| NewsFactor Network http://www.newsfactor.com Tech News by NewsFactor Network (http://www.newsfactor.com). en-us Copyright © 2008 NewsFactor Network, Inc. editorial@newsfactor.com webmaster@newsfactor.com Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:40:15 -0500 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:40:15 -0500 NewsFactor Network News NewsFactor Network http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 5 http://images.newsfactor.com/images/rss-logo-newsfactor-white.gif NewsFactor Network http://www.newsfactor.com Microsoft Boasts One Million Office Live Workspace Users The beta version of Office Live Workspace has one million users just six months after launch, Microsoft announced Wednesday as it released some minor improvements to the service.
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"It takes companies years to attract a strong customer base such as this," boasted Microsoft Office product manager Kirk Gregersen. The rapid pace of adoption is a sign of a pent-up market for online access to documents, Gregersen said. Users are "looking for ways to resolve the complexities of their work, school and home projects through a range of choices," he said.
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Office Live Workspace is not an online version of Microsoft's shrink-wrapped Office suite but a way for owners of the desktop software to upload, share and collaborate on documents.
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<subhead>Office 2.0 Conference</subhead>
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The announcement came on the eve of the Office 2.0 Conference though Friday in San Francisco, where productivity consultant David Allen was the keynote speaker and more than a dozen startups are demonstrating their products.
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Among Microsoft's enhancements are an activity panel, the ability to get e-mail notifications of changes, unique URLs so documents can be bookmarked and linked, and improved support for the Firefox browser.
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But many proponents of online office-productivity applications remain underwhelmed with Microsoft's offering, which is expected to leave beta status by the end of the year. A typical comment comes from Cnet's Rafe Needleman: "Yay, Microsoft. Now go back and build the service we want, please."
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Ironically, given Microsoft's dominance in the desktop productivity space, the burden now appears to be on Redmond to catch up with Google Docs, which, although it can't compete with the sophistication of Microsoft Office, provides real-time online collaboration in a browser for free.
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<subhead>In the Enterprise</subhead>
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"I believe Microsoft could make an honest Google Docs competitor without killing its Microsoft Office business," Needleman wrote. "Eventually, Microsoft will have to. So it might be... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61699 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61699 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:46:09 -0500 Microsoft Slashes Prices of Xbox 360 Models There is something for everyone, according to Microsoft officials who are touting the company's new prices for all three models of its video game console, the Xbox 360.
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On Wednesday, U.S. consumers saw the Xbox 360 Arcade base model drop from $279 to $199 just a day after the software giant cut prices by 30 percent for the Xbox in Japan. And beginning on Friday, prices for additional Xbox models will drop. The 60GB Xbox Pro model will drop from $349 to $299, and the 120GB Xbox Elite will have a new $399 price tag compared to its old price of $449.
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Microsoft also said that beginning this fall, the Xbox 360 would be the only console offering instant streaming of 12,000 films and television shows from Netflix. In order to view those films and shows, consumers need an Xbox Live Gold membership and need to have an unlimited Netflix subscription plan. Analysts say this kind of innovation may thrust Xbox ahead of its game-console competitors, Nintendo and Sony.
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Historic Indicators
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The move to offer the Xbox 360 for less than $200 is spurred by increased competition from Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Wii both in the United States and across the globe.
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Microsoft, however, said it is just following historic indicators. History shows that more than 75 percent of all console sales occur after the price falls below the $200 mark, according to Don Mattrick, senior vice president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business. "The majority of consumers make the decision to buy consoles once the price falls to this mark, making this an important milestone for consumers in the industry," Mattrick said.
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Nintendo's Wii, in comparison, is priced at $249, while Sony's 80GB PlayStation 3 is $399.
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Taking the Lead
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Electronic Arts, a publisher of interactive games and software, came out last December with its predictions... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61698 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61698 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:11:10 -0500 Dell Previews $349 Linux-Based Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook Dell has taken the wraps off a new mini-notebook PC squarely aimed at U.S. consumers. Called the Inspiron Mini 9, the PC maker's first offering in the so-called netbook category sports an 8.9-inch LED screen with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels.
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To whittle the product's minimum-weight requirements down to just 2.28 lbs, the netbook is equipped with a solid-state drive instead of a standard laptop hard drive. According to Dell, the device is capable of operating for up to four hours off a single battery charge.
