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Silverlight 3 goes live on Microsoft's servers
Microsoft's answer to Adobe's Flash is (unofficially) here, with prospects of higher-speed, higher-resolution video and for the first time, 3D.
Three Android phones on the way from T-Mobile in 2009
T-Mobile's myTouch 3G, launched Wednesday, will be followed by two more Android phones later this year, but neither of them will be HTC's Hero.
Best Buy-brand TVs to get TiVo
A new alliance will place the retailer's own brand alongide the manufacturers, and could also lead to future partnerships on services.
LTE still lacks a voice
The 4G Wireless standard that Verizon hopes to show off before this year is out is still at a loss for (spoken) words.
Data sharing among online advertisers: Is sanity in sight?
Lockdown with Angela Gunn In the middle of a 15-page plea not to get regulated, a spark of smart thinking.
T-Mobile's strategy to combat Apple's iPhone with Android
With a trio of Android phones now in the pipeline for 2009, T-Mobile hopes to break the iPhone's emerging stranglehold.
EC's Reding: Government should act as broker for media downloads
If Internet media services don't step up and build an attractive way for users to start paying for downloads, a commissioner says, government may do the job instead.
Sony TVs get Netflix, still no PS3
Though it's coming in behind LG, Samsung, and Microsoft, Sony will begin to offer Netflix streaming, too.
Google Chrome OS: Too little, too early
Carmi Levy: Wide Angle Zoom Don't start the revolution just yet, says Carmi, who isn't so certain Chrome OS will be the "Windows Killer."
GAO pen test brings the hammer down on federal rent-a-cops
But are the computers to blame for the contract-guard fiasco at FPS?
What's Next: Chrome OS will have at least some friends in high places
Also: South Korea takes another round of DDoS abuse, and Neelie Kroes and Steve Ballmer may shake hands before she exits stage left.
Report: Evidence of further creativity with Windows 7 upgrade prices
A ZDNet blogger did some serious digging for clues as to a reported price break on multiple Windows 7 Home Premium licenses, and may have found it.
T-Mobile's strategy to combat Apple's iPhone with Android
By Jacqueline Emigh on July 9, 2009, 5:26 PM
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To put a bigger dent in Apple's growing command of the US mobile phone market, T-Mobile USA will start to use weapons ranging from hardware diversity to "usability," improved customer service, and new software applications, according to Cole Brodman, CTO for the mobile carrier.
"IPhones are great, but Apple's vision isn't as wide," Brodman contended, during an interview with Betanews at a New York City press event on Thursday.
Continue reading T-Mobile's strategy to combat Apple's iPhone with Android...
Sony TVs get Netflix, still no PS3
By Tim Conneally on July 9, 2009, 1:52 PM
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Both Sony Bravia connected HDTVs and the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link module now have access to Netflix on Demand, the popular service which has already found its way onto the Xbox 360, TiVo HD DVRs, LG Blu-Ray players and HDTVs .
Netflix will reside in the Bravia Internet Video platform alongside Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Sony Pictures, Sports Illustrated, Crackle, Slacker, Epicurious.com, Concierge.com, Style.com, and Dailymotion. Unfortunately, Sony's PlayStation 3 is not yet compatible with this service, and today's announcement did not mention the video game console.
Best Buy-brand TVs to get TiVo
By Tim Conneally on July 9, 2009, 12:43 PM
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Today, DVR pioneer TiVo and consumer electronics retailer Best Buy announced they will be working together to boost TiVo adoption and improve Best Buy's digital presence in the consumer's home.
A joint statement from the companies this morning said, "TiVo and Best Buy plan to investigate development of a unique user interface for TiVo DVRs purchased at Best Buy which would provide Best Buy a platform to more effectively market its digital content services, to regularly offer consumers trusted advice and guidance on the digital home experience, and to provide an ongoing dialogue with customers about Best Buy's various retail offerings."
