Thursday, January 31, 2008

Dell Shuts Retail Kiosks in U.S.

Dell on Wednesday announced the shutdown of retail kiosks in malls throughout the U.S. as it adjusts its evolving product distribution strategy.
The closings comes at a time when Dell is repositioning its retail strategy to attract more customers by selling products through its Web site, retail outlets and over the phone.
Dell had over 140 kiosks, called Dell Direct stores, for customers to buy products, including PCs, TVs and printers. Dell representatives staffed the kiosks and assisted buyers in choosing products and placing orders. The kiosks didn't actually carry inventory so products were shipped to buyers.
This change does not impact Dell Direct stores in Canada, Asia-Pacific and Japan, said Lionel Menchaca, digital media manager at Dell in a blog entry. The company has about 50 stand-alone kiosks outside the U.S.
"We started offering Dell systems through retailers about six months ago, and now customers can buy Dell desktops and laptops through more than 10,000 retail outlets worldwide," Menchaca wrote.
The needs for kiosks declined as retail stores provide more accessibility to Dell products, said Dell spokesman David Frink. The kiosks, introduced in 2002, are being closed immediately, Frink said.
The shutdown might lead to laying off employees who staffed the kiosks, Frink said. He declined to comment on an exact number of layoffs and charges that the company might take relating to the shutdown.
Dell has expanded its in-store offerings over the last six months by signing up retailers globally to sell its products, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart in the U.S., Tesco in the U.K. and Bic Camera in Japan.
The kiosks were just an expansion of the company's online and catalog sales, said David Daoud, an analyst at IDC. "If anything, it shows that Dell doesn't want kiosks to compete with the brick and mortar stores," he said. Customers prefer to buy products online or at a store so having kiosks doesn't fit with Dell's evolving U.S. business model, Daoud said.
However, kiosks will be an effective tool to facilitate brand awareness for Dell in the international and emerging markets, especially for customers who can't go online, Daoud said. Though it has a significant enterprise presence internationally, Dell has the potential to grow in the consumer space, Daoud said.
Dell's retooled retail strategy has helped the company expand its lead over Hewlett-Packard as the largest U.S. PC vendor in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to figures from analyst firms Gartner and IDC. However, HP remained the world's largest PC dealer, topping Dell, Acer and Lenovo, according to figures from both firms.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

14 Quick Questions to Ask About a Refurb

1. Who did the refurbishing, the manufacturer or a third party?
2. Are the keyboard and mouse new?
3. Is there a manufacturer's warranty?
4. How long's the warranty?
5. Has the warranty been modified?
6. How old is the system?
7. Where do I send it if it arrives broken?
8. What's the return policy?
9. Do I get the original manuals?
10. What software is included?
11. What do you mean when you say "reconditioned"?
12. Has the system been tested since it was returned?
13. Why was the system returned? (Probably won't get an answer, but it's worth asking.)
14. How much would this cost if I bought it brand-new?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Tips For Buying a Refurbished PC

GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW. If you have a favorite brand, check the manufacturer's site first. It can be more convenient buying from the maker, especially if you have to return the product.
HOW MUCH SPEED DO YOU NEED? A good deal on a refurbished system might mean getting a processor with slightly lower clock speed than the latest version. Will the difference between, say, 1.6 and 2.3 GHz matter? If the user is going to be running standard business applications, surfing the Web, and e-mailing, probably not.
LOOK FOR SYSTEMS WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF RAM. Then, for a performance boost, go fill up with brand-name memory from your favorite supplier.
WHAT'S THE SOFTWARE SITUATION? Make sure an older machine will fit into your OS and application upgrade plans.
REMEMBER THE MONITOR. Most refurb packages do not include one, so factor in that additional cost. See if the vendor is bundling a monitor with a new model; you could end up with a better deal.
ALREADY HAVE A MONITOR? Make sure the video connectors on the refurb are compatible before you buy.
FIND OUT WHICH ACCESSORIES ARE INCLUDED. Refurbed desktops might come without a keyboard or mouse, and some refurbed laptops are sold without power cord or backup battery—little things that add up to offset savings.
ALWAYS CHECK THE PRICE OF THE COMPARABLE NEVER-BEEN-OWNED MODEL. You can't assume that new will necessarily cost more.
TRY TO BUY MANUFACTURER-REFURBISHED. They're typically rebuilt with approved components. Third-party refurbishers might use alternative parts.
"OPEN BOX" GOOD? Sometimes you might see an "open box" system for sale. So, the customer opened the box—and then what happened? Verify that such systems have been retested and, if needed, refurbished.
GET THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY. Even if it's been modified for a refurbished system, that should at least guarantee the system will be restored to proper working order, without a runaround, and repaired with genuine parts.
CHECK THE WARRANTY PERIOD. Find out how long you will have support. If you're not getting the same protection you'd be offered with a new system, look elsewhere.
CHECK AND DOUBLE-CHECK THE RETURN POLICY. Some sellers give you 7 days, some give you 21. If you don't find the return policy clearly stated, shop elsewhere.
BROWSE CUSTOMER FORUMS. The comments tend to be negative (the crankiest customers are the most vocal). Take the complaints with a grain of salt; there's some useful information in the aggregate.

Monday, January 28, 2008

AnyTV

License Type: FreePrice: FreeDate Added: Dec 2007Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista Requirements: windows Media Player 7 or higherFile Size: 761KBDownloads Count: 52350Author: FDRLab, Inc.

Watch streaming Internet TV from all over the world with this freebie. If you’re not getting enough entertainment value out of your PC, give AnyTV a shot. In theory, this freebie brings thousands of streaming Internet TV and radio stations from around the globe right to your computer. In practice, your mileage may vary; I wasn't able to view many stations. But if you find even a few stations or clips you enjoy, you're not out anything to give it a try. AnyTV lets you filter stations a variety of categories (country, channel, genre, bitrate, and so on) as well as save a list of favorites.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Motorola RAZR2 V8

Tired of mediocre call quality on T-Mobile? You could have had a V8. No, not the tomato juice–based beverage—I'm talking about the Motorola RAZR2 V8, T-Mobile's highest-end feature phone with the carrier's best call quality by far. Sure, the huge gap in price between it and other T-Mobile feature phones is hard to justify. Also, the handset's features, such as support for third-party software and Internet connection, could stand some improvement. But there's no denying that this phone takes voice calls on T-Mobile to a whole new level. That's why I'm awarding it our Editors' Choice.

The V8 is shaped and styled just like other RAZR2s on other carriers, the V9 and V9m. It's a massive slab of metal and glass. Though thinnish, at 0.5 inches, the device takes up some serious pocket real estate, measuring 4.1 inches long by 2.1 inches wide. It weighs in at 4.2 ounces, average for a feature phone. The front is dominated by the best external screen ever to grace a flip model, a 2-inch display that's 320 by 240 and has 262 thousand colors. A tiny, 2-megapixel camera sits above that screen. Side buttons toggle through the handset's "profiles" rather than directly controlling volume, activating voice dialing, or launching the music player. Also, there's no dedicated camera button, nor is there removable memory —but I'll get to that later. Below the side buttons is a MicroUSB port for charging, PC connectivity, and headsets.
Like the V9, the V8 has CrystalTalk, Motorola's technology designed to dampen ambient din), which produces the best sound quality I've ever heard on a GSM phone. It also sounds just as good as the V9 for AT&T, which operates on UTMS, not GSM. Rather than being loud, the V8 is just clear. The volume and sound characteristics of calls automatically adjust to background noise, so you can hear your calls over, say, a nearby idling truck engine or the buzz of a busy street. CrystalTalk even seems to work some wonders with the speakerphone—which is, once more, far more intelligible than its volume level alone initially might suggest. Alas, the speakerphone doesn't work with the flip closed.
The phone's microphone doesn't entirely block out all environmental noise, but voices come out clearly on top of any background sounds. Voice dialing, which requires no training, worked well in my testing. Battery life was excellent for voice calls, and vibrating alerts felt strong. I found reception to be impeccable. This handset is quad-band, so it will operate on GSM and EDGE networks all over the world. (Frequent travelers should be aware that there's an unlocked version of this phone available as well, direct from Motorola.) Frankly, this is the best T-Mobile voice phone ever.
There's something unique under the hood of the V8, too: a new, Linux-based operating system. This, combined with the device's 500-MHz processor, could have made the V8 more than just a great voice phone. It could also have been a handheld PC powerhouse. Motorola and T-Mobile completely dropped the ball there.