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Under the Hood
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The stripped-down version of the Inspiron Mini sports a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor and an Intel 950 media graphics accelerator, 512MB of DDR2 SDRAM, and a 4GB solid-state drive. An externally accessible 3-in-1 memory card reader is also on tap, together with external USB 2.0, VGA and Ethernet ports.
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Dell has teamed up with Box.net to offer purchasers an additional 2GB of free online storage, which can be incrementally expanded to as much as 25GB for a fee. Buyers also have the option of expanding the capacity of the device's internal solid-state drive to a maximum of 16GB as well as upgrading to 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM.
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Available this autumn at a starting price of $349, the Inspiron Mini will ship with an integrated Wi-Fi (802.11g) radio to enable users to wirelessly connect to the Internet. Though the entry-level device will feature the Linux-based Ubuntu operating system, buyers have the option of switching to Windows XP Home Edition for an extra $50. Other customization options include the addition of a Bluetooth chip for enabling the device to link up with nearby wireless printers and other Bluetooth-enabled accessories.
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Growing The Market
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Making the Inspiron Mini hugely popular in the U.S. will be a challenge for Dell in the short term. Though several mini-notebook PCs... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61697 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61697 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:46:53 -0500 TiVo Releases 1TB DVR, Inks a Deal with DirecTV TiVo dropped two big announcements Thursday at CEDIA, the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association trade show that opened Wednesday in Denver, Colo.
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First up was TiVo's one-terabyte high-definition DVR box, the HD XL. Next was a deal to bring the TiVo experience to DirecTV subscribers.
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<subhead>Massive Storage for the Masses</subhead>
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There's never been a 1TB DVR until now. But with terabyte drives at bargain prices, it was inevitable. Add the fact that high-definition content chews up storage at a rate nearly three times that of traditional video, and the capacity doesn't seem excessive.
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TiVo claims the HD XL will hold more than 150 hours of high-definition content -- about 70 movies. The DVR is also THX sound certified and includes a premium backlit remote, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), and a cable.
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"Our user interface lets users search and program recording from their satellite or cable, off-air, the Internet -- it's an 'all-in' solution -- with great capacity for high-definition programming," said Jim Denney, vice president of product marketing at TiVo. The box retails for $599, and a TiVo service subscription starts at $12.95 a month.
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<subhead>DirecTiVo</subhead>
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Perhaps bigger news in the long term for TiVo was its joint announcement with DirecTV. Under the terms of their agreement, TiVo will work with DirecTV to deliver set-top boxes for DirecTV customers.
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"TiVo's partnership with DirecTV is a win for both of them. TiVo has a good name, good product, and the user interface is better than most DVRs," said Joshua Martin, senior analyst for consumer products at the Yankee Group. "And DirecTV gets a great user interface for an HD DVR."
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In fact, the DVR hardware will be produced by DirecTV. TiVo's Denney said, "We're working closely with them on the design, but it's their hardware and the TiVo software."
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Analysts have seen the stand-alone DVR market, which... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61696 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61696 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:20:31 -0500 Red Hat Snaps Up Qumranet in $107 Million Deal Red Hat on Thursday announced the acquisition of Qumranet, paying about $107 million in cash for the privately held company.
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Qumranet is a virtualization company that is best known for its KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) platform and SolidICE offering, a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). In combination, these two Qumranet products offer a virtualization platform for enterprise customers.
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Red Hat will also pick up Qumranet's talent. The company's team of professionals that develop, test and support Qumranet solutions, as well as leaders of the open-source community KVM project, will join Red Hat.
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"Red Hat customers enjoy highly responsive, flexible and cost-effective IT infrastructures," said Jim Whitehurst, president and CEO of Red Hat. "This acquisition furthers our capability to widen the gap between open source and proprietary infrastructure software."
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The Next Generation of Virtualization
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Whitehurst went on to say that Qumranet's KVM and VDI technologies are at the forefront of the next generation of virtualization. He's convinced these technologies represent an opportunity to raise the bar and meet the market's demand for virtualization solutions.
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Red Hat said it acquired Qumranet to forward its efforts to transform the virtualization market and drive end-to-end virtualization technology and management solutions into every system, from servers to desktops, on both Linux and Windows. With Qumranet in its portfolio, the company can offer a solution that integrates with the operating system. That brings with it a promise to drive down IT costs and enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of the IT infrastructure.