Three Android phones on the way from T-Mobile in 2009
By Jacqueline Emigh on July 9, 2009, 8:31 AM
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T-Mobile USA's myTouch 3G, the second Android phone to spring up in the US market, is geared to greater customizability and ease of use than the earlier G1, said Cole Brodman, T-Mobile USA's chief technology officer, at a press event in Manhattan on Wednesday.
The nation's premiere Android phone carrier will follow up with two additional Android phones this fall, but these will not include HTC's Hero , a new mobile phone that Orange has already signed on for in Europe.
Continue reading Three Android phones on the way from T-Mobile in 2009...
Is Amazon's Kindle 2 price cut a distraction from the DX?
By Tim Conneally on July 8, 2009, 5:55 PM
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Marking the second generation Kindle's fifth month of availability and its passage into the "majority phase" of the Rogers adoption curve , Amazon has lopped 15% of the popular e-reader's price. The device's price today was dropped to $299.
Though Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has said the company may never disclose the Kindle's sales figures, an estimated 300,000 Kindle 2 units were reportedly shipped in April. In May, Amazon unveiled the Kindle DX, which has actually struggled to keep up with demand.
Continue reading Is Amazon's Kindle 2 price cut a distraction from the DX?...
Sony Ericsson's Android UI leaks
By Tim Conneally on July 8, 2009, 2:47 PM
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To accompany the shots purported to be Sony Ericsson's first Android phone , a powerful 1 GHz Snapdragon-equipped touchscreen device code-named "Rachael," a video claiming to be the device's custom Android UI has emerged.
Like the Sense UI debuting on HTC's Hero in Europe this month, Rachael's UI retains the three-panel "shade and drawer" Android layout, but completely overhauls the graphics and widgets.
Sony CEO Stringer: No PS3 price cut
By Tim Conneally on July 8, 2009, 1:59 PM
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Sony Corporation's Chief Executive Officer Sir Howard Stringer made statements at the Allen & Co. Conference yesterday affirming the company's pricing strategy for its PlayStation 3. If the video game console got any cheaper, Reuters quotes Stringer as saying, "[I'd] lose money on every PlayStation I make, how's that for logic?"
Last month, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotik went on the attack against Sony, saying, "They have to cut the price [of the PS3], because if they don't, the attach rates are likely to slow...If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony."
Go west, young man...rerouting...Make a legal U-turn, young man
By Tim Conneally on July 7, 2009, 6:23 PM
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On Independence Day weekend, I was faced with a fourteen-hour drive and a long outdated, standalone GPS unit. The Garmin Nuvi GPS that I received as a gift two Christmases prior had begun to prompt me to pay for a map update every time I started it up. Consequently, I didn't use it very much, and stuck to using Telenav Navigator or Google Maps on my phone in the frequent instances when I have become truly, hopelessly lost.
As we were packing up the car, I started to wonder just how necessary the Garmin's map update actually would be. I mean, how often do roads really change, right? Presuming the poles of the Earth don't suddenly reverse, an outdated GPS is at least going to give you useful map coordinates and tell you what direction you're driving.
Continue reading Go west, young man...rerouting...Make a legal U-turn, young man...
Palm unveils its European Pre rollout plan
By Tim Conneally on July 7, 2009, 1:04 PM
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Mobile network operators O2 and Movistar, subsidiaries of Telefonica, will be Europe's first exclusive operators to carry the Palm Pre, the device maker announced today . O2 will offer the device In the UK, Ireland, and Germany, and Movistar will offer it in Spain, with availability some time before the holidays.
Rumors of a deal between Palm and Telefonica began to stir last week , with expectations of a price and launch date this week, but neither was supplied today.
Continue reading Palm unveils its European Pre rollout plan...
Sony's first netbook, the Vaio W: What goes around finally comes around
By Tim Conneally on July 7, 2009, 12:02 PM
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After all the noise Sony made about avoiding the term "netbook" with the release of its Vaio P ultraportable, and the statements Senior Vice President Mike Abary made about the Eee PC before that, it was beginning to look like Sony was never going to release a device in the netbook/mini-note form factor. But that has changed.
