December 23, 2005

Microsoft planning movie download service?

Fact: I am not sure where this rumor started.
Fact: Microsoft just seems to follow nowadays (not that this is a bad thing - once you do it better)

OK. Rumor Microsoft plans on launching a subscription-based Movie download service (think low rent Itunes [I kid) but for movies). The service would offer either unlimited downloads or one with a high limit for a flat monthly fee reports MacRumors

What would be really cool & a slap in Apple's face is if the service works on the iPod Video... I will go a step further ... wouldn't it be like so crazy if the service worked on the Sony PSP ... the would be like a double bitch slap....

December 21, 2005

Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista, Build 5270

Microsoft this week released a December Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista, Build 5270. The new version includes a variety of improvements to security, performance, and the user interface. It also includes updated versions of some of the applications that will ship with the operating system reports PC Magazine

The Community Technology Preview features.

Windows Defender- an update to Windows AntiSpyware.
BitLocker – protects data that are at risk from being stolen or lost.
Device Driver Locking – System administrators will be able to block installation of external hard drives, USB flash drives and removable storage devices.
Parental controls – a more effective way to control usage of computers and the Internet by children.
Improved Firewall – includes both inbound and outbound firewall filtering
Internet Explorer 7 – this feature was included in the previous CTP version but this time round it provides added security for international domain names.
Additional features include an updated Windows Media Playe (Windows Media Player 11)r, a Windows Media Center and a caching algorithm called Superfetch.

Read More at Earth Times - Images at Impress.co.Jp

3 smart guys could face five years in jail for hawking hacked Xbox Systems

ACME Game Store CO-owners Jason Jones, 34, and Jonathan Bryant, 44, as well as Pei "Patrick" Cai, 32 could face up to five years in prison for hawking hacked Microsoft Xbox systems.

According to reports, the men sold Xbox systems that Mr. Cai had modified with chips and hard drives that allowed users to copy rented or borrowed games onto the console for future play. Prices ranged $US225 ($300) to more than $US500 for the modifications, depending on the extent of the modifications and the number of games preloaded onto the hard drive reports Reuters

US prosecutors charged the three men with one felony count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and to violate the US' Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Mr Jones and Mr Bryant demonstrated the modified Xbox game consoles in their

December 19, 2005

Microsoft ... so over Mac

Microsoft has announced plans to cut support for IE for Apple Macs. The software giant advised Mac users of Internet Explorer (IE) to switch to rival browsers such as Apple's Safari.

Microsoft initially said it had stopped work on the browser in June.

No more security updates will be provided as from the New Year. The browser itself will be removed from Microsoft's Mactopia site and no longer be available for download.