AACS LA: High-Def DRM Compromised
Hackers are finding ways to circumvent the copy protection used in next-generation DVD formats, and the organization that licenses the technology has confirmed the issue. Certain title keys have been stolen, and are being used to grab data off the discs, it said.
Existence of a crack for the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) has been on the Web for several months, however it has not been confirmed that it was an actual hack. But the AACS Licensing Authority is attempting to dismiss the issue as minor.
Poll: Tech Brands Infuential in 2006
An annual survey of the world's most influential brands in 2006 indicates that technology companies are increasingly garnering the most attention, with Google and Apple leading the pack.
The survey is commissioned by brandchannel.com, a branding e-magazine, and asks 3,625 industry professionals and students to rank the top brands. For the second straight year, Google grabbed the top spot, followed by Apple, which also appeared in second in 2005.
Cell Phone Shipments Reach 1 Billion
For the first time, cell phone shipments topped the one billion mark in 2006, a feat that was helped along by a 20 percent increase in shipments during the holiday quarter to 295 million units, according to research firm IDC.
2006's total of 1.02 billion units was up 22.5 percent from the previous year's total of 833 million. Motorola was able to gain ground on market leader Nokia, however in both cases the companies felt the sting of strong competition. Profit margins declined for both companies, IDC said.
HP Exec: Company Spied on Dell
A former HP executive has accused the company of snooping on Dell's printer business, as well as claiming he was the target of pretexting similar to the case that nearly brought the company to its knees last year.
The claims were made in a countersuit filed by Karl Kamb, Jr., who along with four others were fired and sued by HP for attempting to start their own flat-panel TV business when they were to be developing the company's own models. The suit asked for $100 million in damages.
Fox Looks to Identify YouTube Leaker
Fox is attempting to uncover the identity of a YouTube user that uploaded recent episodes of the network's hit television shows "24" and "The Simpsons" to the service without its permission, a blog reported Wednesday.
Details of a subpoena granted by a U.S. District Judge in San Francisco were first reported by Google Watch. A smaller video site, LiveDigital, also received a subpoena as part of the legal action.
Google to List YouTube Videos on Site
Google said Thursday that it would begin to allow users of its video search service to also search videos on YouTube. The company also seemed to indicate that Google Video was not going anywhere, contrary to some rumors.
The Mountain View, Calif. snapped up YouTube last year in a blockbuster $1.67 billion deal. However, since that acquisition, and its completion in November, both sites have operated separate of one another.
No Low-End PS3 for European Launch
Sony solidified March 23 for the launch of its PlayStation 3 console in Europe and Australia/New Zealand, but will only sell the high-end model and at a price that puts it at a significant premium to its competitors.
The console would simultaneously launch in both regions. Approximately one million units of the 60GB version would be made available for the launch, which could alleviate some of the supply concerns that plagued the PS3's North American launch.
Apple, Norway Headed for iTunes DRM Showdown
Norway's Consumer Ombudsman has ruled that Apple's digital rights management and its refusal to support competing music services on the popular iPod are illegal in the country.
A complaint was filed with ombudsman Erik Thon by Forbrukerradet, the Norwegian Consumer Council. It argued that Apple's FairPlay was illegal in the country. According to previous statements by the Norwegian government, interoperability is a requirement for operation.
Microsoft Offers Money to Edit Wikipedia
Microsoft is finding itself in hot water after it was revealed that the company offered to pay an Australian blogger to correct information on Wikipedia regarding its Office Open XML standard.
The company said it spotted several inaccuracies in articles on the standard, and decided against editing them on its own. Generally, editing your own Wikipedia articles is considered a conflict of interest, and is frowned upon by the community.
AOL Preps for Windows Vista Launch
As the January 30 launch date of Windows Vista nears, more and more companies are announcing support for the next generation operating system. The latest is AOL, which said Tuesday its suite of applications is "Vista Ready."
A beta of an AOL Mail & AIM Gadget for the Windows Vista sidebar is now available, and would allow the user to check his or her e-mail and instant messages. The mini-application would allow users to read e-mail messages, receive new mail and incoming IM alerts, as well as including other AOL-related features.
McAfee Upgrade Disrupts Lotus Notes
Users of IBM Lotus Notes are being advised to delay upgrading to the latest version of McAfee's VirusScan, as the patch apparently causes Lotus Notes to lock people out of their mailboxes. McAfee is currently working on a fix.
The issue has been confirmed to occur on computers with VirusScan Enterprise 8.5i and Lotus Notes installed. According to those affected, the only way to fix the issue in some cases is to completely reinstall the program.
IHT: Major Label to Embrace MP3 Soon?
Still fighting a losing battle over file sharing, some major record labels seem ready to scrap digital rights management in order to lure consumers away from P2P. In fact, one could make the switch to MP3 very soon.
Rumors of an imminent embrace of MP3 were overheard by The International Herald Tribune at Midem, an annual global conference for the music industry held this weekend in Cannes, France. Those who talked to the paper say the change is coming as result of still sinking music sales.
'Storm Worm' Continues Quick Spread
The so-called 'Storm Worm' continues to spread, with several waves of attacks reported over the weekend. The virus writers have even included a way to update the Trojan, security firms say, in an effort to evade antivirus software.
Reports of the worm began surfacing on Friday in Europe, as unsuspecting Web users were tricked into downloading an executable file. The e-mail claimed to have breaking news on the stormy weather conditions that have rocked the region over the past week.
New Windows Live OneCare Due Jan. 30
Microsoft plans to release a new version of its Windows Live OneCare anti-malware and maintenance software on January 30. The new version will feature Windows Vista support, as well as unified virus and spyware scanning and more flexible backup options.
At that time, the software will also be launched in 16 other countries. Since OneCare's initial launch in May 2006, the service has only been available in the United States. Those with current memberships will be automatically upgraded to the new release.
Vonage Offers Free Calls to Subscribers
In an effort to continue its growth, VoIP provider Vonage is offering a new service that would allow anyone in seven countries to contact its customers worldwide for the price of a local call. In addition, the service would allow overseas customers to place calls to U.S. 1-800 numbers.
Vonage is the nation's largest VoIP provider, currently serving over two million subscribers. However, even in the face of success, the company continues to struggle financially. Vonage faced a disastrous IPO in May, and continues to lose money.
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.