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Google Buzz: Another attempt to harness the content firehose
Similar to how Google successfully remolded RSS into a Google tool, the company now wants to remold Gmail into one big Google party
Success: Google's Nexus One shipping support line takes tech support questions
UPDATED Though the support line had been set up for shipping, it now appears Google personnel are happy to hear technical concerns.
Goodnight, moon: What I learned from a space shuttle
Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: Can the tech sector learn a few lessons from the space program? Certainly, if you believe in learning from someone else's mistakes.
Netflix to FCC: NBCU + Comcast could bypass net neutrality
Weaning itself from the post office as its main means of video transfer, Netflix would like someone to ensure the Internet remains just as unencumbered.
Rhapsody to become an independent company
RealNetworks and Viacom subsidiary MTV Networks have begun the process of spinning off music service Rhapsody into an independent company.
Nvidia debuts new dynamically-switched graphics card technology
Today, Nvidia announced that its Optimus technology for GPU switching will soon be available in a handful of Asus notebooks.
Google lowers 'unusually high' early termination fee on Nexus One
Google has lowered the Nexus One's early termination fees which were twice as high as the norm.
Netgear and Ericsson introduce a mobile broadband hotspot with a twist
It's a mobile broadband hotspot, but it's for use in the home.
Report: Streaming video drove 72% global increase in mobile data consumption
A new study says streaming video is "the single most influential factor driving the need for increased mobile network capacity."
Stymied by continuing Nexus One 3G issues, Google blames the environment
If you're still afflicted with the 3G flip-flop trouble, then you might consider moving. That appears to be the only suggestion Google can give for now.
Wolfram|Alpha makes a strong argument for virtual keyboards
"Answer engine" Wolfram|Alpha has updated its iPhone/iPod Touch app, harnessing the strength of the virtual keyboard.
Sybase rises against rival databases from Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 30, 2010, 1:58 PM
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On news of its best financial quarter in company history, Sybase celebrated this week by officially rolling out a new edition of its enterprise database.
The new Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) 15.5, which shipped in December 2009, is the first product from Sybase to be shipped with an in-memory database (IMDB), an emerging alternative to disk-based databases which has already been adopted by competitors Oracle and IBM.
Continue reading Sybase rises against rival databases from Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM...
Security report: Web users pick passwords that are way too easy to hack
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 21, 2010, 3:31 PM
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According to a report on Consumer Password Best Practices culled from an analysis of 32 million passwords exposed in the recent Rockyou.com Web security breach, the three most commonly used passwords among users of the Rockyou social networking site turned out to be 123456, 12345, and 123456789.
Also making in into the top ten, in this order, were the following: Password, iloveyou, princess, rockyou, 1234567, 12345678, and abc123.
Continue reading Security report: Web users pick passwords that are way too easy to hack...
Droids, iPhones, and RFID to drive new mobile shopping and transit apps in 2010
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 14, 2010, 6:15 PM
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An offshoot of RFID known as near field communication (NFC), along with the latest Android phones and Apple's iPhone, are now helping the US to catch up to Europe and Asia in mobile shopping and mass transit applications, said analysts and other experts at this week's National Retail Federation (NRF) conference in New York City.
Among the ever escalating numbers of smartphones available in the US, Apple's iPhone still leads the way in those as well as other mobile application areas, noted David Dorf, director of retail technology at Oracle.
Continue reading Droids, iPhones, and RFID to drive new mobile shopping and transit apps in 2010...
CES 2010: Windows netbooks obscured by armies of ARM-based Linux gadgets
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 11, 2010, 9:27 AM
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While new Atom-based Windows netbooks did show up at CES 2010, the Wintel mobile PC platform so omnipresent only a year ago, got way overshadowed this time around in a blitz of announcements around Linux-based smartbooks, e-readers, and tablets running on ARM processors.
Some of the ARM-enabled netbooks on display, such as Lenovo's Skylight (pictured above), are outfitted with Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips. Plastic Logic's Que e-reader uses ARM processors from Marvell. Freescale, another ARM chipmaker, rolled out a reference platform for a sub-$200 tablets, also during the 2010 show.
Continue reading CES 2010: Windows netbooks obscured by armies of ARM-based Linux gadgets...
CES 2010: Femtocell gadgets on their way to wireless households
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 7, 2010, 9:39 PM
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Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile USA have all announced femtocell services, and so have Vodafone in the UK and China Telecom, according to a panel of experts in the femtocell space.
In fact, although femtos aren't yet seeing widespread use in the US, by January of last year, Sprint had already introduced a home femto device called the Airave, while Verizon had unveiled the Network Extender and AT&T had rolled out the 3G Microcell.
Continue reading CES 2010: Femtocell gadgets on their way to wireless households...