The V8 scored very well on JBenchmark Java tests, especially in gaming. But when I tried to load Opera Mini or the JBenchmark Net speed tester, I found that third-party Java applications were prevented from accessing the Internet, even with the super-duper-everything service plan my handset came with. This is a pernicious, stupid T-Mobile policy I've seen before, and it lowers the value of a very expensive phone.
Motorola can share the blame, because my V8 suffered also from some Internet access bugs. While the built-in AIM/ICQ/Yahoo!/MSN IM client and Opera full Web browser worked fine, the POP3 e-mail client refused to connect to any services.
The V8's 2MP, flashless camera is not a selling point. Indoor pictures were relatively sharp and well balanced, but outdoor pictures were severely underexposed and a bit blurry. The V8 takes unexceptional 176-by-144 resolution videos as well.
The V8 has a pretty basic but flexible music player that can handle unprotected MP3, AAC, and WMA tracks (including Amazon MP3 and iTunes Plus) without a problem, letting you search and sort by the usual artist and album criteria. You load music using USB or Bluetooth (at a snappy 70 kilobits per second) into the phone's 2GB of "storage" memory, essentially a soldered-in, nonremovable memory card. The phone also plays 3GPP-format videos at 15 frames per second in full-screen mode.
The music player is one of the few features that take advantage of the underused huge external screen. When you play music and close the flip, basic track information pops up on the outside display, and some way-too-easily-pressed music control buttons appear. The external screen can also be used for picture caller ID, as a photo viewfinder, and to see the beginnings of text messages. Still, I had hoped for something moreperhaps the ability to play video that Sprint's model, the V9m, has.
I noticed some annoying compression artifacts when listening to music over a Motorola HT820 Bluetooth headset, but things really improved when I used the cheap wired earbuds that come with the phone. The V8's micro-USB jack seriously limits the available wired headphones you can use. While the phone comes with a mini USB adapter, it doesn't ship with one for 2.5mm or 3.5mm music headphones.
Some minor features round out the V8's offerings. You can print directly to printers using a USB cable, and you can use the phone as a Bluetooth dial-up modem—though since T-Mobile's EDGE network is relatively slow, there's little reason to do so.
At $199 with contract, the V8 costs $129 more than any other non-smartphone device on T-Mobile's network. Since you can't load a full range of apps onto the phone, the real appeal here is the unparalleled voice quality. How much are you willing to pay to have your calls sound beautifully clear? If you're looking for more features and mere decent voice performance at a lower price, turn your eyes to the Blackberry Pearl instead.
Benchmark Test ResultsContinuous talk time: 10 hours 48 minutes JBenchmark multimedia score: 109JBenchmark system score: 50JBenchmark business score: 499 JBenchmark 2D gaming score: 555

Friday, January 25, 2008

Nintendo earnings propelled by Wii

TOKYO — Nintendo's profit for the first nine months of the fiscal year nearly doubled from the previous year, propelled by booming sales of its hit Wii game machine, the company said Thursday.
Group net profit at Nintendo, which also makes Super Mario and Pokemon games, totaled 258.93 billion yen ($2.43 billion) for the nine months ended Dec. 31, up 96.3% from 131.92 billion yen for the same period in fiscal 2006. Nintendo didn't give a quarterly breakdown.
The Wii, with its wandlike remote-controller, is winning over novices — including the elderly and women — to video games.
The machines, which first went on sale in late 2006, have been snatched up as soon as they arrive at stores, outstripping the competing PlayStation 3 from Sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
Nintendo said it has now sold more than 20 million Wii machines worldwide, 14.29 million of them during the latest three quarters.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Wii Super Mario
New Wii games, including Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports, have been a hit.
Sales during the nine months jumped rose 84.7% from a year ago to 1.316 trillion yen ($12.35 billion) from 712.59 billion.
The Kyoto-based company kept its profit forecast at 275 billion yen ($2.58 billion), for the full fiscal year through March 31, but raised its sales forecast to 1.63 trillion yen ($15.29 billion), up from an earlier estimate of 1.55 trillion yen.
Nintendo said its DS portable machine, which comes with a touch panel, has also been very popular, marking 24.5 million units in sales during the nine months through December 2007, adding to cumulative sales of 64.79 million.
The DS has also introduced new kinds of gaming, including brain teasers, virtual pets and cooking recipes.
Nintendo said it expects to sell 18.5 million Wiis and 29.5 million DS machines for the fiscal year through March 31.
Nintendo shares slipped 2.4% in Tokyo to $499 shortly before earnings were released.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

MySpace will show BBC videos

NEW YORK — The online community MySpace is partnering with the BBC to bring some of the British broadcaster's programs to a worldwide audience in the site's first global content deal involving a major network.
The move, to be announced Thursday, continues MySpace's push to become a hub for video, music and other content and more similar to Internet portals like Yahoo.
By contrast, MySpace's chief rival, Facebook, has largely focused on messaging, networking and other social tools.
MySpace, owned by media conglomerate News Corp., will present selected BBC programs through its video platform, MySpaceTV. The clips are to include interviews with celebrities, comedy sketches and classic series such as Doctor Who and Robin Hood.
The BBC already has a deal with Google's YouTube allowing the popular video-sharing site to show excerpts of news and entertainment programs.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: British Myspace BBC BBC America Internet portals Myspacetv
Visitors to MySpace will be able to share clips with friends through such means as embedding them into their personal profile pages.
"With the global nature of the deal, this is a great opportunity to put the best shows from the BBC in front of new audiences," Simon Danker, director of digital media for BBC Worldwide, said in a statement.
The British Broadcasting Corp. and MySpace will share advertising revenue under the deal.
Jeff Berman, MySpace's executive vice president for marketing and content, said the deal "reflects a fast-approaching Internet future defined by co-operation between corporations."
The BBC, funded with a fee paid by all TV users in Britain, tries to generate additional revenue through such distribution deals around the world. In the United States, it operates BBC America through cable and satellite systems.
MySpace has localized versions of MySpaceTV in seven languages and 27 countries or regions.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

New Pentax Digital SLR Camera Sports 14.6 Megapixels

Pentax Imaging introduces two new digital SLR cameras--one with 14.6 megapixel capability, the other with 10.2 megapixels.


Pentax Imaging has introduced its new K20D and K200D digital SLR cameras, with 14.6 and 10.2 megapixels respectively.
The K20D will be available (body only) in April for $1299.95, while the K200D will ship in March for $799.95, bundled with an 18-55mm lens.
The K20D is based on Pentax's K10D. It features a "Live View" that lets you use the 2.7-inch LCD display to see what's visible through the viewfinder. An improved dust reduction system has been incorporated, and the body is more weather and dust-resistant than past models. The camera also features a newly developed CMOS image sensor and custom image functions.
The K200D is aimed at users who may be first-time DSLR users. It features a compact body but doesn't skimp on features -- it has a 2.7-inch wide LCD, auto picture and scene modes, Expanded Dynamic Range function that helps photographers gain more contrast and brightness in their images, improved dust reduction and a Pentax-made shake reduction system.
Pentax also introduced five new lenses for its DSLR line. Each one features quick-shift focus and Pentax SP coating to protect the components from grease and dust.
The smc Pentax DA* 200m f/2.8 ED (IF) SDM will ship in March for $1099.95; the smc Pentax DA* 300mm f/4 ED (IF) SDM is coming in May for $1299.95. The smc Pentax DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED will be released in May for $399.95, and the smc Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited is coming in April for $599.95. The smc Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II is shipping as a lens kit bundled with the Pentax K200D in March, and carries a value of $199.95.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Spreading Worm Hits Nokia Handsets