Today, Sony officially launched its first netbook. The 10.1-inch Windows XP-based Vaio W runs on a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280, has 1 GB of RAM, and a 160 GB SATA HDD. It's equipped with 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, a built-in Webcam, and offers 1366 x 768 screen resolution -- higher-than-usual for netbook screens.
Continue reading Sony's first netbook, the Vaio W: What goes around finally comes around...
Nokia: Android? Are you crazy?
By Tim Conneally on July 6, 2009, 10:59 AM
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Adding to the swollen category of "rumored Android device makers," Nokia was briefly rumored to be readying a touchscreen smartphone based on the Android mobile OS for Nokia World in September.
But rather than say it doesn't comment on rumors as companies often do, Nokia flatly denied the rumor , citing the "well known fact" that Symbian is its platform of choice .
'GeoHot' gets a shower, cleans up nice, reveals new iPhone 3G S jailbreak
By Scott M. Fulton, III on July 3, 2009, 12:44 PM
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In a comically blatant display of bravado this morning, George Hotz -- who gained fame last year as the first to post an unlocking utility for the new Apple iPhone -- has unveiled a new utility that he claims enables iPhone 3G S users to download, install, and utilize the applications of their choice, outside of Apple's and AT&T's control.
In so doing, Hotz -- who uses the handle "GeoHot" -- publicly paraded his prowess in front of Dev-Team, the independent group of iPhone developers who had been racing to produce a similar tool for this latest model. Complete with poor punctuation and curious references to "holes," Hotz wrote, "Normally I don't make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn't how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn't worth waiting because you might have the 'last' hole in the iPhone. What last hole...this isn't golf. I'll find a new one next week."
Continue reading 'GeoHot' gets a shower, cleans up nice, reveals new iPhone 3G S jailbreak...
Hybrid satellite cell phones aren't far off
By Tim Conneally on July 2, 2009, 4:03 PM
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The largest commercial communications satellite ever has been launched. The Terrestar-1 from Terrestar Networks lifted off from the ESA (Europe's equivalent of NASA) aerospace center in French Guiana on the northern coast of South America.
The satellite's network will operate in two 10 MHz blocks of contiguous MSS spectrum in the 2 GHz band throughout the United States and Canada with a footprint that covers a population of nearly 330 million. The company will offer both wireless broadband and voice services which will improve inconsistent rural coverage and dead zones throughout North America. Connection to the satellite, however, requires a clear line of sight with the southern sky.
Continue reading Hybrid satellite cell phones aren't far off...
All together now: iPhone and Palm Pre, likely to both grace O2's UK portfolio
By Tim Conneally on July 2, 2009, 1:37 PM
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European wireless network operator O2 has reportedly reached a deal to exclusively carry the Palm Pre in the UK. O2, a subsidiary of Telefónica, is Britain's largest wireless carrier, and has a similar exclusivity agreement with Apple for the iPhone.
UK paper The Guardian reported last May that O2 was vying for an exclusive agreement with Palm for the Pre, and that competition with rival carrier Orange was fierce.
Continue reading All together now: iPhone and Palm Pre, likely to both grace O2's UK portfolio...
Dish users may continue using DVRs as appeals court stays injunction
By Scott M. Fulton, III on July 2, 2009, 11:41 AM
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As first reported by Dow Jones this morning, the ongoing technology infringement battle between DVR pioneer TiVo and Dish Network has only entered yet another new chapter. A federal appeals court early this morning granted Dish Network's request for a stay of an injunction that would have barred the continued sale and use of Dish's DVRs, after a district court ruled last month they infringed upon TiVo's patents for timesharing technology.
The stay does not mean that Dish is out of the woods. An appeal of last month's decision was inevitable, and courts will typically delay injunctions pending appeal, even if it ends up that the appeal is upheld.
