Justice Department sued by EFF over Google privacy official
The Electronic Frontier Foundation recently took aim at the Department of Justice, wanting all communications between Google and a former top privacy official who now works for the Mountain View-based Internet search giant.
Specifically, the EFF wants to know more about why Jane Horvath was chosen to become the company's senior privacy lawyer, and what may have influenced the decision.
YouTube: We'll have live video this year
While YouTube is best known for its work in promoting social video, the company is looking to live video as its next format. In an interview with NewTeeVee, YouTube founder Steve Chen said that the company plans to introduce a new live feature sometime this year. He said that the company had always wanted to do it, but didn't have the resources. Now that YouTube is owned by Google, Chen said the resources are now at their disposal.
Analysts say that YouTube is likely to quickly build momentum in the marketplace, which is primarily due to its already strong presence in social video. "Like video, content creators want to be on the service that gives them the most exposure, no matter how good the alternatives are," Duncan Riley wrote for TechCrunch. "YouTube already has the user base; live video streamers will flock to YouTube like a moth to a flame."
Opera Mini and Mobile dump Yahoo, go back to Google
Web browsing software company Opera today announced that its free Opera Mini and its Opera Mobile browser will once again have Google as the default search engine.
While Google has been the default search for Opera's desktop browser for nearly seven years, Yahoo was only a partner for a year, going live as the mobile software's default search in early 2007. User responses to that switch were mixed. On March 1, Opera will change back to having the default search as Google.
Baidu to launch instant messaging network for China
The leading search engine in China, Baidu, announced it will launch Baidu Hi, a new instant messaging service designed to let Internet users in the country communicate with one another.
Baidu is currently recruiting new developers and engineers to help develop the software, and hasn't said when it hopes to have a product ready for the public. The Beijing-based company stated that all aspects of Baidu Hi development will be done completely in-house, eliminating the need for jobs to be contracted out to other companies.
Nearly 3% of America became iPod converts over the holiday
With 40% of last quarter's iPod sales going to first-time buyers, Apple managed to convert a sizeable segment of the entire United States into white earbud wearers.
In analyst David Bailey's research notes to Goldman Sachs investment bank, he noted that of the Q1 2008 sales of Apple's iPod, 40 percent were to first-time buyers.
What does it take for musicians to sell you CDs and MP3s over the Web?
Big name (and long time) acts like Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson are now joining a huge barrage of newer musical artists in trying to hawk CDs and MP3 files over the Web. But what will it take for these musicians to convince you to buy?
According to speakers at this week's Digital Music Forum in New York, musicians need to keep from getting snarled up by the maze of different promotional channels for them to choose from, including: satellite Internet stations, music download sites like iTunes, social networking sites like Facebook, and ads on Google and other search sites.
eBay, MercExchange settle 'Buy it Now' patent feud
As part of the agreement, eBay will purchase from MercExchange three patents which cover search, online auction, and fixed price sales.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "We're pleased to have been able to reach a settlement with MercExchange," eBay general counsel Mike Jacobson said in a statement.
Microsoft slashes Windows Vista retail price in surprise move
Microsoft appears to be attempting to increase Windows Vista sales by making the operating system more affordable both in the United States and abroad.
In the US, the changes will only apply to the Premium and Ultimate upgrade versions of the software. Premium will fall from $159 to $129, while the Ultimate version will now be $219, down from $299.
Performing artists not seeing money from file sharing settlements
In the last few years, major record labels have issued dozens of lawsuits against sites distributing audio and video files of their property. Artists' representatives are now saying the settlement money isn't going where it belongs.
Of the suits that have been settled, Napster agreed to pay out $270 million, and Kazaa acquiesced to paying $115 million from a case launched in 2004, compensating for past infringements, and converting to a legal download business offering licensed music. Universal Music Group, who went up against Grouper and Myspace for copyright infringement, inked a settlement from online video site Bolt.com.
Google gives phone numbers to San Francisco's homeless
Through its Grand Central subsidiary that it acquired last year, Google will provide phone numbers to homeless people in San Francisco by working with the city's shelters.
The project, dubbed Communications and Respect for Everybody (CARE) will join up with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's Project Homeless Connect (HPC) to accomplish this. Along with lifetime access to a permanent phone number, the project offers voicemail as well.
Windows Server 2008: To keep things stable, you need new hardware
Microsoft has a growing number of beneficiaries to whom it must simultaneously appeal. There are OEM partners who want Windows Server to drive sales, and clients who at the same time plead for no more disruptions.
LOS ANGELES (BetaNews) - The big message from Microsoft's gala launch on Wednesday had to do with changing the world, and the role information workers may play to that end. Yet Microsoft's own business customers are looking for operating systems to stop making sweeping changes to the way they work, to stop forcing them to make plans around Microsoft's itinerary...and the company's own program mangers are acknowledging this new reality.
Microsoft's Jason Zander on Visual Studio and dynamic languages
The mindsets of the dynamic language programmer and the classical, static language developer are practically different beasts. So can they share the same IDE? We spoke with the man in charge of what aims to be that one IDE, Visual Studio 2008.
Of the two dilemmas, one would probably prefer the type that Microsoft's newly appointed Visual Studio general manager Jason Zander faced this week, to the one facing the SQL Server team: holding a gala launch for a product that actually started shipping last November, as opposed to one that may end up shipping in July.
Zoho joins the supporting ranks of Office Open XML
Online word processing and document collaboration suite Zoho Writer received an update which has made it compatible with Microsoft's Office Open XML file format.
Zoho's free online productivity suite already offered many of the same features as Microsoft Office, and even went so far as to coyly address the need for Office to a Zoho user, mentioning that there's an plug-in for Word and Excel that lets you save directly to Zoho.
Microsoft's Ballmer on reconciling the gap between IT and executives
Along with Bill Gates, Microsoft may be hailing the departure of a mindset and a culture that's fixated on extending its hold on the pipeline of information. At least that's how Steve Ballmer presented his company yesterday.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in front of a projection of what's supposed to be the future, some of which he admitted to be "an inventory of what Microsoft has shown thus far."LOS ANGELES (BetaNews) - The post-Gates era of Microsoft is already showing signs of a material difference in the company's objectives and its core message. During yesterday's keynote address for the company's single-day "Heroes Happen Here" launch event, CEO Steve Ballmer presented fewer of the meandering metaphors and enumerated participles that spawn, most obviously, from Bill Gates' mode of speech. And gone was any hint of the almost apelike stance Ballmer took during his famous "Developers, developers, developers" rant of years ago -- though it still managed to populate the screens of show visitors even yesterday, thanks to YouTube.
Wii building sales lead over PS3 in Japan once again
After successfully cutting into Nintendo's considerable lead in console sales over the past several months, Sony is once again losing ground. According to statistics provided by Japanese game magazine Enterbrain, Nintendo sold 331,627 Wii consoles in the four weeks ending February 24, compared to 89,131 for the PS3. This is larger than the 3-to-1 margin in January.
As has been practically consistent since its launch, the Xbox 360 lagged far behind with only 14,079 consoles sold during the same period. With such broad success during the month, Wii games also stood atop the best selling games. Nintendo sold some 1.33 million copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, followed by Wii Fit, which had sales of 309,311 units. Both games are produced directly by Nintendo.
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