Latest Technology News

Microsoft announced yesterday the official minimum requirements to run Windows XP when it arrives this October. The new operating system demands a 233MHz processor, 64 megabytes of RAM minimum, and 1.5 gigabytes of hard drive space. However, using only 64MB of RAM will diminish performance and disable certain features in the OS, including 'fast switching' between users. To take full advantage of XP, a 300MHz processor and 128MB of RAM are recommended. Computers that run either Windows 2000 or Me can be easily upgraded to Redmond's latest offering. Microsoft posted a more detailed wish list for OEMs last month.

By comparison, XP predecessor Windows 2000 required a 133MHz processor, and recommended 64MB of memory.

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Envision a future of video on demand, music, and other copyrighted materials securely being downloaded from the Internet - without the threat of piracy. Impossible? RealNetworks doesn't think so, and plans to announce Wednesday at Streaming Media West a new digital copyright technology dubbed extensible media commerce language. XMCL will serve as a Web standard for copyright protection, and work in conjunction with future digital rights management software. The company is also expected to introduce the RealSystem Media Commerce Suite, the first of such software to utilize the XMCL specification.

Back by industry giants Bertelsmann, IBM, and Sony, RealNetworks intends to explore all avenues the technology can traverse. Real Chief Operating Officer Larry Jacobson, told the Associated Press Wednesday, "Eventually, RealNetworks hopes the technology will be go beyond computers to television and virtually any other type of digital media. The potential for these initiatives are just so enormous."

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Small and mid-sized businesses may have found a new friend. Undercutting Adobe by over 200 US dollars, San Francisco-based FinePrint has offered up its own solution for creating cross-platform PDF files. FinePrint's pdfFactory allows users to convert documents into portable document files, and retails for $39.95 USD; as compared to Adobe Acrobat which sells for a hefty $249 USD. PDF files can be read with Adobe's Acrobat Reader, freeware that runs on Windows, Mac OS, and all variants of UNIX. Over 200 million copies of the viewer have been installed world-wide, establishing the format as a staple of business communication.

Even as PDF becomes standard issue for distributing documents online, FinePrint contends that the overall cost of deploying an Adobe solution across entire organizations remains costly. In today's press release, President Jonathan Weiner elaborated, "Unfortunately, the cost of providing an entire workforce with PDF file writing capabilities has been prohibitive, and the Acrobat application offers more features than many users need."

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Harness the power of Earth, wind, air, fire, water, limbo, and the forces of nature to obtain god-like powers in SismoPlay's DuelField, now entering beta testing. Opponents face off on a mythical battleground to find out which deity will reign supreme. If victorious, the prize is total domination of the Earth's elemental forces. By controlling the minds of creatures and causing natural disaster called, players can improve their stats and obtain "control points."

Different types of creatures have special abilities and their appearance differs according to class and race. Players can obtain the most diverse legion of creatures that best suits their style of gaming by trading off and auctioning soldiers. The game ends when one player's fleet has been demolished.

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Many people have been considering a wireless ISP, and one of the first solutions for PocketPC users on the run is the OmniSky service for the Hewlett-Packard Jornada. Since we began our review, OmniSky has also introduced a more expensive service for the Compaq iPaq. Read on as BetaNews takes a look at wireless Net for the PDA, and stay tuned for more information on the new iPaq offering.

OmniSky for the Jornada is powered by a wireless modem from Novatel Wireless, the same company that manufactures the modems for OmniSky's
Palm V and Handspring services. Installing the device is fairly straightforward, although slightly awkward because you must first remove screws on the back of your Jornada to attach a bracket that supports the modem. Once you've done that, the modem slides on easily and stays secure.

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In his keynote speech at TechEd 2001, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates revealed two major announcements to attendees. Gates introduced the final beta of Visual Studio .NET, and stated that the moniker "Windows 2002" would not be the final product name for Whistler Server after all. Instead, he announced plans for Windows .NET Server, making clear the importance of the .NET strategy to Microsoft. Additionally, developers now have access to Microsoft's Mobile Internet Toolkit Beta 2, and UDDI developer edition.

Today's launch of Visual Studio .NET Beta 2 coincides with the tenth anniversary of Visual Basic, Microsoft's popular programming language. Visual Studio lays the foundation for the Microsoft .NET architecture of XML based services and applications. Visual Studio .NET and Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect introduce three significant new features: software modeling, database modeling, and development frameworks and templates.

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It is becoming simpler for businesses to connect to one another over the Internet and to describe the services they offer, thanks to the Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) project. A second release of the specification was released today offering expanded search capabilities, methods to describe complex organizations, and improved internationalization. The UDDI serves as a cornerstone to Web services, allowing companies to quickly transact and swap information.

Industry giants such as IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun actively support the UDDI project. The specification is a key element of Microsoft's .NET strategy for Web-based services, and plays an integral role in the upcoming VisualStudio .NET development suite. A collaboration of over 280 companies drafted version 2 of the UDDI.

