Grokster Adds Threat to Closed P2P Site
Grokster, which shut down its Web site in November citing the inability to battle the record industry after a United States Supreme Court ruling said file sharing services can be held liable for actions of their users, has added an ominous warning to its shuttered site, ostensibly to scare P2P users.
"YOUR IP ADDRESS IS 1.1.1.1 AND HAS BEEN LOGGED," a message says, including the user's actual IP address. "Don't think you can't get caught. You are not anonymous." Grokster has reason to steer users away from illicit file swapping; the company is beta testing a legal paid download service that is part of its new parent company Mashboxx.
Microsoft to Issue WMF Security Patch
Microsoft announced early Tuesday that it had completed a patch for a widely publicized security vulnerability in Windows Media File (WMF) image processing that could lead to a full system compromise. But the fix won't be available until next week, the company said.
WMF, or Windows Metafile, is a vector based image format used by Microsoft's operating systems. SHIMGVW.DLL is loaded to render the images and contains a flaw that opens the door for a malformed WMF image to cause remote code execution and potentially allow for a full system compromise.
Year in Review: AOL Reinvents Itself
2005 was a critical year for America Online in which it attempted to shed its image as an un-hip ISP and re-brand itself as a leading Internet destination. The company also launched the first ever major overhaul to AIM and embraced blogs. But can AOL really bring back the cool?
January kicked off the first of many changes to AOL.com with a new search that combined its own editorial content and Google results. The new site set the stage for a complete company makeover that would take place throughout the year. Hints of an expansion to AOL Desktop Search also came to light as the year got underway.
AT&T to Kick Off Huge Marketing Blitz
In an attempt to reintroduce and breathe life back into the AT&T brand, the company will kick off a massive marketing campaign on News Year's Eve. SBC completed its acquisition of AT&T last month and adopted the name. The campaign is expected to cost up to $1 billion.
British rock band Oasis will provide a theme song for AT&T, and the company's logo will be plastered on billboards, airport signs and television commercials across the United States. In Times Square on New Year's Eve, AT&T will have ads covering the entire sides of buildings.
Preliminary Settlement Filed in Sony Suit
Lawyers in a class action lawsuit filed against Sony BMG, First 4 Internet and SunnComm last month have submitted a preliminary settlement, which calls for Sony to stop manufacturing CDs with XCP and MediaMax DRM, provide replacement discs, and make cash payments to affected customers.
Lawsuits were filed on November 14 in New York and other states by Girard Gibs and Kamber & Associates, and class action status was granted December 1. The cases claimed that Sony's digital rights management, which attempts to stop computer users from copying a CD's audio tracks to a hard drive, is invasive and damaging to computer systems.
Microsoft Update Service Pack Coming
Microsoft is preparing to beta test the first service pack for Microsoft Update, the Redmond company's new all-in-one Web site for downloading updates to many of its products, including Windows and Office. The beta program will begin early next year, but little is known about what changes SP1 will bring.
"To recap, the Microsoft Update (MU) Beta Program ended earlier this year and the MU and Windows Update v6 (WU) sites are operational. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you who participated. Your feedback on troubleshooting, site usability and general fit and finish (to name a few) helped to deliver WU/MU on time and at high quality," beta coordinator Eric Brodish wrote in an e-mail to testers.
'Really Bad' Exploit Threatens Windows
A new exploit has been discovered in the wild that affects fully patched Windows XP SP2 systems, according to reports by security firms F-Secure and Sunbelt. The malicious code takes advantage of a vulnerability in the WMF graphics rendering engine to automatically download and install malware.
WMF, or Windows Metafile, is a vector based image format used by Microsoft's operating systems. SHIMGVW.DLL is loaded to render the images and contains a flaw that opens the door for a malformed WMF image to cause remote code execution and potentially allow for a full system compromise.
Year in Review: Microsoft Takes Charge
If 2006 is to be the most important year of product launches for Microsoft, 2005 will be remembered as the year that Redmond took charge of its future and finally mapped out where it was headed after years of indecision.
