XM-Sirius Deal Approval Still Not a Sure Thing
FCC chairman Kevin Martin seemed to lend some support to a merger between XM and Sirius on Thursday, while at the same time another commissioner seemed to suggest he would be voting against it.
Martin made his comments at a conference of broadcasters, and said he doubted that the combined company would cause local advertising revenue to fall, one of the industry's complaints over the merger.
No Vote On Internet Tax Ban Yet
Bush Administration officials are urging lawmakers to make the ban on taxing access to the Internet permanent, however a vote on the matter was struck down Thursday.
Earlier in the week, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Commerce Secretary Carlos Guiterrez issued a joint statement saying that preventing taxation would "help sustain and environment for innovation" and would "strengthen the foundations of electronic commerce."
DigitalLife 2007: Thursday's Images from the Show Floor
UPDATE 6:46 pm ET September 27, 2007 - It's being called second only to CES as the most important consumer electronics show in America. BetaNews' Ed Oswald is on the floor of DigitalLife 2007 in New York City, and he's sending back fresh photos as the show goes on. See Palm's Treo Centro 500v, HP's and VoodooPC's Blackbird 002, and the big push for HD DVD.
Check back with BetaNews throughout the day for more sights and specs from the East Coast's largest electronics gala.
DigitalLife 2007: iRobot Unveils New Robots
iRobot used the backdrop of Digital Life to unveil its redesigned floor vacuuming robot as well as a new robot to clean your gutters, and one that can take your place when you're away.
AT DIGITAL LIFE CEO Colin Angle told attendees of a Thursday afternoon keynote at Digital Life 2007 that the robots were part of the company's vision of the "iRobot home." While some may see the robots as superfluous and even in some cases a little scary, the speech shows the ever increasing reach of robotics into our daily lives. See the slideshow for more.
DigitalLife 2007: Friendster Announces Fan Profiles
Taking a page from MySpace, Friendster announced that it was launching Fan Profiles, a feature that allows artists and celebrities to connect with their fans through a variety of methods.
Some 40 different entity types will be supported, including actors, athletes, bands, DJs, events, journalists, musicians, politicians, TV shows, web sites, among others.
Apple Could Be Planning Return to PDA Market
With the iPhone and iPod Touch out the door, Apple is apparently reviving an effort to develop a successor to the Newton, the device that helped spur the PDA market.
The device uses the multi-touch technology that both devices currently feature, as well an an embedded version of Mac OS X Leopard. According to AppleInsider, the project has been underway for the past year and a half, spurred by development of the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Steve Case Looks to Revolutionize Money
After attempting to shake up the healthcare industry, AOL co-founder Steve Case is now looking to do the same to online payments.
The new venture is called Revolution Money and allows users to transfer money at no charge, as well offers a credit card for business that has lower fees for the money they get charged to accept it.
Microsoft Details Office 2008 Mac Versions
Microsoft further detailed its plans for Office 2008 for Mac on Tuesday, saying that it plans to release three versions of the product including one with a Macintosh version of its Expression suite.
All versions will be available in English and 10 other languages, for the first time in Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian. It will support the Open XML format, and is quite similar to the Windows version in terms of design.
Halo 3: Not Game Over, But Awful Close
The CE and tech media is billing Halo 3 as the "PS3 killer." While that may not be too far from the truth, it may also be a bit premature. Either way, time is running out.
PERSPECTIVE It's just what the doctor ordered. After a rough couple of months, the launch of Halo 3 is giving the Xbox franchise the good swift kick in the pants Microsoft needed to get itself back on track.
EchoStar Acquires Sling Media for $380 Million
Echostar said Tuesday that it will acquire Sling Media in a $380 million cash and stock deal that closes later this year.
Echostar is the parent company of Dish Network, while Sling Media is the manufacturer of the Slingbox 'place-shifting' device. Sling will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the satellite television company, although it will not change any of the services or products it provides.
WSJ: Microsoft, Google Considering Facebook Stake
Microsoft is apparently looking to purchase a five percent stake in social networking site Facebook, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The move is valued at some $300 to $500 million, which would place a value on the company of anywhere between $6 and $10 billion. The Redmond company is not the only one eyeing the site: Google is also said to be interested as well.
Starbucks to Give Away 50 Million iTunes Tracks
Starbucks said Monday that it plans to give away about 50 million songs from iTunes as part of a promotion to drum up interest in its wireless music service that will debut soon.
The popular coffee shop is about to launch the feature in its Seattle and New York locations on October 2, and in San Francisco during the month of November. When browsing the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store near a Starbucks, users will be able to view -- and download -- the currently playing song as well as the last ten played.
Ex-Ramone Wants to Sedate Digital Sales
Richard "Richie Ramone" Reinhardt filed a lawsuit on Friday, demanding $900,000 in royalties for songs purchased on the Internet by fans.
The Ramones, considered by many to be the founding fathers of the punk rock movement, helped define the harder side of late 1970s and early 1980s rock and roll. The group formed in New York in 1974 and despite several lineup changes, played strongly and toured the world for the next 22 years.
Aussie Parliament Wants To Tighten Net Censorship
Australians may soon find some websites inaccessible thanks to a new piece of legislation making its way through the country's Parliament.
CENSORING THE 'NET- The bill would further censorship provisions already in place by the federal government. Currently, the Australian Communications and Media Authority have a 'blacklist' of sites that could be blocked from view inside the country.
EarthLink Takes a Step Back From Helio
EarthLink confirmed Friday that its partner in Helio, SK Telecom, had agreed to invest up to $270 million in the wireless venture.
The new funds will help bail out Helio, and relieve EarthLink of its responsibility to fund the company. The move is likely a part of the ISP's overall strategy to cut or eliminate spending in areas where return is not substantial.
Ed's Bio
Ed Oswald is a freelance journalist from the Reading, PA area. Although he has written across a variety of subjects, Ed’s passion and focus has been on technology and gadgets. His work regularly appears on tech news sites BetaNews, PCWorld, and Technologizer, and has been syndicated to eWeek, Time’s Techland blog, VentureBeat and the New York Times.
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