National Geographic Offers Cell Phone
Wednesday marked an unusual entrant into the mobile phone space: National Geographic. The organization launched what it calls the "Talk Abroad Travel Phone," which is designed for individuals circling the globe. But worldwide roaming doesn't come cheap at 90 cents per minute.
National Geographic joined up with Playa del Rey, Calif. company Cellular Abroad to provide the service that works across borders by picking up local cellular carriers in over 100 countries. The phone number will stay the same in all locations, and the handset utilizes GSM technology, which is prevalent throughout South America and Europe.
Only 104 Applications 'Vista Certified'
Microsoft on Wednesday published a list of the applications that have received either "Certified for Windows Vista" or "Works with Windows Vista" status. Of the 787 listed, 103 are Microsoft's own products, indicating few software developers have completed the logo process.
104 applications thus far have been deemed "Certified for Windows Vista," including a number from Trend Micro, ArcSoft, CyberLink and Corel's CoreDraw. Software from Adobe, Symantec, McAfee and other major vendors has yet to make the list, which Microsoft says will be updated each week. The small number of applications could be why Microsoft is offering to pay up to $1,000 to a third party certification company for software developers to test their programs.
Microsoft Accounting App Hits 1 Million Downloads
Microsoft is touting its free accounting application, which it debuted last October for small businesses, as a success, announcing that it has been downloaded by 1 million people in just 3 months. Office Accounting Express 2007 is Microsoft's first shot across Intuit's bow.
The program is largely a basic accounting suite aimed at those who currently use pen and paper or a spreadsheet to manage their finances. Startups and eBay sellers are among the intended audience, Microsoft says. Accounting Express features and Outlook-like interface and Office integration.
Sirius, XM Confirm $13 Billion Merger
Satellite radio providers XM and Sirius confirmed the rumors Monday, announcing a surprise $13 billion merger of equals, which would keep Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin and XM Chairman Gary Parsons in their respective roles.
XM CEO Hugh Panero will not have a role in the new company, which as of yet has not been named. XM and Sirius expect the merger to be completed by the end of 2007, but the companies have major regulatory hurdles to clear first, including permission from antitrust watchdogs and the FCC.
Microsoft Issues Free Virtual PC 2007
The long-awaited update to Microsoft's virtualization software was released Monday. Virtual PC 2007 brings support for Windows Vista -- as both a guest and host operating system -- and takes advantage of new hardware virtualization technology from both Intel and AMD. Virtual PC enables users to run multiple operating systems on a single computer by creating "virtual machines."
Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Virtual PC 2007 are available free of charge; Microsoft made Virtual PC 2004 SP1 freeware last July and promised to release 2007 for no cost. The move to freeware ups the ante with rival virtualization companies such as VMware and new market entrant Parallels. Download Virtual PC 2007 from FileForum.
Microsoft Not Discussing Windows 7, Office 14
Now that Vista and Office 2007 are officially out the door, Windows enthusiasts have been busy scrounging up what they can about the next versions of both products. Not much has turned up besides code-names and potential features, but a number of blog posts prompted Microsoft to say publicly that it's not saying anything.
The commotion largely began at the RSA Security conference last week, where Windows Core Operating System Division Corporate Vice President Ben Fathi told an audience that the next major release of Windows is about two to two-and-a-half years out, indicating a 2009 timeframe.
Beta Test Windows Home Server
After first unveiling the product at CES in January, Microsoft on Monday released Beta 2 of Windows Home Sever, and is opening up the beta program to a broader group of external testers. Previous releases were tested by over 1,000 Microsoft employees and the Redmond company's partners.
Windows Home Server, known by the code-name Quattro, is designed to enable families with multiple PCs connect their home computers, digital devices and printers so they can easily store and access their digital media and documents. HP has announced the first Windows Home Server-based product, dubbing it: MediaSmart Server. Those interested in joining the beta test can apply on Microsoft Connect. A new Windows Home Server blog has also been created to supply more information.
MP3tunes Storage Service Now Free
MP3tunes, the company started in 2005 by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, is dropping the yearly fee for its Oboe digital music locker service that offers unlimited storage and high-quality streaming over the Web.
The service is designed to rid users of having to carry around their music around wherever they go. "It makes more sense to safely store your music online and sync it or stream it to all the places you listen to music, which is exactly what Oboe makes possible," Robertson said when Oboe launched in November 2005.
Motorola Q Goes Global with GSM
Motorola's popular Q smartphone that debuted last May on Verizon's CDMA network has finally received a GSM counterpart, which will enable the device to be sold by U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as in Europe.
The phone will come in two SIM card-supporting models: the MOTO Q q9 and MOTO Q gsm. The q9 can be considered a successor to the original Q, sporting a slightly thicker form factor based on Motorola's SCPL platform and running Windows Mobile 6.
EMI Considers Selling Music in MP3
EMI, the world's third largest music label, is actively considering removing the digital rights management restrictions from its song catalog and selling tracks online in MP3 format, according to a report published in The Wall Street Journal Friday.
The news comes on the heels of an open letter published by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in which he advocated abolishing DRM as the best way to encourage digital music sales and benefit consumers. Jobs said that DRM systems only create walls that prevent interoperability and licensing technology has proven unworkable due to concerns the copyright protection will be more easily broken.
Windows Live Mail Now 'Live Hotmail'
In an attempt to allay confusion over its new AJAX-enabled webmail system, Microsoft said Thursday that Windows Live Mail was being renamed to Windows Live Hotmail. The decision follows a recent switch to keep the classic Hotmail interface for existing users.
Microsoft says that during beta testing, which began last March, it learned that users were "extremely loyal to the Hotmail brand" and "a bit confused by name change." Therefore, it hopes the Windows Live Hotmail name will reiterate that the new service retains what users liked about the old system.
YouTube Creators Split $650 Million
The two co-founders behind YouTube received Google stock valued at about $650 million, according to a regulatory filing made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday, while Sequoia Capital, the VC firm that backed YouTube walked away with around $450 million based on Google's current share price.
Google for the first time detailed the $1.65 billion acquisition in the filing, saying YouTube CEO Chad Hurley received 694,087 shares of Google common stock, while co-founder Steve Chen received 625,366 shares and another 68,721 shares held in a trust.
Sun Preps ODF to MS Office Converter
Sun Microsystems announced Wednesday that it is preparing to release a plug-in for its StarOffice 8 productivity suite that will provide two-way conversion between the OpenDocument format and Microsoft Office 2003.
The idea of the plug-in is to enable organizations to transition to ODF while continuing to support Microsoft Office users. Although a number of governments including the state of Massachusetts have pushed for ODF adoption due to it being a completely open standard, there has been some resistance due to certain assistive devices being only supported by Office.
Google Opens Gmail Signups Further
After opening its formerly invitation-only Gmail webmail service to anyone with a mobile phone in August 2005, Google removed that requirement Wednesday. Now, anyone can signup for a Gmail account by creating a Google Account.
The mobile phone requirement was designed to prevent Gmail accounts from being created by robots and stop spammers from signing up multiple times. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Gmail signup URL still redirected users to the SMS-based method, but a
T-Mobile to Test Monitoring Software
T-Mobile is seeking beta testers in the San Diego, Calif. area to trial a new software application for their mobile phones that tracks user activity without the use of GPS. Applicants would need to reside in the 619, 760 or 858 area codes, and have more than one phone on their account.
Wireless carrier Sprint launched a child tracking service last April, which relies on GPS technology built into handsets. Parents would be able to see the location of their kids on a map using their computer or cell phone. The T-Mobile beta test begins later this month; interested individuals can apply via Centercode.
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