2005 kicked off with a focus on security around the Microsoft campus. Rumors of a new suite of PC protection tools that eventually became known as Windows OneCare were followed by an inital beta release of Windows AntiSpyware, based on technology Microsoft acquired from Giant Software. A malware removal tool -- to be updated monthly -- was issued shortly thereafter.
Video Clips Replace Ads in Messenger
Microsoft has a new option for people tired of seeing the advertisement in their MSN Messenger window: watch video clips instead. With the introduction of Windows Live Messenger, the Redmond company is testing a feature it calls the Video Carousel that replaces the graphic ad with interactive video content from MSN.
Windows Live Messenger is the successor to MSN Messenger and entered beta testing earlier this month. The new client includes features such as offline messages and PC-to-phone calls. File transfers are beefed up through online drop boxes called "Sharing Folders" that actually store the data on a Microsoft server.
Happy Holidays 2005 from BetaNews
And so draws near a close to yet another year. As we say goodbye to 2005, we at BetaNews would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for all of the support we have received from our software authors, downloaders and devoted readers. This has been a momentous year for BetaNews, including the addition of new faces to the team, and it wouldn't have happened without you.
While the outside hasn't changed much, beneath the hood we've been making some big modifications to BetaNews and have much in store as the new year gets underway. We also plan to expand our staff in order to bring you even more news about the software and technology that interests you. In January we'll kick off our live coverage of CES 2006 in Las Vegas.
NSA Monitoring Net Communications
The National Security Agency has been spying on Internet and telephone communications in and out of the United States in an immense program implemented in cooperation with major telecommunications companies, the New York Times reported late Friday.
The news comes just a week after the Bush administration acknowledged the existence of a domestic spying program, while claiming the executive order was limited to those individuals with known terrorist ties. But the Times cites sources who say the surveillance was much broader than admitted.
Music Industry Investigated Over Pricing
The music industry has made no secret of its desire to raise prices of legal music downloads, but the record labels have instead raised the ire of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer has subpoenaed the four major music companies as part of an investigation into collusion on the pricing of digital music.
Although Spitzer's office has made no public comments on the specific nature of its investigation, Warner Music Group revealed it had received a subpoena in a SEC filing on Friday. Sony BMG and Universal Music Group have also confirmed receiving the subpoenas, and sources say EMI has as well.
Mamma.com Buys Copernic for $22M
Copernic, which makes the popular desktop search tool that is also utilized by AOL's Desktop Search product, has been acquired by metasearch engine Mamma.com in a cash and stock deal valued at just over $22 million. The two companies announced plans to join up last year, but the marriage was fraught with delays, including an investigation into Mamma's stock by the SEC.
Mamma will pay $15.9 million in cash and issue 2.38 million shares of its stock to Copernic. "With this acquisition, we are now at the forefront of the search and on-line marketing industry," Mamma CEO Guy Fauré said. "With the addition of Copernic's award winning desktop search (CDS) product, we now have a formidable portfolio to satisfy the growing need for integrated search of both web-based and desk-top based users."
Microsoft Not Acquiring Opera
Despite a recommendation by infamous tech pundit John C. Dvorak and rumors of a near-complete deal, Opera Software on Friday said it was not being acquired by Microsoft. Opera also says a rumor last week that Google was an interested suitor is just as false. But that hasn't stopped a barrage of opinions.
"This is a good move for the folks at Opera. For Microsoft, it's a very good move," said Jupiter Research vice president Michael Gartenberg before the clarification from Opera. "It gives them some excellent technologies they can incorporate into IE and that can help serve them well in their battles with Firefox."
Google, Microsoft Settle Legal Battle
Ending a five month drama that seemed more a soap opera than legal battle, Microsoft and Google late Thursday announced they had reached a settlement regarding Kai-Fu Lee, the famed engineer who left Microsoft to head Google's Chinese research and development center.
The legal wrangling between the rivals began on July 18 when Microsoft announced that it would pursue legal action against Google. The Redmond company argued that Lee was breaking confidentiality and non-competition agreements he signed before working for Microsoft.
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