Microsoft to Add Terrain Data to 3D Maps
Microsoft has teamed up with Intermap to give its 3-D maps in Great Britain a more realistic look through the use of the company's elevation data. Maps are also in the works for Western Europe and the continental US.
Data for the remainder of Western Europe is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, with data for the US coming by the end of 2008. It will help Microsoft to better align and place objects "without distortion or undulation," it says.
Kutaragi Steps Down at Sony
The end of an era has arrived at Sony as the father of the PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi, stepped down on Tuesday.
His resignation was announced in April, although last year he was stripped of control of the daily operations of the gaming unit he helped create. He was also said to be at odds with CEO Howard Stringer over the direction of the unit.
EA Reorganizes to Cut Development Costs
In an effort to cut costs, game developer EA said late Monday that it is reorganizing the company into four divisions.
Each unit will focus on a specific group of games. One is tasked with running its extremely successful Sims franchise, its equally successful sports games titles, casual games, and other titles that do not fit into the first three categories.
Google Takes YouTube Global
YouTube launched nine localized versions of its popular social video site on Tuesday, which will at first only place navigation and functionality in the country's native language.
Eventually, the site plans to offer localized content as well, with the featured pages targeted towards the individual tastes of consumers in each market. This would include ratings specific to that country in addition to localized comments.
No Microsoft-Ubuntu Deal in the Works
Don't expect a patent deal between Microsoft and Ubuntu Linux distributor Canonical anytime soon.
The company's CEO said in a post on his personal Web log over the weekend that despite the rumors, there are no negotiations with the Redmond company. Furthermore, he took issue with Microsoft's threats of patent lawsuits for unspecified patents.
Apple Improves the iPhone Ahead of Release
Apple said Monday that the estimated battery life of the iPhone will be about two hours longer than initially anticipated, along with its plastic face being upgraded to optical-quality glass.
Battery life is a common complaint when it comes to smartphones, and often heavy users of the devices need to carry a second battery to make it through a complete day's work. With the upgrade, its phone supports eight hours of talk time, and six hours worth of data, Apple said.
Sprint Debuts the HTC Mogul
Sprint on Monday introduced the Mogul, the company's first Windows Mobile 6 device that will support its enhanced EV-DO Revision A network.
Out of the box, the phone will support the current network, although Sprint said it would enable the faster Revision A through a software upgrade. The Mogul -- built by manufacturer HTC -- replaces the PPC-6700, its bulkier predecessor.
Report: Sony Shuttering Connect
Sony has decided to give up on the music and video download business, choosing to focus on its struggling PlayStation group instead. The closing of Connect would also mean the loss of at least 20 jobs, paidcontent.org reported over the weekend.
Only the eBooks division of the service will remain, with any employees left over from the transition being reassigned to work on the PlayStation. The change also reflects the climate of the digital music industry, where Apple has a near stranglehold on the market.
MySpace Data Used To Catch Seven Sex Offenders
It did not take very long for data released by MySpace on sex offenders to be used in the apprehension of those who are using the site in violation of their parole or probation rules.
The state of Texas announced on Thursday seven arrests which took place over a period of two weeks. The men apprehended had been convicted of the sexual assault of girls as young as four years of age.
Sony's Stringer Admits PS3 Price Too High
Sony CEO Howard Stringer admitted in an interview that the price of the PlayStation 3 needs to come down, but provided no estimate as to how much of a price drop consumers can expect.
"That is what we are studying at the moment. That's what we are trying to refine," he told the Financial Times on Thursday. He also admitted that the Nintendo Wii had broad appeal to consumers, and acknowledged his success.
TripAdvisor Mixes Social Nets with Travel
Expedia subsidiary TripAdvisor rolled out social networking functionality on its site Friday that allows users to filter out reviews from people they may not know, giving reviews from friends priority.
The company says that in real world situations, consumers typically rely on travel advice from their friends anyway, so TripAdvisor is taking that concept and applying it to its business. Additionally, you can invite others outside your friend's networks, such as those who have similar tastes.
Europe Gets Unlimited Mobile Music Service
European customers can now download an unlimited amount of music to their phones thanks to a new service called MusicStation.
The service debuted in Sweden on Thursday, and will launch in markets across the rest of Europe, Asia, and Africa over the next several months, as the company has agreements with about 30 operators. It aims to serve about 100 million phones within one year.
Bush Admin: Don't Protect Bloggers
The Bush administration is none too happy with legislation that is making its way through Congress which could shield many news gatherers from revealing their confidential sources, calling it a security risk.
The Free Flow of Information Act protects many, including bloggers, from prosecution for refusing to reveal their sources. The Justice Department says the law could hamper criminal investigations and pose a risk to national security.
Zimbabwe Legislation May Filter Internet
While much ire in the fight against net censorship and free speech restrictions falls squarely at the feet of the Chinese government, a new law in Zimbabwe should raise some eyebrows.
The lower house of the country's parliament passed the so-called "Interception of Communications" act on Wednesday, clearing the way for the government to begin monitoring of phone calls, mail and Internet for "national security" purposes.
Sun to Linux: Can't We All Just Get Along?
Sun is reaching out to Linux, and specially Linus Torvalds, in an effort to explain its motives in placing Solaris under GPLv3, Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz said Wednesday.
Torvalds in recent days has indicated that he was suspicious of Sun's motives surrounding the upcoming version 3 of the General Public License. He has expressed interest in Sun's ZFS, however he felt that Sun might use the protections afforded to patent holders in GPLv3 to keep it out of Linux.
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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