Security vendor Fortinet has uncovered a malicious SymbianOS Worm that is actively spreading on mobile phone networks.
Fortinet's threat response team warned on Monday that the worm, identified as SymbOS/Beselo.A!worm, is able to run on several Symbian S60 enabled devices. These include handsets such as Nokia 6600, 6630, 6680, 7610, N70 and N72 handsets.
The malware is disguised as a multimedia file (MMS) with an evocative name: either Beauty.jpg, Sex.mp3 or Love.rm. Fortinet warned this is deceiving users into unknowingly installing the malicious software onto their phones.
Unlike Microsoft Windows, SymbianOS types files based on their contents and not their extensions, so it is worth noting that recipients of infected MMS would still be presented with an installation dialogue upon "clicking" on the attachment. "Therefore, users could easily be deceived by the extension and unknowingly install the malicious piece of software," warned Fortinet.
After installation, the worm harvests all the phone numbers located in the phone's contact lists and targets them with a viral MMS carrying a SIS-packed (Symbian Installation Source) version of the worm. In addition to harvesting these numbers, the malware also sends itself to generated numbers as well.
Interestingly, all these numbers are located in China so far and belong to the same mobile phone operator. Some of these numbers have been verified to belong to actual customers, rather than being premium service numbers.
Guillaume Lovet, manager of Fortinet's Threat Response Team, EMEA, and the man who conducted the research and discovered this malicious activity, told Techworld that this is not just another 'theoretical' mobile worm that nobody will ever encounter.
"It is actual spreading in the wild," said Lovet, "although numbers are still pretty low." He confirmed that the worm only affects Symbian S60 enabled devices.
Lovet says Fortinet first became aware of the worm after one of his customers (a "large, large mobile operator") provided them with a sample. He says the worm seems to be spreading in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region, and Fortinet is investigating the Chinese angle, and is in touch with law enforcement officials.
"We really want to know why this worm is doing that (contacting Chinese mobile numbers)," said Lovet. "Perhaps it wants to seed itself pretty aggressively," he speculated.
"When you want to seed or inject worm in the wild, then you may want to seed in high populated areas," he continued. "The Chinese mobile operator concerned is the largest in the world with 300 million users, so maybe the virus writers thought it would be a good idea to go for mobiles in highly populated areas."
The advice from Lovet is simple. "Symbian users must not to say yes to any .jpg, .mp3, or .rm files trying to install themselves on your phone."
Of course, Fortinet says that its FortiClient Mobile automatically detects and removes the Beselo worm.
Fortunately, mobile malware is still pretty rare, but it has made the occasional appearance in the past, despite suspicions that these warnings were simply a way to promote a vendor's products.
A worm that could move from a Symbian phone to a PC was previously reported by security experts F-Secure in September 2006. Then in June last year, a 28-year-old man was arrested in Spain on charges that he created variants of the CommWarrior and Cabir mobile phone viruses.

Monday, January 21, 2008

This tech job's paycheck is a steal

It may sound like a scene from the movie Office Space, but authorities in New Jersey are not laughing.
Like one of the movie's characters--who erroneously receives paychecks--a Chicago-area man has allegedly been receiving nearly $100,000 a year for much of the past five years without actually showing up at the office or doing the job.
And that is what landed Anthony Armatys, 34, in jail about five years after he accepted a job at Avaya Communications, according to a report in the Daily Herald near Chicago. He accepted a job at Avaya in 2002, but backed out without starting the job, the paper reported. However, due to a system error, a paycheck was allegedly being deposited in to Armatys' bank account for the past five years--to the tune of about $470,000.
Armatys was arrested Wednesday at his Palatine, Ill., home on one count of theft by deception for knowingly accepting paychecks for a job he never had, police said. The arrest was the culmination of an 11-month probe by detectives in New Jersey, where the communications company is based.
He may have been the unwitting recipient of a clerical error, but--in the eyes of legal-savvy Daily Herald readers--Armatys crossed the line when he allegedly called Fidelity Investments, identified himself as an Avaya employee, and arranged the withdrawal of about $2,000 from an employee retirement fund to which the company had contributed.
Armatys is being held on $50,000 bail while he is awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
The Armatys family told the newspaper that it had "no comment at all."
Umm, yeah. I think prosecutors are gonna have to ask you to return those paychecks.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Olympus Stylus 790 SW takes beating, keeps snapping

Digital cameras tend to be delicate. The LCD display and lens on my pricey Canon point-and-shoot were damaged recently because I had the audacity to carry a pocket-size camera, minus a case, in well, my pocket. A second Canon died when I dropped it in a kiddie pool.
Such incidents didn't stop me from rough-housing with yet another pocket-size point-and-shoot, the $300 Olympus Stylus 790 SW. Olympus markets the camera as a durable alternative to rivals from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Kodak.
The Stylus is tough, at least based on my rigorous tests. The camera is waterproof to a depth of just under 10 feet. (Olympus sells a $300 underwater housing for divers who want to plunge a lot deeper.) It's shock-resistant to 5 feet, and dustproof, too. And it can handle temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.
To be sure, the Stylus got a little nicked up as I dropped it, kicked it and got it wet. But I could continue to snap and view pictures. That makes it a fine choice for casual shutterbugs who want to snap away while snorkeling, skiing, sledding or engaging in other outdoor activities.
Here's a closer look.
•The torture chamber. OK, Olympus dared me. To gauge the camera's ruggedness, I ran it through a battery of tests. I played catch with a colleague, submerged the Stylus in a bathroom sink and put it in a bucket of ice for a minute or so. Several times I intentionally dropped it onto a hilly San Francisco street.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: LCD Canon Olympus Digital cameras
And the Stylus survived perhaps the most torturous test of all: I placed it in the hands of a 4-year-old.
Best I can tell, my recklessness didn't void any warranties. But Olympus says you will violate the warranty if you, say, open the battery door underwater or drop the camera from a height much more than 5 feet.
•Body armor. You're likely thinking that a sturdy and resilient camera must weigh a ton or be housed in hideous-looking armor. Stylus is constructed of metal, all right, but it's a decent-looking camera that weighs less than 5 ounces. My test unit was lime green, but it is available in several other colors.
Olympus took several measures to shield the camera from harm. There's a floating internal circuit board. The housing for all internal components was cast from one mold, as opposed to several separate pieces riveted together. That reduces the likelihood, Olympus says, of small breaches or fractures. Seals and gaskets are waterproof. And there's a water-repellant lens coating.
What's more, the lens is less likely to suffer damage because it doesn't protrude, as lenses on many other cameras do. Even so, Olympus oddly sells a $15 optional silicone skin to protect it against bumps and scratches.
•Taking pictures. I snapped several pictures and short video clips, and on that important score, the 7.1-megapixel model produced perfectly fine, if not exceptional, results. The camera did inadvertently snap at least one picture after hitting the ground, but as with any digital camera you can instantly dispose of duds.
Stylus has several useful features common to digital cameras nowadays, including image stabilization (to protect you from the shakes) and face detection (for properly focusing on your subjects' mugs). It also has a fairly standard 3X optical zoom and more than two-dozen different shooting modes.
Still, some features are missing. I wish the camera had an optical viewfinder rather than making me frame the shots on its 2.5-inch LCD display, which is difficult to make out in direct sun. But I can't hammer Olympus too hard, because a lot of other point-and-shoots are designed these days without a viewfinder.
I had other quibbles: I'm not crazy about the placement of the zoom controls on the upper portion of the camera's back side. I'd prefer the controls to be on the top. The onscreen menus could be more intuitive.
And Olympus (along with Fujifilm) continues to use a small proprietary memory card type called xD rather than the more universal Secure Digital, or SD, cards.
I had a slight issue with shutter lag, the time it takes to capture an image after snapping a picture. The lag was a moment longer than on my compact Canon digital camera. That's a problem when you're trying to get your kids to pose.
The battery could also last longer. Olympus says you'll get about 200 pictures on a charge, but my battery pooped out after less than half that. It takes about five hours to charge the battery again.
Overall, the Stylus 790 is an excellent choice for people who tend to be hard on their high-tech gear. Though not bulletproof, it's a good-looking and reasonably priced camera that should more than survive the rigors of an active lifestyle.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Flickr brings tagging to vintage images

