Latest Technology News

Wednesday's opening of E3 marked an important day for giants Nintendo and Microsoft, both announcing availability plans for their highly anticipated next-generation gaming consoles. Nintendo's GameCube will hit stores on November 5, with Microsoft's Xbox arriving on the 8th for $299 USD. GameCube pricing has not been officially announced, but the console is expected to run around $199 USD.

Microsoft is expected to ship approximately 800,000 units for the launch, hoping to avoid shortage problems Sony experienced with last year's PS2 debut. A marketing blitz is expected from the Redmond giant shortly, sporting a $500 million budget over the first year and a half.

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Following legal woes and a massive drop in popularity, Napster is now asking its users for assistance. Changes in Napster's filters have caused many searches to not turn up any results, and music is not being shared. New filters are being implemented and the file sharing application will continue its transition toward a subscription-based service. Napster plans to use the fees to compensate artists and songwriters. Today a bulletin was posted on the company's Web site asking for beta testers to aid in the development of the new subscription technologies. Potential beta testers are able to sign up from Napster's homepage, and will be notified as more information becomes available.

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Semiconductor giant Intel, announced Wednesday that they have produced the technology to bring many futuristic gizmos to today's market. Currently, a wireless device is made up of several different chips, each entitled to their own task such as communications, memory and processing. Intel plans to integrate each of these aspects into one main semiconductor, enabling users to take advantage of faster performance in smaller wireless Internet devices. The company also stated intentions of bringing these new chips to consumers by the middle of next year.

According to Al Fazio, principal engineer for Intel's technology and manufacturing group, "What we're doing here is to take those various components and build them on a single process technology, all produced on a single wafer, a single chip and therefore all done in one facility."

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OmniSky has invited members of its OmniSky Advisors group to beta test OmniSky 3.0, which will hit beta in June. The beta test is expected to last about two months while advisors provide feedback and bug reports about the new software. OmniSky provides wireless Internet access for a number of handheld devices, including the Palm V, Handspring Visor, and Compaq iPAQ.

OmniSky 3.0's new features will include file attachment management and IMAP e-mail support. The invitation also mentions new "location-based services" which may be to compete with a feature of Palm.Net that allows users to get local information such as weather without having to enter their city or ZIP
code.

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For some time, many users have thought 128 MB of RAM to be the sweet spot for use with Windows. With the advent of Windows XP however, Microsoft now considers a "value PC" to include at least that amount. A recently released PC Design Checklist for Windows XP details what computing power the software giant feels is necessary to take advantage of the upcoming operating system. Unfortunately, many users will have to upgrade in order to meet these new guidelines.

The Windows XP checklist calls for systems to include several components usually seen on high-end machines. For seamless device connectivity, four USB ports are required along with two Firewire ports, one of which must be located at the front of the PC.

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America Online is currently testing internal alphas of two new software programs for Palm OS; AOL for Palm 3.0 and AOL Express 1.0. AOL for Palm 3.0 is the next version of the AOL for Palm client, and AOL Express is a new piece of software for Palm VII to allow wireless access to some of AOL's services.

AOL 3.0 for the Palm introduces many new AOL features to the Palm platform. For the first time, users can connect via a TCP/IP connection using another ISP or the OmniSky wireless Internet service. AOL users will also be able to
sync up their AOL mail on their handhelds allowing access to read and compose messages without a modem. As with AOL 2.0 for the Palm, users will be able to read their e-mail, send instant messages, and view their buddy
list while connected. Also, if Web Clipping software is installed, the members will be able to access MyAOL content.

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Microsoft today announced a Windows Media 7.1 update for Media Player, Encoder, and SDK. According to the software giant, "these version updates offer a way for consumers, digital media professionals, IT professionals and software developers to take full advantage of the breakthrough audio and video quality of the latest Microsoft Windows Media Audio and Video 8 codec technology released in March." Updates include the addition of CD ripping, transcoding, automated encoding, and a Media Format Component SDK.

Windows Media Player 7.1 supports CD ripping using the latest audio codec. Microsoft touts CD-quality music at 64 Kbps, half the size of MP3 files. 'Snart Transcode' is now also offered, a technology allowing users to lower the size and quality of files when transferring to portable devices.

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Game enthusiasts now have another reason to celebrate. The Internet has been an ideal platform for distributing games, and RealNetworks has decided to expand its product offerings to take advantage of this medium. Months after being released to developers, a beta of RealArcade and its services have gone live for the general public.