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"With this acquisition, Red Hat has clearly positioned itself as a competitor within the virtual desktop market," said Michael Rose, a research analyst at IDC. "KVM not only represents a competent platform for hosting virtual desktops and other workloads, but protocols such as SPICE will increase the performance that users can expect to experience from their server-based computing environments, making the... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61695 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61695 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:47:13 -0500 iPod and iTunes Lead Apple Announcement Speculation The drumbeat of expectations for Apple's Sept. 9 announcements continues. Fueled by Apple's cryptic "Let's Rock" and "playing soon" e-mails to reporters, the blogosphere has lit up with opinions on what will be announced. One blog is even holding a contest for readers -- whoever gets the most announcements right, wins.
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Joshua Martin, an analyst at the Yankee Group, said, "ITunes upgrades and iPod innovations are inevitable. Apple has done a great job distancing themselves from the competition, so they don't necessarily need to have major new introductions, but don't put it past [CEO Steve] Jobs to do something big nonetheless."
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<subhead>The Obvious</subhead>
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With a "Let's Rock" theme, the announcements would indeed appear to focus on the iPod and iTunes. Wired's blog claims to have blueprints of a new 4GB iPod touch and iPod nano. The touch looks slimmer and appears to have external, mechanical volume controls, something users have requested.
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A price drop also should be a no-brainer as the current iPod touch costs $100 more than the latest iPhone 3G. A 2GB iPod nano with a bigger screen and better video is also an odds-on favorite. And there could be more behind the nano screens than music files.
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"Look for Wi-Fi to be added to more iPod devices and possibly some social-networking features. I know that was tried by another company a while back on their portable Wi-Fi MP3 players, but they didn't have a big enough market," Martin said in an obvious reference to Microsoft's Zune and its failed Zune-to-Zune Wi-Fi music sharing.
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There's also some speculation that a new nano model might run some applications from Apple's App Store.
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The iTunes Store is reportedly getting a refresh with music CD-like liner notes, still photographs, and music video content for participating artists. Snow Patrol, the Scottish pop-rock phenom, is expected to be the first... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61693 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61693 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:15:18 -0500 Sony Recalls VAIO Laptops To Avoid Overheating Sony has issued a recall for thousands of its VAIO laptop computers in the U.S. because of possible overheating or short-circuits.
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that Sony's recall is voluntary, and it recommended that VAIO owners stop using the products unless otherwise instructed. The recall affects about 73,000 Vaio TZ-series computers in the U.S. The Kyodo news agency in Japan is reporting that the recall applies to 440,000 units worldwide.
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15 Reports of Overheating
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The safety commission said the reason for the recall is because "irregularly positioned wires near the computer's hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge can cause a short-circuit and overheating."
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It added that this hazard could result in burns to consumers. In fact, the commission reported that Sony has received 15 reports of overheating, including one person who received a minor burn.
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The affected models are the VAIO VGN-TZ100 series, VGN-TZ200 series, VGN-TZ300 series, and VGN-TZ2000 series. The commission said owners of these models should stop using the computers "immediately" and get in touch with Sony to see if their unit is affected. Sony will arrange for any needed inspection or repair.
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Sony posted a statement on its eSupport site that said "the issues involve a small number of units which may overheat due to a wiring problem."
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Sony's Efforts
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It added that consumers with VAIO notebooks should visit http://esupport.sony.com/fixmypc. At that site, users will be asked to input their product code and serial number from the bottom of the notebook. If a consumer has an affected model, there are instructions on the site about how to set up an inspection. A hotline number is also posted.
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Sony said it would not charge for inspections, and, if necessary, it would arrange for on-site repairs at the owner's home or office -- or owners can ship their unit to... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61678 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61678 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:24:53 -0500 Google's Chrome Grabs Market, But It's Not Finished Google Chrome. It's a browser that was admittedly still in the development oven when Google released it, so are Internet Explorer 8-killer comments premature? Some analysts think so.
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On Tuesday, Google launched its latest innovation: a new open-source browser intended to create a better Web experience. Chrome is now available in more than 40 languages for the Windows operating system.
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Flanked by promises on one side and hype on the other, Chrome took one percent of the global browser market within a day of launch, according to Web traffic-analysis company StatCounter.
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"This is a phenomenal performance," said Aodhan Cullen of StatCounter. "This is war on Microsoft, but the big loser could be Firefox." StatCounter's analysis also revealed that Internet Explorer holds 70 percent of the global browser market, followed by Firefox with 22 percent.
