Virtual nightclub launches a private beta for 'VIPs'
A 3D world that lets users mingle in nightclubs, beaches and yachts is currently in private beta with an expected launch date of two weeks.
Created by Stable Media and the Wyndstorm Corporation, RipLounge is a free 3D world aimed at users between the ages of 25 and 40, while letting users communicate via chat, web phone and video. The two companies behind RipLounge are in the advertising business, where 25-54 is the most desired demographic.
'P4P' could double P2P transfer speeds
In results unveiled Friday at DCIA's P2P Market Conference in New York City, P4P technology was shown to enhance download rates by 205 percent over unmanaged P2P downloads.
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - After achieving much faster than usual download and data delivery rates in a field trial with Verizon and Pando, the P4P Working Group is now looking at doing trials with other ISPs and P2P network providers, said Haiyong Xie, a Working Group member who is also a Ph.D. student at Yale.
Microsoft attempts to put positive spin on Xbox 360 sales
With 360 sales lagging behind its competitors, Microsoft is stressing the strength of its games and accessories market as evidence that there is nothing to worry about.
For the second month in a row, Xbox 360 sales according to NPD Group fell below those of the Wii and PS3 in February. About 432,000 Wii's were sold, and 280,800 PS3s. During the month, Microsoft only managed to sell about 254,600 consoles.
Apple updates AirPort Express to support 802.11n
The company's tiny wireless base station has been updated with technology to support the high speed connectivity standard, as earlier rumored.
Apple enthusiast sites including AppleInsider began hinting at a possible release of a new version of Airport Express over the weekend. The overall design of the player has not changed much, nor has the price -- it remains at $99.
Microsoft eyes a meaner, 'greener' P2P for Windows 7
Windows Vista already includes a P2P-enabling technology known as Teredo. But for the forthcoming Windows 7, Microsoft is contemplating adding such features as metered connections, distributed hash tables, and something called 'green P2P.'
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - For the Xbox 360 game Halo 3, P2P technology is "key to the whole experience," said See-Mong Tan, Microsoft's director for P2P networking. Now, Tan tells us, the company is pursuing more options that could bring new legitimacy to a technology that is still berated today for its heritage in anonymous file-sharing.
China blocks YouTube, Google News amid Tibet protests
Censors in China blocked access to YouTube and Google News on Sunday, along with other news outlets carrying images and video of protests in Tibet, which turned violent late last week.
The communist government frequently tries to control what information its citizens can access, particularly on sensitive topics such as the autonomy of Tibet. But with over 210 million Internet users in China, that job has become vastly more difficult than when the government sought to suppress reports on the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in 1989.
US Supreme Court will not hear Microsoft appeal on Novell case
It's a very quiet ending for one of the important antitrust cases in the history of the software industry, as justices were apparently satisfied that a decision in Novell's favor on the WordPerfect matter was justified.
If Microsoft had one last chance to redeem itself after last October's decision in a 2004 court case brought against it by Novell, it was to get just four US Supreme Court justices to sign on to its writ of certiorari, or "cert petition." Would they please hear its case for an appeal? This morning, the high court dismissed the petition without even a comment.
Has Yahoo Buzz beat Digg to the mainstream?
The search engine has provided some statistics of activity on its site from its first two weeks, and it shows that the company may have the upper hand on bringing social news to the mainstream.
According to Yahoo, about 16 million referrals have been sent to publishers -- who currently must be invited to have their content included in the service. Data also shows that the service is quickly catching up to Digg in terms of sending traffic.
Japanese ISPs to start policing P2P, Winny users
The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reports four of the country's major ISP collectives will forcibly cut Internet access to users who are caught using peer-to-peer technology, which they suspect is used mainly for unlicensed file-sharing.
The Telecom Service Association and Telecommunications Carriers Association are two of the four groups overseeing more than 1,000 ISPs in Japan. In theory, ISPs would receive the IP addresses of repeat offenders caught downloading and/or uploading copyrighted material. Each ISP would then be responsible for e-mailing the alleged offenders, warning them their Internet service could be cut if they do not stop file sharing.
ATI's latest graphics card aims for stock traders
As the battle between NVidia and ATI for graphics supremacy seems focused more on the desktop and notebook markets, there's activity shaping up in the enterprise market as well, with a new device from ATI that's more about efficiency and multiplicity than 3D.
To help fill the void on the enterprise market, ATI last week quietly launched the FireMV 2260 graphics card for the enterprise market, hoping to give it a step up over NVidia's Quadro line.
Google repeats concerns over Microsoft + Yahoo
Google repeated its concern surrounding the proposed merger between Microsoft and Yahoo, saying it would threaten the openness of the Internet.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt made the comments to attendees as part of a press conference surrounding its efforts to bring cloud computing to Chinese universities. Obviously, reporters were anxious to get his take on the Microsoft-Yahoo tie-up.
Adobe licenses Flash Lite to Microsoft for mobile phones
What wasn't good enough for Steve Jobs seems just fine for Microsoft, as it takes this opportunity to embed a version of Adobe's streaming video technology into its future mobile Web browsers, right alongside Adobe's rival Silverlight.
More and more, Microsoft is making a very visible effort to play nice, or at least nicer, by making room for its rivals alongside its own technology. This morning, it let Adobe hail the latest move rather than horde the megaphone, announcing that Adobe is licensing its Flash Lite mobile graphics platform to Microsoft for use, apparently, in a future mobile Web browser.
HP opens up its research labs just a little more
While Hewlett-Packard has been re-launching its HP Labs, it's been keeping mum on its IdeaLab, a special department where HP researchers are working on technologies that may one day affect user experience in the future.
"These are research projects," an HP spokesperson told BetaNews today. "Some of them may never become products. Others can reach the public in a number of ways as HP products or in HP products or as technology we license to others. HP Labs works with a long time horizon than the product R&D groups."
Report: Zune coming to Europe in 2009
Microsoft officials told a French financial newspaper this week that a third generation player is due next year, along with the launch of the player in the European market.
Since its debut in late 2006, Microsoft's response to the iPod has been a US-only product. While there have been repeated rumors that launches in other markets were in the works, so far there has been no official confirmation until now.
Microsoft acquires Rapt to strengthen ad business
Rapt's technology will provide advertising yield and management solutions for users of Microsoft's Atlas Publisher Suite.
Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) is a total ad management package, with tools for both the advertiser and publisher. The company says it makes the buying and selling of media easier across its network and other participating companies.
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