Voting Begins in MS PC Design Contest
Public's Choice voting has begun for Microsoft's next-generation PC design contest hosted on StartSomethingPC.com, with the winner being awarded $25,000. The idea was to move beyond the beige box and rethink how people are using their computers - while keeping Windows Vista in mind.
The PC designs fit into four segments: Entertainment, Productivity, Living/Lifestyle and Communication/Mobility. Submissions were accepted from professionals, amateur designers and even students from May 18 to October 3. Votes will be counted until December 16 and winners in three categories will be announced at CES 2006 in Las Vegas. A panel of judges and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will select the other two winners.
AntiSpyware Named 'Windows Defender'
Microsoft's Windows AntiSpyware application, which entered beta testing last January, has been given a new name: Windows Defender.
"The name, after long consideration by our product marketing and branding folks, is Windows Defender! What's really cool about this name is that it's more positive than Windows AntiSpyware," wrote Jason Garms, group program manager for Microsoft's anti-malware team. "Windows Defender is about what Windows will do for customers, defending them from spyware and other unwanted software."
Microsoft Front-Runner for AOL Buy?
The latest report on the AOL suitor saga comes from the New York Times, which said Monday that Microsoft is the leading candidate to partner up with the Internet portal. The Times cited two sources who claim that joint venture discussions between Microsoft and Time Warner began a few months ago.
Nonetheless, Yahoo, Google and News Corp. are apparently still in the running and any deal is at least weeks away. Although AOL is struggling to establish itself as a leading force on the open Web, Time Warner is worried about the risk of bringing a third party to the table. One main issue is how much control the partner would have over AOL's Web properties.
FreeBSD 6.0 Heads Out the Door
The FreeBSD Project on Friday heralded the 6.0 release of its venerable Unix based operating system. FreeBSD 6.0 brings to the table a number of improvements over version 5, including a multithreaded filesystem to speed up disk access, and expanded support for wireless networking and the WPA protocol.
"This release is the next step in delivering the high performance and enterprise features that have been under development in the FreeBSD 5.x series for that last several years," said developer Scott Long. FreeBSD 6.0 is available for a number of different platforms including Intel, AMD64 and, for the first time, Power PC.
EU to Decide Microsoft Appeal by April
European Union Court of First Instance President Bo Vesterdorf told reporters Friday that the court planned to decide Microsoft's antitrust case by early spring. Microsoft has appealed to the court hoping to overturn a 2004 ruling by the European Commission that found Microsoft engaged in anti-competitive behavior.
As a result of the 2004 decision, Microsoft was forced to create a special version of Windows XP without Windows Media Player and pay a 497 million euro fine. "Hopefully, we will have a ruling in early spring - hopefully before April," Vesterdorf said to reporters at a conference, but made no other comments.
E-mails Reveal FEMA Incompetence
While they may not leave behind a paper trail, e-mails and BlackBerry messages can be just as damaging, former FEMA director Brown learned this week. His electronic correspondence during the Hurricane Katrina crisis was released by a Louisiana congressman, and highlights a lack of leadership amidst an unfolding tragedy.
"Can I quit now? Can I go home?" Brown wrote in an e-mail to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning Hurricane Katrina hit. "If you look at my lovely FEMA attire you'll really vomit," he followed up. "I am a fashion god."
MPAA Offers Deal to Sued Grandfather
Potentially trying to avoid a PR disaster after suing a 67 year-old Wisconsin grandfather for $600,000 because his 12 year-old grandson downloaded four movies, the MPAA has offered Fred Lawrence a deal: pay $4,000 over 18 months to settle the case. But Lawrence says he doesn't have the money.
Lawrence was contacted earlier this year when the MPAA tracked an IP address downloading and sharing four movies on the P2P service iMesh to his home computer. He says the family actually owns three of the movies and his grandson had no intention of breaking, nor knowledge of copyright laws.
Microsoft to Fix Critical Windows Flaw
As part of it's monthly Patch Tuesday next week, Microsoft says it will fix a critical flaw affecting Windows, along with two non-security related updates on Windows Update and a third available through Microsoft Update. The company offered no other details on the upcoming patches.
