Ed Oswald

A report released late Thursday indicates that parents are increasingly using filters to limit what their children can access online. A study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed a 65% increase in filter usage since the beginning of the decade.

A survey of 1,100 teens and 1,100 parents showed that 54% of families now use filtering software, up from 41% in 2000. Which families used filters also depended on the internet experience of the parent as well as the age of the child. Parents who were tech savvy and had smaller children were likely to use the technology, while less technologically inclined parents with older children were not.

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With the release of PlayStation Portable in Europe now delayed at least several months, gamers are increasingly turning to other ways to get their hands on the highly anticipated gaming console. In London, some have even turned to "grey market" retailers where the imported Japanese version garners as much as three times the retail price at 300 pounds ($577 USD).

"Grey market" is a term that is used to describe the way these retailers acquire the products. They receive the product from out of country wholesalers, in this case from Asia, and then sell them in another country for a higher price. While not illegal, it is not condoned by Sony either.

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Shareholders were about as disappointed in HP's unwillingness to elaborate on the search for a CEO to replace Carly Fiorina as they were about the recent performance of the company. According to SilconValley.com, Wednesday's meeting of company shareholders was prefaced with a statement saying no questions would be taken regarding the search for a new head to HP.

The board seemed to echo investor sentiment that HP is underachieving, although they expressed hope that the company could turn itself around. "It is difficult for a board to communicate everything it is thinking," Patricia Dunn, non-executive chairman of HP told shareholders. "While we are not satisfied with the company's performance, we believe deeply in the future of Hewlett-Packard."

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MCI said early Thursday that it is reviewing Qwest's latest offer to buy the company, and will have a response by March 28. Qwest sweetened the offer by about $450 million – or $26 per share versus $24.50 in its first offer. To date, Verizon has not changed its offer, which still stands at $6.7 million or $20.75 per share.

Verizon is prepared to fight for MCI, however. In a letter to executives of MCI, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg accused Qwest of misleading MCI and called the company's viability into question. "Qwest fails to explain the financial alchemy required to keep Qwest afloat, complete the acquisition of MCI, and invest in the business," he wrote.

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Samsung unveiled six new MP3 players that it hopes will further solidify its position in the portable music market on Thursday, and it hopes to triple its sales and gain market share on Apple's iPod.

The iPod holds a 70 percent market share worldwide, and an 80 percent market share within the United States. So far, most companies have been unsuccessful in finding a player that consumers have chosen in large numbers over the iPod, although devices like Creative's Zen Micro have shown some promise.

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Disney will support the Universal Media Disc (UMD) format made specifically for the Sony PlayStation Portable unit, and will release five movies this spring, the company announced on Thursday. Disney is only the second major studio to announce support for the format other than the Sony-owned Sony Pictures unit.

The titles to be released are "National Treasure," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Reign of Fire," "Kill Bill Vol. 1" and "Hero." More films will be released later this year, the studio said. No pricing was announced for the titles, although Sony Pictures had said it would charge $20 and up for movies released in the UMD format.

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If bling is your thing, then Samsung has the MP3 player for you. The electronics maker showed off its latest creation this past week at CeBIT, the European technology fair. Encrusted with 12 diamond studs, the audio player will hold up to 1 gigabyte of music and also features an FM tuner.

Samsung told reporters that it expects the player to be available at a price below $1,000. While the player may not appeal to most consumers, it does continue a general trend of high-class customizations to popular electronics products.

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It's Apple fault, says Motorola. At least that is the reason Ron Garriques, president of Motorola's mobile phone division, gave reporters Tuesday at the CTIA Wireless conference in New Orleans over the iTunes phone delay.

Garriques said that his company and Apple have two different strategies for releasing products. Motorola likes to show off its innovations early on, while Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about products up until their launch.

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Apple enthusiast sites are reporting that reliable sources say Apple is developing its first two button mouse, but no specific release date is known. AppleInsider said a change of heart within the company, as well as the push in recent months to regain market share from Windows has made such a move necessary.

Macintosh users have been asking for an Apple-manufactured two button mouse for several years, however the company has so far ignored those requests. According to sources, the mouse, which will be optical and wireless, would likely run approximately $69.

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Following the success of MSN's Spaces, Yahoo has announced its own plans for a blog service called Yahoo 360. The service will not be available to testers until March 29; however, several media outlets got wind of the new offering after a source within the company leaked details of its features.

Yahoo says 360 was built in response to feedback from its users that said they wanted a way to keep in touch without exposing themselves online to people they did not know.

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Technology research firm iSuppli expects the MP3 player market to continue its expansion in 2005, growing some 57 percent year over year. This follows a breakout year for the industry, which more than doubled in size during 2004. The firm said much of the success was related to the mass appeal of Apple's iPod, although no specific market share numbers were given.

iSuppli said that hard drive based audio players are coming of age, and consumers are increasingly turning to them over Flash-based players. The HDD player market is expected to grow by nearly 42 percent during 2005. By 2009, the firm said, it will account for 42 percent of all players sold, up from 26.6 percent last year.

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Sony officially confirmed Tuesday what had been rumored since early February - the launch of the highly anticipated PlayStation Portable console in Europe will be delayed by at least a few months. Sony had originally denied any delay, only saying that the PSP will ship "in the spring."

However, BetaNews has learned that the announcement may have not been handed down to retailers in Europe. One report indicated that in Spain, several retailers had displays for the PSP ready to go in anticipation of its arrival.

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IBM announced it has created a mouse adapter that will help people with hand tremors use a computer with less difficulty. The device uses an algorithm similar to the one which stabilizes an image on camcorders to filter out unwanted movements. The adapter will plug in between the computer and mouse, meaning no special mouse is required.

A user can configure the device based on the severity of the hand tremor, and could also use it to filter out unwanted mouse clicks due to a trembling finger. A recent study found that more than 10 million Americans are affected by some type of hand tremor. IBM licensed the technology to British electronics firm Montrose Secam, which is expected to make the adapter available for less than $100 USD.

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MSN wants users to spread the word about its instant messaging client, and is offering a prize to one user who does. In the "Free-For-All Adventure Sweepstakes," a winner will receive a trip for six to anywhere in the United States including hotel, airfare and transportation. The contest runs through March 25.

To enter, a user must register at the contest Web site. Through the end of the contest period, the person must then add at least five people to their contact list who must accept the invitation to be added. If the user is successful, they will be entered into a drawing that is set for April 1.

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DVR maker TiVo announced Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with cable provider Comcast, the first cable company to partner with the service. TiVo will provide a specialized version of its DVR beginning in mid-2006 to most of the Comcast's 21 million plus subscribers.

Under the agreement, the two companies will work to make a version of the TiVo service available on Comcast's existing DVR platform. The new service will be marketed using the TiVo brand.

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