Nikon has recently recalled two of its Coolpix compact digital cameras, the L16 and the L18.

They were released last Febuary, and, although at a very attractive price point, offered decent image stabilization and handsome screens.

Both suffer, however, from a problem which can allow the case to overheat so much that it is deformed if the batteries are accidentally inserted the wrong way round.

Nikon is offering all customers the chance to return affected cameras for inspection and repair, even if they are no longer covered by their original guarantee.



Only certain serial numbers are affected, and all models whose tripod fitting does contain a black dot (like the one above) are completely unaffected.

The full recall notice is on the Nikon website.

Keeping server equipment cool is one of the biggest dilemmas facing modern computing.

Internet search engines in particular rely on huge server farms which chuck out a lot of heat, so their cooling systems represent a technical challenge and the opportunity for considerable savings.

Logically, Greenland, one of the coldest countries on Earth (7°C / 44°F is the year-round average), is getting involved.

The government have just announced a new terabit cable linking it to North America and Iceland.

For a nation of just 57 000 people, that makes 18 Mbps for every man, woman and child ...

The cable, which Alcatel promise to have installed before the end of the year, will offer an alternative to the congested trans-Atlantic data routes (essentially between the US and the UK/France), but also a link between Greenland and the US, where the majority of the world's data centers are housed.

Tele Greenland, who dominate the local communications market are now considering the possibility of installing server farms on the island.

As well as the economic argument that the colder ambient temperatures bring by reducing cooling temperatures, Greenlanders are also hoping that the ecological agument will hold sway: much of the island's power is generated from renewable sources.

Windows WP just won't die.

After being officially extended until 2010 for low-end computers, it was then made available as a downgrade option for Vista users until July of this year.

This latest offer has now been extended until January 2009.
It's proved incredibly popular so far, with over almost a third of computers sold with Vista returning to XP.

For many users, it's been Vista's resource-hungry nature that has caused problems, but others have doubtless been put off by its shaky reputation.

An interesting question is whether or not those users that have returned to XP will ever bother with Vista: there's apparently less than a year to wait in between the official expiry of XP, now scheduled for January 2009, and the arrival of Windows 7, pencilled in for the end of next year.

These constantly changing schedules come at a difficult time for Microsoft, whose operating systems have gradually been losing market share for the past few months, with some suggesting that the company might slip below the psychologically-important threshold of 90% of Internet users before the end of the year.

For more than a year, the W series of Bravia televisions from Sony have been must-haves for Home Cinema fans.

They were amongst the first commercially available TVs to successfully include what we now consider standard features for high-end flatscreens while avoiding flashy gimmicks that add no extra functionality.

Following the success of the W3000 and the W4000, we've recently had the chance to test the 40'' version of the W4500, the Sony Bravia KDL-40W4500.

It's also available in 46'' and 52'' versions, and all three TVs find themselves joining our ongoing Product Surveys for TVs -- from 40'' to 49'' and 50'' and above.