural areas, though.

Read the original here:
Tories broadband policy to cost them votes?

The Samsung Jet Ultra smartphone is now available to buy at O2 in the UK.

The phone is essentially a tweaked version of the original Samsung Jet.

Like its predecessor, the handset has a 3.1 inch AMOLED touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, 800MHz processor, wi-fi and an FM radio. It uses the TouchWiz interface.

Changes are minor, with a sleek new look, and social networking apps being integrated, along with an iPlayer widget. Exactly what social networking is supported isn’t mentioned.

The Jet Ultra is an O2 exclusive, and you can bag yours from £15 per month with the handset free, providing you’re willing to sign up for two years. With the 18 month contracts, the cheapest tariff that gives you the phone for free is £20 per month.

O2 is also throwing in a freebie DVD pack of gangster films: American Gangster, Casino and Scarface.

Quite what the relevance is there, we’re not sure. Perhaps they’re suggesting that if Tony Montana had a mobile, it would have been the Jet Ultra (“Say hello to my little phone…”)

Source:
Samsung Jet Ultra leaves hangar

Yesterday it was announced that the cable TV provider was launching the all new Cisco-designed high definition set top boxes.

It was made clear that the new HD service provided by Virgin Media would be for available for subscribers on the XL package, but now it seems that may not be so.

According to Virgin Media, the new Cisco set top box will be available to all subscribers that are on the M package or above at a cost of £49, plus an additional £35 to pay for the installation of the kit.

Non-subscribers will be able to get BBC HD and Channel Four HD at no extra fee, but subscribers will be able to get access to all of the HD channels available on the Virgin Media network.

Continued here:
No extra charge for Virgin Media HD