Ed Oswald

Nearly nine out of every ten children ages 12 to 17 are now online, a study has found, and teens are becoming more avid users of the Internet as well as using the Internet for a broader range of tasks.

The study by Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that significantly more teens use the Internet to play games, get news, shop online, and get health information.

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IBM and Avaya on Wednesday announced a partnership that would enhance IBM's enterprise communication offerings with VoIP and audio capabilities. IBM's Lotus Notes and Sametime IM products will gain a "click-to-call" feature, while the audio conferencing in Lotus Web Conferencing is enhanced with features such as a visual representation of who is currently speaking.

"Businesses are asking for ways to leverage the value of audio integration within the context of the work they are doing, without having to replace their existing IT infrastructure," said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Software.

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AOL said on Thursday it would offer free music downloads through AOLMusic.com that would carry tunes from popular mainstream artists - without digital rights management. The songs would come in the traditional MP3 format without restrictions, meaning the user would be able to do with the track as they pleased.

The selections will change each month, and AOL told BetaNews that 16 artists would be featured at launch. The number of tracks would vary, AOL said, based on agreements between the company and record labels.

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Along with the release of Beta 1 of Windows Vista, Microsoft quietly released the first beta of Internet Explorer 7 for Vista and Windows XP SP2. According to Microsoft, IE 7 will be made "available to IT administrators, developers and enthusiasts for testing and evaluation through the Technical Beta Program and MSDN."

Microsoft created a stir in February when it announced that IE7 would only be made available to XP SP2 users, but it had acknowledged that its browser had become a security risk.

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Following what many viewed as an unimpressive first showing of the then "Longhorn" OS at this year's WinHEC, Wednesday's release of Windows Vista Beta 1 began to show hints of the Aero interface that will play a large role in the new operating system.

Microsoft also confirmed Wednesday that a feature complete version of the interface will not be included until Beta 2, not due until early 2006.

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Microsoft officially released the first beta of Windows Vista on Wednesday as expected, ending what seemed like a never-ending series of delays and moving the Redmond company closer to the release of its long awaited next generation operating system.

Over 10,000 testers will get first dibs at the OS, with thousands more gaining access to the beta through the MSDN program and Microsoft TechNet.

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Just when gamers may have thought the controversy around Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas may be over, Take-Two Interactive Software on Tuesday announced that the Federal Trade Commission is looking into the game and the "Hot Coffee'"modification.

The Hot Coffee mod allows the main character to engage in sexual acts, causing the ESRB to change the rating of the game from "M" for Mature to "AO" for Adults Only. The ESRB's action meant the game was pulled from a majority of retailer's shelves, including Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Circuit City.

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XM Satellite Radio and Napster announced on Wednesday a long-term partnership to develop a music store where listeners with XM-equipped MP3 players could mark songs for download at a later time. The store will be called "XM + Napster" and will be the exclusive store for XM music downloads.

Since the deal is exclusive, it kills any speculation that Apple may release an XM-capable iPod. Apple's music device is incompatible with the digital rights management technology that Napster uses, called Janus.

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AOL on Tuesday issued a minor update to Netscape that fixes four critical security vulnerabilities, which could open the browser to code execution attacks. Version 8.0.3.1 also corrects problems with the history function of the browser when switching between rendering engines.

One of Netscape's main features is the ability to switch between Internet Explorer and Firefox-based rendering engines on the fly.

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Satellite radio service XM announced on Tuesday that it would partner with Samsung to introduce MP3 players with satellite radio capability by year's end. The players would use XM's Connect-and-Play technology and come with a home accessory kit to allow access to the satellite radio.

"XM's award-winning programming and technology provide us with a unique opportunity to offer products that empower consumers and fundamentally change the way people listen to music," D.J. Oh, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics of America, said in a statement.

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BetaNews has learned that Microsoft is expected to begin its rollout of the next version of Hotmail, possibly as early as Wednesday. Code-named "Kahuna," this Hotmail update will sport a new interface, automatic inbox refreshing and a preview pane enabling users to read and respond to e-mail without ever leaving their inbox.

The announcement could come in tandem with unveiling of the beta releases of Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Vista, both of which are expected to be released sometime Wednesday.

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Anyone who's been following technology likely already knows that the relationship between Microsoft and Apple is strained at best. However, with the beta release of MSN Virtual Earth, it now appears that Microsoft would like to act like Apple doesn't even exist.

Word spread around the Internet Monday night that whatever image Microsoft is using for 1 Infinite Loop, it sure wasn't of the sprawling 11-building complex that exists today.

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UTStarcom on Tuesday launched its first PC card for Verizon Wireless' high-speed EV-DO network, the PC 5740, adding to the carriers growing line of devices able to take advantage of the near broadband wireless speeds. The card is compatible with all versions of Windows and fits in to a standard PCMCIA slot.

The technology offers average speeds of 400-700kpbs in 50 major metropolitan areas and in 57 airports nationwide. The service itself costs $79.99 USD per month for unlimited use. The PC 5740 is available to customers for $99.99 USD with a $50 mail-in rebate offer. The card will also be compatible with the 1xRTT network where EV-DO is not available.

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Verizon Wireless posted the biggest quarter for a wireless carrier ever in the three months ending June 30, adding a staggering 1.9 million new subscribers. The company appears to be making a run at market-leader Cingular, which counts a total of 51.4 million subscribers as of the end of last quarter.

Analysts say at the core of Verizon's growth is its low churn, which means the company is losing customers at a very slow rate. Also, Verizon lowered prices on prepay and family plans, and on some data plans. The company has led in subscriber growth in eight of the last nine quarters, with T-Mobile USA being the only other company in two years to best Verizon's numbers. As of June 30, Verizon had 47.3 million subscribers.

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Software pirates beware - Microsoft on Tuesday officially launched Windows Genuine Advantage, a program aimed at curbing the problem of software counterfeiting and enticing users to ensure their software is legitimate.

WGA now makes it mandatory for a user to verify the authenticity of Microsoft software on his or her computer before downloading updates through Windows Update, Microsoft Update for Windows content, and the Microsoft Download Center.

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