Continue reading Dish users may continue using DVRs as appeals court stays injunction...
New beta of iPhone 3.1 SDK shows signs of life for MMS on AT&T
By Scott M. Fulton, III on July 1, 2009, 1:16 PM
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Registered developers who log onto the Apple Dev Center this morning are being given an interesting little message (and 9to5Mac.com has a screenshot ): With the iPhone 3.0 SDK having just been released, the first beta of the version 3.1 SDK began distribution last night.
Perhaps topmost on the list of iPhone 3.1 features that developers have been searching for, but were denied with the 3.0 release, is evidence that instant messages may at last include MMS. This blogger shows screenshots of images that can be cut-and-pasted to the text entry line, which implies that they can be sent using MMS protocol...at some point. AT&T has not enabled that protocol over its network yet, though the carrier is saying it will enable that feature this summer.
Continue reading New beta of iPhone 3.1 SDK shows signs of life for MMS on AT&T...
Myka's Linux-based BitTorrent box great home theater PC for lazy people
By Tim Conneally on June 30, 2009, 5:59 PM
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With as many set-top boxes as there suddenly appear to be in the home video market, as long as any one of them has a strong central feature, it could be the one that becomes a household name. Look at TiVo, Slingbox, and AppleTV: Each of these built a TV-based ecosystem around a single unique feature: TiVo's was the DVR, Slingbox was the place-shifting concept, and AppleTV was iTunes.
Now, IPTV startup Myka has designed its own media center STB, focusing on BitTorrent as its winning central feature. And while it doesn't carry all the functions one would expect in a home theater PC (HTPC), it offers enough power and functionality to be considered a little more than your run-of-the-mill set top box. Like the title says, if you're a little bit lazy...you could even consider Myka a pre-built HTPC. Betanews got an exclusive look at this new device.
Continue reading Myka's Linux-based BitTorrent box great home theater PC for lazy people...
Mr. President, this is your BlackBerry upgrade
By Tim Conneally on June 30, 2009, 1:33 PM
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BlackBerry Tour , the latest smartphone from Research in Motion, will be heading to Verizon on July 12 for $199.99 in two different forms: one with a camera and one without. The device was officially announced earlier in June on both Verizon and Sprint, but Verizon is the first carrier to offer a launch date.
Also known as the 9630, the BlackBerry Tour is a world phone with voice support in over 220 countries and push e-mail support in 175. It is equipped with GPS and can also be used as a tethered 3G modem (2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA, or 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A) for Verizon Mobile Broadband Connect Subscribers. With BlackBerry as the dominant brand in enterprise smartphone deployments, the ability to buy the latest model with no built-in camera is crucial for secure work environments where no cameras are allowed, especially including government installations.
Continue reading Mr. President, this is your BlackBerry upgrade...
PSP Phone: A logical next step for Sony?
By Tim Conneally on June 29, 2009, 11:45 AM
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The two-year old "PSP Phone" rumor has been resurrected yet again, this time because of a weekend article in respected Japanese business journal Nikkei Shimbun . The article says Sony now has plans to set up a PSP Phone development team in July which will be comprised of Sony Ericsson and SCE workers.
Rumors of a PlayStation Portable-branded Sony Ericsson device began when a 2007 patent application for a gaming phone was filed by the joint venture. The device in the patent is designed with a 90-degree pivoting screen not unlike the LG VX9400 , and d-pad style buttons rather than the traditional numeric keypad. Earlier this year, a Christmas 2009 launch date for the device was rumored as well.
Continue reading PSP Phone: A logical next step for Sony?...
New TV's PVR can save video to SD chips
By Tim Conneally on June 26, 2009, 12:17 PM
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British LCD TV maker Cello Electronics has populated the European budget TV market with devices sporting some atypical features, such as the TV with an iPod Dock , which are designed in China and manufactured by North England subcontractors.
Like Vizio in the United States, Cello has grown rapidly in the last four years because of its affordable, but feature-rich products.
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