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A New Approach To Browsing?
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Firefox isn't worried, according to blog posts from Mozilla's CEO welcoming Chrome to the competitive browser landscape. Chrome does offer some new takes on the browsing experience. Chrome combines the search and address bar, and when users open a new tab they'll see a page that includes snapshots of their most-visited sites, recent searches, and bookmarks.
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What's more, each browser tab operates as a separate process. By isolating tabs, Google said, if one tab crashes or misbehaves, the others remain stable and users can continue working without having to restart the browser. Google also built a new JavaScript engine, V8, which not only speeds up Web applications but enables a whole new class of applications that can't run in other browsers, according to the search titan.
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"While we see this as a fundamental shift in the way people think about browsers, we realize that we couldn't have created Google Chrome on our own," said Linus Upson, director of engineering at Google. "Google Chrome was built upon other... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61677 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61677 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:34:11 -0500 Computer Industry 'Green Giants' Take on E-Waste Extended producer responsibility helps recover materials safely and promote cleaner design. Some people claim that asking manufacturers to take on the burden of being environmentally responsible for their own obsolete products is unfair, but manufacturers are the ones that are in the best position to affect the environmental impacts of their products.
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Manufacturers can prevent waste and environmental problems at the source by changing the design of their products. They can design products to use less material, more recyclable material and fewer toxins. They can design products to be more durable, repairable, upgradeable or reusable. They can take back end-of-life products for reuse or recycling.
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The concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) has been mandated by law in many countries. The waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) directive in the European Union forces manufacturers of electronics to collect and recycle or reuse their products in order to divert them from landfills.
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The United States does not have federally driven EPR programs, but the practice of extended producer responsibility in the United States is gaining support from an unexpected source producers. Perhaps setting the pace for the rest of the industry, some high-profile electronics manufacturers are voluntarily assuming responsibility for what happens to their products after they become obsolete.
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Dell says it is committed to providing efficient and easy product-recovery options to facilitate responsible product retirement. The company also promotes refurbishing and reusing its products as an alternative to recycling them. Dell encourages this same level of responsibility from other producers throughout the electronics industry. "We have a responsibility to our customers to recycle the products we make and sell," says Chairman and CEO Michael Dell.
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HP makes a point to remarket used equipment whenever possible, while obsolete or damaged equipment is directed to the company's recycling centers. HP reused 65 million pounds of hardware, refurbishing... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61667 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61667 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:44:04 -0500 Take Steps To Thwart Identity Thieves The Federal Trade Commission says more than 9 million Americans have their credit identities stolen each year, and 37 percent of victims discover this problem by looking at their credit reports.
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Everyone has either experienced ID theft or knows someone who has. It can result from the new, high-tech methods (war-driving, phishing, spear-phishing, pretexting, spoofing, etc.) but mostly occurs through the standard, older techniques.
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The Insurance Information Institute and the Federal Trade Commission point to the older techniques used by identity thieves and suggest ways to defeat them:
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One card: Reduce the number of cards you carry in your purse or wallet. Carry only one credit card -- not every one you own -- and not your passport, not your Social Security card, not your birth certificate, etc. Guard your credit or debit cards when shopping by shielding them with your hand or body at the ATMs, pay phones and debit card terminals.
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Sensitive documents: Grab those credit, debit card or ATM receipts. Don't put them in the trash, on ATM counters or in shopping bags they could disappear from. Tear up or shred documents with credit card numbers, banking numbers, charge-card receipts or credit card applications before disposal. Dumpster-diving is still a top tactic.
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Online: Let's be careful online. Ensure you're buying from a reputable retailer with a secure network. See National Cyber Security Alliance info at tulsaworld.com/uscert for warnings on cyber attacks across the nation.
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Phishing: It's becoming more common but you'll be immune as long as you remember: Your bank or credit union doesn't contact customers by e-mail to ask for account numbers, routing numbers or Social Security numbers. Don't reveal personal information unless you've initiated the contact and know who you're dealing with.
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Monitor accounts: Don't rely on credit card companies or banks to... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61665 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61665 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:43:45 -0500 Printers: The Last Frontier In Corporate Cost-Cutting About that paperless office ... According to Hewlett-Packard, studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show that the average American office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year.
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HP also maintains that some Fortune 500 companies could use up to 800 tons less paper a year -- saving themselves $77 million -- by using both sides of the paper in copiers or printers, also known as duplex printing.