Per usual, Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool will be updated with new definition files to detect the latest malware. In October, Microsoft releases nine security fixes after canceling the critical update it had scheduled for September. The Redmond company will be hosting a webcast on November 9 to discuss the updates.
Nokia Releases Safari Powered Browser
Nokia has completed a new Web browser for Series 60 based Symbian phones, which is built upon the WebCore and JavaScriptCore components of Apple's Safari browser. The result is the smallest open source rendering engine for smartphones that can access standard Web sites and those optimized for mobile devices.
In June, Nokia announced intentions to build its browser using the Safari Web Kit code base, which Apple has offered under an open source license. The technology was originally based on KHTML and KJS from KDE's "Konqueror" open source project. Nokia has promised to contribute its work back to the community.
Microsoft Acquires FolderShare for Windows Live
AudioGalaxy founder Michael Merhej is now a Microsoft Employee with grand plans. On Thursday, Microsoft announced it had acquired Merhej's new company, FolderShare, which provides software to remotely access and synchronize files. Microsoft will incorporate the technology into its Windows Live services.
With its launch in 1999, AudioGalaxy pioneered P2P technology and quickly became the number-one file sharing service online with over 80 million users. But after Napster came crumbling down in 2000, AudioGalaxy was a prime target for the RIAA and Merhej opted to close up shop rather than face the legal attack hounds.
Yahoo Maps Get Interactive with Flash
Yahoo has rolled out a new beta of its mapping and directions service, which follows the interactive approach taken by rivals Google and MSN with one major difference: Yahoo! Maps is built with Flash. Despite the change, Yahoo has made sure that printing and sharing maps online remains easy.
Local content takes center stage in the new approach. Information such as hotels, restaurants and events can be instantly layered atop the map, with a single click to bring up driving directions. Yahoo has also tapped its user-generated reviews and ratings to provide what it calls "the inside scoop" on local establishments.
Sony to Help Remove its DRM Rootkit
When Mark Russinovich was testing his company's security software last week, he came across a disturbing find: a Sony BMG CD he purchased from Amazon had secretly installed DRM software on his PC and used "rootkit" cloaking methods to hide it. With the story sweeping across the Net, Sony is attempting to clean up its mess.
DRM, or digital rights management, is nothing new to CDs. Record companies began employing software to prevent users from easily transferring tracks to a PC after the explosion of file sharing activity that followed Napster's debut in 1999. But for the most part, the DRM was quite rudimentary and only required the pressing of the "shift" key to bypass.
SGI Delisted From NY Stock Exchange
Silicon Graphics, the former king of 3D and advanced computing that was founded by Netscape backer Jim Clark, announced it will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange as of November 7. SGI stock has been trading at below $1.00, which is the minimum requirement for the NYSE.
"As previously reported, SGI received notice from the NYSE on May 9, 2005 that SGI's common stock had fallen below the NYSE's minimum share price standard," the company said in the announcement. SGI shares will now trade as a penny stock on the OTC Bulletin Board.
Netflix Settles Class Action Lawsuit
Netflix has settled class action lawsuit brought against the company last year for allegedly duping potential customers by advertising "unlimited" DVD rentals and "one day delivery." Current and former Netflix customers will receive a one-month perk, but the real winners of the settlement are the lawyers.
While not admitting any wrongdoing, Netflix will provide customers with a one-month service level upgrade free of charge. This means that Netflix users subscribed to the 3 DVDs at-a-time program will be upgraded to 4 DVDs at-a-time for one month. After the free month, customers must remember to downgrade their service manually or face higher fees.
Windows Live Safety Center Now Online
As one of the new Windows Live services, Microsoft has brought online a beta version of its "Safety Center" that does Web based scans of a PC. The Safety Center utilizes an Active X control to check for and removes viruses, clean up the "junk" on a hard disk, and even schedule a disk defragmentation if needed.
"Use the full service scan to check everything, or turn to the scanners and information in the service centers to meet your specific needs," Microsoft says. The company warns, however, that Windows Live Safety Center is still in beta, and has setup a Web log to obtain feedback from users.
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