European Nokia Phones to Get Windows Live
Nokia and Microsoft said late Wednesday that they had partnered to bring the Redmond company's suite of Windows Live services to Nokia devices.
Those using compatible S60 devices will be able to download the specially customized application that provides access to Hotmail, Messenger, Contacts, and Spaces. Next year, compatible Series 40 phones begin shipping with Windows Live included.
Gamers: BioShock Doesn't Have True Widescreen
The creators of the hit game BioShock have responded to criticisms that widescreen users aren’t getting the whole experience.
Apparently, the full game window is only shown in 4:3 resolution. When users play the game on a 16:9 widescreen HDTV, the top and bottom of the scene is cropped slightly to compensate for the difference in monitor size.
No More Huge Bills for iPhone Users
AT&T is finally putting an end to the odd practice of sending its iPhone customers extremely detailed bills, sometimes numbering in the hundreds of pages.
The carrier's lengthy bills were first highlighted by Pittsburgh iPhone owner Justine Ezarik, who posted a one minute video to YouTube nearly two weeks ago. Her bill numbered 300 pages long.
Sony to Bring TV Programming to PS3, PSP
Sony disclosed more information about its joint venture in the UK and Ireland with British Sky Broadcasting to bring video downloads to its popular handheld system, as well as a DVR device to bring television programming to the PS3 and PSP.
Called ‘Go!,’ the service will launch in early 2008 and be the first service of its kind in Europe. Programs available include sports, entertainment, movies, music and animation from Sky, as well as third-party content pending deals with other entertainment providers.
Microsoft Brings Back Sidewinder Line with Mouse
Microsoft has brought back its Sidewinder line of gaming peripherals, beginning with a mouse that is customizable to a user’s specific gaming needs.
The Redmond company first launched its line of Sidewinder products in 1995, which included game pads, joysticks, and steering wheels. The gaming mouse marks the return of the line, which Microsoft says includes nearly 5,000 possible combinations.
AGs Call For Better Age-Verification Methods
Attorneys General across the country banded together Wednesday, calling on social networking sites to strengthen parental controls to keep minors from accessing questionable material on their sites.
The efforts are being headed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who worked previously to get MySpace to disclose the identities of sex offenders on its Web site, and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper. While both are working to have the companies voluntarily change their policies, they are also pushing for actual laws.
Apple Nears 6 Percent Market Share in US
Apple’s computer business continues to grow, with its share of the notebook business in June 2007 growing to 17.6 percent according to one market research firm.
NPD says that the Cupertino company gained 2.2 percentage points since the same period last year, while data from competing research outfit IDC indicates that Apple has moved into the third place overall in US shipments.
Will Google Bid in 700 MHz Auction After All, and How Much?
Reuters broke the news this morning that, at a leadership conference in Aspen, Colorado, Google CEO Eric Schmidt responded to a question from a representative of T-Mobile USA by saying his company may be inclined to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s auction of UHF television frequencies, now set for January 16, 2008.
While all versions of Reuters’ stories in the US, Canada, and the UK had been yanked from online access for unexplained reasons at the time of this writing, GigaOM’s Paul Kapustka apparently reporting from the conference itself gave an account that validated the spirit of the Reuters report, citing Schmidt as saying his company would “probably” place a bid. Reuters had quoted Schmidt as responding to T-Mobile’s question about whether Google would bid by saying that placing a bid “probably would be the way to answer that.” T-Mobile is itself a likely bidder in this auction.
Comcast Accused of Throttling BitTorrent Traffic
Comcast is denying any filtering of BitTorrent traffic after a blog accused it and other ISPs of attempting to thwart users of the service.
The TorrentFreak blog first made the accusations last week in a post, which said Comcast and other providers had been either limiting BitTorrent bandwidth or preventing users from seeding their downloads.
T-Mobile, Orange, O2 Get iPhone in Europe
Apple has secured revenue sharing deals to bring its iPhone to Europe, the Financial Times reported late Tuesday.
Three operators have signed deals with Apple that will be officially announced later this month at an industry trade show, the paper reported. They are T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France, and O2 in the UK.
Microsoft Uses Silverlight to Spiff Up Search
Microsoft has unveiled an application that combines its Silverlight technology with Windows Live Search, code-named "Tafiti." The name means "to search" in Swahili. It integrates the various types of Live Search, and allows users to store and share search results by placing them on "shelves." From there they can be stored or e-mailed or blogged about. Tafiti runs on any browser and platform that Siverlight is compatible with.
In addition to the virtual shelves, the application also includes a carousel to help the user navigate through returned search results, and a tree view where search results are placed on the limbs of a tree and allows for visualization of search results. While the applicaiton is likely to never become an actual Microsoft product, the team responsible for creating Tafiti has made it publicly available.
Bebo to Integrate Live Messenger, Contacts
Bebo said Tuesday that it had partnered with Microsoft to incorporate Windows Live services into its social networking site, including Windows Live Messenger and Contacts.
The arrangement is the first of its kind between a social networking site and Microsoft. Before, the only integration of this kind with Windows Live was through Spaces, Microsoft’s own service.
Canon Debuts 21.1-Megapixel Digital Camera
Canon announced two new digital SLR cameras on Monday, including a model with 21.1 megapixels of resolution.
The high-end camera, which will retail for $8,000, is directed at professionals. It has a five frame-per-second shooting rate, and can be configured in four resolutions, including 5.2, 11.0, 16.6, or 21.1 megapixels. Canon said the camera will go on sale in November.
Wal-Mart Begins Selling Music in MP3
ComScore Changes Search Counting, Google Still On Top
ComScore is changing the way it records market share of search engine to reflect the changing ways consumers are interacting with sites.
The company had previously been counting the number of search queries to determine a search share. However, the company is now changing those methods so it can add figures from other types of search engines -- like those used on auction sites and retailers -- as well as sites like Wikipedia.
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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