Sony Battery Recall Cost: $250 Million
Sony issued a statement late Thursday providing some more details about the battery recall affecting 5.9 million laptops shipped by both Dell and Apple. The company also said it is fully supporting the effort, which will cost sony between $171 million and $250 million. Sony does not anticipate any further recalls from other computer makers.
"The recall arises because, on rare occasions, microscopic metal particles in the recalled battery cells may come into contact with other parts of the battery cell, leading to a short circuit within the cell. Typically, a battery pack will simply power off when a cell short circuit occurs. However, under certain rare conditions, an internal short circuit may lead to cell overheating and potentially flames," Sony explained. The company says it has added new safeguards in the manufacturing process to eliminate this problem in the future.
Microsoft Updates Flawed IE6 Patch
It turns out Microsoft's indefinite postponement of security bulletin MS06-042 only lasted a day. The Redmond company on Thursday released an updated version of the patch that corrects a security vulnerability in IE 6.0 SP1.
The original patch contained a deployment issue, and was later discovered to include another security vulnerability. Microsoft says it ran into a problem with its fix planned for Tuesday on Windows 2000, where IE6 SP1 is primarily used. The delay was unfortunate, said MSRC's Mike Reavey, but necessary. "We are now urging IE 6.0 SP1 customers to go ahead and deploy this revised update as soon as possible."
No HD DVD or Blu-ray in 32-bit Vista
Microsoft disclosed at TechEd 2006 in Sydney Thursday that 32-bit versions of Windows Vista would never support high-definition protected content, including HD DVD and Blu-ray movies. The new formats will require 64-bit systems running the x64 edition of Vista.
The news, first reported by Australian tech publication APC Magazine, may come as a surprise to many Windows users looking to take advantage of the high-definition support with their current hardware. For example, Intel's Core Solo and Core Duo chips -- included in many laptops -- are not 64-bit compatible.
Apple Recalls 1.8 Million Batteries
Following in the footsteps of Dell, which recalled 4.1 million batteries earlier this month, Apple has announced its own recall of 1.8 million batteries made by Sony. The company says the batteries could overheat in "rare circumstances."
The Sony batteries have been the subject of increased scrutiny after media reports caught footage of at least two laptops catching fire due to the batteries overheating. The most notable of these was a laptop in Japan that exploded on video during a conference, prompting the company to launch an investigation into the matter.
Centercode Seeks EVDO Phone Testers
Beta testing firm Centercode is preparing to test a new handheld wireless device that combines a phone with broadband-like speeds and rich media capabilities. The company is specifically seeking testers in Venezuela and Mexico.
Applicants must work as a professional and be technically savvy. Selected testers will be able to access access e-mail, the Web and even corporate networks on one of the fastest CDMA networks. Users must have a POP e-mail account, or use an Exchange Server. More information and instructions on applying to the beta program can be found on the Centercode Callout.
TiVo Says Series 3 DVR 'Coming Soon'
Although it wasn't exactly a secret that TiVo was preparing a high-definition digital video recorder for launch this fall, the company has made the first official announcement regarding its Series 3 device, saying it's "coming soon." The news comes as a relief for those currently stuck with buggy HD DVRs from Motorola.
The Series 3 DVR will feature two CableCARD slots for accessing HD programming over cable, and both component and HDMI outputs. TiVo has long been working on a high-definition capable device, but has held off until the technology was entrenched. Pricing for the unit has not been announced.
MS: PowerPoint Flaw Already Fixed
Microsoft is publicly downplaying the risk of an alleged zero-day exploit announced earlier this week for PowerPoint. Security officials from the Redmond company say the vulnerability the exploit affects was already patched.
"Our investigation has proven thus far that customers who are up to date with Office security updates are NOT affected. Meaning this is NOT a zero day. Malware in the malicious .ppt leverages a previously fixed vulnerability in Microsoft Office to drop the payload," said Scott from Microsoft's Security Response Center. "To be attacked and become infected requires a user to open the malicious .ppt file on a system that doesn’t have the latest Office security updates."
