Microsoft's latest environmental contribution: a mouse with a switch
Microsoft has announced a new "green" wireless mouse, with such environmentally-minded features as...an on/off switch.
The Redmond company is gently marketing its new Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 today as being environmentally friendly due to its six-month battery life. This, according to Microsoft, will amount to an 80% reduction in battery consumption over a three-year period
China backtracks a bit on online video sites
China's government backpedaled slightly from its earlier policy concerning video sites, now saying that existing sites can continue to operate.
China's initial law seemed to suggest that it was going to block any foreign Internet video site that the government didn't control, alarming free speech supporters. Now it seems as if the government is slightly backing down.
IDC suggests a Microsoft + Yahoo + Fast combo could be a strong #2
A third component could be key to an effective Yahoo / Microsoft merger could be an enterprise search solutions provider whose crown jewel is now part of Yahoo, but whose core business will soon be part of Microsoft, says an IDC report.
A panel of 13 IDC analysts led by research VP Susan Feldman coalesced all day and into the night on Friday, eventually producing a document touting the benefits not just of #3 online search provider Microsoft acquiring #2 provider Yahoo, but also continuing with its plans announced last month to acquire Fast Search & Transfer, the producer of dedicated search applications for enterprises.
Repairs begin to critical undersea data cables
Two of the four undersea cables that provide data to much of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia which were severed late last week are now undergoing repair.
Reuters reported today that FALCON, the third of the cables to be cut on Friday evening, is currently being repaired. FLAG telecom's repair team was at first delayed in Abu Dhabi, UAE due to untoward weather, but has since managed to lay anchor at the break site despite what the group called "extreme weather conditions."
NVidia purchases gaming physics processor maker PhysX
Graphics card producer NVidia confirmed late yesterday it is purchasing Ageia Technologies, the first producer of so-called "physics processors" for 3D gamers, for an undisclosed amount.
Ageia Technologies is best known for its PhysX processor, which is supported by popular games such as Gears of War, the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series, and Unreal Tournament 3. Working under NVidia's wing will help the company properly implement PhysX into future product launches, which should result in a broader target market.
Nokia brings back N-Gage, opens social network
Today, handset manufacturer Nokia began the rollout of its revised N-Gage gaming service and its new Share on Ovi media sharing site.
After several delays due to numerous software issues, Nokia's N-Gage gaming platform has begun its rollout with "First Access" being granted to N-81 owners. Users of that particular handset have access to a pre-release version of the N-Gage application and four games, including: Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep, Space Impact: Kappa Base, Block Breaker Deluxe, and System Rush: Evolution.
AT&T to raise broadband prices
The $5 price hike will affect the states where it acquired new customers through its buyout of BellSouth.
The change will not affect new customers signing up for the company's slowest tier, which offers download speeds of 768 kbps. But current customers on the three slowest tiers will see their monthly rate go up.
Google looks to e-mail security to extend business reach
Using technology acquired from Postini last year, the Mountain View, Calif. search company has begun offering new spam filtering and message archiving options for businesses.
The cost of the program ranges from $3 to $25 per user per year depending on the level of functionality the customer desires. In addition, the features are compatible with any e-mail system, including Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and Novell Groupwise.
IBM's WAS CE open source app server gathers steam
IBM's open source application server is garnering more momentum with this week's introduction of a new OEM partner, Avada Software, plus a new customer, international money transfer and transaction processing specialist Nexxar Group, Inc.
IBM has already picked up about 600 ISV partners for its Apache Geronimo-based open source application server, a free download known as WebSphere Application Server (WAS) Community Edition (CE), said Brenda Haynes, IBM's director of open source development and strategy, in an inteview with BetaNews.
IFPI plows ahead with Chinese court action against Baidu, Sohu
Despite a high court order last month finding Baidu not liable for copyright infringement, the recording industry's international representatives are renewing their complaint that it provides "deep links" to pirated MP3s.
Today, the recording industry's international representative agency IFPI is backing the efforts of three record labels that have decided to go forward with legal proceedings in China against that country's leading search engine, Baidu, and its #2 portal Sohu. The suit, according to IFPI, renews allegations from 2006 that the two companies provide "deep links" to unlicensed MP3s, and may profit from at least providing advertising alongside those links.
Yahoo's Zimbra e-mail server gets an update, at least for now
Yahoo has updated its open source collaboration server software, Zimbra, now including Blackberry support and Yahoo Maps and search integration. However, if Microsoft acquires Yahoo, will this be the last update we see for Zimbra?
Zimbra is an open source solution that acts as an alternative to Microsoft Exchange Server, supporting e-mail, calendaring, contacts, tasks, and more. The software was acquired last September by Yahoo in an acquisition valued at $350 million.
Opera debuts new version of smartphone browser
The browser company launched Tuesday its newest version of its mobile browser, redesigning the interface and improving overall speed.
Opera Mobile shouldn't be confused with its Mini product. The mobile version is aimed at the feature and smartphone market, while Opera Mini is a BREW-based browser that can be used by most traditional phones that support Java.
New iPhone, iPod Touch models have higher capacity
Apple continued its trend towards flash memory on Tuesday, announcing two new models of both the iPhone and iPod Touch with additional capacity.
Both new models will be available immediately: a 16 GB model of the iPhone for $499 and a 32 GB iPod Touch, also for $499. With the new Touch, it marks the first time a flash-based iPod exceeds the hard-drive models in terms of capacity.
ICANN considers fast track for some international TLDs
ICANN has proposed a schedule for the fast-tracking of non-contentious IDN ccTLDs that would allow for new non-Latin Alphabet top-level domains as early as Summer '08.
An internationalized domain name (IDN) will take a Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD), or the ".country" name, and allow it to be displayed in non-ASCII characters. This will open the the current ISO 3166-1 standard of domain naming to beyond the 37 current characters. Countries not on the QWERTY or DVORAK keyboard standard have demanded this ability for a long time.
Roundtable part 2: Will Microsoft + Yahoo give everyone what he wants?
It's a vast and complex chess game Microsoft has launched, and with Google now wedging its foot in the door, there are more interests at stake now than just theirs and Yahoo's. Our panel of experts examine what's now at stake.
Last Friday, BetaNews spoke at length with a panel of experts analyzing the Microsoft takeover bid for Yahoo. Among the topics we discussed was trying to identify the motivations behind everyone involved at this point -- not just Yahoo and Microsoft but their various allies and partners, their competitors, and all of their customers. What does everyone want to come out of this clash of the titans? Or will customers be happier if all of this just stops?
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