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Rumor :Deutsche Telekom may acquire Sprint
2008-03-09 16:11:00
Sprint Nextel, whose shareholders are still stinging from a $29.7 billion fourth-quarter write-down related to its 2005 purchase of Nextel, is generating plenty of speculation about the company’s fate. Merrill Lynch analysts are suggesting that Deutsche Telekom , which owns T-Mobile, may consider acquiring Sprint to block a price war in the mobile phone industry, the Kansas City Star reported. Merrill said that the wireless carrier’s woes may force it to cut prices to attract customers. “In such a price war scenario, we think T-Mobile would face the most pressure, and Deutsche Telekom would see the increased urgency to drive market repair,” the firm’s analysts said in a report cited by The Star.Read More-Via[Nytimes]
More About: Rumor , Sprint , Acquire

iPhone's 2.0 software
2008-03-09 16:07:00
Since the release of the iPhone last June, software developers and would-be business users have longed for applications like e-mail and calendars to run directly on the sleek and popular device, rather than just Web applications that run on its browser. Now they have them, thanks to a new software development kit and promised upgrades to the iPhone's 2.0 software. Taking dead aim at business smartphone platforms, most notably Research In Motion's BlackBerry, Apple CEO Steve Jobs wants to turn this pricey consumer toy into a power- ful business tool for mobile professionals. Going further than expected, Apple is throwing open the iPhone platform to third-party applications. "We're opening the same native APIs and tools we use to build our iPhone apps" to independent developers, says VP of platform experience Scott Forstall. Apple, being Apple, still controls distribution of those applications. It's creating an "Apps Store" that will live on every iPhone, through which developer...
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UK: YouTube Beats Wikipedia for Top Spot
2008-03-08 17:51:00
Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube is now the most popular user-generated site in the UK, new research suggests.According to figures produced by Nielsen Online, the web property saw an increase in traffic of 56 per cent during January this year, compared to the same month in 2007. It is said to have had 10.4 million unique visitors over the period.As a result, YouTube overtook the user-edited encyclopaedia Wikipedia , which experienced 9.6 million unique visitors during January.Meanwhile, Facebook recorded 8.5 million hits, while do-it-yourself blogging service Blogger was identified as the fourth most popular user-generated site, with 5.1 million visitors.Read more at Bigmouthmedia
More About: Youtube , Spot , Beats

Dell launches Inspiration 1525 series
2008-01-06 17:58:00
Just in time for CES, Dell has launched both its long-anticipated Dell Crystal monitor and a revamped 15.4-inch Inspiron Notebook. The Round Rock, Tex.-based computer company announced on Thursday, ahead of the Jan. 7 kickoff of CES in Las Vegas, that the Dell Crystal, a 22-inch LCD display is now available and will be on display at the event. With a sticker price of $1,199, the high-end display is a sleek, stylish display with a "floating" screen on a polished metal tripod base with four-millimeter ultra-clear tempered glass and audio speakers wired into the frame along with a 2.0 megapixel Webcam with microphone. The display features 1680 x 1059 native resolution, Dell's TrueColor technology with 98 percent color gamut, 2ms typical response time (gray to gray) and a 2000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.Read More-Via[CRN]
More About: Inspiration , Series

Logitech diNovo Mini plam-sized keyboard connects to PC via Bluetooth
2008-01-06 17:51:00
For all those people who like to hook up their PC to the TV set for watching movies or just browsing the Web, Logitech will unveil at CES 2008 a “must-have” product. Called Logitech diNovo Mini , the new device is in a fact a wireless, plam-sized keyboard, that connects to your PC via Bluetooth technology. Thanks to an innovative ClickPad, diNovo Mini can be used also as a touch pad to point, scroll and click - or as a directional pad to navigate menus and make selections. Logitech has come up with the idea, after their research revealed that more than 60 percent of people who have connected their PCs to the television use this setup to browse the Web, view photos and videos from their personal libraries, and watch downloaded shows on their TV. diNovo Mini features a complete keypad, dedicated hotkeys for media players and the Page Up and Page Down buttons, perfectly fit for easing the Web navigation or zooming through the TV channels.Read More-Via[eFM]
More About: Keyboard