CES 2010: E-readers on the rise
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 7, 2010, 1:58 PM
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Amazon, Sony, and Barnes & Noble are now getting some intense new rivalry in the e-reader ring. With an entire section of the CES show floor devoted this year to e-readers, vendors demoing new entries in the category range from Samsung and Fujitsu to start-ups like Spring Design. Shiny new bells and whistles are on the way, too, including color LCD screens.
At Pepcom's Digital Experience press event last night, Samsung showed off new e-readers equipped with handwriting capabilities. As CES opens its doors to the public today, attendees visiting Samsung's booth will be able to try out Samsung's six-inch E-6 e-reader, priced at $399, and 10-inch E-100, priced at $699.
CES 2010: Cisco's videoconferencing heads to consumers' HDTVs
By Jacqueline Emigh on January 6, 2010, 9:11 PM
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This spring, Cisco will launch trials with Verizon and France Telecom around HDTV-enabled videoconferencing, with commercial applications in health care, "family-to-family," and musical entertainment likely to follow starting in the second half of 2010, said Cisco CEO John Chambers, in a press conference at CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
In a series of demos, Chambers showed how Cisco's emerging TelePresence system can be used in both health care and remote communications between family members.
Continue reading CES 2010: Cisco's videoconferencing heads to consumers' HDTVs...
Google rolls out real-time search, Near Me Now, extended personalization
By Jacqueline Emigh on December 7, 2009, 5:28 PM
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After stirring up privacy concerns with a personalized search announcement, industry search engine leader Google threw a press conference today to launch a slate of other new search offerings for PCs and mobile phones, including a possibly equally controversial feature that integrates Twitter tweets and blog posts with news articles in real-time searches.
Google's announcements also include two new location-based options for iPhones and Droid phones: Near Me Now and Product Search.
Continue reading Google rolls out real-time search, Near Me Now, extended personalization...
Playing catch-up in 2010: Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian
By Jacqueline Emigh on December 4, 2009, 11:19 PM
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With iPhone and Android picking up more popularity every day, it's urgent for rival smartphones to enhance their mobile software environments, some analysts say. But while Microsoft, RIM, and Nokia are working on better user experiences, phones outfitted with new features aren't likely to show up until way after CES 2010.
Microsoft has the longest way to go in playing catch-up in market share, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, in an interview with Betanews.
Continue reading Playing catch-up in 2010: Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian...
Verizon Wireless launches new Android, Chocolate, and ruggedized phones
By Jacqueline Emigh on November 5, 2009, 7:07 PM
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In New York City today, Verizon Wireless rolled out new additions to its expanding Android and LG Chocolate phone families, while also delivering sneak previews of a new, consumer-friendly ruggedized phone called the Casio G'zOne Brigade (shown above).
Like its previously announced top-of-the-line Android phone, known simply as the Droid, the less expensive Droid Eris will be available for the first time in Verizon stores tomorrow -- which is also when pricing will be revealed.
Continue reading Verizon Wireless launches new Android, Chocolate, and ruggedized phones...
Verizon's Droid claims 10,000 apps, graphics co-processor, and 'a map for that'
By Jacqueline Emigh on October 29, 2009, 4:18 PM
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At a sneak preview in New York City on Thursday night, execs from Verizon Wireless, Motorola, and Google gave reporters from Betanews and elsewhere a point-by-point illustration, supported by a few of Android's 10,000-plus apps. They also showed off some features not even mentioned in Verizon's anti-iPhone marketing blitz: a stellar 3.7-inch high res display, turn-by-turn GPS voice navigation with Google Latitude and Street Views, and innovative peripherals like a car mount and multimedia station.
In a scathing new ad campaign, Verizon takes aim at everything Apple's rival iPhone doesn't do. "iDon't have a real keyboard," according to an ad. "iDon't run simultaneous apps," and so on, and so forth.
Continue reading Verizon's Droid claims 10,000 apps, graphics co-processor, and 'a map for that'...
Microsoft wows Windows 7 crowd with Internet TV
By Jacqueline Emigh on October 22, 2009, 6:17 PM
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While most of the Windows 7 features demo'd at today's New York City launch were already known about far and wide, Microsoft surprised a lot of the crowd with Internet TV, a streaming media capability that just might some day spur consumers to ditch pricey cable TV services like Time Warner and Cablevision.
Internet TV lets you stream video and audio programming directly into Windows 7 Media Center, without the hassles of going to myriad Web sites and downloading multiple players, said Microsoft rep Brian Yee, in an interview with Betanews at the Microsoft bash.
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Live from the NYC Windows 7 press event
By Jacqueline Emigh on October 22, 2009, 9:43 AM
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The world pretty much knows what Windows 7 contains, thanks to technology previews and early releases to developers. So what's left for anyone to be surprised about? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave a hint as to a possible answer this morning on NBC's Today program, telling host Matt Lauer that one of the most noticeable new features of the operating system will be multitouch. With Apple premiering its "multitouch mouse" a few days early, did Ballmer have something similar in mind?
