Ashburn AT&T Store Leaves Dozens iPhone-less
For over 75 people lined up at the AT&T store in Ashburn, Virginia -- a major technology center and nearby to companies such as AOL -- excitement quickly turned to anger as dozens who waited over five hours were left without an iPhone due to the store's paltry stock of just 14 phones.
Ashburn seemed like a prime location to score one of Apple's lusted after new devices, which officially went on sale at 6pm Friday night. Nearby stores in Sterling and Reston, Virginia had lines nearing triple digits by mid-afternoon, but Ashburn is just outside the urban centers of Fairfax County - far enough to keep the crowds low, we thought.
Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Discs Delayed
Warner Home Video's answer to the rift in the high-definition DVD industry will not arrive in the second half of this year as planned, instead reaching the market in 2008. 10-20 movies will be initially offered using the "Total HD" technology, which includes both HD DVD and Blu-ray on a single disc.
Total HD made its official debut at CES 2007, with the promise of sandwiching two data layers atop one another -- not one format on one side and another on the flip side -- with each layer capable of being read by its respective player.
Windows Live Strategy Inches Forward, Slowly
Microsoft is continuing to flesh out its Windows Live strategy, on Wednesday releasing beta versions of Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Folders. The additions will join Windows Live Mail Desktop, Windows Live Writer, and a number of other applications as part of the Windows Live Suite.
Although the company has arguably done a poor job of branding and marketing Windows Live up to this point (at one time there were over 40 products in development under that banner, while some have retained the MSN moniker), Microsoft is hoping to simplify things with a single, downloadable package it can offer to Vista users.
Blockbuster, Netflix Call Patent Truce
Two fierce rivals in the DVD rental business have called a truce - at least when it comes to patents. Blockbluster has agreed to settle with Netflix over charges that the brick and mortar retailer infringed on Netflix's online DVD rental patents when it launched Blockbuster Online.
In April 2006, Netflix asked a judge to bar Blockbuster from allowing online rentals, saying the company was infringing on two patents. The first was awarded in 2003 and covers the concept of the automatic queue, which customers add to from the company's library and then receive movies in a customizable order of preference.
WS2K8 Beta Adds IIS7 to Server Core
&Microsoft has released the June Community Technology Preview of Windows Server 2008, which serves as an interim release between Beta 3 and Release Candidate 1. The company says Beta 3 has already been downloaded over 200,000 times in the two months since its release.
While it may represent a minor update, the June CTP brings to the table a major new feature: the addition of IIS7 as part of the Server Core installation option. As previously reported by BetaNews, Microsoft disclosed at TechEd 2007 earlier this month that IIS would become the seventh ready-made "role" available for the operating system.
Mandriva: We Won't Sign Microsoft Pact
Mandriva has become the latest Linux vendor to publicly refute speculation that it will join Novell, Xandros and Linspire in signing a patent covenant with Microsoft, in which the Redmond company agrees not to sue for potential intellectual property infringement.
The statement from Mandriva CEO Francois Bancilhon follows a similar refusal from Canonical chief executive Mark Shuttleworth; Canonical makes the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution. Red Hat also said it would not sign any patent pledge with Microsoft.
ThinkFree Takes Office Suite Offline
While Google is busy building a Web-based productivity suite and Microsoft dips its toes into the online waters, ThinkFree is moving in the opposite direction, releasing a beta version of its online office suite that works offline as well.
ThinkFree was one of the first developers of Web-based office tools, but its offerings have largely failed to catch on among businesses. In turn, the new "Premium" version of the software will enable editing Microsoft Office documents from Word, Excel or PowerPoint both online and offline. The suite utilizes AJAX and Java to accomplish this task, and will be sold as a monthly subscription for $7 USD, or $75 annually.
Opera Mini 4 Released in Beta
Opera Software has released a beta of version 4 of its popular Opera Mini browser for mobile phones, which integrates features the company designed for its Nintendo Wii browser. Now, users can see an entire Web page in "overview mode" and zoom in to specific parts.
