CBS to Sell News Clips via the Web
CBS News has partnered with Amazon.com and CustomFlix to sell full-length reports and segments from "CBS Evening News," "60 Minutes" and documentaries that have aired since 2000. Customers will be able to create a custom DVD of clips they choose totaling up to 90 minutes.
Sometime down the road, CBS News expects to extend the footage it offers back to 1950, with news reports from Douglas Edwards and Walter Cronkite. CBS' vast archive of news footage has never before been shown to the public, and available clips could eventually include coverage of historic events, the network said. Outtakes, however, will not be available for purchase through the program.
Microsoft Seeks to Stop Search Spam
Microsoft Research has embarked on a new project to automatically seek out search engine spam before it can be used to defraud advertisers on MSN, Yahoo and Google. Called Strider Search Defender, the tool combines two other projects from MSR: Strider Honey Monkey and URL Tracer.
The effort is being headed up by researcher Yi-Min Wang and focuses on a major problem now plaguing the Web: blog spam. The basic premise of Strider Search Defender is that spammers utilize what Yi-Min calls "doorway pages" -- sites at reputable hosts and blog services. The doorway pages pull ads from a "target page" operated by the spammer.
Zero-Day PowerPoint Exploit Surfaces
Symantec on Wednesday issued an advisory about a new trojan that takes advantage of an undocumented vulnerability in PowerPoint to infect a victim's computer with a backdoor. The malware, dubbed Trojan.PPDropper.B, uses a malformed string to execute code and modify EXPLORER.EXE.
While Symantec only gives PPDropper.B a risk level of "Very Low," Sunbelt Software CEO Alex Eckelberry notes that the attack looks more intended for corporate espionage than causing widespread damage. The trojan is currently being spread via e-mail, with a subject containing Chinese characters.
European Union Could Split Sony BMG
A day after announcing it was fining Microsoft 280.5 million euros for not complying with an antitrust ruling, the European Commission on Thursday said it planned to reevaluate the merger between Sony Music and BMG, and could end up splitting up the music company.
The decision surrounds a finding that the 2004 merger would not harm customers. Independent record label Impala filed a challenge stating European antitrust regulators made false assumptions that promotional discounts would inhibit the creation of a monopoly.
Apple Drops Case Against Bloggers
Apple Computer has decided not to continue its case against two Web sites after being on the losing end of a California appeals court decision in May. Apple had sought to obtain information on the source of a leak regarding a FireWire-based interface for GarageBand code-named "Asteroid."
The May ruling overturned a previous verdict that would have put online writers at a serious disadvantage to their mainstream media counterparts. California Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg said in March 2005 that journalist protections not apply to the sites, as trade secrets were revealed in violation of state law.
Windows Live Desktop Apps Renamed
In order to lessen some confusion surrounding its Windows Live Web services and desktop applications, Microsoft has opted to rename two of its products. The Windows Live Search application, formerly known as OneView, will now be called Windows Live Search Center. A beta release is coming soon.
Search Center uses the Windows Desktop Search engine and integrates with Office 2007 to provide live previews of documents. Windows Live Mail Desktop, meanwhile, will take on a similar name: Windows Live Mail Center. The ad-supported desktop client will eventually replace Outlook Express -- now dubbed Windows Mail -- and links up with Microsoft's webmail services along with standard POP and IMAP accounts.
Microsoft, Yahoo Bridge IM Networks
Microsoft and Yahoo have followed through on a promise made nine months ago to enable interoperability between the companies' instant messaging networks. Beginning late Wednesday, customers will be able to beta test the functionality by registering their accounts.
The effort, announced in October, was expected to be complete last quarter, but Microsoft developers said they had to try a number of different technical methods to make it work. The Redmond company still considers the interoperability to be in beta, and adjustments will be made before the feature is available to all users.
CA Seeks Testers for New Security Suite
CA is seeking beta testers for Internet Security Suite 2007, its all-in-one application for protecting against viruses, phishing attacks, spyware, spam and other Web borne threats. The software bundles together CA's other products, including eTrust Personal Firewall and the popular PestPatrol program.