Scores of gorgeous historic photos--from shots of early 20th century baseball players to 1940s-era images of horse-drawn carts and factory workers, showed up on Flickr this week--and the public is busy tagging them in an effort to bring new context to the collection.
The labeling is part of a pilot project by the U.S. Library of Congress, which is making 3,115 of its archival photos available for public tagging in an attempt to bring a sort of "wisdom of the crowds" intelligence to the photos' metadata.
The project kicked off Wednesday in conjunction with the launch of a Flickr initiative dubbed "The Commons." That effort aims to open peoples' eyes to the "hidden treasures in the huge Library of Congress collection" and to show people how their "input of a tag or two can make the collection even richer."
For now, the library is making two distinct groupings available on the popular photo-sharing site: "1930s-40s in Color" and "News in the 1910s." The former is filled with images of World War II-era industrial scenes and military personnel posing in full-dress uniform. The latter contains equally stunning shots of random ball players, barns, yacht clubs, and more.
The Commons is Flickr's attempt to showcase and add context to the archives of public-facing institutions--first the Library of Congress and later potentially others, such as museums or other civic entities.
"I'm interested in whether this can establish the usefulness of the folksonomic approach, in combination with the expertise and curatorial skills that these institutions hold," said George Oates, program manager for The Commons at Flickr. "I don't know what the future looks like, but I do know that there's a lot of interest in the museum industry about this...approach."
For now, though, The Commons is going to focus exclusively on the library's archives. One notable aspect of the project is the addition of a new Flickr copyright category in which the photos are said to have "no known copyright restrictions."
It might be tempting to read that designation as equating to "public domain," but that's not the case, say those driving the initiative at the Library of Congress.
"It's always incumbent on a user of any work to do their own due diligence" about copyright, said Matt Raymond, a public-affairs officer at the library. (The public can visit the library's Prints and Photographs Web page for an FAQ on the specifics of copyright issues pertaining to the images in The Commons project, as well as to any of the millions of other images in the library's archives.)
It may eventually be possible for the general public to submit photos to The Commons project, Oates suggested, but for now, Flickr will limit participation to public or civic institutions.
As a result, the public will have to continue using the previously existing copyright designations Flickr offers, such as "some rights reserved," "all rights reserved" and assorted licenses available under Creative Commons.
Regardless of the copyright issues involved, the library and Flickr are pushing these initiatives because of what they see as a unique opportunity to bring to bear the knowledge of the photo-sharing site's millions of users. The images, which previously had very little metadata attached, will now be searchable by the countless tags being added.
In addition, said Raymond, the project is giving the library a chance to experiment with the latest interactive technologies.
"We're moving as aggressively as a government agency can to recognize the growing importance of Web 2.0," Raymond said. "This was a very low-cost opportunity to observe the tagging behavior and evaluate the quality we could get, and get our feet wet in a Web 2.0 community."
Already, just a day after the project debut, some individual photos have received more than 50 tags. Some might think so many tags for an individual photo could water down the usefulness of the metadata, but those involved in the project disagree.
"That's where the long tail comes in," Oates said. "If you compare a photo with 3 tags with one with 26, you've increased" searchability by orders of magnitude.
The Library of Congress initiative shares characteristics of projects like SETI@home and Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk, both of which harness the power of the masses to look for solutions.
Those projects, which both task individuals with contributing their time or computer processing power for the larger good, are in some ways the definition of what Wired magazine contributing editor Jeff Howe calls "crowdsourcing."
"The cost of five minutes of a user's time is so marginal, it's almost a why-not," said Howe, author of the forthcoming Crowdsourcing: How the power of the crowd is driving the future of business. "Are they asking for a day of my time? No way, I've got kids. Are they asking for a few minutes? (Then no problem)."
"By going through the exercise, we will reach undiscovered territory and uncharted countries."
--Matt Raymond, public-affairs officer, Library of Congress
One might think the public would be willing to help the Library of Congress because the institution's mission to archive and collect public knowledge and information is benign. But Howe suggested that there would be those who would want to get involved no matter what the agency was.
"If it was the (National Security Agency) asking if I'd want to classify spy photos," Howe said, "even then, you'd get the wannabe spooks" to help.
That's exactly what Flickr and the Library of Congress are counting on as their side-by-side projects get off the ground.
Some observers view the projects as an admirable way of mixing public and private expertise.
"Except for my general nervousness about putting this stuff into a privately held, for-profit organization," blogger David Weinberger wrote Wednesday, "I think this is quite cool. It has the advantage of putting the data where the people already are. As a footnote to the posting says, it takes a photo of a grain elevator as an example 'because it helps illustrate that there are active Flickr user groups for even such diverse subjects as grain elevators.'"
Michelle Springer, project manager of digital initiatives at the Library of Congress, said the agency doesn't mind that its partner is a company that can leverage its participation for potential profit.
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"The library's interest is in working with virtually any partner that will help us achieve our mission," Springer said, "and the key thing we keep in mind is that we avoid exclusive arrangements. So if other people wanted to work with us and do similar things, it's not unprecedented for us to do that."
She added that she hopes that the library's experience with the project might spur other government agencies and public institutions to follow its lead.
But for now, the library is just getting used to the fact that the public seems to have responded to its project with very open arms and with an unexpected amount of participation.
"We didn't have a sense of what all we would learn," Raymond said. "And by going through the exercise, we will reach undiscovered territory and uncharted countries."

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Microsoft Defends Open XML Work

Microsoft says it simply wanted to allow interested organizations to participate in the Open XML standardization process, a company executive said Wednesday.

Rather than stacking the vote, Microsoft simply wanted to allow interested organizations to participate in the Open XML standardization process, unlike other rival efforts, a company executive said Wednesday.
Critics and supporters of the competing ODF (Open Document Format) have accused Microsoft of stacking votes, particularly a preliminary vote late last year in the International Organization for Standardization regarding standardization of the Open XML format.
"We have a very different perspective" on how that process occurred, said Tom Robertson, general manager of Microsoft's corporate interoperability and standards group, speaking to a group of journalists from around the world in Kirkland, Washington.
"There was an increase in participation both from ODF proponents trying to stop this and people who wanted to see it to promote choice," he said. That meant that more than the "old guard" -- such as companies like IBM that typically participate in such processes -- became involved, he said.
Open-Door Process?
Microsoft wanted to involve anyone who has a stake in interoperability, including governments, technology companies, academics and enterprises, he said. "This cannot be a closed-door process," he said. "Should those who are impacted by this decision have a seat at the table? Absolutely. Should it be restricted to Open XML advocates? No, it shouldn't be."
Microsoft also defended its choice of Ecma to initially standardize the technology, rather than another standards body. "It is one of the leaders in standardization in the IT space for decades," Robertson said.
All but one member -- IBM -- of the Ecma general assembly voted to adopt the standard. The general assembly also voted to pass it on to ISO, a worldwide standardization body, for ratification.
Despite that progress, critics wonder why Microsoft built the technology in the first place when there was already an existing open file format, ODF.
"It starts with our customers," Robertson said. "Many say that ODF doesn't meet their needs."
As an example, the ODF group initially decided not to support spreadsheet formulas, said Gray Knowlton, group product manager for Microsoft Office. "When we look at customers of Excel, we can't give them a standard that doesn't recognize spreadsheet formulas," he said. However, he also noted that ODF later reversed that decision to support spreadsheet formulas.
Microsoft is hopeful that Open XML will pass an upcoming ISO vote, but if it doesn't, it won't be the end of Open XML, the executives said. "It's already an open standard and already available to the community," said Robertson. "The issue here in the ratification is: Does the global community want a voice in the evolution of Open XML going forward."
Also, if individual governments mandate the use of ODF instead of Open XML, Microsoft would adapt, Knowlton said. The company would then implement the missing functionality that ODF doesn't support. However, those extensions would be custom-designed and outside of the standard, which is counter to the idea of an open document standard, Knowlton said. "Disastrous? No. But definitely not preferable," he said.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Google can bid in wireless auction

