Technology section for 16 March 2006

This week's print edition of the Technology supplement is online too..

• What price information?
  Last week's launch of our campaign to stop government agencies charging for data collected with taxpayers' money drew a huge response, almost all backing the idea. Charles Arthur and Michael Cross report. A dedicated campaign site at http://www.freeourdata.org.uk has now been set up/.
• Microsoft's PC for big pockets
  An ultra-mobile PC at an affordable price - but will it go the way of the Tablet PC? Microsoft believes not. Jack Schofield reports.
• Alarm bells ring as music downloads go mobile
  With wireless song sharing on the horizon, the record industry is keen to avoid the tracks of its internet tears and cash in this time. Natalie Hanman reports.
• Orkut angels delight in fight
  Brazilian internet vigilantes trying to root out online criminals could end up making matters worse. Tom Phillips reports.
• Web designers still failing disabled people
  Broken links, disabled back buttons, the Flash intro - everybody has a web bugbear. But now there's clear guidance for web designers, writes John Coutts.
• The poetic beauty of technical simplicity
  The world of word-processing and spreadsheets could be facing seismic changes following Google's purchase last week of Writely.com, a free online wordprocessor, says Victor Keegan.
• Disposable world of movies ripe for subscription service
  The web is abuzz with fresh rumours that Apple will release a video iPod with a four-inch touch screen, says Charles Arthur.
• Technobile
  If the industry got its act together, all gadgets that used the same power could have the same-shaped plug, says Dave Bush.
• Why does this industry think retro games Pong?
  Eagle-eyed gamers may have noted the release of several retro collections recently, writes Keith Stuart. But why's there nothing comparable with DVDs' deleted scenes in them?
• • Newly Asked Questions
  • Why won't Vista support EFI?
    If you understand the question, you probably know there isn't a good answer, beyond: "Microsoft decided not to."
  • How can a space satellite track Ebola?
    By doing what satellites do well: tracking changes in landscape such as rainfall, vegetation cover, water, height, dust and temperature.
  • What else did we learn this week?
    About The Museum of Modern Betas, Writely and Skype..
• Ask Jack
  Send your questions and comments to Jack.Schofield@theguardian.com. Published letters will be edited for brevity, but include full details with your query. And visit the Ask Jack weblog for daily updates.
• Gadgets
  Canon Digital Wireless Ixus | Logitech Bluetooth headphones | Tesco's VoIP phone
• Read this week's letters
  Send your letters, comments, questions and rants to tech@theguardian.com, and please include your address and post town to be considered for publication.