Individuals can join the Internet Security Suite 2007 beta test by completing a brief application. Windows 9x, Me, 2000 and Windows XP are required for testing, along with Outlook or Outlook Express for CA Anti-Spam. More information is available on CA's Web site.
VMware Releases Free Server Software
VMware on Wednesday released the final version of its VMware Server virtualization product, the successor to GSX Server. Just like the beta release that debuted in February, VMware is making the software available free of charge, much like Microsoft has done with Virtual Server 2005 R2.
The company hopes that by giving away its entry-level product, it will drive users to upgrade to its for-pay ESX Server, as well as position the company as the leader in virtualization technology. While VMware Server will require a "host" operating system in order to use its features, ESX requires no host.
Microsoft Makes Virtual PC Freeware
Microsoft has released an update to Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1, and is now making the virtualization software available free of charge to all users. The company also promised to freely release Virtual PC 2007 next year, bringing support for Windows Vista.
Virtual PC enables users to run multiple operating systems on a single computer by creating "virtual machines." The move to freeware ups the ante with rival virtualization companies such as VMware and new market entrant Parallels. Microsoft previously released Virtual Server 2005 R2 as a free download. Virtual PC 2004 SP1 weighs in at just over 18MB and is available for download from FileForum.
Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Released
The Mozilla Corporation launched the first official beta of Firefox 2.0 early Wednesday, signaling that its major upgrade to the popular alternative browser is inching ever closer to release. New features in Firefox 2.0 include enhancements in security, tabbed browsing, performance, and extensions.
Code-named Bon Echo, Firefox 2.0 includes a built-in spell checking and an anti-phishing feature, much like Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7. JavaScript 1.7 and improved subscribing of RSS feeds are also among the new features. Firefox has been making major gains against Microsoft's browser dominance, passing 15 percent market share in the United States. Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 is available for download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
Dell Launches Blog, Gets Criticized
Dell this week took the wraps off its official company Web log, called "one2one." The site is intended to give a personal face to the world's largest computer maker, and address issues that are of concern for Dell's customers. But some bloggers are already voicing complaints.
Pundit Steve Rubel said "the Dell blog reads like a corporate brochure," and attacked the company for not engaging in "genuine conversation" with the community. Dell digital media manager Lionel Menchaca responded to the criticism, saying the computer maker will keep working to get it right. "We’re excited to be here, and we welcome your ideas," he said.
Tiscali Rejects Record Industry Request
Internet service provider Tiscali on Tuesday rejected a request by the British record industry to hand over information on 17 subscribers accused of illicit file sharing. Tiscali refuted the British Phonographic Industry's claims that IP addresses were solid proof.
In announcing its efforts on Monday to solicit assistance from ISPs, the BPI called the move a significant development in its fight against piracy. It hoped that dealing with Internet providers would enable the group to speed the pace of filing suits against pirates.
Gates: 20 Percent Chance of Vista Delay
Speaking at a forum in South Africa regarding a plan for Microsoft to make major technology investments in the country, Bill Gates said there was an "80 percent chance" Windows Vista would by ready for its planned January launch. He also had no qualms about delaying the OS further if necessary.
During his presentation in Cape Town, Gates explained that Microsoft was spending between $8 billion and $9 billion to build both Windows Vista and Office 2007, both of which are slated to debut early next year. More than 1,000 partners will spend 20 times that amount building products for Vista, he added.
More Information Leaks About GDrive
Eager Google watchers, always seeking to uncover the latest project coming from the search giant, have found additional evidence regarding the much-rumored GDrive under a service code-named Platypus. GDrive is expected to be an Internet hard drive of sorts for users.
The information was found on a page seemingly accidentally uploaded and since removed from Google's Writely service. "If you lose your computer, grab a new one and reinstall Platypus. Your files will be on your new machine in minutes," the page -- with a title of "Platypus (Gdrive)" -- reads.
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