WASHINGTON — U.S. communications regulators have cleared Google to bid in an upcoming U.S. auction of coveted wireless airwaves, according to auction documents released by the Federal Communications Commission Monday.
Google was among a list of potential bidders released by the FCC that have made a required up-front payment and have been cleared to take part in the high-stakes 700 megahertz wireless auction.
The auction is scheduled to begin Jan. 24 and expected to raise at least $10 billion for the U.S. government from airwaves being returned by television broadcasters as they move to digital from analog signals in early 2009.
As expected, the list of qualified bidders also included U.S. wireless providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, as well as ventures involving EchoStar Communications Corp, Cablevision Systems Corp, Qualcomm and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
On a separate list of potential bidders that did not qualify for the auction was a venture affiliated with Frontline Wireless, a start-up that had proposed to build a national network using a block of spectrum to be shared with public safety agencies.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Google IPTC Verizon Wireless Federal Communications Commission Paul Allen Qualcomm VZ
A Frontline official said last week that Frontline was "closed at this time" and declined further comment.
The 700-megahertz signals are valuable because they can go long distances and penetrate thick walls.
The spectrum is to be auctioned off in several different blocks, ranging from smaller regional blocks to large, nationwide ones.
Upfront payments for the spectrum licenses can range from several thousand dollars to more than $100 million, depending on the size of the license a company is seeking.
The auction is seen as a last opportunity for a new player to enter the wireless market. Google and other Silicon Valley leaders see the wireless spectrum as a way to create more open competition for mobile services and devices than those available on existing networks.

Monday, January 14, 2008

High Expectations Await Macworld Expo Keynote

What will Apple do at Macworld this year to top last year's iPhone hoopla? Here are our best guesses.

A year ago, Steve Jobs strode onto the stage at Macworld Expo, pulled an iPhone out of his pocket, and set the tone in the tech industry for the next 12 months.
So with Jobs set to kick off yet another Expo with a keynote at the Moscone West convention hall this Tuesday, what will Apple do for an encore? Whatever it turns out to be, analysts say, it will be difficult to top the impact made by the Apple CEO at last year's Expo Keynote.
"The cell market is the largest in the world so it's difficult to upstage that," said Ross Rubin, director of analysis at market-research firm NPD Group. "It's hard to conceive what could be announced that would as anticipated as the iPhone was."
Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at JupiterResearch agreed: "I don't think we'll see something on the order of the iPhone," Gartenberg said. "Those are things that we see every few years, not every year."
But the safest bet heading into this week's Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco is that Apple will announce something. With an auditorium full of Mac enthusiasts and the industry press elbowing each other out of the way for a better view of whatever Jobs might have up his sleeve, the Apple CEO is unlikely to let his annual moment in the spotlight come and go without a headline-worthy announcement or two.
But what will it be? That's the question on the minds of every Expo attendee in San Francisco this week.
Potential Candidates
A rundown of Apple's existing product lines finds few potential candidates to make a big splash at Expo. The product in most need of an update-the high-end Mac Pro desktop-was revamped last week, theoretically so that it wouldn't steal the thunder from other Expo unveilings. Other Mac hardware, including the iMac or MacBook Pro, have seen updates of their own in the last six months. As for Apple's iPod offerings, the company overhauled the entire product line in September to take advantage of holiday shopping.
That's not to say, however, that Apple couldn't add a new product to one of its existing lines, which is why you hear so many rumors about a flash-based portable computer heading into Expo. Laptops remain a key part of Apple's business-the company sold more than 1.3 million laptops in its fiscal fourth quarter, which helped drive a second-consecutive quarter of record Mac sales. What's more, Apple has been without a small, lightweight portable targeted at high-end users since discontinuing the 12-inch PowerBook G4 upon its switch to Intel-built processors.
A slimmed-down laptop, analysts say, might appeal to executives or road warriors that need a powerful system, but don't need the features a full-fledged notebook has to offer.
"Ever since [Apple] stopped building the PowerBook 2400 there have been people begging Apple to return to the market," Gartenberg said. "They have resisted because they focus on products they can sell to the mass market. If they were to introduce this there would be some level of detail that we don't know about that would differentiate it from other products in this space."
Rubin agrees and says that Apple will need to overcome the problems that other manufacturers in this market have faced over the years-price, battery life and poor design.
Product Evolution
A new portable isn't the only product that could see an upgrade at Macworld. Gartenberg said he expects to see the evolution of existing products this week. For instance, Gartenberg points to the Apple TV-previewed in September 2006 and introduced in its final form at last year's Expo-as a device that got overshadowed by the iPhone last year.
"Apple TV got lost in the shuffle, but Apple hasn't abandoned that device," Gartenberg said.
To that end, reports have emerged that Apple and News Corp. have signed an agreement to offer Twentieth Century Fox movies for rent through the iTunes Music Store-other studios are rumored to be part of the negotiations as well.
Such a deal between Apple and any movie studio would immediately pump new life into the Apple TV. If the rental deal goes through, an update to Apple TV allowing the user to rent movies directly through the device could potentially make the device more appealing to some users.
Of course, rumors of iTunes-based movie rentals come at an interesting time for the digital media market. Last month, retail giant Wal-Mart discontinued its online movie download service after less than a year. At the same time, rent-by-mail service Netflix is stepping up its efforts, lifting limits on how long its customers can watch streaming movies. Some speculate that Netflix made the announcement this week to steal some of Apple's Expo thunder.
There's also the possibility that Tuesday's keynote could deliver more news about the product that caused all the hubbub a year ago. Reports of a forthcoming iPhone update that includes Google's My Location feature and the ability for users to control the icons on their home screen see very plausible.
Some Mac users have not been too keen on Apple using Expo to focus on devices like the iPod or iPhone, saying the show should be reserved for Macintosh products. However, NPD's Rubin doesn't think that should be the case.
"A lot of the focus last year was on the iPhone, which runs the Mac OS," he said. "If a Mac has been defined by its operating system in the past, we now have Macs called iPhone, Apple TV and iPod."
Third-party Companies
Apple certainly controls the tempo of Macworld Expo with its product announcements and glimpses into the future of the company. But Apple isn't the only company here - there are hundreds of third-party developers in San Francisco showing off their wares for the Mac, iPhone and iPod as well.
Developers big and small dot the list of 400 or so exhibitors, from soundtrack software maker Abaltat to open-source messaging software developer Zimbra.
Already, several larger developers have already unveiled products they plan to promote at Macworld Expo. Last week, Adobe took the wraps off its new version of Photoshop Elements for the Mac while FileMaker shipped its Bento personal database. Microsoft hopes to make the biggest splash by using Expo to officially launch its long-awaited update to its business productivity suite, Office 2008.
Still, Apple retains the spotlight at Expo. And while it seems that expectations are running as high as usual, few would be disappointed if Steve Jobs ends his keynote without an iPhone-like blockbuster.
"Apple has a really good Macworld track record," said JupiterResearch's Gartenberg. "I haven't seen an audience leave a keynote being anything other than satisfied in years."