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Despite the company's bitter campaign against open source software, Microsoft continues to use FreeBSD to power important functions of its Hotmail free e-mail service. Much to the chagrin of the folks at Redmond, FreeBSD and Apache continued to run Hotmail for several years after it was purchased in 1997. Microsoft publicly claimed to have removed all traces of FreeBSD last summer, and even published a case study documenting its experiences. Microsoft told BetaNews that solutions such as FreeBSD are in use throughout its IT infrastructure. A spokesperson also clarified the the software giant's position on OSS technologies, and views on GPL licensing.

Microsoft maintains however, that it is migrating to its own proprietary software and any delays are meant to ensure a positive experience for its customers.

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Modern technology has granted corporations unprecedented access into the personal lives of consumers. Through their discretion, public awareness and by acts of government, privacy standards have been implemented to protect a wary public from the prying eyes of profiteers. Even still, many privacy advocates point out that there is cause for alarm. For many users, the boundaries were convenience morphs with an intrusion of privacy may have dissolved.

Today at The Nokia Connection 2001, the company announced its mPlatform Advertising solution, which is compatible with current as well as future generations of mobile handsets and PDAs. It will be bundled with Nokia mPlatform Solution, middleware offered to operators and service providers who in turn will have access to a new revenue stream. Advertisers will be able to utilize text, graphics, streaming media, and video clips to present their offerings to users of mobile Internet services.

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The Associated Press issued a brief statement indicating that Microsoft and Florida-based, XBOX Technologies have settled their quarrel over the name 'Xbox'. XBOX Technologies will assume a different corporate identity in the future and Microsoft will attain the trademark rights. Specific terms of the agreement are not publicly available, and Microsoft could not be reached for comment prior to publication. However, XBOX Technologies representative Robert P. Koolen told BetaNews, "This was a very very mutually satisfactory settlement."

The dispute raised possibilities that Microsoft's much touted Xbox could be delayed. Last February, Bloomberg reported that John Van Leeuwen of XBOX Technologies would not indicate whether the company would sell the XBOX brand name.

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A new edition of InstallShield is now entering beta, and developers may apply to test the new release. InstallShield version 7.0 "leverages both the power of InstallScript as well as Windows Installer features such as autorepair and advertising." The beta combines features from previous InstallShield products, including one-click installation, a script-based user interface, and enhanced automation. In preparation for the future, version 7.0 will provide support for Windows XP, .NET, and 64-bit applications.

The program will last approximately six weeks, and the news server, newsgroup name, user name and password will be provided via e-mail.

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Despite recent rumors to the contrary, Netscape has not left the browser business just yet. The first beta of Netscape version 6.1 arrived today, based on the latest Mozilla 0.9.1 milestone. Mozilla has come a long way in the year since Netscape 6.0 made its debut, with improvements in stability, interface, rendering, and perhaps most importantly - speed. Early reports have proven extremely favorable, but Netscape warns the preview "is intended for advanced end-users and testers to test and send feedback."

With version 6.1, Netscape aims to correct many of the issues from 6.0 that drew harsh criticism and only contributed to the browser's sinking market share. The preview features new search capabilities, improved bookmark management, new tabs for My Sidebar, added history management, a new download interface, support for "emoticons" in e-mail, instant messenger access throughout the program, and a drop-down auto-complete option.

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The growing popularity of PDAs and other wireless devices has compelled Adobe to include mobile support in its newly released PageMaker 7.0. PageMaker is a page layout program, which focuses on Adobe's popular PDF (Portable Document Files) format to allow users to digitize print documents for online distribution. PDF files are now tagged, identifying elements of documents that are prone to change on different displays. This measure ensures a consistent page layout over a variety of devices and addresses productivity issues, making it easy to edit and share documents on the run.

Integration with other Adobe products has also been tweaked in version 7.0. Files from Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator can be imported natively into PageMaker, eliminating the need for duplicate versions of files. Adobe claims that it is now easier to convert files from third party applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher and QuarkXPress, for use with PageMaker. Additionally Adobe announced that, "users can create personalized collateral with new data merge capabilities that leverage text and images exported from databases and aid in direct mail creation by providing both automation and professional quality layout."

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Helping to bridge the gap between system architecture and high-speed networks, the world's first consumer 10-Gigabit Ethernet Optical Adapter has hit the market. Nortel Networks has boosted data throughput between networks and servers to speeds that are ten times greater than those available through today's technology. Nortel is currently conducting beta trials of its adapter with California-based Hewlett-Packard.

According to Nortel's Pat Welch, "10-Gigabit Ethernet solutions are designed to break through the bottleneck to deliver high-speed access to eBusiness transactions, databases and other Web-related applications." Faster, more efficient, and less complex networks will stem from this technology.

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Slowly but surely, AMD has been working its way up the PC ladder and onto the motherboards of businesses and consumers alike. With new notebooks sporting AMD processors and distribution deals in place with leading desktop manufactrers, rival Intel's once veritable monopoly is now a past remembrance. AMD today stated goals to achieve a 30 percent global market share by the end of this year, in what the company's President and COO, Hector Ruiz, calls "modest revenue growth."

Set to give chip giant Intel a run for its money, AMD unveiled two new Athlon processors last week which not only offer inexpensive multi-processor configurations, but also virtually destory Intel's top-level Xeon in benchmark comparisons. AMD began the year with a 17 percent market share, and currently holds around 21 percent.

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