RealArcade allows gamers to play web-based games for free, to manage downloads, and it also provides communities for discussion and review. Moreover, the community also matches up players with one another for multi-player action. RealArcade also offers one centralized location for support and gaming tips, even with over forty developers signed on – some of which have provided exclusive content for Real's new gaming platform. One compelling feature is the ability to re-download purchased games after a hard drive failure or a reformatting.

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After Windows XP interim build 2469 arrived Friday, more than just testers were able to experience the beta. A leaked login to the tester-only Windows Beta Web site quickly surfaced, and spread like wild fire throughout IRC and over instant messenger. Sources confirmed the breached account was active for approximately seven hours, resulting in mass unauthorized downloads of private beta releases. The bandwidth strain is said to have crippled Redmond, forcing Microsoft to shut down the beta site and other services.

Windows Beta is the secure Web site where XP testers retreive the latest code from Microsoft. The site acts much like a front end to the previous NTBeta FTP site, allowing testers to browse directory structure and download ISO images of beta releases. Along with 2469, Friday's pirates were able to access Beta 2 build 2462 and interim build 2465, as well as documentation and special XP utilities.

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UPDATED While an official announcement has yet to be made, the long-awaited second service pack for Windows 2000 is now available from Microsoft. As always, this latest service pack incorporates updates to improve security, application and hardware compatibility, Windows setup, and system stability. SP2 does not include any new features according to the software giant, simply fixes and updates. Expect more information shortly on the SP2 Web site, and here on BetaNews. Update: Microsoft has posted SP2 release notes and installation information. The 101MB Network install and the much smaller Express install are now available via FileForum.

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The recent closure of 3Com's Ergo Internet division and subsequent recall of its Audrey Web appliance might indicate a market-induced failure, but behind the scenes an important feat took place - the beta test. As one of the select group, I was able to see the true importance of Audrey; not the device itself, but rather the extensive process behind developing such a product.

Organized by Beta Test Services, a division of 3Com, the test began last November and was expected to span over a year. 3Com had already gone to market with an initial version of Audrey, but planned to add a vastly improved feature set. Test units downloaded upgraded firmware over the Internet throughout the beta, adding new channels and correcting bugs.

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Users of Microsoft-compatible mobile devices now have access to a wider range of information while on the run. A key piece of Microsoft's mobility and .NET strategy, Mobile Information Server 2001, has been released to manufacturing. According to Redmond, MIS extends "the reach of Microsoft .NET Enterprise applications, enterprise data and intranet content into the realm of the mobile user."

Microsoft has met its target for release in the first half of 2001, and MIS will hit store shelves in most areas by June.

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Microsoft has a new suggestion these days for network administrators managing Windows servers: ask your MOM. Microsoft Operations Manager 2000, or MOM as the company fondly brands it, is a suite of tools developed to aid in the management of Windows 2000 Server. According to the software giant, "MOM allows administrators to collect and view event information from one location, to monitor servers and applications to prevent problems, and to automatically escalate and resolve problems when they do occur."

Microsoft aims at making servers running Windows as easy to manage as those running UNIX. Customers can now use MOM to troubleshoot and correct remote problems much quicker, from any platform. MOM will be extended onto Linux, UNIX, Novell, Oracle, and others through Extended Management Packs.

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Microsoft is poised to enter the banking business, set to provide banks with software to ensure ultra-secure transactions over the Internet. The Windows 2000-based system has enhanced verification capabilities allowing banks to know exactly whom they are conducting business with online. According to an Associated Press report, the technology "matches a security framework designed by Identrus, an alliance of 150 of the world's largest banks."

This new software initiative has the Redmond giant partnered with Unisys and Baltimore Technologies. The AP reports that Baltimore will contribute its Public Key Infrastructure security system, and that Unisys will support customers using the system. Microsoft is not creating a new product, but rather will utilize its partners to "match Identrus' specifications with a single purchase."

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Yesterday's arrival of Mozilla 0.9 is an important milestone for the browser's development team, another step towards the long-awaited release of 1.0. Mozilla.org hopes to accomplish this feat by the end of this year, but admittedly there always will be delays. Milestone 0.9.1 is currently slated to debut in early June and will provide the first test base for browsers that embed Mozilla's engine, including Netscape 6.5.

An open source Web browser, Mozilla was born from Netscape's Communicator suite in 1998. Many products are now driven by the re-written Mozilla, the most prominent of which being Netscape 6. The code is available for use free of charge under the Mozilla Public License.

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