Block Rocking Beats for " Office 2003 SP3"
2008-01-06 09:15:00
Microsoft Corp. changed course on an update to Office 2003 that blocked certain older file types from opening, after receiving a flurry of criticism from users and online publications.Office 2003 Service Pack 3, a free package of updates and fixes released in September, blocked users from opening files created by older versions of Word, Excel and Power Point — mostly programs launched in 1995 and earlier. The change also kept users from opening some files made in Corel Corp.'s CorelDraw.Microsoft said opening the legacy file formats poses a security risk, and shut down easy access to the same older file types when it launched Office 2007.For people who wanted to read the old files, the software maker built a workaround into Office 2007 that lets them open files they have stashed in a specific folder.But the software maker devised a more complicated workaround for Office 2003 SP3 that involved modifying a user's PC's registry — a crucial directory of settings the average compu...
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Warner Bros. drops HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray Disc
2008-01-06 09:07:00
The decision by Warner Bros. to drop HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray Disc for high-definition movies has set the electronics industry abuzz. Announced on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show, the move put a single question in the minds of thousands of industry-insiders heading to the show in Las Vegas: Could the high-definition format wars be over? Since both formats launched they have been locked in a battle that pitted some of the industry's biggest consumer electronics companies against each other. Backing Blu-ray Disc has been Sony, Panasonic and Samsung, while HD DVD's main supporters have been Toshiba, Microsoft and Intel. The battle also divided Hollywood and left consumers with a difficult choice: their favorite movies were likely split between the two formats and there was a risk the player they bought would become irrelevant. As a result consumers kept away from the formats and sales have been sluggish. Warner's decision will give Blu-ray Disc an advantage in terms of c...
More About: Warner Bros , Favor

Managemyhome.com site goes offline
2008-01-05 18:30:00
Sears Holdings has taken part of its Managemyhome.com Web site offline following revelations that the site was making customers' purchasing histories publicly available.Sears disabled the site's "Find your products" section on Friday following criticism from privacy advocates, who said that fraudsters could use information provided by the site to scam Sears customers."We take our customers' privacy concerns very seriously. As a result, we have turned off the ability to view a customer's purchase history on Manage My Home until we can implement a validation process that will restrict access by unauthorized third parties," said Sears spokeswoman Kimberly Freely in an e-mail."We appreciate the efforts of those who brought the issue to our attention," she added. Customers with concerns can contact Sears directly at 1-800-803-6775.The feature was supposed to be used by customers who wanted "easy access to useful information about products they have purchased," she added.ReadMore-Via[...
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Intel chose instead to withdraw its support from One Laptop Per Child
2008-01-05 18:11:00
A frail partnership between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child educational computing group was undone last month in part by an Intel saleswoman: She tried to persuade a Peruvian official to drop the country’s commitment to buy a quarter-million of the organization’s laptops in favor of Intel PCs. Intel and the group had a rocky relationship from the start in their short-lived effort to get inexpensive laptops into the hands of the world’s poorest children.But the saleswoman’s tactic was the final straw for Nicholas Negroponte, the former Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer researcher and founder of the nonprofit effort.He demanded that Intel stop what he saw as efforts to undermine the group’s sales, which meant ceasing to sell the rival computer. Intel chose instead to withdraw its support from One Laptop this week. The project has been a lightning rod for controversy largely because the world’s most powerful software and chip making companies — Mic...
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Experts: Cell Phone Drivers Clog Traffic
2008-01-03 16:56:00
Motorists who talk on cell phones drive slower on the freeway, pass sluggish vehicles less often and take longer to complete their trips, according to a University of Utah study that suggests drivers on cell phones congest traffic.The Cell ular Telecommunications and Internet Association claims 240 million U.S. subscribers in a nation of 303 million people. An insurance company survey estimated 73 percent of wireless users talk while driving. Another survey found that during any given daytime moment, 10 percent of U.S. drivers are using cellular phones.The researchers note that 50 countries have adopted laws banning handheld phones while driving. But they say hands-free phone conversations are distracting, "thus, the majority of current regulation appears to be misguided."The Findings: Talking While Driving Means Plodding Along"Results indicated that, when drivers conversed on a cell phone, they made fewer lane changes, had a lower overall mean speed and a significant increase in tra...
More About: Drivers , Phone , Cell Phone , Traffic

Hitachi & Asus to Deliver World’s First 1TB Notebook PC
2008-01-03 15:45:00
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today announced that ASUS has integrated Hitachi’s Travelstar 5K500 hard drive into its new M50 and M70 notebook PCs, the latter of which delivers up to 1TB of storage capacity in a two-drive configuration. The companies are breaking new ground in personal computing by combining industry-leading storage capacity – exceeding that of a typical desktop system – with the portability of a notebook PC. One TB of storage capacity translates to 1,000 hours of video, or more than 350 feature length movies or 250,000 four-minute songs.Read more at Hitachi
More About: Notebook , Asus , Hitachi