Apple to Pay Creative $100 Million
Apple has agreed to pay Creative Technology $100 million to resolve all legal disputes between the two companies regarding patent infringement, and in a stunning reversal, Creative has announced it will join Apple's "Made for iPod" program.
Creative first sued Apple on May 15, accusing the company of infringement of the so-called Zen Patent. That patent involves the method for selecting at least one track on a portable player as a user sequentially browses through a hierarchy of three or more screens on the display.
Microsoft Bolsters Xbox for PS3 Arrival
With the holiday season quickly approaching, Microsoft is preparing a handful of new games and accessories for the Xbox 360, hoping to stave off impending competition from Sony's PlayStation 3.
At the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig Wednesday, Microsoft announced that it had won exclusive rights to the next-generation soccer games "FIFA 07" from EA and "Pro Evolution Soccer 6" from Konami. The company says the Xbox 360 will be the only console to offer the latest soccer titles.
Yahoo Adds Login Phishing Protection
In an effort to curb the influx of phishing scams that attempt to fool users into logging onto a illegitimate Web site, Yahoo is now enabling its users to customize their sign in box with a personal seal. The idea is that users would spot the graphic and know they are truly on Yahoo and not some malicious site.
A number of banks including Bank of America have taken a similar approach with their authentication methods. Yahoo users can either upload an image or select a line of text that would appear only to them. However, because the feature utilizes cookies, it does not work on public computers and deleting the cookie would reset the login box to normal.
Microsoft Mouse is 'Not for Noobs'
Microsoft's notfornoobs.com teaser site has turned out as expected, promoting a new gaming hardware partnership between the Redmond company and Razer. The first joint product to hit the market will be the Habu mouse, designed for serious gamers.
The mouse features a 2,000 DPI laser engine, on-the-fly DPI adjustment for changing sensitivity, motion detection for acceleration, seven programmable buttons, as well as on-board memory for storing up to five different profiles.
Facebook Selects Microsoft to Run Ads
Social networking service Facebook, largely aimed at students in the United States, has inked a deal with Microsoft to turn over control of the site's advertising exclusively to the Redmond company. The news is the first major deal for Microsoft's new adCenter platform.
adCenter works much like Google's AdWords program: advertisers bid on keywords, and the service targets ads to related pages. Unlike with traditional graphical banners, advertisers only pay when they receive a click, although Google is now serving some impression-based ad campaigns in addition to text links.
Microsoft: Lots of CSS Work Still to Do
Internet Explorer program manager Markus Mielke acknowledged that Microsoft has a long road ahead in efforts to achieve CSS standards compliance, saying IE7 was only a "stepping stone." The company has made over 200 "behavior changes" for CSS 2.1, which it outlined Tuesday.
IE7 is currently being locked down and is expected to be completed later this year. The new browser has largely been layout-complete since March, with minor tweaks and interface improvements coming in Beta 2 and Beta 3 this summer.
Microsoft Spoofs Office Training Video
Microsoft UK may have a viral hit on its hands after filming a spoof training video about Office with comedian Ricky Gervais. Gervais is most known for his role as David Brent in the British version of "The Office," and discusses the values at Microsoft -- sort of.
The video is split into two segments totally 37 minutes, about the length of a television episode. Interviewing Gervais is fellow "The Office" cohort Stephen Merchant, discussing issues of integrity and completing challenges. Google Video is hosting the videos, which can be found here.
Verizon Imposes New Fees on DSL
Just as DSL customers were set to see their monthly bills drop due to the technology being excluded from the Universal Service Fund, Verizon has announced it will impose new fees on its subscribers that largely negate any savings.
The USF requires telecommunications companies, including VoIP and cell phone providers, to contribute a portion of monthly subscription fees to the U.S. government. The fund helps subsidize telecommunications services in high-cost regions of the country, and in schools and libraries.
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