FCC now seems open to free Wi-Fi plan
In a variation of a plan it previously shot down, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed that the winner of a newly planned spectrum auction be required to offer free wireless Internet service.
The FCC's proposal essentially sounds similar to a suggestion made last year by M2Z Networks, the first company to suggest free wireless Internet nationwide. The free wireless network would be required to cover half of the country's citizens within four years, and 95 percent within a decade. FCC officials told the Wall Street Journal that content restrictions would be placed on use.
As Google Gears turns one, it lands its biggest customers yet
Google's Web services project has been renamed simply "Gears," and the company has announced that MySpace will use the technology in its e-mail platform.
"We want to make it clear that Gears isn't just a Google thing. We see Gears as a way for everyone to get involved with upgrading the web platform," software engineer Chris Prince said.
ICANN looks to lend a hand in spam fight
The administrative body in charge of the Internet's mapping of IP addresses says it has sent compliance letters to registrars commonly used by spammers, although it admits it can do little to stop spam itself.
ICANN's comments came in response to a widely circulated report by anti-spam group KnujOn -- which spelled backwards reads, "no junk." It found that 90% of all illegal sites tracked by the organization have their URLs marshaled by just 20 registrars.
Apple to offer video in France, iPhone in Asia
The Cupertino company has launched its video store in France, while Hutchison Telecommunications will bring the iPhone to Hong Kong and Macau.
ITunes will offer local programming from several networks including TF1, France Télévisions, Arte, Dargaud TV, and Dupuis TV. In addition, MTV and Disney will offer their own programming, which means American hits like Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty will also be available.
Volkswagen, Sanyo partner on next-gen hybrid batteries
The German car manufacturer said Wednesday that it will work with Japanese electronics maker Sanyo to develop Lithium-Ion batteries for hybrid vehicles.
The two companies penned an agreement in 2006 to work on nickel metal hydride batteries, which Sanyo already supplies to Ford and Honda. That's the type of power cell most commonly used in the industry, also appearing in the most popular hybrid today, the Toyota Prius.
Sony partners with cable providers on digital cable ready TVs
The electronics maker said Tuesday that it will work with six major cable operators to include digital cable technology in its next-generation television sets.
With the new sets, consumers will no longer be required to use a set-top box in order to receive advanced services. Sony has penned an agreement with Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Cablevision, and Bright House Networks, which collectively provide service to about 82 percent of cable-receiving households. The agreement is essentially a memorandum of understanding on how channel guide and digital program delivery technology will be rolled out to the consumer.
Blu-ray recorders doing well in Japan, players struggle
While Blu-ray recorders now outsell their standard DVD counterparts, research firm NPD reports that outside of the PS3, Blu-ray players are not selling well.
Japanese research firm BCN said that revenues from sales of Blu-ray recorders in that country increased more than threefold since January, when high definition players only comprised 12.4% of all sales -- and that figure included HD DVD hardware.
Belgian newspaper group wants $77 million from Google
The Belgian press editors association Copiepresse has been at odds with Google since last year over the appearance of its member publications' work in Google News, and now it wants to be compensated.
In a court filing earlier this week, apparently with the Brussels federal court, Copiepresse asked for €49 million (approximately $77 million USD) in damages resulting from Google's having excerpted articles from Copiepresse's member publications without authorization.
Google says Viacom suit harms online communications
In a court filing late Friday nearly one year after Viacom's suit was brought against it, Google claimed its outcome could have a chilling effect on all online communications.
According to an Associated Press account Tuesday, Google's filing in US District Court in Manhattan alleged that Viacom's insistence that Google's YouTube unit stop allowing others to post its intellectual property "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression."
Samsung to sample 256 GB solid state drive in late Q3
The Korean electronics maker showed off its biggest and fastest SSD in the 2.5" category, bringing its solid state hard drives ever closer to its HDDs in capacity.
Samples of the drive will go out to Samsung's clients in September, with release targeted for the end of the year. Also in development is a 1.8-inch version of the same drive, which is slated for fourth quarter 2008 availability.
iPhone's reach expands into Nordic states
Swedish mobile firm TeliaSonera has struck a deal to bring the device to seven countries in the region later this year.
In addition to Sweden, the company has operations in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. No specific date has been set. Either way, it expands the device's reach to much of Europe.
Twitter's users up in arms over lack of service, policy enforcement
Whether it's Twitter's apparent affinity for being down more than it's up, or "twitterers" claiming the site's not enforcing its terms of service, the site is getting an awful lot of flak lately.
In fact, the criticism is becoming so loud that the company decided this week to tackle the public's concerns head-on. It seems the service's quickly attained reputation for unreliability may actually have become the defining element of the "Twitter experience."
Fahrenheit 451: Microsoft burns its Live Search Books effort
Faced with competition, and more likely lack of traffic, Microsoft has stopped scanning books and will shutter is public Live Search Books site next week.
According to Microsoft, it has scanned some 750,000 books and indexed about 80 million journal articles since its launch two years ago. It is not clear what will happen to the content that the company had already scanned.
Xbox 360 update canceled while Microsoft works on game portability
Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten says Microsoft is spending time on building out the infrastructure for the service and will skip over its regular bi-annual update.
Typically in the past, Microsoft has pushed an update in the spring and fall. It does not plan to release a comprehensive update this spring, however, because it is preparing a DRM change that would allow users to take their games with them if they change consoles.
Citing lack of demand, GameStop pulls Zune from store shelves
GameStop says insufficient demand and business considerations are behind its decision to stop selling Microsoft's iPod competitor.
While Microsoft reached its one million units sold goal last June after just over 7 months, sales of the Zune have slowed since. The company only reached the two million sold mark earlier this month.
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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