ISP Hands Over File Swapper's Name
Dutch Internet service provider UPC has decided not to appeal a summary judgement by Amsterdam's District Court, and will hand over the name and address of an individual accused of illegally sharing copyrighted material using his broadband connection.
The case was initiated by the Brain Institute, a group backed by the MPAA and RIAA, as well as their counterparts in the Netherlands. The organization says it will contact the customer and attempt to work out a settlement before filing a lawsuit.
Microsoft Adds AMD to Virtual Server
Microsoft's Virtual Server product is getting support for AMD's virtualization technology with an upcoming service pack, the company announced Thursday. Beta 2 of Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 introduces the feature, which means improved performance for virtual machines running on AMD systems.
"Virtualization is a major global trend that enables businesses to be more agile. AMD and Microsoft are collaborating to make virtualization a strong part of the computing fabric," said AMD vice president Terri Hall. Microsoft previously only supported Intel-specific virtualization technology. Other new features in Beta 2 include a Volume Shadow Service for making backups and the ability to edit files in a virtual hard disk without starting the virtual machine.
New AOL Software Dubbed 'OpenRide'
AOL on Wednesday made available the third beta release of its new software, which is now open to the general public. Formerly known by the code-name "Streamliner," the application has been officially dubbed: AOL OpenRide.
As previously reported by BetaNews, OpenRide will serve as key component in AOL's transition from ISP to Web services provider that subsists primarily on advertising. The software was designed with broadband users in mind and builds on previous initiatives to replace the company's aging AOL 9.0 client, recently chided as malware.
DirecTV Testing VoIP Phone Service
In response to growing competition from cable and phone providers offering all-in-one service to consumers bundling television, Internet and voice calling, DirecTV is testing out a pilot voice over IP program. The initiative will fall under the DirecPath brand, a joint venture formed in May with Hicks Holdings.
The company has partnered with Vistula Communications Services for the pilot, and plans to test out a number of other VoIP offerings as well. The test is expected to run for six months, at which point service will be offered to a large portion of DirectPath customers, DirecTV said. The company says the service will be targeted at multiple dwelling units and gated community owners rather than individual houses.
Verizon Drops New DSL Fee
Bowing to pressure from both the Federal Communications Commission and irate customers, Verizon says it has decided not to impose a new fee on DSL subscribers that would have negated any savings from DSL being exempted from the Universal Service Fund.
Verizon previously began notifying DSL customers earlier this month that it was adding a surcharge for those who did not also subscribe to phone service. Priced at $1.20 to $2.70, Verizon claimed the fee was intended to help the company recoup costs associated with developing a standalone DSL offering.
Google Now Offering Book Downloads
Google on Wednesday began offering full downloads of out-of-copyright books in PDF format, enabling users to read at their own pace or use an ebook device. Currently being offered are a handful of classics and obscure titles in the public domain.
Google Book Search is a project by the search engine to digitize as many books as possible, making it possible to search for specific references instantly. The company has partnered with the University of California, Harvard, the University of Michigan, Oxford, and the New York Public Library.
Amazon Begins Selling Windows Vista
Online retailer Amazon.com has begun to accept pre-orders for Windows Vista, which it says "will be released on January 30, 2007." The company is charging $399 USD for the Ultimate Edition of Vista, $239 USD for Home Premium and $199 USD for Home Basic. Vista Business is priced at $299 USD.
While Amazon frequently lists products before they become available and shipping dates are often an estimate, the pricing usually does not change. Microsoft also appears to be planning a new "Additional License" pack to go along with Vista, which includes just a Product Key and enables customers to use Vista on a second computer. On Amazon, however, pricing for the license pack is only $10 to $20 less than the full retail Vista packages.
AOL Revamps Online Music Store
AOL on Tuesday is expected to unveil a revamped version of its Web based music store, in addition to expanding the service's catalog with new audio tracks and thousands of music videos. AOL Music Now features both individual downloads at 99-cents per song and a monthly all-you-can-download subscription offering of $9.95 USD.
