November 30, 2005
Microsoft is set to begin testing its own version of Google Base, a free service introduced by Google six weeks ago. Codenamed "Fremont", the service will allow users to post listings.
Fremont will be tied into the company's new Live.com, where users will be able to view local listings from their personalized pages. Microsoft has begun testing the service from fremont.live.com, however access has been restricted to Redmond employees reports Red Herring
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One year after the debut of Firefox 1.0, and more than 100 million downloads later, Mozilla has released Firefox 1.5, the latest version of its acclaimed open source Browser.
Firefox 1.5, which is available as a free download from www.Mozilla.com, will aim to build on the success of last year’s Firefox 1.0, which won a cult following among users who say the software is slicker and more secure than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE), the market leader reports Times.
Improvements included in Firefox 1.5 include automatic updates, faster surfing speeds and drag-and-drop page tabs designed to make the product more user friendly.
The Mozilla Foundation is planning to use the SpreadFirefox website to showcase user-submitted videos of Firefox fans talking about the product as part of a marketing blitz due to raise the profile of the already popular browser. Recent figures from web analytics firm OneStat.com suggest Mozilla-based browsers have a total global usage share of 11.51 per cent in a market still dominated by Microsoft's ubiquitous IE browser software reports the register
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November 28, 2005
Maxell Corporation of America, has said it will launch its first holographic storage products in September 2006. The first drive will have a capacity of 300GB and a throughput of 160Mbps.
Maxell says the technology designed by InPhase Technologies is capable of achieving 1.6TB per disk with a 120MBps bandwidth.
According to Maxell, Holographic data storage is superior to existing disc and hard drive technologies, and is also competitive against tape technologies in capacities and transfer rate. In addition, it offers a 50+ year media archive life and random data access. Finally, the media is expected to have the lowest cost per gigabyte of any commercial quality removable storage.
"Holographic media makes it possible for millions of pages of information and high definition images to be held on one small, relatively inexpensive disc," said Steven Pofcher, senior marketing manager at Maxell. "Imagine having a person's entire medical history, complete with MRI images, or storing a broadcast network's entire HD Library on a single disc. These are both possible with holographic technology, which has such large capacity that approximately a half million 300-page books can be stored on a single disc."
InPhase Technologies says that holography enables million bits of data to be written and read in parallel with a single flash of light - making transfer rates considerably higher than those of current optical storage devices.
Higher transfer rates, in turn translate into playback of broadcast-quality HDTV content; of which nearly 26 hours can be stored on a single 300GB disc writes TechTree
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November 16, 2005
Sony BMG is recalling music CDs that use controversial anti-piracy software. The copyright protection software which automatically installs when a consumer inserted a music CD with the XCP digital rights management technology in their computers is designed to limit the number of copies that users can make of the CD and restrict ripping of the disk.
The software was widely criticised because it used virus-like techniques to stop illegal copies being made. Sony is also providing software to make it easy to remove the controversial program from Windows computers reports BBC
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November 14, 2005
Faith, Inc, a Japanese content provider has announced plans to launch an exclusive MVNO AKA mobile virtual network operator in the US. Voce will launch by offering unlimited flat rate service users in New York and Los Angeles using Cingular's network. For a $1500 sign up fee and $500 per month, Voce will offer their subscribers unlimited voice and data, personalized live service, and new, exclusive handsets every 4 months.
PhoneScoop - Forbes - Engadget
Image Brown Vertu. - NOT ONE OF THE HANDSETS CHANGED EVERY 4 MONTH
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Sun Microsystems today announced the introduction of the UltraSPARC(R) T1 - formerly known as "Niagara". The world's first high-performance, energy efficient processor will debut in a new line of Sun Fire servers before the end of 2005. Using patented CoolThreads chip multi-threading technology that leverages the threaded nature of Solaris 10, the world's most advanced operating system, the breakthrough chip is the world's first Eco-responsible processor: research shows that UltraSPARC T1 processor performance could eliminate the number of Web servers in the world by half, slashing power requirements and having the same effect in reducing carbon dioxide emissions as planting one million acres of trees.
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November 13, 2005
Pocket-Lint UK has announced the launch of
the first annual Pocket-Lint.co.uk Awards - The Fluffies. The awards will reportedly heap plaudits upon the cream of this year's gadgets, rewarding real innovation and excellence in design. (so the iTunes phones will not be nominated)
The awards, to be held on the 1 December 2005 will be decided from a
shortlist of products, as decided by Pocket-Lint.co.uk readers. Any product fitting into one of the 12 categories below and launched in the UK after 1 December 2004 will be eligible. Readers will also be able to vote for the Vodafone sponsored, Pocket-lint Readers Award nominating the best overall product of 2005.
See what gadgets have been nominated and vote for your
favorite Gadget of 2005 at Pocket Lint
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November 12, 2005
Music publisher Sony BMG said on Friday it would stop making CDs that use controversial copyright protection software. The copyright protection software which automatically installs when a consumer inserted a music CD with the XCP digital rights management technology in their computers is designed to limit the number of copies that users can make of the CD and restrict ripping of the disk.
From Sony's point of view, its motives are reasonable; but security experts say this is a potential threat to security. Sony however denied that the technology is malicious, or compromises security in any way reports Techtree.com
The software sparked a class action lawsuit against Sony in California last week, claiming that Sony has not informed consumers that it installs software directly into the "roots" of their computer systems with rootkit software, which cloaks all associated files and is dangerous to remove reports Reuters
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November 7, 2005
Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. are set to roll out new wireless services, taking advantage of advanced networks and cellphones to provide features similar to those available on computers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Yahoo soon will introduce a cellphone it will sell through a partnership with SBC Communications, according to SBC executives. The phone will take Yahoo a step closer to linking music, photos and email with consumers' existing online accounts, address books and preferences, the paper said.
Google is tailoring some Internet services for use on wireless devices. Starting Monday, consumers using some types of cellphones will be able to access satellite maps wirelessly as they can on the Google Maps service, the paper said.
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File-sharing service Grokster will stop distributing software that allows users to copy songs without permission.
The settlement, announced by the Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry, comes four months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Grokster and other Internet file-sharing networks were encouraging copyright infringement.
The settlement includes a permanent injunction prohibiting infringement, directly or indirectly, of any of the plaintiffs' copyrighted works. This includes the immediate cessation of the distribution of the Grokster client application, and the cessation of operation of the Grokster system and software, according to a music industry release reports Hollywood Reporter.
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