Friday, January 11, 2008

Study: Digital tools help homeowners save on energy

WASHINGTON — Would Americans power down, unplug and flip the switch if they knew exactly how much electricity they were consuming and exactly how much they could save by consuming less?
The answer, at least for participants in an Energy Department study, is yes — to the tune of about 10% savings on their electricity bills.
Consumers with their home heating systems and some appliances outfitted to react to constantly changing price information were able to save that much while reducing demand on the power grid during peak periods, according to an Energy Department study released this week.
But some analysts say technology alone won't do the trick. Industry regulations must change for consumers to truly benefit from gadgets, meters and other advances that puts the power to use less power in their hands, says said Lynne Kiesling, a senior lecturer at Northwestern University's economics department who was part of the DOE project's research team.
More than 100 homeowners in Washington state received new electric meters, thermostats, water heaters and dryers that could be customized online to a desired level of comfort or economy and automatically respond to changing electricity prices in five-minute intervals. To reduce usage in peak periods when electricity is most expensive, the software automatically adjusted devices to the limits individual homeowners had set.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Energy Energy Department Department of Energy Kiesling
Homeowners received updated pricing information online through IBM technology. Each household had a "virtual" bank account, and funds saved by adjusting home energy consumption based on the grid's needs were converted into real money kept by the homeowners.
Over the year-long GridWise project, run by DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., participants who responded to real-time prices reduced peak power use by 15%.
The technology exists to control home appliances, heating and air conditioning systems from a single remote control or online — much like the universal remote used to centrally control televisions, DVDs, DVRs, stereo systems and other entertainment gadgets. But with the current cost-based regulatory system used in most states, "there's no incentive for utilities to do it," Kiesling said Friday.
"Regulators are focused on cost-recovery, not on different value propositions that consumers could be willing to pay for," she said.
In a related DOE program, devices that respond to stress on the power grid were installed in dryers and water heaters in 150 homes in Washington and Oregon. The appliance controllers momentarily interrupt certain appliance functions and can act as a "shock absorber" for the grid to prevent or reduce the impact of power outages, according to the DOE lab.
Both studies helped reduce pressure on the grid during times of peak demand, which is critical to the security of the nation's aging energy grid as overall electricity demand continues to rise.
Based on a 15% reduction in peak load use in homes nationwide, $70 billion in infrastructure costs could be saved, according to DOE.
More "real world" demonstrations of the program's tools and concepts are planned, and the government will work with industry to establish standards that allow devices to communicate on the Internet, said Rob Pratt, program manager for GridWise.
The department spent about $2 million on the project, while public and private sector partners including IBM Corp., Sears Holdings Corp. and Whirlpool Corp., contributed money and equipment worth roughly $500,000.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

RealNetworks Sues Burst, Seeking Judgment Saying It Doesn't Infringe

We've covered the history of Burst.com and its questionable patents before. While the company was recently able to squeeze $10 million out of Apple, following the $60 million it got from Microsoft, speculation had begun on who the next target would be. In fact, apparently a Burst investor had started posting videos to YouTube trying to show how a variety of companies all infringed on Burst's patents. Of course, if we had a sane patent system, most people would look at this to suggest that the concepts in Burst's patents were fairly obvious and never should have received patent protection in the first place -- but that's not how things work these days. Among the companies listed in the videos were Google, AOL, Adobe and RealNetworks. Apparently, that was enough to worry RealNetworks, who has filed for a declaratory judgment in Northern California claiming that it does not infringe on Burst's patents. This was, by the way, the same strategy that Apple took (suing first) almost exactly two years ago. With so much fear of cases getting forced into Marshall, Texas, it's no surprise that those threatened would try to file for declaratory judgments on friendlier grounds. It will be interesting to see if Google, AOL or Adobe follow suit.

LG shows off AF115 SXRD 1080p projector at CES

Among the outpouring of new projectors at CES comes a stately one from LG. The AF115 SXRD projector offers up a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, DSP HQV Realta, 1,300 ANSI lumens, a 30,000:1 contrast ratio, twin HDMI 1.3 connectors, ISF calibration and an ultra-quiet 18 dB operation. Unfortunately, that's all the details we've received, but prospective buyers should take note of this thing's girth before choosing to wait diligently for information on a price / release date.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Car Tech 2.0: Way Beyond GPS and Booming Stereos

A new generation of car technologies promises to add more fun and functionality to motoring.


The Web has been in 2.0 mode for a while now, and in-car tech is starting to follow suit.
One of the noticeable trends at this year's CES in Las Vegas was the emerging next generation of in-car technologies, from GPS unit/social networking mash-ups to heads-up night vision displays and collision avoidance systems, to the holy grail of in-car entertainment systems. The entire North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was devoted to cars and in-car technology this year.
Here are a few of the most interesting products we saw:
Scosche Industries: BlueLife Do-it-Yourself Bluetooth Car Kit
Now you can take advantage of Bluetooth wireless - and hands free - operation of your cell phone without having to wear a headset. If you know how to plug into your cigarette lighter, you can have Bluetooth wireless in your car.
There is a very, very powerful reason for going hands-free when doing calls in your car: it is rapidly becoming illegal in many states to hold a cell phone and drive at the same time.

The BlueLife Bluetooth Car Kit (DIYBRH) includes a receiver and 3.5mm connector. The receiver has a built-in microphone that simply plugs into any vehicle's 12-volt charger. It then connects to a vehicle's auxiliary jack allowing music or hands-free cellular calls to play through a vehicle's speakers. It will work with any radio that has an auxiliary input jack, but if you don't have that, the company offers a direct connect add-on auxiliary accessory, the DCAXUV, that will allow anyone to use the new Bluetooth car kit.
As a call comes through to a Bluetooth enabled cell phone, a user can either manually answer the call using the push-to-talk button included on the microphone, or a call can be automatically answered. Once the call is answered, all music mutes, and users will hear the caller through their car speakers. When the call is complete, the call is disconnected, and the music will automatically turn back on.
The product is offered thru Scosche dealers or directly from the company.
Dash Express: A "Living" GPS Unit
Billed as the first GPS system that can send and receive data over both Wi-Fi and GPRS connections, Dash Express looks like it could be the future model for in-car nav systems.

It has real-time traffic information, which is nothing new for GPS units, but what's special about Dash Express is that it culls traffic information together from other cars that have a Dash Express unit installed. This living on-road data swarm is used to calculate the best route on the fly, based on traffic flow rather than just accidents and road closures.
Here's where it gets even more interesting: using its dual Wi-Fi and GPRS connectivity capabilities, the Dash Express unit will always stay connected. The unit can pull in real-time data for gas prices by station, nearby dinner specials, and addresses sent to the unit by friends and family over a Web browser or Microsoft Outlook. That means you don't need to input destinations manually or pull over to write down an address told to you over the phone.
Borrowing a page from Yelp and other social networking sites, Dash Express also lets you sync lists of your favorite restaurants and locations from your computer or cell phone and send that information to the in-car unit. You can also pull in other peoples' favorite lists -- a trusted friend's picks of sushi places in the vicinity, for example -- and the addresses and driving directions will show up on the unit.
According to company representatives at the CES booth, Dash Express is slated to be available as early as February. The pricing structure will be tiered; there will be a base price for the hardware unit itself, but to get the full package of features, it will be $9.99 per month for a two-year plan or $12.99 per month for a straight month-to-month plan.
TomTom MapShare: Using the Community to Fix Maps
Every year 10% to 15% of the roads in the U.S. change in some significant way, construction detours are the most common, but road names change, and streets that were two-way are converted into one-way roads. Unfortunately, the maps that in-car GPS systems rely on don't update fast enough to account for these changes, especially when some sort of disaster knocks a road out.
TomTom's new Mapshare system tries to address this by having users change maps to reflect new realities. When a user encounters something, they can make a correction on the TomTom device. This can then be shared with the community of users by, in effect, posting the change to the TomTom community site.
Map changes are updated daily, and users can choose to download only those validated by TomTom, or from "trusted" members of the community, or from any community member.
Flir Cuts Through Fog, Darkness
Even with your brights on, driving at night can be nerve-wracking, eye-testing process. Odds are, you'll always have a tough time seeing as far down the road as you need to to feel safe.
Flir's PathFindIR system uses a thermal-imaging camera installed in a car's grille and an in-dash or rear-view-mirror-mounted monitor to solve that problem. According to Flir's Web site, the system allows you to see four times further down the road than normal headlights will. This system even cuts through the thickest fog.
The key to the Flir's night-vision enhancement is in the thermal imaging. It picks up any sources of heat, such as a person walking across the street or an animal about to dart out of the woods, and displays it as a high-contrast image on the in-car monitor.
The system is only offered as a custom installation on most cars, but another exhibitor on the CES show floor this year, NAV-TV, is working with car manufacturers to get the system offered as an option in future cars.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Napster will sell unprotected MP3 files