Along with video downloads, which are priced at $1.99 USD like on Apple's iTunes, AOL is adding community features to AOL Music Now. Users will be able to write reviews and share music profiles with others. The service will also create a personalized daily playlist for customers. 200 AOL radio stations and XM Satellite Radio channels are additionally being added Tuesday.
Microsoft Offers Pre-RC1 Vista Beta
Despite initially saying it wouldn't be made public, Microsoft late Monday released Windows Vista Build 5536 for download by those who had signed up for the Beta 2 Customer Preview Program. The catch: only 100,000 visitors will be able to download before the links are deactivated.
5536 is a pre-RC1 build, which was released last week and received rave reviews from even Vista's harshest critics. The decision to offer public downloads was seemingly made in order to test the infrastructure before RC1 makes its official public debut. After being unable to handle the demand for Vista Beta 2, Microsoft has tapped Akamai to host the first release candidate.
EchoStar Settles with Network Affiliates
In response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision to reject an emergency stay of an injunction that would prevent it from rebroadcasting local TV channels to rural areas, EchoStar has agreed to pay $100 million to a group of network affiliates. Fox, however, has refused to accept the deal.
Both DISH Network, which is owned by EchoStar, and DirecTV offer the major networks from large market stations to subscribers who cannot receive them over-the-air. But networks said that both companies are providing the service to those who can receive the channels via broadcast, which is a violation of copyright.
Google, eBay Forge Click-to-Call Deal
eBay and Google have teamed up to offer "click-to-call" functionality into auction listings and ads, enabling consumers to initiate a voice call directly to a merchant or advertiser through Skype or Google Talk. The feature will enter testing early next year, the companies said.
In addition, Google will become the exclusive provider of text-based advertising in search results on eBay sites outside the United States. Although the two Internet giants are becoming closer to competitors with the launch of Google Talk and PayPal rival Google Checkout, eBay and Google have long been partners in the advertising space. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Corel Acquires InterVideo for $196M
Corel on Monday announced an agreement to acquire multimedia software publisher InterVideo, most known for its WinDVD lineup, in an all-cash deal valued at $196 million. The move expands Corel's portfolio into video editing and DVD creation.
With its office products largely reaching their peak amid increasing competition from OpenOffice.org, Corel has endeavored to shift its software business into multimedia. The company acquired JASC Software and its popular Paint Shop Pro offering in 2004 and is readying a new imaging platform code-named "Alta."
FCC 'Very Upset' at New Verizon Fee
UPDATE: BellSouth now says it will drop the fee from customers' bills. The removal of the $2.97 surcharge should show up within a week, but it could take up to six weeks, the company said. Customers charged the fee since August 16 will receive a credit.
The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to launch a formal inquiry into a decision by Verizon and BellSouth to continue charging DSL customers for a Universal Service Fund fee the U.S. government is no longer requiring.
Microsoft Releases Pre-RC1 Vista Beta
Microsoft on Friday announced a new beta build of Windows Vista, which serves as an interim update while the company finalizes Release Candidate 1. Build 5536 is available to technical beta testers and MSDN subscribers, and includes a number of quality improvements.
"This interim build is not widely distributed (you'll have to wait for RC1) but does serve to underscore the progress the Dev and Test teams have made since Beta 2, while also confirming that we're still on track for the release of RC1 in the near future," wrote Microsoft product manager Nick White on the Vista Team Blog.
Microsoft Clarifies Vista HD Movie Stance
Microsoft is endeavoring to put out fires caused by what it says was a misstatement by a senior program manager who claimed 32-bit versions of Windows Vista would not support high-definition protected content, including HD DVD and Blu-ray. Nothing has changed, the company says.
At a session during TechEd 2006 in Sydney Thursday, Microsoft's Steve Riley asserted that because 32-bit versions of Windows must support unsigned drivers being loaded into the kernel, the company could not ensure that HD movies would be copy protected. In turn, only x64 versions of Vista would support commercial movies, he said.
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