Dept. of Homeland Security granted right to snoop on T-Mobile users
In order to gain the approval of the United States government to merge SunCom Wireless into T-Mobile USA, parent company Deutsche Telekom had to extend its electronic surveillance agreement to include the Department of Homeland Security.
The Federal Communications Commission late Friday gave the green light to Deutsche Telekom to acquire regional cellular carrier SunCom for $2.4 billion in cash. SunCom is based in Pennsylvania and serves 1.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Apple TV update goes live with high-definition rentals
Apple silently pushed its promised update to customers with its Apple TV device on Tuesday.
The update will take about six minutes to download over a broadband connection, and another five to ten minutes to install. The update will install in three parts, with the Apple logo and progress bar reappearing each time.
Best Buy to 'recommend' Blu-ray to customers
In the second hit to HD DVD in less than a day, retailer Best Buy announced Monday afternoon that it will begin showcasing Blu-ray to customers and recommend it as the "preferred format" over HD DVD. Best Buy will continue to carry HD DVD hardware and movies, but it will not be actively promoting them.
"Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them," Best Buy president Brian Dunn said in a statement. The move affects both online and retail channels for Best Buy. On the store's Web site, the cheapest HD DVD player is $149.99, while the cheapest Blu-ray player is $399.99.
Samsung sued over incompatible Blu-ray players
It's a story that's been hard to ignore, and now a class action lawsuit has been filed: early Blu-ray players had compatibility problems when new features and DRM were introduced into Blu-ray movies.
While Blu-ray Disc Association representatives told BetaNews at CES that early adopters "knew what they were getting into" regarding the changes to the platform, some apparently didn't. Bob McGovern, who has become the lead plaintiff in the case, says his BD-P1200 player from Samsung was unable to view "numerous Blu-ray disc titles."
Why you can't have Vista SP1 yet: Microsoft fixing driver problem
Despite being released to manufacturing last week, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not being made available to all customers because Microsoft is trying to resolve an issue in which hardware devices may stop functioning after SP1 is installed.
Apparently, there is a problem that can occur when the operating system re-installs drivers after SP1 is loaded onto a system. Microsoft says the drivers themselves are not at fault, but ostensibly because Vista SP1 is already finalized, the company has opted to work with hardware manufacturers to implement fixes.
Starbucks drops T-Mobile, offers free Wi-Fi from AT&T
Customers who buy a cup of joe using a Starbucks card will now receive 2 hours of free Wi-Fi at the ubiquitous coffee shop thanks to a new partnership with AT&T.
Starbucks is ending its six-year relationship with T-Mobile, and inking a deal with AT&T instead. Starting this spring, AT&T will be providing the Internet access at over 7,000 Starbucks locations across the United States and in the process making the Wi-Fi more attractive to customers who balked at paying T-Mobile's $10 per-day fee.
Netflix to cease offering HD DVD movie rentals
In a win for Blu-ray and a loss for consumer choice, Netflix said Monday it will no longer be stocking new HD DVD movies for its subscribers to rent.
The leading online movie rental company cited "a clear signal from the industry" for deciding to go Blu-ray only, noting that four of the six major Hollywood studios are backing Sony's format. Universal and Paramount are the two studios supporting HD DVD exclusively.
Amazon drops price of Xbox 360 HD DVD player, promptly sells out
Amazon this week began offering Microsoft's HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 for only $79.99, but those wanting to take advantage of the deal may be too late, as the online retailer is currently sold out.
The $80 price tag follows a price cut in early December that made the drive available for just $129. It's not clear if the deal was a one-time offering from Amazon, or whether other retailers will follow suit. Making it all the more enticing, Amazon's 6 free HD DVD deal is also applicable to the Xbox 360 add-on.
SanDisk places bet on SDHC with new 32GB card
While Compact Flash may have been the dominant removable memory format for years, SanDisk says the future is now in SDHC, announcing a 32GB card that will go on sale in April.
SanDisk is targeting its new SDHC cards at handheld high-definition video cameras, which require a great deal of storage capacity. Newer digital cameras with high megapixel counts also require big file sizes, making the high-capacity cards a hot commodity these days.
NPD: Free Blu-ray player deals led to boosted sales this month
A report from NPD Group claimed Blu-ray standalone player sales accounted for 93 percent of the high-def market for the week ending January 12, but NPD itself won't stand behind the numbers, saying they were leaked and that weekly sales data is not a long-term indicator.
According to Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD, the data "came from an NPD subscriber" and "wasn't approved for release from NPD." He added that the firm typically sees big fluctuations in sales volumes each week, and never makes long-term judgements based on weekly data.
Interview: Universal EVP Ken Graffeo says HD DVD is here to stay
In an exclusive interview with BetaNews, Ken Graffeo, executive vice president for Universal Studios and also the co-president of HD DVD, provided a behind-the-scenes look at the high-def industry and said that, despite the rumors, HD DVD is here to stay. But he does leave the door open to ending the format war by coming to some sort of an agreement with Blu-ray.
Nate Mook: Let's start with a little background. You work for Universal, but you are also the co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group. Does this create a conflict of interest?
Apple unveils 'world's thinnest notebook'
Capping off his Macworld 2008 keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs put the rumors to rest by announcing the "world's thinnest notebook" called the MacBook Air.
Jobs began by noting the specs of Sony's Vaio TZ, which weighs 3 pounds and has an 11- or 12-inch screen with smaller keyboard and what he called a "slower processor." The Vaio is also 0.8 to 1.2 inches thick.
Apple announces iTunes movie rentals with every major studio
During his Macworld 2008 keynote Tuesday, Steve Jobs announced what everyone knew was coming: iTunes movie rentals. An update to Apple TV was also unveiled.
Jobs touted the success of iTunes, noting that the 4 billionth song was sold last week. 20 million songs were sold on Christmas day alone, which is a new 1-day record for the company.
Jobs: iPhone has 19.5% of US smartphone market
In his Macworld 2008 keynote Tuesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told the audience that the company has sold 4 million iPhones in the 200 days since it went on sale.
Apple is shipping an average of 20,000 iPhones each day, and in shipments for the first quarter holds 19.5 percent of the smartphone market in the United States. This puts the device behind on RIM's BlackBerry in terms of market share.
Jobs opens Macworld 2008, announces 'Time Capsule'
Opening Macworld 2008 with his annual keynote address, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told the audience "there is clearly something in the air today."
Jobs began his keynote by looking back at 2007. Apple sold five million copies of Leopard in just three months, making it the most successful Mac OS X release ever. 20 percent of the Mac OS X install base has upgraded to Leopard, said Jobs, noting that "We're really thrilled by this."
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