PC2Paper have just launched their virtual printer. The product has launched initially at a beta version but if early indications are anything to go by, it should make sending a letter from your computer much easier. Previously you had to log in and go through the process of uploading your letter or writing it online. The virtual printer, however, acts just like a desktop printer. Once you have installed it you simply select the PC2Paper printer option from your list of printers, add the address you want the letter to go to and choose your print options from the different types of paper and formats available. Then just enter your user name and password and the letter is automatically transferred to PC2Paper who take care of the printing and posting for you. What a great idea.

Weather balloons could be used to provide mobile phone and broadband services to rural Britain. An American company called Space Data has already used small phone masts attached to balloons to provide wireless internet access to remote areas. The group has supplied military and commercial clients for four years but is now preparing to link with broadband companies to offer services to residential customers. Space Data has patented the service in 41 countries and is now considering the US as a potential market. The service uses a small transceiver attached to a balloon which then rises to an altitude of 30,500m after it has been released. The company says that one balloon can beam a signal to an area equivalent to 80 mobile phone towers. The service does have one drawback, the balloons only last for 24 hours before bursting which means a constant supply has to be released to maintain the connection and the radio equipment on the burst balloon has to be retrieved by a team using location devices.

Northern Rock has scrapped its Together home loan which was launched in 1999. The loan was the first of its kind and allowed homeowners to borrow up to 125% of the value of their property. It worked by securing a maximum of 95% on the value of the property and the other 30% on an unsecured loan which was payable at the same rate as the mortgage. Other big lenders have also recently moved away from offering 100% loans with only one in every ten lenders still offering the product.

The cost of driving tests will rise on the 1st of April. The theory test will increase in price by £1.50 to £30 with the practical test rising £8 to £56.50. The fee will also increase for motorcycle riders from £60 to £80.

Asda will start large scale expansion this year in a plan that will open 22 new stores. The plans will create around 9,000 new jobs both in store and as part of its home delivery service. The first of the new stores will open at Andover in March. Other new stores will open at Dalgety Bay in Scotland and Brigend in Mid-Glamorgan. Several stores will also be extended as part of the plans.

Vodafone and Orange have announced a plan to share mast sites. The deal will see the two companies working together to ensure better coverage for their customers. Sites across the UK will host both Orange and Vodafone equipment. Both 2G and 3G coverage will be involved in the scheme which is likely to mean that the total site numbers are cut by about 15% meaning 3,000 fewer masts. The move is not a merger and both companies will continue to compete with each other.

Many of the UK’s large retail names are looking to stock lightweight bottles of wine and beer to try and offset the environmental impact of their businesses. The advances made recently in manufacturing technology mean that the amount of glass used in making a bottle can be cut by more than 30%. Tesco has signed up to sell more then 40 million lightweight bottles of wine this year and aims to have 25% per cent of all wine bottles it sells reduced in weight by 2010. This should save 72,000 tonnes of glass a year. Major brewers such as SABMiller and Scottish and Newcastle are also looking at introducing lightweight bottles.

Thousands of salmon products have been recalled from eight different supermarket chains because they may have been contaminated with diesel. The alert affects 50 types of Scottish salmon products including steaks, pies and fillets. The problem has been traced to the seafood company Marine Harvest which supplies fish to Morrisons and Young’s Seafood Ltd. The fish is thought to have been contaminated by diesel from a vehicle during transportation to a processing plant. The problem was detected when some customers complained of an unpleasant white spirit like taste. The alert does not affect organic salmon.

Scientists have revealed that carbonated drinks are behind a rise in cases of gout. A study of 46,000 men found that men that drank more than two cans of fizzy drink a day were 85% more likely to get gout compared to those who had one fizzy drink a month. The risk also increased with men that drank five to six fizzy drinks a week.

Pepsi are to launch a new drink that they claim is healthier option. It is called Pepsi Raw and is made from natural ingredients with no artificial preservatives, flavourings, colouring and sweeteners. Instead it contains apple extract, caramel colouring, coffee leaf, tantaric acid, gum Arabic, cane sugar and water. It contains around 90 calories as opposed to a normal Pepsi that contains about 120.