David Worthington

Yahoo! has brushed the dust off of its popular Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging application, fully remodeling the software's aging interface while adding deeper integration with games, music and Yahoo! Search.

The release has the makings of an aggressive leap ahead for Yahoo!'s real time communication technology, and comes on the heels of product refreshes from rivals America Online, ICQ and MSN.

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Tsunami, the code name for the latest iteration of Xbox Live, is about to inundate users with a flood of compelling new features like online storage. Other additions enable gamers to send in-game voice messages, organize into teams, enter into competitions and, as of late May, fully integrate Xbox Live with MSN Instant Messenger.

As first reported by Microsoft Watch, Tsunami has been brewing since late February. Even though the service's 24-hour update is completed, users will have to continue playing the waiting game until developers program Tsunami support into their upcoming titles.

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The industry is inching one step closer to the broad adoption of 64-bit computing. 

Computer graphics giant NVIDIA is delivering 64-bit beta drivers for motherboards and systems based upon its nForce3 media and communications processors (MCPs). The drivers are designed for Microsoft's Windows XP 64-bit Edition for Extended Systems operating system, also currently in beta.

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Zone Labs is busy readying its 5.0 product series. ZoneAlarm Pro, a popular firewall utility, and ZoneAlarm Security Suite, a new addition to the Zone Labs stable, are currently entering into the final lap of their respective beta cycles. Both betas have open enrollment and are available as free downloads from the Zone Labs Web site.

ZoneAlarm Pro is the deluxe boxed version of Zone Lab's standard firewall, offering added protection against worms, trojans, spyware, and malicious e-mail attachments. Zone Alarm Pro extends its sphere of protection into the Web browser by managing cookies and blocking unwanted ads.

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Opera 7.50 has come to a crescendo. Opera Software has released the first beta build of its latest Web browser on all desktop platforms – bringing each distribution to a uniform common ground. Version 7.5 combines a completely redesigned interface, integrated e-mail, an IRC-compatible chat client with overall improvements to productivity and speed. 

Opera's user interface has been redesigned with smaller buttons and faster access to key features through the browser's panel selector. The panel selector hosts a cadre of features such as bookmarks, notes, Opera Mail and Opera's budding chat feature. Opera describes its new interface as being "fresh" and "light."

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Before the finals bits are released this summer, a second release candidate of Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be released mid-May. Microsoft issued a technical preview of SP2 in March to familiarize developers with the changes it was making to secure Windows, and to ward off potential problems brought about by applications malfunctioning post upgrade.

Under the umbrella of its Trustworthy Computing initiative, Microsoft has fortified Windows XP with a new mix of security features. Service Pack 2 will include a new version of Internet Explorer, which for the first time includes a pop-up blocker and download manager; improved memory protection designed to avert buffer overruns; e-mail safeguards for Outlook Express; a more comprehensive firewall implementation; and a new set of security settings for Windows Media Player 9.

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ICQ is promising to innovate its way back to the top of the nascent world of instant messaging. Today marks the release of ICQ 4.0, ICQ's next generation instant messaging client. ICQ is breaking from the past by shedding the software's bloated image in favor of a new open source plug-in architecture.

In addition to putting ICQ on a diet, the overall user interface has been streamlined and refreshed. Other improvements brought by the 4.0 milestone tackle portability and personalization.

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Apple is adding a little "Shake" and "Motion" to NAB 2004. On top of announcing a high-definition (HD) product version of Final Cut Pro and unveiling a new version of DVD Studio Pro, Apple has announced a brand new product christened Motion, as well as an update to Shake – the solution responsible for the visual effects seen in "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."

Motion is a motion graphics packages with real-time previews, procedural animation, as well as integration with Final Cut Pro HD and DVD Studio Pro 3. Apple's procedural animation technology is also known interchangeably as "self-propelled animation."

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Microsoft is flexing its media muscles. At NAB 2004 Monday, Microsoft announced Windows Media Video 9 Series HD (WMV HD) and an assortment of related products. WMV HD can be typified as a continuation of Microsoft's wooing of the film industry.

With the introduction of the new video format, customers can now engage in real-time, end-to-end, high-definition (HD) video production of broadcast media and optical media such as DVDs on the Windows desktop.

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The sun is setting on UltraSPARC V. Sun Microsystems is updating its processor roadmap in favor of "high throughput" products, and is terminating UltraSPARC V -- code-named Millennium -- and the low-end Gemini processor.

Consequentially, Sun is streamlining its resources and efforts towards the fabrication of "Niagara" and "Rock" – two next generation chips.

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The asset column of Microsoft's balance sheet is looking thinner these days. Roughly one week after a multi-million dollar payout to Sun Microsystems, Redmond has settled outstanding patent litigation with InterTrust Technologies. For a one-time payment of $440 million USD, Microsoft will gain access to InterTrust's patent portfolio.

InterTrust sued Microsoft on the eve of the 2001 launch of Windows XP, alleging that certain elements of the operating system violated its patents. Specifically, InterTrust cited Windows Media Players Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology and Windows product activation.

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Netscape has salvaged its classic Navigator moniker from obscurity and is beta testing a desktop application that borrows heavily from Web browser toolbars. Dubbed Netscape Desktop Navigator, the new software offers insight into the future of the AOL subsidiary, which has seen its market share dwindle into single digits.

Like a toolbar, Netscape Desktop Navigator is an aggregation of search utilities that offers customers access to Google keyword searches, breaking news headlines and weather, directory lookups, personals, as well as entertainment listings. Users can customize content by keying in US zip codes, five of which can be stored.

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America Online has primed a stealth beta release of its AIM instant messaging client. Build 5.5.3590 modifies the way that AIM handles the installation of third-party add-ons and adds support for the WeatherBug desktop weather application.

Prior production releases of AIM drew criticism for forcibly installing Wild Tangent's gaming technology, which some privacy advocates consider to be spyware.

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BetaNews has gotten the dish on "Zephyr," the next iteration of Intuit's Track-It! software. Track-It! functions as a help desk and asset management solution for small and medium sized businesses and is intended to automate many time-consuming tasks required to keep IT infrastructure consistent. Track-It! was obtained by Intuit following its acquisition of Blue Ocean Software.

Track-It! takes inventories, tracks assets, monitors incidents, and manages software delivery as well as providing knowledge base tools. Zephyr marks the second Intuit-branded release of Track-It and is currently undergoing beta testing until it is released to manufacturing in June.

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When users of Windows XP Service Pack 2 RC1 visit Windows Update they will find three new critical updates waiting for them. Microsoft has taken the unusual step of patching up known issues in the midst of beta testing. Two of the issues concern the Windows Firewall, while the other clears up a problem with dropped virtual private networking (VPN) connections on Linksys gateway devices.

A spokesperson told BetaNews that the updates serve a dual purpose of correcting known whiles while also helping Microsoft test the Windows Update pipelines. Windows Update itself has been substantially updated with a streamlined interface and improved patching technologies pending the release of the service pack.

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