Neowin.net

Consumer beta tests of 'Xbox Live', which allows gamers who own a Microsoft Xbox gaming console to play with other owners of the console over a broadband internet connection, are set to commence on Telewest Broadband from October 30, the company announced today.

Gavin Patterson, Managing Director of Telewest's Consumer Division, said: "Online console gaming will blow people's minds, because it combines the thrill of PC multiplayer gaming with the plug-and-play simplicity of consoles.

"Telewest Broadband has been at the forefront of high-speed internet access in Britain for over two years and has a track record of ISP and gaming innovation. Combine that experience with our network and we're in pole position to develop a thrilling, gamer-friendly experience."

Xbox owners will need a starter pack, expected to be priced at around £39.99, to obtain the necessary peripherals to hook up their boxes to Blueyonder. It will also contain two free games. Following the beta test period, an open testing period will commence from 30 November, followed by a full retail launch on March 14 next year.

Michel Cassius, European director of the Xbox platform, added: "Xbox Live is very pleased to be joining with Telewest Broadband to provide plug-and-play solutions for UK gamers."

News source: Digital Spy

What to block?

Other retail sites were also popular, with 37% admit to accessing shopping and auction sites from their desks. Only 2% confess to looking at pornography at work.

"Initially we saw the most abuse in pornography and gambling sites, now we are seeing more time spent on shopping and news sites," said Harold Kester, Chief Technology Officer at Websense.

Web obsession at work is still a real problem with a quarter of employees confessing to feeling addicted. They are managing to keep the surfing surreptious, with less than 10% of companies saying there was any problem with levels of office use of the net.

The fact that people are looking at different sites may mean that employers need to rethink their policy on office surfing. According to Websense nearly 80% of employers block access to pornography, compared to just 4% who do not allow staff to access news sites. Whatever the content, it is all lost productivity for businesses though.

It is estimated that it will cost an organisation of 1,000 employees an average of £30m each year if all its workers surfed for non-work related content for just an hour a day.

Getting balance right

UK content filtering firm SurfControl is not surprised that porn no longer tops the list of work-based internet abuse.

"In an office environment it isn't always that easy to surf for porn," said a spokesman for the company.

"People are far more likely to be doing day-to-day stuff such as looking at news and sport, checking share prices and shopping," he said.

He believes employers have to strike a balance between allowing staff access to the net and making sure they are not using up too much valuable bandwidth or wasting too much time.

Homepage homage

Robin Bynoe, partner with London law firm Charles Russell, said employers will have to live with some degree of cyber abuse in the office. Legally though they may be on a lot safer ground if employees are just looking at news sites.

"News is morally neutral in a way that pornography isn't," he said.

The real issue for employers worried about the legal implications of new technology is more likely to lie in the amount of pornographic spam in employees' inboxes, he said. Favouritism towards the news might not go down too well with employers, as My Bynoe found out himself.

"I had BBC News as my homepage but was found out and now have the Charles Russell intranet," he said.

Work surfing facts

25% of staff say they are addicted
67% admit to looking at news
24% think shopping is most addictive
Only 4% of employers block access to news sites