Hitachi GST Introduces Highest Capacity Mobile HDD
2008-01-03 15:36:00
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has introduced the world’s highest capacity 2.5-inch mobile hard drive. Setting a new industry benchmark for capacity, the half-terabyte (500GB) Travelstar 5K500 is poised to usher in a new era of “slim” desktops, full-featured notebooks, gaming consoles and other advanced applications for consumers on-the-go.With the Travelstar 5K500, Hitachi GST has effectively eliminated the “capacity compromise” by offering consumers all the storage capacity of a desktop with the portability and convenience of a notebook. Moreover, the new drives are well-suited for use in “slim” desktops, where users are seeking high-capacities in a space-saving, small form factor enclosure. These new sleek PC designs are highly desirable among today’s consumers who are often placing computers in multiple rooms throughout the home.The Travelstar 5K500, available in either a 400GB or 500GB model, is the fourth-generation Hitachi mobile drive to us...
More About: Mobile , Hitachi

Lenovo Unveils New 'Idea' Brand
2008-01-03 15:21:00
Lenovo today announced its entry into the global consumer PC market with the launch of a new line of notebook and desktop PCs. Lenovo's new consumer-oriented Idea Pad notebooks and IdeaCentre desktops complement Lenovo's business-oriented ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops. The new PCs will be initially offered in multiple countries including the U.S., France, Russia, South Africa, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, China, the Philippines and Singapore.A trio of IdeaPad notebook PCs – the IdeaPad Y510, Y710 and U110 – will be sold in the U.S. The notebooks, powered by Intel® Centrino® processor technology, combine cutting-edge and easy-to-use technologies such as facial recognition, Dolby Home Theatre surround sound and dedicated gaming controls. They also make a bold design statement with frameless screens, touch-sensitive control surfaces and unique textures. The new IdeaPad Y510 notebook will be available initially at BestBuy.com,...
More About: Lenovo , Brand

Netflix & LG Join Hands to Offer "Internet to TV" Service
2008-01-03 15:01:00
Netflix Inc. and LG Electronics today announced they are joining forces to develop a set-top box for consumers to stream movies and other programming from the Internet to HDTVs -- bypassing the need to use a personal computer.The collaboration is expected to deliver a compelling new online home entertainment service via technology embedded in an LG networked player planned for the second half of 2008. Today's announcement sets the stage for next week's 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES®), which will emphasize digital content as well as hardware solutions.With the availability of the networked LG product planned for later this year, Netflix subscribers can watch movies streamed from the Netflix Web site on their large-screen home theater HDTVs, in addition to the current capability to watch movies instantly on their PCs.Read more at Netfix
More About: Service , Join , Netflix , Hands

Sony Ericsson W890
2007-12-30 17:31:00
The W890 Walkman® phone is designed for entertainment – music, video, 3D games and high-speed web access – and includes the Walkman features TrackID™ and SensMe™, a new way to browse music files using tempo and style.This slimline UMTS/HSDPA phone includes a 320x240 pixel 262K TFT QVGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera, Memory Stick Micro™ removable storage, picture & video blogging, media browser and Media Manager content transfer software. The W890 will be available during Q1 2008. The W898c is a GSM variant specifically for the Chinese market where 3G services are not established. Technical Specifications: Phone Models W890i for selected marketsW898c for mainland China Radio Bands: W890i UMTS/HSDPA 2100, GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900W898c GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 Screen Display: 240x320 pixels262K TFT, QVGA Memory: Heap size: Dynamic depending on available memory Internal memory for storage: 28MB user free memoryExternal memory: Up to 4GB with Memory ...
More About: Sony Ericsson , Sony , Ericsson , Sony-Ericsson

US Digital Television Industry Going Strong
2007-12-30 17:20:00
More than 50 percent of U.S. households now own a digital television (DTV), according to new research released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. As the nation transitions to digital television, consumers are adding DTV to their homes at a record pace.“I am proud to announce our nation has hit this digital milestone. With 50 percent of U.S. homes able to experience the reality of digital television, we have crossed a critical threshold,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “2008 will continue to demonstrate the growth and success of DTV, with nearly 32 million units forecasted to ship. Consumers are particularly keen to add HDTV to their homes, with high definition expected to account for 79 percent of total DTV shipments in the U.S in 2008.”According to new CEA sales projections, manufacturers will post 11 percent revenue growth, to over $25 billion, from sales of digital televisions in 2007. CEA also forecasts 13 percent revenue and 17 percent ...
More About: Television , Industry , Digital , Strong