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There might be a little marketing hype in those figures, but it is obvious to many office workers that there is indeed a lot of printing and copying going on. The printer-copier industry maintains that many companies, in fact, don't know how much copying and printing they are doing.
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"If you ask a CFO what does it cost them when they hit file-print, they have no idea," said Bill Orr, vice president of sales at Michigan Office Solutions.
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Printers "pop up like mushrooms"' in many organizations he said. In many cases, the cost of an office printer is under $500, "so it's just a departmental expense to go out and buy one."
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"There's no strategy," said Orr, which makes the investment in printers at some companies "kind of a run-away cost -- one of the largest un-audited expenses in corporate America."
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Because the individual expenditures are low, "they fly under the radar," he added. "It's kind of out of control."
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Tom Senecal, owner of Laser's Resource in Kentwood, said Gartner and IDC, two major research firms that study the information technology industry and its markets, have compiled evidence supporting the industry's claim that printers are "the last bastion of un-audited corporate costs."
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"Most corporations in America look under every rock for cost savings," noted Senecal. "When we go talk to most corporations, we ask how many printers do you have? Nine out of 10 can't tell us the answer... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61661 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61661 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:16:23 -0500 New Music Site Gives Fans a Cut of Tune Sales Being a trendsetter can be pricey. As any fashionista or gadget hound knows, the latest frocks and tech toys don't pay for themselves. But a new Web site is trying to make it profitable for music lovers to stay ahead of the curve -- by paying them when other people purchase MP3s they've bought.
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Berkeley, Calif.-based Popcuts, which publicly launched its Web site in early August, charges users 99 cents per song. Thereafter, whenever someone else buys the same song, those who have already bought it get paid in credit that can be redeemed for more Popcuts music. The earlier you buy a song, the larger your cut of future sales.
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And while credit is currently the payment option, the site's founders hope to eventually pay users in cash, too.
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Hannes Hesse, 28, one of the company's three co-founders, said the idea came from a desire to better align the interests of artists who want to sell their music and fans who want to get it for free.
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"We thought that by providing this extra incentive to buy a song legally, namely, owning a stake in that song, would make it more attractive to buy," Hesse said.
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Popcuts user Gary Yao, 25, said that while he'd prefer cash to the current site credit that users earn, he likes being rewarded for buying songs. So far, he's earned $5.25 by buying tracks.
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"It gives me an incentive to go out there and see what's new and available," the San Francisco-based product analyst said, adding that he's discovered a few new bands by using the site over the past month.
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The site's selection is still pretty slim -- it includes around 700 songs from about 200 artists -- but Popcuts is adding musicians through a deal it recently made with music distributor DashGo Inc. and is looking to connect... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61656 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61656 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:28:28 -0500 Startup Wants To Provide Free Broadband M2Z is a small wireless start-up with a big goal: free broadband for the masses.
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Milo Medin, M2Z's chairman and co-founder and a broadband pioneer, wants the ad-supported service to ultimately be available to 95 percent of the USA. To make that happen, the company must snag a chunk of wireless airwaves being auctioned next year by the Federal Communications Commission. If all goes according to plan, free broadband could be available as early as fall 2009.
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The free service, if it launches, would run at 768 kilobits a second, 10 times faster than dial-up. Big wireless carriers currently charge a lot more -- $60 to $80 a month -- for a lot less, 400 to 500 kilobits or so. Premium services at higher speeds -- 3 to 6 megabits initially, Medin guesses -- would start at just $20 a month.
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M2Z plans to have its services built into laptops, home routers and other portable devices. Medin says the company is "in discussions" with a number of major device makers but declines to say which ones. For consumers, built-in service means "instant installation," Medin says. "You'll go to Best Buy or Target, buy a (Web-enabled device), turn it on -- and you're connected."
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Right now, the U.S. broadband market is dominated by a handful of phone and cable TV companies. Though they compete vigorously for customers, they tend to move in lockstep on broadband, with similar monthly rates, data products and service packages.
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Free broadband could seriously upset the status quo, says Blair Levin, a regulatory analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. "It would either cause the price (of broadband) to go down, or cause the current providers to really have to ramp it up" and improve their service offerings, he says.
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Medin's deep-pocketed backers include venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in Silicon Valley. M2Z is... http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61653 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61653 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:36:27 -0500 |
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