Betanews' Jacqueline Emigh is with the press contingent in New York City, and is filing live updates from the scene.
Bento personal database for Mac gains Wi-Fi sharing, security
By Jacqueline Emigh on September 29, 2009, 10:25 PM
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Launched on Tuesday, Bento 3 is the third major release of the personal database from Apple's FileMaker division since the original rollout of the product in January 2008.
With the new Bento 3, users can employ Apple Bonjour, a technology intro'd earlier for iTunes and iPhotos, to let other users on a Wi-Fi or wired LAN locate and view information in their personal databases.
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3G wireless eReader from Irex aims to tackle Amazon's Kindle
By Jacqueline Emigh on September 23, 2009, 8:56 PM
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Through new partnerships with Verizon Wireless, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and other major US firms, the European-based Philips spin-off hopes to at least hobble the Amazon giant in North America. Set for release next month, Irex's 8.1-inch touch screen eReader will be better than the Kindle in almost countless ways, officials contended during a press conference today in New York City.
Unlike the Kindle, which is dedicated to sales from Amazon.com, the Irex DR800SG will support Barnes & Noble's eBookstore and ultimately other e-comm sites, magazines, and newspapers, too, said Hans Brons, CEO and founder of Irex. Based in the Netherlands, Irex has been carefully eying the US e-reader marketplace for more than a year now, according to Brons.
Continue reading 3G wireless eReader from Irex aims to tackle Amazon's Kindle...
Windows Mobile 6.5 struggles to gain ground against iPhone and Android
By Jacqueline Emigh on September 22, 2009, 10:29 AM
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Earlier this month, Microsoft announced support for Windows Mobile 6.5 from North American mobile carriers including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Telus, and Bell Mobility; along with major phone makers Samsung, HTC, LG, HP, and Toshiba. But not Palm...and it's that fact which got the most attention.
But while Palm shoveled out plans last week to dump Microsoft's mobile OS, support for Windows Mobile is now popping up from places ranging from AT&T to innovative new VoIP provider Zer01 and media content specialist (and iPhone/Android/RIM developer) FlyCast.
Continue reading Windows Mobile 6.5 struggles to gain ground against iPhone and Android...
Preview of Windows 7 netbooks, PCs from Asus, Samsung, and ViewSonic
By Jacqueline Emigh on September 21, 2009, 11:58 AM
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In a flashback to the more prosperous years before the current "deep recession," hordes of truly enthused journalists crowded dozens of vendors' booths at a revitalized Pepcom pre-holiday event in New York City last week, waiting for their turns to get up close and personal with forthcoming consumer electronics wares.
ViewSonic, a company known until now mostly for its monitors, introduced a total of four new PCs at Pepcom's press event Thursday night.
Continue reading Preview of Windows 7 netbooks, PCs from Asus, Samsung, and ViewSonic...
Lenovo launches Windows 7 ThinkPads with multitouch and outdoor screens
By Jacqueline Emigh on September 15, 2009, 12:46 PM
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With the October 22 rollout of Microsoft's new operating system now little over a month away, Lenovo today introduced portable PCs with two unique screen options: a multitouch screen, enhanced by a new application called SimpleTap, plus a super bright screen visible even under the sunniest skies.
Lenovo is offering the new multiscreen technology with both its T400s laptop and X200 tablet PC. The super bright screens, however, will be available only with the X200 tablets, said Mika Majapura, worldwide segment manager for ThinkPad X-series, in a briefing for Betanews.
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Symantec launches Norton Security 10 and Quorum technology
By Jacqueline Emigh on September 10, 2009, 6:15 PM
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With ID theft reaching increasingly alarming proportions, Symantec this week rolled out a battery of new tools geared to helping PC users fight victimization, at a press event Wednesday in New York City.
The company's latest round of heavy artillery includes new Quorum technology, integrated into the now available Norton Internet Security 10 and Norton Antivirus 10, plus a free tool known as the Norton Online Risk Calculator.
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Dell and Nickelodeon launch 'slime' netbooks for kids
By Jacqueline Emigh on August 12, 2009, 5:22 PM
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At a press event in New York City this week, Dell and two partners rolled out a new product that will compete in the home market versus kids' netbooks slated for release this fall by Eee maker Asus and Disney.
The upcoming Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition is based on a low-end, slimmed down version of Dell's current Mini 10 netbook, known internally as a "bear" edition, noted Bill Holden, a Dell product management executive, speaking with Betanews at the event.
Continue reading Dell and Nickelodeon launch 'slime' netbooks for kids...