Samsung Accuses Sharp of Patent Infringement
2007-12-30 17:07:00
Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it filed a complaint with American authorities over alleged unfair trade practices by Japanese rival Sharp Corp., fueling an intensifying legal battle over flat panel technology.Samsung said in a statement that it filed the complaint with the United States International Trade Commission on Dec. 21, claiming that Sharp and two U.S. subsidiaries imported and sold liquid crystal display products that infringe on four of Samsung's U.S. patents.The complaint came after Sharp earlier this month sued Samsung in a South Korean court, also alleging patent violations for LCDs. It demanded damages and a halt to manufacturing and sales of affected TVs and display panels.In August, Sharp filed a similar lawsuit against Samsung in federal court in the U.S. state of Texas. Samsung said Thursday it was pursuing federal lawsuits in Texas and Delaware against Sharp.The string of lawsuits between the two companies — two of the world's biggest makers of LCD pan...
More About: Samsung , Infringement , Patent

Netscape's Journey Comes to an End
2007-12-30 16:00:00
Netscape, the Web browser once used in 80 percent of all Internet sessions, will be shut down by AOL after failing to regain market share from Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer.Netscape users should switch to Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser, Netscape director Tom Drapeau wrote on his blog. America Online Inc. paid $9.8 billion in 1999 for Netscape, which by then had been crippled by Microsoft.The decision ends AOL's almost nine-year effort to revive Netscape, the browser that helped popularize Internet use by making it easier for millions of consumers to log on. AOL bought Netscape to broaden its revenue sources as its dial-up Web- access service declined. New versions developed by AOL failed to dent Internet Explorer. AOL started offering e-mail and search services for free last year to boost advertising revenue.Read more at Bloomberg
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Expert: Google Search Continues to Grow
2007-12-29 16:26:00
Top 10 Search Providers for November 2007 Ranked by Searches (U.S.): Provider Searches (000) Share of Searches Searches per Searcher 1. Google Search 4,253,794 57.7% 40.8 2. Yahoo! Search 1,317,919 17.9% 23.7 3. MSN/Windows Live Search 880,550 12.0% 27.8 4. AOL Search 332,385 4.5% 14.7 5. Ask.com Search 195,848 2.7% 10.5 6. My Web Search 87,001 1.2% 12.6 7. Comcast Search 39,257 0.5% 10.4 8. AT&T Worldnet Search 29,244 0.4% 9.2 9. NexTag Search 27,714 0.4% 3.1 10. Dogpile.com Search 18,302 0.2% 10.3Read more at Nielsen
More About: Google Search , Expert , Grow

File Corruption Bug Hits Windows Home Server
2007-12-28 07:51:00
When you use certain programs to edit files on a home computer that uses Windows Home Server , the files may become corrupted when you save them to the home server.Several people have reported issues after they have used the following programs to save files to their home servers:Windows Vista Photo GalleryWindows Live Photo GalleryMicrosoft Office OneNote 2007Microsoft Office OneNote 2003Microsoft Office Outlook 2007Microsoft Money 2007SyncToy 2.0 BetaMicrosoft is researching this problem and will post more information when the information becomes available. Until an update for Windows Home Server is available, Microsoft recommends to not use the programs that are listed here to save or to edit program-specific files that are stored on a Windows Home Server-based system.Read more at Microsoft
More About: File , Corruption

Google to Consider Tweaking Reader's Sharing Feature
2007-12-28 07:33:00
Google Inc. yesterday said it would consider tweaking a new sharing feature of its Reader service, the only concession thus far to a users' revolt that's been building on blogs and message forums for nearly two weeks.On Dec. 14, Google announced that Reader, its RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed service, would link with contacts from Google Talk, the company's instant messenger, and Gmail, its Web-based e-mail service. Any feed tagged to "Share" in Reader would be visible to any Talk or Gmail contact.The news brought immediate reaction from some. Danny Sullivan, search analyst and the editor-in-chief of SearchEngineLand.com, for example, said he liked the feature in general, but wasn't happy with how Google implemented it.Read more at CW
More About: Google , Feature , Sharing , Tweaking

Sony Bids Goodbye to Rear-Projection TVs
2007-12-28 07:24:00
Sony is dropping its money-losing rear-projection TV business worldwide to focus on two flat panel technologies — liquid crystal display and organic light-emitting diode, the company said Thursday.Sales of rear-projection TVs had been declining recently as LCD TVs gain in popularity and get bigger, Sony Corp. spokesman Shinji Obana said.In October, Sony lowered its global sales forecast for rear-projection TVs — which uses a projector to create images on large screens — to 400,000 from 700,000, which is down from 1.1 million the previous fiscal year.By contrast, Sony expects to sell 10 million LCD TVs this fiscal year through March, up from 6.3 million the previous year.Sony sells 85 percent of its rear-projection TVs in the U.S., and about 10 percent in Europe, according to Obana. Production at the three plants that make the rear-projection TVs in Japan, Mexico and Malaysia, will be halted, Obana said.Read more at AP
More About: Sony , Goodbye , Rear , Projection

