The latest project from the leading online retailer allows movies to be streamed directly to PCs. Built upon Amazon's library of Unbox titles, beta testers get a $5 rental credit to check out the streams.

In May, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos mentioned that an a la carte, pay-per-view streaming video service would be coming to the Site, but did not mention if it would be entirely new, or simply a feature upgrade to Unbox.

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Responding to user complaints over clutter in its address books, Google said it would partition the contacts it automatically adds to its users lists, into a separate area.

The feature in Google's Gmail Web pages that allows users to quickly enter e-mail addresses by only typing in the first few characters, is perceived to be helpful by some. However, typically when a user adds the address to enable auto-completion, it also adds a entry to the main address book.

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While the company has yet to make a mark among worldwide computer shipments in either major survey of the PC industry, it continued to show impressive strength stateside. But Acer is #3 or #4, depending on whom you ask.

In the Gartner survey, the company gained two percentage points of market share year-over-year to end the second quarter of 2008 with 8.5 percent of the market and a little under 1.4 million units shipped, good enough for third.

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It would appear one or more former managers of defeated presidential campaigns may have joined Yahoo, as it latest spin on financier Carl Icahn's plan to couple Microsoft with Yahoo's search business uses a number of familiar phrases.

"Mr. Icahn can't make up his mind about what he thinks will work for Yahoo," reads the company's latest plea to shareholders this morning, signed by Chairman Roy Bostock and CEO Jerry Yang. They tell a story of Icahn initially suggesting that Yahoo sell itself outright to Microsoft for $34.75 per share -- a price we haven't heard quoted before. But Icahn didn't really do due diligence, the statement alleges, otherwise he would have known that Microsoft had already walked away from any kind of a full takeover deal.

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The two cellular companies are said to be in talks over a possible partnership to co-develop new services and handsets, media reports indicate.

This morning, CNBC reported that SK Telecom was interested in purchasing Sprint Nextel outright, however financial analysts quickly discounted the story saying the Korean cellular provider would likely not be able to swing such a deal. This was furthered by reporting by Reuters news wire and The Wall Street Journal, which seemed to indicate the talks centered around a partnership instead. A minority investment in Sprint also seems possible.

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In perhaps the most awkward launch since last week's iPhone 3G, Microsoft at least tried to start its technology preview for its Live Mesh services. But it didn't look like a preview at first, and now, it doesn't look much like a service.

This afternoon, Microsoft made testers aware it was opening its Live Mesh services suite, of services designed to be integrated into the Windows environment. But only a few hours later, the company came to realize it might have wanted to say this was a technology preview, in its initial announcement.

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Today, the Australian Communications and Media Authority approved the Content Services Code, a set of guidelines for ISPs and mobile carriers, which include directives for ISPs to hire so-called "trained content assessors."

The Content Services Code is a code of practices developed by the Internet Industry Association for online and mobile content providers. Within it are guidelines for "self-regulation of content" from commercial ISPs and mobile operators, which include the mandatory hiring of in-house censors, called "trained content assessors."

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Those interested in getting a .ME domain name -- perhaps one named just for themselves -- can do so after ICANN, the organization responsible for overseeing Internet domains, opens up .ME domain registration tomorrow.

The "Sunrise" period of registration for .ME domains began in May, where trademark owners were permitted to register their own names early. The "Landrush" period began in June, in which any interested party can submit a domain application without restrictions.

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Apple is not only suing Psystar to stop them from selling Mac clones, but is asking the courts to order that the Florida-based company recall all of the systems sold to customers.

The 16-page complaint argues that Psystar's actions were meant to damage Apple, as well as confuse the public. In addition, the continued sales of Open Computers would financially hurt the company.

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Download Norton Internet Security 2009 (16.0.0.69) Beta from FileForum now.

This week, Symantec opened the public betas of both Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton Antivirus 2009, products which the company claims run faster and consume fewer resources.

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Video search provider Blinkx sharpened its defense and offense against a possible buyout from Google or Yahoo today, announcing new pacts with several major online partners, one of which happens to be owned by Microsoft.

The new deals between Blinkx and MSN UK, Russian Internet portal Rambler, and Elo Company center around Blinx's newly rolled out Red Label, a program designed to give partners customizable access to Blinkx's video search engine and the up to 26 million hours of video content in the Blinkx index.

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The shift from desktop to mobile PCs is accelerating, Intel's executives warned yesterday, at a rate which has even taken them by surprise. That helped keep earnings on a nice incline, but it may mean the company's 'tick-tock' now has to speed up.

The recovery period for Intel is now well behind it, as CEO Paul Otellini's rebuilding of the company has been -- perhaps even by the measure of those Intel had to lay off -- an astonishing success. So the news from Intel yesterday on its fiscal second quarter results continued to be good, although now rather than comparing itself against a company in a financial and technological quandary, its baseline has become a resurgent company making stellar gains last year.

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Acer today officially launched US sales for the Aspire One, its stylish, ultra-lightweight notebook with Intel's newest Atom processor built-in, and whose hard drive...is optional.

The US market will see three Aspire One models available, with base prices ranging from $379 to $449. The ultraportables are available in white or blue, with brown and black expected to be available for the holidays.

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Apple confidently claimed this week it had already sold one million 3G iPhones. But if that's true, the buyer was AT&T, according to one analyst who predicts it will take another two weeks for end customers to have bought that many.

Apple's been criticized in the past for using sales to channel partners such as AT&T in sales reports. But in light of the activation disasters surrounding the 3G device, maybe it will take longer than usual for Apple's numbers to mesh with reality.

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PlayStation 3 users are now able to rent or purchase movie and television content from the PlayStation Store, delivered both in standard and high definition.

Through partnerships with MGM, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Turner Entertainment, PS3 users have access to over 300 movies and 1,200 television episodes.

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