Microsoft to Increase XP Starter Edition Saturation
At Microsoft's financial analyst meeting the company announced its intention of broadening the Windows XP Starter Edition program to quell the rising tide of software piracy and abate the rising popularity of open source alternatives. Windows XP Starter Edition is a stripped down, no-thrills distribution of the operating system that was originally available exclusively in Thailand and Malaysia through social welfare programs.
Real Instigates iPod War
Just months after RealNetworks approached Apple with open arms to coordinate their online music strategies only to be spurned; RealNetworks shocked the world of digital music by introducing its new "Harmony" technology. Harmony translates between competing DRM standards and supports over 70 music players – including the iPod. In the aftermath of Harmony's launch, the souring relationship between RealNetworks and Apple can be described as anything but harmonious.
As evidenced by a statement released by Apple this Thursday and the ensuing war of words, things have gone from bad to worse. In the company's official response to Harmony, an Apple spokesperson stated, "We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod, and we are investigating the implications of their actions under the DMCA and other laws."
US Navy Drafts IBM for Supercomputing Needs
The US Navy is welcoming IBM onboard at the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) Major Shared Resource Center (MSRC). Big Blue will deploy its ultra-scale high performance computing (HPC) systems to produce what will be the fastest supercomputer in the US military arsenal: nearly tripling the computing power at the Center. Upon completion the systems will be used to support DoD research and development, enhance global scale modeling and Navy simulations.
The DoD's new systems will place competitively on the TOP500 list of the fastest supercomputing clusters in the world. The most intensive system will operate at a peak speed of 20 trillion mathematical operations per second. According to IBM the typical operational availability of the systems is expected to be over 99%.
Microsoft Plugs IE Hole
Microsoft is expected to release an out of cycle patch to bring to an end to the vulnerability that led to the Download.Ject attacks in June. The attack, called Download.Ject, exploits known flaws in Internet Information Services (IIS) and Internet Explorer whereby users become silently infected with arbitrary code embedded in Web pages. Once installed, the code uploads malware and begins to log keystrokes to obtain personal information such as passwords.
Netscape Confirms 7.2 Release Date
According to a notice posted on the Netscape Store, version 7.2 of the famed browser will be made available August 3, and distributed as either a free download or low–cost CD. Netscape 7.2 is based on the Mozilla Foundation's Mozilla 1.7 milestone.
Apple Extends iTunes to Wireless
First came the iPod Mini; now comes iTunes mini. Apple is partnering with Motorola -- the world's number two phone maker -- to install a slimmed down version of the iTunes software on select wireless phones. iTunes equipped models will begin shipping in the first half of 2005.
The announcement came on the eve of Motorola's annual analyst meeting as Motorola Chief Executive Edward Zander held up an iPod and Motorola cell phone and quipped, "It would be great if we could just figure out a way to bring these two devices together." Apple CEO Steve Jobs appeared on the screen behind Zander moments later.
Comcast Revs Up High Speed Internet
From its headquarters in Philadelphia, Comcast has indicated that it will offer its High-Speed Internet customers a 4 Mbps speed tier as a new service option directed towards homes with multiple PCs and power users. Comcast is also increasing e-mail storage to 1.7 GB, nearly doubling the space offered by Google's free Gmail service. Earlier this year, Comcast upgraded all of its customer accounts with a 3 Mbps download stream at no additional cost.
Musicmatch Launches Jukebox 9.0
Musicmatch has put the finishing touches on Musicmatch Jukebox 9.0 and launched what it lauds as the world's first "on-demand" all-in-one jukebox. The software delivers on-demand access to subscribers with a library of 650,000 songs.
Added features permit users to share tracks and playlists with friends, discover new artists, access their On-Demand library remotely from any PC, and offer the gift of music to friends and loved ones.
MSN Debuts Newsbot Test
The Internet may have forever changed how the world gets its morning news, but MSNBC and Microsoft's MSN business unit are determined to resurrect the newsstand. Starting today, customers can sign up for a beta of the MSNBC Newsbot – an expansive online news service powered by MSN search technology.
The MSNBC Newsbot allows customers to sift through more than 4,800 worldwide news sources; although, not without a personal touch. In order to suit individual tastes, the Newsbot uses cookies to suggest news stories that a user may be interested in viewing based upon their reading habits.
Trend Micro Tests Smartphone Antivirus
Last month, in a proof of concept, the first smartphone worm wiggled its way onto phones running the Symbian operating system. The worm -- named Cabir by Kaspersky -- has not yet been found in the wild, but has still managed to catch the attention of antivirus vendors.
Cabir exploited a serious flaw in the Bluetooth wireless standard that permitted the worm to propagate itself onto all Symbian phones that were within range. Symbian smartphones are set with a high degree of trust for other Symbian-based devices, due largely to Symbian's historically malware-free atmosphere.
Doom 3 Specs Revealed
The Houston Chronicle has the skinny on how much computing power will be needed to run id Software's Doom 3. Since its introduction in 1993, Doom has a history of pushing hardware to its limits and the 3rd release of Doom is no exception. According to CEO Todd Hollenshead, the newly minted Doom will require at least a 1.5 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor or AMD Athlon 1500, 384 MB of RAM, 2 GB of free hard drive space and either an nVidia GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 (or better).
Microsoft Shares the Wealth
Microsoft is preparing to fork over what may be the largest corporate payout in history. Faced with a continuing trend of slumping sales, investors seeking their share of Microsoft's profits have turned their attention to the balance sheet.
Now that Microsoft has settled the lion's share of its outstanding litigation, the company is bowing to pressure from shareholders and will increase its dividends, buy back shares and offer a one-time payment of three dollars per share.
Microsoft, Lindows End Trademark Spat
Microsoft and Lindows.com jointly announced that they have reached a worldwide settlement that closes the books on the longstanding trademark infringement case between the two companies.
The exact terms of the settlement remain confidential, but a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing revealed that Microsoft paid twenty million USD for the Lindows domain. Lindows will continue its migration to the "Linspire" brand name, while Microsoft preserves its longstanding claim to the "Windows" trademark.
McAfee SecurityCenter Looks to Windows Update
When Microsoft outlined the security initiatives found in the upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2, some security vendors grumbled behind the scenes, but McAfee remained unfazed. In fact, the duo may now have settled into a cozier partnership than ever before.
Not only should the upcoming edition of McAfee's SecurityCenter console be compliant with Windows Security Center, it will actively monitor the status of Windows Update automatic updates.
IBM: We Will Change Economics of UNIX
Drawing on its 40 plus years of experience in mainframe computing, IBM is vowing to change the economics of UNIX computing forever. Borrowing some tricks proven in the world of mainframes, Big Blue claims that its eServer p5 systems will provide high utilization and performance, increased flexibility, and a lower total cost of ownership.
The eServer p5 product line comes equipped with Power 5 microprocessor, which is enhanced by the Micro-Partitioning technology of IBM's Virtualization Engine. BetaNews learned of IBM's strategic direction in April when it first beta tested its Virtualization Engine software.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.