When zooming, Opera Mini snaps to content so scrolling is smooth. A virtual mouse cursor aids users in moving down a page and selecting links, although the software resizes text and images to reduce the amount of scrolling required.
Linksys Seeking Beta Testers
Network and multimedia hardware company Linksys is seeking beta testers to trial a new product for high-definition TVs, which enables displaying pictures, music or videos on the TV over a wireless network. Those not selected will have the opportunity to beta test future products from Linksys.
Testers for the Apple TV-like device must speak fluent English but live in the United Kingdom, France or Germany, as well as owning an LCD or plasma HDTV and at least two computers running Windows. Those in the United States and Canada can still go through the application process, but not complete the specific test survey to be considered first for future betas. For more information and to apply, visit the beta callout page.
Apple to Open iPhone to Developers via Web
WWDC 2007 - Responding to feedback from developers, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Monday that the company would open up the iPhone platform for third party application. The initial concern with such a capability was security, but Jobs says Apple came up with "a very sweet solution."
Because the iPhone (due at 6pm on June 29) includes Safari's full WebKit engine, Apple says developers will be able to write Web 2.0/AJAX applications for the device. The applications can integrate with iPhone services, which means they can make calls, send e-mail and integrate with Google Maps. Because they share Safari's security features, the applications are safe and require no separate SDK. "With all the Web services built in, you can build fantastic applications for iPhone," remarked Apple vice president Scott Forstall.
Apple Bringing Safari to Windows
WWDC 2007 - In a surprise "One more thing..." announcement at its Worldwide Developer Conference Monday, Apple says it will release version 3 of its Safari Web browser with Leopard in October, as well as a version for Windows XP and Vista.
Steve Jobs noted that Safari has captured 5 percent of the browser market already, and says the company has built up expertise with iTunes for Windows. Safari 3 is faster than both IE and Firefox, Jobs said, and the update will have Google and Yahoo search built into the browser. Other new features in version 3 include drag-able tabs. A public beta of Safari 3 for Mac OS X Tiger and Windows XP/Vista is available for download from FileForum.
Steve Jobs Shows Off More of Leopard
WWDC 2007 - At its annual Worldwide Developer Conference Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs provided the final look at Mac OS X 10.5, code-named "Leopard," before the new operating system ships in October. He demoed 10 out of what he says are 300 new features.
22 million people are currently using Mac OS X, Jobs said, with two-thirds of that number running Tiger. Leopard will be the next major upgrade to Apple's platform, bringing a number of new and innovative features. WWDC is the first chance for developers to really sink their teeth into those changes.
Microsoft's YouTube Rival Re-opens
Microsoft on Friday re-opened MSN Soapbox, the company's competitor to Google's YouTube, after two months of being closed to the public due to copyright concerns. The updated Soapbox now lets anyone view videos without being signed, and includes filtering of content.
The filtering technology, provided by Audible Magic, is intended to allow Microsoft to identify when potentially copyrighted material is uploaded to the service. In turn, the company can more easily block access and avoid the lawsuits that are piling up against YouTube from Viacom and others.
Google Quietly Acquires Security Firm
Although it normally touts its numerous acquisitions on the company blog, Google has yet to officially announce that it has purchased security firm Green Border, which offers software to protect Web users that takes a fairly unique approach.
Green Border, which happens to be located in Google's hometown of Mountain View, Calif., was founded in 2001, but has failed to make major headway in the marketplace. Its software has been offered as a free download, with a Pro version cosing $49.95 USD.
Microsoft Cancels Developer Conference
Microsoft has decided to cancel its scheduled 2007 Professional Developer's Conference, previously slated to take place in Los Angeles the first week of October. The company says its new developer tools are already available to customers.
Traditionally, PDC is held every two years to preview major Microsoft platform advances, and preview technologies before their release. PDC 03 highlighted Windows Vista -- Longhorn at the time -- while PDC 05 reiterated that focus with Vista and Office 2007, as well as the recently launched Expression Suite.
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