Two major high-def streaming providers become partners
While Blu-ray and HD DVD have missed their window of opportunity for resolving the high-def format dilemma, CES 2008 could see two of the biggest names in the high-def streaming field demonstrating a realistic, connected alternative.
The alternative vehicle for high definition movies on home consoles -- if there is ever to be one -- is the streaming, on-demand, programmable network. Today that vehicle could be a big step closer to reality, and just in time for next week's CES, with an agreement between two services to forge one service: CinemaNow's streaming movie download service will soon feature Macrovision's platform technology.
CES Trend #8: Cheaper flash memory leads to new CE possibilities
Our countdown to next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas continues now with how impossibly cheap flash memory, coupled with lesser than expected demand for it, could lead to newer classes of flash-based devices.
The dream of embedded device designers and consumer device manufacturers is to be able to embed new, higher levels of functionality into more everyday items. Still on the drawing boards of futurist designers are the wallet or purse that can report itself stolen, the doorknob that remembers what time it was last opened, the authentication device capable of passing or failing employees' smart cards in low- or no-power situations, and the credit card that helps its bearer make his payment on time.
Microsoft's failed case against Google + DoubleClick revealed
A set of policy position documents reportedly authored by Microsoft made the case that Google could use DoubleClick's advertising network to peer into competitors' traffic -- a position the FTC apparently rejected last week.
Last week, The New York Times blogger Louise Story released copies of a series of documents reportedly shared between Microsoft and US Federal Trade Commission members prior to their decision on the Google + DoubleClick merger. The documents reveal that Microsoft was willing to characterize its own competitive position in the Internet advertising market, both before and after a merger took place, as tenuous and perhaps even unsustainable, in order to distinguish itself against what it described to be a larger, perhaps predatory, competitor.
Google Toolbar back in court after partial remand
While it looked like Google could walk away from a potentially damaging infringement case against its browser-based Toolbar, a district court judge found the reasoning behind a full Google victory may have been flawed.
On the day after Christmas, a Wisconsin appeals court judge ruled that a portion of a patent infringement decision in favor of defendant Google may be in error. At issue is an interpretation of how the underlying database technology should work when an add-in application enables extra hyperlinks in a Web page other than those already hard-coded into the page.
Vonage and AT&T settled one suit early last month
The two parties in one of the most recent patent lawsuits concerning Vonage's VoIP technology waited almost two months to tell the public they had actually settled their dispute just days after it was filed.
Last November 7, just over three weeks after AT&T jumped on the patent suit bandwagon, filing a claim against voice-over-IP provider Vonage, the two companies settled AT&T's claim for an undisclosed amount. The admission of that settlement came just before Christmas, when fewer folks would have been paying attention.
Unusually apathetic response from Google to 'sharing' complaints
An experiment started two weeks ago by Google to leverage its Talk application as a way of sharing news feeds from Google Reader, has been met with some derision. What may be more surprising, though, is the company's response.
On the surface, it might seem pretty straightforward: If you've opted to share portions of your Google Reader feeds list with selected friends, then friends on your Google Talk and Gmail chat will be able to receive what you're sharing. That was the intention of the company's introduction on December 14 of an interoperability feature that links shared friends on one Google application to shared friends on another.
Microsoft makes good on EU protocol delivery promise
It's the start of a new era for the company that once argued that giving away the keys to its protocols would somehow reveal the secret of Windows itself: Microsoft has made its first obligatory agreement with a key open source provider.
Complying with its European Union obligations to make Windows interoperability information completely available to companies and organizations that it might otherwise consider to be competitors, Microsoft yesterday executed an historically important agreement with Samba, a major provider of open source interop tools for network administrators.
Patch to a patch of a Microsoft patch needs patching
In the latest incident of a now-chronic problem that has been bugging Microsoft all year, a recent security patch now causes IE6 to crash in Windows XP...again.
