Netflix Accused of 'Monopolizing' Online Rentals
Blockbuster shot back at Netflix on Tuesday, filing a antitrust counterclaim in federal court saying that the online movie rental service's lawsuit is based on unenforceable patents. The company also says that Netflix is attempting to monopolize the online rental business.
With 1.3 million subscribers as of the first quarter of 2006, Blockbuster Online is much smaller than Netflix, which has close to five million members. The brick and mortar movie retailer has made online rentals a key part of its future business, as in-store revenue is expected to fall by as much as a quarter through the end of the decade.
8 Critical Flaws Patched by Microsoft
Microsoft has released its super-sized Patch Tuesday, heavy on "critical" patches, with eight rated as such. Four other patches rounded out the list of updates, with three patches rated "important" and one rated "moderate."
Of the eight most serious fixes, two affect Internet Explorer, one for JScript within Internet Explorer, one in Windows Media Player, two in Windows, one in Word, and another in PowerPoint.
RIAA Claims File Sharing 'Contained'
The Recording Industry Association of America claims file sharing had been "contained," saying the market digital downloads continues to expand while illicit music swapping has seen flat growth, USA Today reported on Monday. The industry credits recent legal decisions with helping to combat piracy, as well as the increasing popularity of digital music stores.
The rise of digital music has been assisted by the increasing popularity of Apple's iPod and its accompanying iTunes Music Store, industry executives say. The service has sold over 1 billion tracks.
Adobe Refreshes Lightroom Beta
Adobe issued an update to its Lightroom professional photographer workflow software on Tuesday. The third release of the beta includes several features requested by testers, including the addition of a tool that helps users keep track of changes made to photos.
Lightroom is currently only available as a free download for the Macintosh, however Adobe says it plans to offer a Windows version in a future beta. The software could be considered a competitor to Apple's Aperture photo application, which the company released in October of last year.
Google Upgrades Earth, Maps Products
Google pushed an update to its popular Google Earth service Monday, including a major update to the satellite imagery that is a central feature of the product. The amount of available aerial imagery has been expanded by four times, the company said.
A version for Linux systems has been introduced with the most current beta. While the software has already been downloaded 100 million times, the service's move to Linux is likely to help accelerate adoption. Additionally, the software has been localized for French, Italian, German, and Spanish users.
Worm Targets Yahoo Mail Users
A worm that is exploiting a flaw within Yahoo Mail is currently making its way through the service, security firm Symantec warned on Monday. However, Yahoo has since offered a patch for the flaw, which it says affected only a vulnerability of its customers.
Called "Yamanner," the worm took advantage of a JavaScript issue within the client that affects all versions except for the current beta. It comes hidden in an e-mail titled "New Graphic Site" that when opened launches the worm.
Microsoft Introduces Branded Webcams
Microsoft on Tuesday took a page from the Apple playbook by releasing its own line of webcams, a joint effort of the Windows Live and Microsoft Hardware teams. The company says the new cams would dramatically simplify the video communications experience.
Two models will initially be released, the LifeCam VX-3000 and VX-6000, and are optimized for use with the Windows Live Messenger application. A feature called the Windows Live Call button on each model would allow for one-touch access to a buddy list tool that shows online friends.
Xbox 360 Sales Lag Behind PS2
While nearly five years old, the PlayStation 2 continues to be a considerable force at retail in the United States, even outselling the Xbox 360, data from the NPD Group indicates. Only in one month since Microsoft launched its next generation console, April, has the company been able to best the venerable game system.
In May, the PS2 sold approximately 232,000 units to the Xbox 360's 221,000. In April, the roles were reversed, with the Xbox 360 outpacing the PS2 by about 90,000 consoles with an estimated 295,381 consoles sold.
Microsoft Debuts Business Management Solutions
Microsoft debuted at TechEd 2006 in Boston Monday Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0, comprising a suite of products intended to streamline processes across a company's financials, customer relationships, business services, human resources and the supply chain.
The offering uses Web services to bring together structured and unstructured data from different sources and tie them together into a single workflow. This allows for decision makers to see a complete view of their business processes and enables better decision making, chief technical officer Ray Ozzie explained in his Sunday night TechEd keynote.
Blizzard Bans 30,000 from WoW
Video game manufacturer Blizzard said Friday that it had banned over 30,000 users of World of Warcraft during the month of May in a crackdown on cheating. The online role-playing game has over 6.5 million subscribers and nearly a 50 percent share of the market, according to recent estimates.
The bans remove about 30 million gold from the economies of the virtual worlds in the games called "realms." Blizzard says that the cheating affects the economy of the realm and hurts gameplay for others, as well as violating the game's terms of use.
Verizon Launches Child Locator Service
Verizon on Monday introduced a new service aimed at parents who wish to keep track of where their children are through their cell phones. Additionally, the service will give children a way to easily contact their parents.
The "Chaperone" service would be provided in conjunction with the kid-friendly LG Migo, a cell phone designed for easy operation by even the youngest users. The system uses GPS capabilities built into the phone in order to track a child's position.
Microsoft: Bots a Big Problem for Windows
UPDATED Malicious bots are becoming quite common, with six out of every ten computers containing malware found by the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool found to be infected, Microsoft said Monday. Altogether, the application has removed malicious bots from about 3.5 million PCs.
Bots, or "backdoor Trojans," can turn a computer system into a "zombie," meaning a hacker can send remote commands to it and perform a variety of tasks. This can include the spread of malware and sending spam, or using the network of computers to launch cyber attacks.
DOE Security Breach Hits 1,500 Workers
Hackers broke into Department of Energy computers last September and stole information within a file containing the names and social security numbers of employees, the agency said Friday. However, the breach was not disclosed until last week.
In a congressional hearing on Friday, it was also acknowledged that those affected were never informed of the breach. The head of the National Nuclear Security Adminstration Linton Brooks claimed that he did not think he had to brief senior officials on the matter, as he thought the counterintelligence office would automatically do so.
NSA Wiretapping Challenged in Court
The legality of the domestic spying initiative will be put to the test starting Monday, as the American Civil Liberties Union is set to argue for the halting of the program in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The case is the first legal challenge against the program.
A ruling on the case could also further the argument among some opponents of the Bush administration that the president has overstepped his bounds. Some Democrats claim that Bush has used the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 as an excuse to unconstitutionally expand presidential power.
DISH, DirecTV Log On to Satellite Internet
Satellite Internet provider WildBlue said Friday that it had signed agreements with both DirecTV and EchoStar, the parent company of DISH Network, to allow them to offer branded satellite Internet service.
The exclusive five-year agreement means that satellite providers will be able to erase one of the last remaining advantages of the cable networks: being able to provide Internet service to their customers. Both plan to roll out their respective services over the coming months.
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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