LOS ANGELES — Napster said Sunday it will begin selling music downloads as unprotected MP3 files in the spring, joining other online retailers.
The file format change will apply only to single tracks and album purchases, according to a company press release. Tracks downloaded as part of the company's music subscription service will continue to have copyright restrictions.
Unlike music files that come with copy protections embedded, MP3 files are compatible with most portable music devices, including Apple's market-leading iPod media players, Microsoft's Zune and mobile phones that play music.
"The ubiquity and cross-platform compatibility of MP3s should create a more level playing field for music services and hardware providers and result in greater ease of use and broader adoption of digital music," Chris Gorog, Napster's chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.
The company did not say which record companies had agreed to license music for sale as MP3s via Napster.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: BMG Universal Music Group Warner Music Group Vivendi EMI Group PLC
Three of the world's biggest recording companies — Vivendi's Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group Corp. and Britain's EMI Group PLC — cleared the way last year for some online retailers, including Amazon.com, to sell their artists' music as unprotected MP3 files.
Many analysts expect the fourth major recording company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, to follow suit this year.
Napster, which offers a la carte downloads and a monthly unlimited music subscription plan with the option to transfer copy-protected tracks to certain devices, said it would continue to focus primarily on its subscription business.
The company recently told subscribers that it will increase fees on its basic subscription plan from $9.95 to $12.95 a month beginning Jan. 30. It gave existing subscribers the option to lock in the lower monthly fee if they pay for a full year in advance.
Napster did not change the $14.95 monthly fee for its top subscription tier.
The company disclosed in November it had narrowed its loss in the second quarter, which ended Sept. 30, to $5.1 million, from $9 million in the same period a year earlier.
Napster ended the quarter with about 750,000 paid subscribers.
Napster shares closed at $1.94 on Friday.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 7, 2008

JBL Launches New On Stage iPhone and iPod Speakers

iPod accessory-maker JBL has launched several new speaker systems, adding support for Apple's new iPod touch and iPhone.

iPod accessory-maker JBL on Monday launched several new speaker systems, adding support for Apple's new iPod touch and iPhone.
The first update is with JBL's On Stage. The On Stage IIIP system is compatible with the iPhone and all dockable iPods. The system comes with an IR remote for iPod track selection, menu navigation and volume control, and it also includes a mini stereo jack for use with non-iPhone/-iPod devices. The new On Stage can be used with AC power or batteries.
With its USB 2.0 connection the On Stage IIIP can be used to synchronize an iPod or iPhone with a Mac or PC. The On Stage IIIP will be available in February 2008 for US$169.95.
JBL also launched the On Stage 200ID and the On Stage 400ID systems. Like the IIIP, the 200ID and 400ID come with an IR remote for iPod track selection, menu navigation and volume control; a mini stereo jack for non-iPod products is also included.
The 200ID and 400ID systems are compatible with all docking iPod models. The On Stage 200ID system adds iPhone compatibility.
The On Stage 200ID will be available in February and costs $149.95; the On Stage 400ID will be available in March and costs $249.95.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Eight Goodyear-branded GPS units to be released at CES

Goodyear announced today that it's licensed out the Goodyear name for series of eight GPS units to be designed and manufactured by a New York company called The NCC. The forebodingly-named ODM actually got its start making Christmas lights about ten years ago -- "The NCC" actually stands for "The National Christmas Company" -- but it's been making electrical equipment under the Westinghouse and Stanley brand names for nearly eight years now. The NCC's eight Goodyear GPS units will be its first push into higher-end consumer tech, and will range all over the map from the GY100K keychain receiver to the GY540 4.3-inch touchscreen device (pictured) with Bluetooth handsfree controls, media playback capabilities and a free year of MSN Direct. These are all expected to hit in Q208, check out some appallingly weak renders in the gallery and all the specs after the break.

GY100K (keychain)
SiRF Star III
Bluetooth
10-hour batery life
GY130
3.5-inch touchscreen
Centrality GPS chip
324MHz Atlas III CPU
64MB internal storage, 1GB SD
WinCE 5.0
MP3 playback
6-hour battery life
GY140
4.3-inch touchscreen
Centrality GPS chip
300MHz Atlas II CPU
64MB internal storage, 1GB SD
WinCE 4.2
MP3 playback
6-hour battery life
GY230
3.5-inch touchscreen
Centrality GPS chip
400MHz Samsung ARM9 CPU
2GB internal storage, 1GB SD
WinCE 4.2
MP3 / AVI playback
8-hour battery life
GY330
3.5-inch touchscreen
SiRF Star III GPS chip
400MHz Samsung ARM9 CPU
2GB internal storage, 1GB SD
WinCE 5.0
Optional MSN Direct access
MP3 / AVI playback
FM transmitter
A/V inputs
8-hour battery life
GY340
4.3-inch touchscreen
SiRF Star III GPS chip
400MHz Samsung ARM9 CPU
2GB internal storage, 1GB SD
WinCE 5.0
Bluetooth handsfree controls
Optional MSN Direct access
MP3 / AVI playback
FM transmitter
A/V inputs
8-hour battery life
GY440
4.3-inch touchscreen
SiRF Star III GPS chip
400MHz Samsung ARM9 CPU
2GB internal storage, 1GB SD
WinCE 5.0
Bluetooth handsfree controls
1 year of MSN Direct access
MP3 / AVI playback
FM transmitter
A/V inputs
8-hour battery life
GY540
4.3-inch touchscreen
SiRF Star III GPS chip
400MHz Samsung ARM9 CPU
2GB internal storage, 2GB SD
WinCE 5.0
Bluetooth handsfree controls
Separate Bluetooth handsfree remote control
1 year of MSN Direct access
MP3 / AVI playback
FM transmitter
A/V inputs
Voice memos
Stereo speakers
8-hour battery life

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac

By Edward Mendelson
Among Mac users, Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac is probably the most-widely awaited software release of the year, partly because Office is the most powerful and most widely compatible application suite available for OS X and partly because all previous versions were written for the old PowerPC platform. Anyone with a new Intel-based Mac has been eager for a version of Office that can run natively—and at top speed—on this new, powerful platform. Office 2008 will be released for sale on January 15, and I'm sorry to report that in my first few days of testing the final code, I found a mixed bag of improvements, incompatibilities, and bugs. If you've been impatient to upgrade, I think you'd be wise to wait, at least until Microsoft releases one or two bug-fixing updates. And, especially if you're an advanced user, you might consider sitting out this version entirely.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Will Album Art Go Digital in 2008?