In a classic Tim Conway comedy sketch, he plays a corpse being prepared for a funeral by mortician Harvey Korman. But one limb of Conway's body simply insists on sticking up in the air, and whenever Korman finally retracts it, another one pops up elsewhere.
Latest Firefox beta passes Acid2 test, IE8 claims to pass also
After a screenshot on MSDN appeared to show an IE8 beta passing an accepted Web standards test, some came to the only conclusion they could: that the test had to be broken.
A test created by the Web Standards Project advocacy group for visually gauging the compliance of Web browsers with published standards, appears to have been passed by a beta of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, according to a recent post on the IE developer team's blog. And a test this morning by BetaNews of Mozilla's Firefox 3.0 Beta 2 for Windows Vista, released on Wednesday, clearly shows it passes as well.
FTC clears Google + DoubleClick, says privacy isn't a big problem
Perhaps this morning's FTC blessing of Google's intended merger with DoubleClick was no surprise, but a read of the final decision reveals an astonishing reason: The Commission claims it wouldn't really have the authority to stop it.
By a 4-1 vote, the US Federal Trade Commission voted this morning to approve the pending merger between contextual ad giant Google and display ad giant DoubleClick, lifting one of the major roadblocks to the deal finally taking place.
Congress to debate lifting broadcast radio's royalty exemption
Since the dawn of the musical era in radio, broadcasters have been free from paying royalties to musical performers. Radio was once the bands' ticket to the big leagues. That may change if two congressmen have their way.
In a hearing last July, Rep. Howard Berman (D - Calif.) made it extremely clear that he believed the fact that terrestrial broadcast radio doesn't compensate performers for the songs they play, and never have, is a clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of a multitude of performers who may literally lie destitute in nursing homes today.
Mozilla releases Firefox 3.0 Beta 2, new features premiere
The next version of the world's most popular alternative Web browser is taking shape, with a more stable Beta 2 released yesterday. Added to the feature set are some new conveniences you may wonder how you managed to do without.
Until recently, test versions for the next edition of Firefox -- codenamed "Gran Paradiso" -- have been interesting but not altogether stable, which isn't surprising for builds that were clearly labeled "alpha." But yesterday, Mozilla sprung the trap on the Beta 2 release of Firefox 3.0, and early on, BetaNews noticed the improvements the organization had long been promising now appear to be working more solidly.
Microsoft co-founder on 700 MHz bidders list, Verizon Wireless not
We won't know exactly what bidders plan to spend for a lucrative chunk of spectrum upon which to build new wireless services, but we do know who the bidders are. And at least for now, there are a few surprises.
Thus far, the preliminary list of bidders in the US Federal Communications Commission's 700 MHz auction is a veritable cavalcade of small telecom companies, plus small and large companies alike looking to become telecom companies. Google Airwaves, Inc. is the least surprising, and perhaps most spotlighted member of the group thus far.
Toshiba joins IBM's 32 nm pact, but may not bring Cell along
Already a partner with IBM and Sony in the development and production of the Cell BE processor that powers the PS3, Toshiba this morning stated it's joining IBM and its partners on HK+MG. But IBM says this is a different track.
Last week, IBM unveiled an expanded industry alliance that includes CPU manufacturer AMD, Chartered, Freescale, Infineon, Samsung, and new partner STMicroelectronics. Their objective is to pool their resources to make 32 nm CMOS chip production viable, using the high-k-plus-metal-gate technology that IBM raced against arch-rival to discover.
Leader of Sprint spinoff returns to fill its CEO vacancy
The head of a lucrative local phone venture conceived with Sprint's blessing, who once topped the ranks of AT&T, is returning to the fold to lead Sprint out of the roughest patch in its short history.
Dan Hesse, the former CEO of the original AT&T Wireless division, and who later helped Sprint to form a local phone operator that would be spun off to compete against it, has been tapped to return as Sprint Nextel's next CEO, replacing Gary Forsee.
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