Take-Two Begins Road to Financial Recovery
Take-Two investors that may have been looking for some good news got it late Monday as the company reported a narrower-than-expected loss.
Most recently, the company announced that it would be delaying the next release of one of its highest grossing titles Grand Theft Auto IV. The resulting fallout caused the company to trim its expectations and project a loss for the year.
Web OS Aims to Mimic Windows
A web applications company is hoping to legitimize the web operating system concept with the release of ajaxWindows, an application that behaves much like its Microsoft counterpart.
The OS acts as a centralized location for the various web services created by Ajax13. When running in full screen mode, any evidence of the underlying operating system is erased, and the Web OS itself becomes the desktop.
SanDisk Introduces Low-Cost Video MP3 Player
SanDisk solidified its music player lineup on Monday, introducing the Sansa View, which is the cheapest video-enabled player in its category.
Two models will be made available, an 8GB version for $149 and an 16GB model for $199 USD. Memory could be further expanded up to 24GB by using an optional 8GB microSD card. The players are expected reach stores in October, according to SanDisk.
Capgemini to Recommend Google Apps to Enterprise
French technology consultant company Capgemini will recommend Google's online office suite to its enterprise customers, giving the software a huge boost against competitors such as Microsoft.
The move should also put to rest once and for all the argument that Google is not attempting to compete against Office, and instead has its sights set squarely on grabbing a portion of the lucrative enterprise software market.
Music Labels Turn to 'Ringles' to Save the CD
Looking for new ways to keep sales of CDs afloat, the music industry will begin selling "ringles," which combine three songs with a ringtone from a specific artist.
The original version of the song, plus a remix and an older song would be combined with a ringtone download for a single price. While the RIAA has approved the "ringle" term and plans to push for it industry-wide, only Universal and Sony BMG have signed on so far.
Sony Debuts Dancing MP3 Player
Sony has unveiled a palm-sized digital audio player that combines the typical features of an MP3 player with robotic technologies to allow it to spin, flash lights and move forward and backward to the music.
Called the Rolly, a combination of the words "rolling" and "friendly," Sony says it is meant to make listening and sharing music a more entertaining way. It includes 1GB of internal memory, measures 6.5 centimeters (2.5 inches) in diameter and weighs about 300 grams (10 ounces).
HD Radio to Debut iTunes Tagging
Apple is taking a page from Napster and XM, using the new HD Radio service to debut a new feature called "iTunes Tagging."
Consumers with HD Radio receivers with a special tagging button would be able to mark songs for download from Apple's iTunes Music Store. Although it's not clear how exactly a user's tags would make it to iTunes, JBL and Polk would be the first to produce devices.
Microsoft Details Office 2008 for Mac
Microsoft began offering a few details of its upcoming release of the Office 2008 suite for the Mac platform, by first listing work to Entourage to further support Exchange services and features.
In a post to the Mac Mojo Web log, Mac BU General Manager Craig Eisler said that support for Exchange within Entourage 2008 would be the company's most reliable to date. He said that he had been using the builds of the product for two months and was "delighted" by the stability, reliability, and interoperability.
Apple Looking to Cut TV Show Prices
Apple has begun an effort to convince networks and studios providing it video content to allow it to cut prices in half, meaning most television shows sold through iTunes would retail for 99 cents.
According to news reports, the idea has gotten a cool reception from Hollywood, which in many cases is looking to make more money from video downloads. However, Apple believes that a price cut could lead to a boon in sales, and would soften the blow of any revenue loss.
Square Enix Frustrated With PS3 Marketing
Square Enix president Yoichi Wada took Sony to task Friday, saying the future success of the PlayStation 3 console may be in doubt "if its marketing strategy is not straightened up."
The PS3 was initially marketed as a home entertainment product, however pressure from game developers has caused Sony to market the device more as a gaming machine. The resulting confusion has some game developers upset, including Yoichi.
Adobe: Web-Based Photoshop Coming Soon
Adobe has taken the wraps off of Photoshop Express: a free, stripped-down version of its signature image editing software that will be available online.
The company first began development of the product early this year, and envisioned it competing with offerings from other companies such as Google's Picasa. It runs within the browser and is completely Flash-based.
Five Patches On Tap for Tuesday
By recent standards, September's Patch Tuesday will be mild, with only five patches and one being rated "critical."
In the past several months, Microsoft has dealt with more critical errors in its products with four in June, three in July, and six in August. However, this month, the only critical patch will be issued for a remote code execution issue within Windows.
Microsoft Brings Back the Media Center Extender
With a market likely a little more open to the need for online video in the living room than it was three years ago, Microsoft on Thursday reintroduced the Extender line, meant to complement households with Windows Media Center PCs.
Microsoft first announced the Media Center Extender at CES 2004. However, the product line never took off as consumers balked at the need for another set-top box, and the user interface paled in comparison with the actual Media Centers.
Lulu.com Sues NBC's Hulu.com
It took News Corp. and NBC Universal five months to figure out a name for their joint online video partnership. It only took a week for them to get sued over it.
Content publishing site Lulu.com said Wednesday that it had filed suit against Hulu.com for trademark infringement, unfair and deceptive trade practices and for federal cyberpiracy. The complaint was filed in the US District Court in Raleigh, NC.
HD DVD Claims 'Undeniable Momentum'
Despite lagging behind Blu-ray in both sales of discs and overall players, HD DVD still put on a happy face for CEDIA 2007 and pointed to its advantage in price and computer manufacturer support in the next-gen format war.
Four of the five top PC notebook manufacturers support the format, the North American HD DVD Promotional Group said Wednesday. In addition, its third-generation players would lower the bar for entry even further, which it believes will give it momentum into the holidays.
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.
Ethics Statement© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.