Apple Shares Reach All Time High
2007-12-27 18:41:00
Apple's stock rose to an intraday high of $200.96 a share before pulling back at the close to end the day at $198.95.A spokeswoman for the Nasdaq said that it was the first time Apple's shares had been so high. She said they briefly touched $200 a share on Dec. 14.The latest surged in Apple's shares has pushed the stock up 134% for the year and created an impression that, at least for the time being, the company is nearly invincible in the computer and consumer electronics markets.In February 2005, Apple enacted a 2-for-1 stock split that put the company's shares at about $45 apiece. Since then, the stock has risen 347%.Read more at Market Watch
More About: Apple , Time , High , Reach , Shares

Patent Case Continues to Haunt Google
2007-12-27 18:29:00
Google has been hit by a setback in a patent row with Hyperphrase Technologies, LLC.A federal appeals court in Wisconsin yesterday rejected part of a summary judgment that could have worked to Google's advantage in the case.In June last year the search engine giant was slapped with a lawsuit in which Madison-based software firm Hyperphrase Technologies, LLC and Hyperphrase Inc claimed that Google had infringed four patents used to make AutoLink and AdSense.The district court in Wisconsin later rejected the case and granted summary judgement in favour of Google.But the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it, in fact, partially upheld the summary judgment, partially vacated it and remanded the case for further proceedings in the district court.The full federal appeals court ruling can be viewed here.Read more at Register
More About: Google , Case , Haunt , Patent

Amazon Gets Warner Music
2007-12-27 18:16:00
Amazon.com and Warner Music Group today announced that DRM-free music audio downloads from Warner Music Group are now available to customers on Amazon MP3, Amazon's a la carte MP3 digital music store where every song and album is playable on virtually any personal digital music capable device. Beginning today, songs from WMG's digital audio catalog will be available for purchase and download from Amazon MP3. In addition, Amazon and WMG will make available to consumers digital music products such as album bundles containing exclusive tracks."Consumers want flexibility with respect to what they can do with music once they purchase it, and we want them to have that flexibility, which is why we're pleased to offer our artists' music on Amazon MP3," said Michael Nash, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy and Business Development for Warner Music Group. "We believe that giving consumers the assurance that the music they purchase can be played on any device they own will only encour...
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Fox Movies Coming to iTunes
2007-12-27 17:54:00
Apple and 20th Century Fox studio are to announce a deal that will allow consumers to rent the studio's films through iTunes, media reports say.They will have a limited time to watch films downloaded from the iTunes store, a source told the Financial Times.If the reports are true, this looks like a new assault on the video and movie market, says BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.Apple shares traded above $200 for the first time on Wednesday.Read more at BBC
More About: Movies , Itunes

Samsung Previews F490 & P270 Mobile Phones
2007-12-26 18:13:00
Apparently local Samsung team had a press meet-up in Ukraine last week and there were two interesting, and previously unknown, handsets present during the event as well. They are Samsung F490 and Samsung P720 full touchscreen phones.Samsung F490 is a full touchscreen mobile phone with 5 megapixel camera, tactile feedback, 3.2″ 240×432 px display, HSDPA connectivity and an estimated $600 pricetag.Samsung P720 looks to be a version of Samsung Armani P520 phone, designed for Eastern European and Asian markets. It comes with the same 2.6″ display, 3 megapixel camera, full touch screen interface with tactile feedback and other features of Armani phone.Read more at Unwired View, New Mobile Centre
More About: Mobile Phones , Phones

PixelView Launches New range of PlayTV Xpress, PlayTV Mobile and PlayTV USB
2007-12-26 17:57:00
Prolink Microsystems, a manufacturer of VGA and multimedia add-on cards, has released three new PixelView products in the Indian market through its distributor Rashi Peripherals. The new range comprises PlayTV Xpress , PlayTV Mobile and PlayTV USB 415. According to Sanjay Aggarwal, deputy general manager of Rashi, the company is looking at targeting the laptop user segment and upcountry markets for TV tuners through the new range. "With the new range of TV tuners from PixelView, users will now have options to choose and catch their favorite TV programs with ease and straight to their laptops," he said.Read More-Via[CT]
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