DENVER (Billboard) - There is a reason people still buy CDs more than they do digital albums. Actually there are several, but viruses that come along with music via peer-to-peer sites (P2P) and a concern over digital rights management (DRM) aren't the only culprits.
Digital music files just don't provide the same amount of content that a CD package does. That includes liner notes, extended album art and lyrics. Buy a digital album today and all you get are a list of tracks and (maybe) a thumbnail image of the album cover that you can't even read.
It's one of the reasons music fans still turn to P2P networks for their music. In addition to providing music free of charge and free of DRM, P2P sites in many cases also include digital copies of such extras typically found in the CD. According to label sources and pirate network tracking firms, fans downloading full albums from BitTorrent sites almost universally choose files that include scans of the CD booklet over those that don't.
Of course, there is little that can be done with those scans other than view them on a computer. Imagine if the music industry and the digital music services got together and offered an official way to access the same content, but make it available on portable devices as well as make it interactive.
There are two ways to accomplish this. One is working directly with a digital music service and hardware developer to ensure all this new content has an outlet. The other is to go it alone.
For the former, iTunes is the most likely candidate.
Enhancing Downloads?
Although its new competition is hardly life-threatening, iTunes is facing rivals from Amazon and a variety of social networking sites. While it has made great advancements with the iPod, iTunes' innovation has been slow. The service looks and operates much like it always has. The only new features are in video.
In 2008, look for Apple to make nice with its label partners by offering a bit more with each download, such as lyrics and more interactive album art.
iTunes is the only music service that has a built-in video download feature. The others offer only streaming video. It's also one of the few services that feature a tightly integrated device -- the iPod. Apple is in a great position to roll out new features across its online store and its devices at the same time.
Microsoft's Zune is another place to watch for this, for the same reasons. It also has the integrated service and device, as well as ownership of the technical building blocks needed (such as Windows Media Player). And since it's still lagging far behind Apple in the digital music game, Microsoft could easily tap digital extras as a battleground for new market share.
Roadblocks to Accessories
The problem is that the four major music companies rarely work together on anything. So another angle would be for each to go it alone. If digital music services can't or won't incorporate better metadata into their downloaded files, look for third-party applications to emerge that will do so after the fact.
Early examples of this are two games developed for the iPod -- "Musicka," created by the developers of the original music rhythm game "PaRappa the Rapper," and "Phase," created by "Rock Band" and original "Guitar Hero" developer Harmonix. Both are rhythm-based games that let users "play" along to the songs on their device by pressing buttons at the right time.
The point is that if these game companies can do it, there is no reason why labels can't offer (or commission) their own iPod plug-in that will import better album art, liner notes and lyrics directly from the label or artist and ported into iTunes and the iPod.
In the year ahead, look for several efforts from both camps as digital music distribution becomes more important to the music industry as well as a point of increasing competition among service providers.
Here are a few areas to watch:
Album Art
As music formats have changed through the years, album artwork has suffered. It has gone from sprawling centre spreads adorning vinyl LPs to stamp-sized thumbnails accompanying MP3 files. But as digital becomes the predominant format, look for album art to evolve.
The early groundwork for this already has been laid. Last spring, Warner Music Group (WMG) added interactive booklets based on Apple's QuickTime software to about 75 albums sold on iTunes, providing photos and links to more multimedia content. The problem was it was also based on Flash technology, which the latest version of QuickTime disabled due to a security flaw.
There is additional activity on the mobile front. All labels are working with phone manufacturers on the "mobile album" concept -- a bundled digital package that includes the full song, ring tone, wallpaper image and other assets for one price.
Lyrics
While a lyrics page is quite commonplace in the pages of a CD booklet, they are nonexistent with digital music files. In fact, most digital music services only let users search for songs by artist, track or album name. None have an integrated lyrics search tool, and you certainly can't download lyrics to your iPod or other device.
Slowly, things are changing. Yahoo Music last year launched the first publisher-authorized online lyrics search page thanks to Gracenote, which has taken on the task of untangling the Gordian knot of music lyrics publishing rights for service providers.
That search page isn't integrated with the Yahoo Music Unlimited service, though. What's lacking is an affordable way to attach those lyrics to the digital file of the song they belong to. Digital music services would have to pay an extra fee per download to offer that capability, and devices would have to add a new "lyrics" tab or some other functionality for users to subsequently access the words while the song plays.
Look for Gracenote and its service provider partners to develop exactly that in the year ahead.
Liner Notes
Perhaps the most fundamental changes coming to album extras are in the liner notes. In a CD booklet, it's all well and good to list a bunch of people to thank and leave it at that. In the digital age, liner notes become far more interesting.
Rather than thanking so-and-so producer for doing such a great mixing job or their family for support, digital albums can provide behind-the-scenes footage of the producer and band at work, or perhaps a "making of" featurette, interview Q&A, family photos/video, etc.
One area to look for such innovation is with the CDVU+ and MVI formats created by Walt Disney and WMG, respectively. Technically these are multimedia CD formats, not digital music formats. But both represent a step toward expanding the way all involved view a music product.
Both add what can best be called "digital magazines" to a CD that, when inserted into a computer, allow fans to access videos, link to online features, lyrics and more. These physical products represent the bridge between old-school CDs and the digital future. As labels focus on selling more digital albums instead of individual tracks in the new year, expect them to learn from these experiments and begin creating similar all-digital packages as well.
Reuters/Billboard

Sears Online 'Community' Still Looks More Like Spyware Than A Community

Last month we wrote about how Sears and K-mart's websites both were urging people to join a "community," but that community didn't seem like much of a community at all. Instead, it involved quietly installing Comscore's tracking software without telling the user, and then tracking all of their web usage. Following all of this, a VP from Sears responded to CA's original post on the subject trying to refute the claims. However, well-known spyware researcher Ben Edelman has now weighed in on the subject, checking out this "community" and finding plenty to dislike. As the initial report noted, it's not clear at all to users that they're installing Comscore's tracking app, and even the few notifications that mention it are somewhat unclear. Given that both Edelman and CA have pretty clearly documented what's happening, it's hard to see how Sears can claim that the company "goes to great lengths to describe the tracking aspect."

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Favorite Time-Wasters of 2007

Videos & Animation
Watch this French TV commercial saying that to really enjoy a movie, you have to see it. They use a spoof of the trailer for The March of the Penguins to plug the idea--and it's hilarious.
If you think 24 took a turn for the boring last season, just be thankful that Jack Bauer isn't fighting terror in the age of dial-up connections, pagers, and dot-matrix printers.
Watch "The Day The Routers Died," a well-done musical--and geeky--parody of "American Pie" as performed at a RIPE 55 meeting, a five-day gathering of networking geeks in Amsterdam.
The wind is misunderstood, no doubt. This weird bit of performance art (actually a public-service announcement from an investment firm and a German government agency) will set you straight.
If you liked "Animator vs. Animation," you'll love the author's second version.
Remember when you were a kid and tried your hand making cool shadows? Okay, maybe you didn't. That's why you need to watch this terrific rendition of El Gölge Kukla Gösterisi's shadow puppetry set to Louie Armstrong singing "A Wonderful World."
Watch an original play starring Kevin Spacey, made just for the Internet. It's brilliant. (Make sure to click the 2X in the right corner of the frame.)
Microsoft's entry into the mobile phone arena is sure to give Apple a run for the money--and promises to take the nerd world by storm.
Ever heard of Buddy, the famous surfing dog? He's a Jack Russell Terrier and obviously can't wait to get into the water.
Addictive Games
Play FetchFido instead of working. It's easy...all you need to do is touch the black squares and avoid the red ones. Ha!
Marbles is an updated version of Tetris. I didn't do so well.
Launchball is a really, really addicting puzzle game.
Have a deadline? Forget about it If you start playing Bloxorz, you'll kiss the rest of the day good-bye. (BTW, level one's a snap. It's downhill from there.)
"Don't go there!" That was enough of a warning to ensure I'd ignore Brint K.'s advice and spend an hour with DesktopTD. It's not easy, for sure, but it's great for exercising synapses. Fair warning, this isn't a shoot-'em-up. You'll have to spend some time reading the instructions and warming up to the strategies.
You say you like Flash walk-through games, especially while you're sitting in on a boring teleconference? Try this one--it'll keep you busy for at least an hour. Use your arrow keys and be careful--it's easy to get trapped.
Save the cute bunny's life. You've got one minute to do it. So hurry up! (It took me two tries.)
Test Your Smarts
Think you have terrific geography skills? Take your Lufthansa for a quick trip and see if you can land in the right country. (Careful, it's addictive.)
Build your vocabulary with the FreeRice game--and believe it or not, it's real. They really do donate rice to the United Nations World Food Program.
Computer programmer or serial killer? Can you tell the difference? Take the test and see what kind of cop you'd make.
The Japanese IQ Test is incredibly annoying, impossible to solve, and according to Alex, who sent this to me, "a massive, epic waste of time. Epic." No lie. And good luck. (Lots of people have figured this out, though, and I really resent their reasoning powers.)
Are they real or faked photos? I got six correct. Take the Fake or Foto challenge and see how you do.
DIY Projects
Here's a nifty way to write your name in the snow.
Troubled by pesky alien abductions? Only 32 thousandths of an inch of Velostat will set you free.
With a little fiddling (okay, more than a little), you can change the display on HP printers to say just about anything you'd like. It's a cool way to do a number on your office buddies.