Microsoft Robotics Software Out of Beta
Microsoft on Wednesday officially released its robot software development environment, aiming to put the company in the center of robotics by licensing out its operating system to hobbyists and companies alike.
Those wishing to use Microsoft Robotics Studio for non-commercial applications can do so free of charge. However, for those wishing to use the application in commercial environments, licensing fees start at $399.
UCLA Data Breach Puts 800,000 at Risk
As many as 800,000 current and former employees and students of the University of California Los Angeles may be at risk after a hacker gained access to their private information, the school disclosed on Tuesday.
Although there is no evidence that any of the data has actually been misused, the school is taking the indicident seriously. UCLA joins companies like Citigroup, DSW Shoe Warehouse, and ChoicePoint, which have also either lost or had customer data compromised in the last year.
Skype to Offer Unlimited Calling Plans
Following its successful promotion through the end of this month that allows for free phone calls to the US and Canada, Skype is now offering an unlimited calling plan that will allow users to make calls to both regions for a period of 12 months for under $30 USD.
The new plan is the first time that the company is offering an unlimited service package, and is aimed at luring more of its 136 million plus global users to sign up for premium services.
Microsoft Issues Three Critical Patches
Microsoft on Tuesday issued a patch for an earlier discovered flaw in Visual Studio 2005, while yet another cumulative patch for Internet Explorer was released, as well as one for a vulnerability within the Windows Media Format.
The Visual Studio flaw covers an issue that was first disclosed by researchers in early November. A remote code execution issue exists within a feature called the WMI Object Broker that is used by the WMI Wizard within Visual Studio.
Jitterbug Makes Cell Phones Easy
REVIEW For many seniors, using a cell phone can be a challenging and intimidating experience. Thus, they opt to not carry a cell phone; or if they do, refrain from using it much. A company called Jitterbug aims to change that.
Every part of the Jitterbug phone -- built by Samsung -- is designed to take into account the needs of this group. From the design of the handset to the simplified user interface, and even features that attempt to make it as much like a regular phone as possible, the learning curve is much less steep than a traditional cellular handset.
Spotlight is Again on Allchin's Words
Just one month after a BetaNews report led retiring Windows chief Jim Allchin to explain his comments on Vista not needing antivirus software, an e-mail that is being used as evidence in one of the antitrust cases against Microsoft has him once again explaining his words.
This time, it has been discovered that Allchin said that he would buy a Macintosh computer in a January 7, 2004 e-mail to CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman Bill Gates, had he not worked for the Redmond software maker. He lamented in the missive that Microsoft had lost its way.
Yahoo Unveils New Search Ad Platform
Yahoo said Tuesday that it will be opening up its search advertising system, code named "Panama," to new customers. Previously, only current advertisers were able to access the service, which aims to put the company on par with services from Google and Microsoft.
The Sunnyvale, Calif. based company has fallen somewhat behind its competitors, but Panama is expected to close that gap. It offers the ability to rotate different ads through the systems, methods to test keyword effectiveness, and ad budgeting capabilities.
VA Wants E-Mail Addresses of Sex Offenders
MySpace has been advocating that governments require sex offenders to register their online identities. On Monday, it may have found its first ally in that fight: Robert McDonnell, the attorney general for the state of Virginia.
McDonnell plans to push for such legislation in his state, and if passed, it would be the first of its kind in the country. MySpace hopes that these laws are passed nationwide, claiming it would make its job of finding online predators much easier.
Xbox Takes Game Development to the Masses
Microsoft has made good on its promise to deliver to enthusiasts a basic development platform for aspiring game makers to produce their own games for the Xbox 360 system. In addition, it launched tools on Xbox Live that it hopes would make the process as easy as possible.
The Redmond company first announced its intentions to deliver the application in August. A Windows XP application, XNA Game Studio Express will allow anyone to try his or her hand at game development.
IBM Announces Memory Chip Advancement
A new semiconductor alloy jointly developed by scientists at IBM, Qimonda, and Micronix will spur the development of faster and smaller memory chips. The companies say the advancements would lead to smaller chips than currently possible with flash memory.
Called "phase-change" memory, in laboratory tests it proved to be as much as 500 times faster than flash. In addition, it takes one-half the power to write the data to the chip; size benefits are also to be had with the new technology.
Media Companies Mulling YouTube Rival
Four major television networks are reportedly in discussions to create a centralized clearinghouse for their content online in an apparent effort to compete with YouTube. However, the Wall Street Journal says that any potential deal is still a long way off from becoming a reality.
Fox, Viacom, CBS, and NBC are interested in the project, as they see potential in the growing Web advertising market. Rather than letting companies like YouTube profit from it, they hope to cash in on these lucrative deals by running their own site.
Cingular, HP Offer First 3GSM Laptop
HP became the first computer manufacturer in the US to offer a laptop with built in support for UMTS/HSDPA technologies - specifically for Cingular Wireless. The unit is compatible with both American and worldwide 3G GSM networks due to its tri-band capabilities.
The notebook will be marketed under the Compaq brand, and jointly promoted by the two companies to business customers. It comes with the Cingular Communication Manager preinstalled, and integrated dual antennas for connectivity.
Study: Vista to Create Jobs, Revenue
A Microsoft-sponsored study says that Windows Vista will generate some $70 billion in revenue and create up to 100,000 jobs in the first year of its release. The report also indicates that adoption of the next-generation OS is expected to be rapid and widespread.
Research firm IDC authored the study, and it follows a similar commissioned study from September that said Vista would create 50,000 jobs across six European countries in its first year. The new operating system was made available to business customers in November, and is scheduled for consumer availability on January 30.
Zune Has Too Many Issues to Compete
REVIEW After watching Apple and its ubiquitous iPod dominate the digital music industry largely from the sidelines, Microsoft has decide to tackle the market leader head on with the introduction of the Zune. And the Zune player takes a lot of cues from the iPod.
Microsoft learned the hard way that the top-down symbiotic relationship between the iTunes and iPod and its benefits are what made Apple so successful. Additionally, it understood the simplicity of the device itself and its user interface were of critical importance.
Hackers Find New Vista Activation Crack
UPDATED 11:00 pm December 8, 2006: Cori Hartje, Director of Microsoft's Genuine Software Initiative, issued the following statement to BetaNews regarding the activation crack:
"We are actively monitoring these types of piracy and counterfeit situations, and will take action on any Key Management Service (KMS) or Multiple Activation Key (MAK) keys that have been reported as stolen or abused. Microsoft will continue to make investments under the Genuine Software Initiative (GSI) and is committed to engineering world-class anti-counterfeiting technologies in order to make piracy harder and protect customers and channel partners from the various risks associated with counterfeit software."
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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