Creative Zen Players Lose FM Recording
Creative has apparently bowed to RIAA pressure, issuing a firmware update for two of its players that removes the FM recording feature. In the past, the music industry has argued that recording from radio broadcasts hurt music sales, and has most recently attempted to stop satellite radio services from implementing similar features.
Specifically, the firmware change affects the company's Zen MicroPhoto and Zen Vision:M players. In the release notes, Creative gives no reasoning for the change other than saying "this firmware removes your player's FM recording feature."
Sony Recalls Batteries, Hints at Financial Trouble
Sony joined its own battery recall on Tuesday, saying it would call back 90,000 of its batteries in its own laptops shipped to Japan and China. The number of batteries in other markets is not immediately clear, although it has been speculated the recall could reach 300,000.
As well as disclosing the recall, the Japanese electronics maker also said that it may revise its earnings forecast for the year due to the increasing recall costs and price cuts in the PlayStation 3.
Microsoft Opens Up Virtualization Tech
Microsoft said Tuesday that it would open up its virtualization format technology, adding the Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) specification to the Open Specification Promise, first introduced in September. The announcement was made at the Interoperability Summit in Brussels.
Virtualization has become a popular technology in IT departments because it allows companies to save on hardware costs. A single machine can run several operating systems, and VHD allows the entire operating system and application stack to be contained in a single file.
Microsoft Restricts Vista Transfers
Microsoft has changed its licensing terms, limiting the number of times that Windows Vista can be transferred to a new computer to just once. Despite Redmond's claims that the move is aimed at combating piracy, it has been questioned by some of the company's biggest supporters.
Previously, Microsoft had allowed its operating systems to be installed as many times as the customer liked, as long as it was uninstalled on the previous computer. However, with the arrival of Windows Vista, that will no longer be possible.
NEC Confirms Packard Bell Sale
NEC confirmed that it was exiting the European PC market, announcing it had reached a deal to sell its Netherlands-based Packard Bell subsidiary to Chinese entrepreneur Lap Shun "John" Hui. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Hui attempted to purchase the retail operations of Gateway earlier this year, however his offer was rejected. He was co-founder of discount PC maker eMachines, which Gateway acquired in 2004 for $264 million.
Sony Battery Recall Woes Grow
At least three companies are now indicating they may seek additional damages from Sony as part of the laptop battery recall that has rocked the Japanese electronics company, press reports indicate. Add to Sharp joining the recall plus another expanding its own, and Sony's problems continue to worsen.
Citing brand image and concerns over lost sales, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu all say they will review how the recall has affected them and may ask for further compensation above and beyond what they are receiving to pay for the replacement batteries.
Jobs: Apple Not Worried About Zune
In a question-and-answer session with Newsweek, Apple CEO Steve Jobs slammed Microsoft's Zune music player, saying he was not impressed with the Redmond company's entrant. Jobs said the music sharing abilities of the player were too complicated and slow.
"It takes forever," Jobs chided. "By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable."
MS Opens Vista Code to Security Firms
Microsoft has ostensibly caved into the demands of security firms wanting better access to the core kernel code of Windows Vista, as the company said starting Monday it would make such data available. Vendors such as McAfee had earlier accused the company of locking them out of Vista.
McAfee and Symantec have publicly complained in recent weeks that Microsoft has locked down Vista to support its own entrant into the security space, Windows Live OneCare. However, neither company has filed legal actions.
CBS, Yahoo Join on Local News Video
Yahoo said Monday that it had signed an agreement with CBS owned-and-operated television stations to exclusively broadcast local news video online. Starting Tuesday, Internet users would be able to view videos from 16 stations.
Each station will post between 10 and 20 stories per day, with the user's local news station highlighted in the listing. Yahoo has also agreed to make CBS the exclusive provider of online news video, and will share advertising revenue with CBS.
Microsoft ODF Plug-In Nears Completion
Microsoft is close to releasing a plug-in for its Microsoft Word application that will be able to open files saved in the OpenDocument Format, the company has indicated. While initially the program will not be able to save files, such functionality will be added later this year.
The plug-in is on track for an October 23 release, the company has said.
Apple Offers Red iPod to Fight AIDS
Apple said Friday that it had teamed up with U2 front man Bono to offer a special edition of the iPod Nano. However, unlike the full-size iPod that was designed for the band, this music player supports Bono's charity Red, which fights diseases in Africa, primarily AIDS.
The 4GB Nano is enclosed in a red case, and will sell for $199 USD. For each unit sold, Apple will donate $10 to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. In addition, the iPod includes a special $25 Red iTunes Gift card, although it didn't specify what percentage would go to charity.
Microsoft Touts Xbox Safety Features
Microsoft launched an initiative aimed at educating parents on how to make smart gaming choices at the DigitalLife Expo Thursday in New York City, joining the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Best Buy in a 20-city bus tour that would educate consumers on the parental control features of the Xbox 360.
The program aims to ensure that consumers understand that they can indeed control what types of games are played on the console. For example, a parent could prevent games rated "M" for mature, or control whom their children play with online.
Sony Signs On T-Mobile Hotspot for Mylo
Sony said Thursday that it was sweetening the deal for users of its mylo communication device by including a years worth of Wi-Fi service through T-Mobile Hotspot. The year of service would begin the date a device first connects to the network, the company said.
The promotion would be available for both new and existing customers, and would begin in mid-November. T-Mobile Hotspot locations can be found at a variety of retail, hotel, and dining locations including Kinkos, Starbucks, Borders, as well as several airports and airport clubs.
HD DVD Appears to Have Early Edge
The HD DVD Promotional Group said at the DigitalLife Electronics show in New York City Thursday that the technology continues to gain momentum, despite being at a disadvantage when it comes to content. The group also provided more details into future hardware plans.
According to Nielsen data in August, HD DVD sold three times as many discs as any other high-definition format, including Sony's Blu-ray. In addition, the survey company also found that customers of the format owned an average of 8.4 DVDs.
Libya to Buy 1.2 Million $100 Laptops
Most people would likely not think of Libya as the beacon of technology in education, but if the government has its way it could soon be. The New York Times said Wednesday that the nation is planning to purchase 1.2 million "$100 laptops" for its school-age children.
The country's government signed a $250 million deal with the One Laptop Per Child project, which would cover the cost of the units plus the necessary servers, training and satellite Internet connections. The rollout should be completed by June 2008.
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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