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SourceForge launches commercial 'marketplace' for open source software
Upon posting a loss for its most recent financial quarter, open source foundry SourceForge has launched an auction-based service that charges commissions to developers. Coincidentally or not, SourceForge got hacked this week.
After reporting a fiscal first-quarter operating loss of $1.1 million at the end of November, software foundry SourceForge this week instituted a new revenue stream by rolling out a commercial marketplace for sales, service and support of open source software.
Dell throws an Armani bash for the XPS One
At a customer event at an Armani store in New York last night, the company officially launched the XPS One, a PC/high-def TV which is Dell's answer to the Gateway One and Apple's iMac.
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - Armani Casa, an exclusive home furnishing shop in Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighborhood, isn't a conventional location for a computer product rollout. But the unusual setting made real sense for last night's customer celebration of the launch of Dell's design-oriented XPS One, the latest entry into a category of all-in-one desktop units already populated by Apple and Gateway.
EchoStar becomes DISH, spins off most non-sat TV holdings
Ohio politician proposes sex offender tracking device
An Ohio lawmaker is proposing his state help its citizens track the locations of registered sex offenders by using RFID technology.
The technology, known as "Offendar," was developed by a company in the state. A tracking chip is placed in the monitoring bracelet of sex offenders, and when one is within 50 yards of a special key fob, the device vibrates.
Macrovision seeks to own digital TV gateway with Gemstar purchase
A company known more for its digital rights management technology, and which just last month purchased not only the BD+ DRM scheme outright but also a larger stake in set-top boxes, is about to become the publisher of TV Guide.
Macrovision, whose history extends back to the famous "Macrovision stripe" that made copying of VHS tapes such a pain in the 1980s, announced this morning its intent to purchase Gemstar, the technology company that happens to publish TV Guide. It's probably not the magazine that Macrovision is interested in, but instead the nation's leading brand in program scheduling -- a brand that's found on many STBs today, and will now likely be found on more.
FiOS routers at center of latest GPL lawsuit
The Software Freedom Law Center has sued Verizon on behalf of the developers of BusyBox, saying the routers for its high-speed service infringe on the General Public License.
UPDATED The group is asking for an injunction preventing the sale of the Actiontec MI424WR wireless router, as well as unspecified damages and court costs.
CNBC: Apple preps sub-notebook for Macworld
With just a little over one month before the yearly meeting of the Mac faithful, the rumors of an Apple sub-notebook have started to appear.
Sub-notebooks are a relatively new class of laptop computers, although examples have been around since the early 1990s. Many still consider the devices a "niche" product: sales have rarely been substantial.
Microsoft ties high-level code to Web development with Volta
The long effort to make it technically feasible for already skilled developers to produce Web applications using high-level languages like C++, may at last be paying off.
It's no secret that Microsoft has been looking for ways to tie higher-level application programming to Web-based deployment, so that more traditional developers using the principal .NET Framework languages -- including C++, C#, and Visual Basic -- can make multi-tier applications that run in clients' browsers, without having to learn a different language like JavaScript or Python. It's the clearest indication of any still remaining that Bill Gates is still in charge of Microsoft.
Three critical patches on tap from Microsoft
Next Tuesday's regular monthly distribution of security patches will include three for DirectX, Windows Media, and Internet Explorer.
Of the seven patches in the next Patch Tuesday package from Microsoft, all three critical patches will be for remote code execution issues. The first two, for DirectX and DirectShow as well as the Windows Media Format Runtime, will not require a restart.
Opera ships Mini for BREW-based phones
The company that boasts of having the first Web browser for mobile phones has finally ported its engine to Qualcomm's BREW mobile application platform.
The Opera browser, which shrinks Web pages to fit on the mobile screen, was the first to take the desktop Web to the mobile Web. Now, a BREW-based version could enable the company to expand its reach even further to cover a significant portion of mobile phones.
Western Digital bans sharing of media on MyBooks
The hard drive maker has now taken on the added role of content policeman by ensuring nearly all media formats cannot be transferred using its sharing application.
Using its Anywhere Access application will prevent users from sharing nearly any file with a multimedia extension over its network, the company said. Western Digital says the move is due to "unverifiable media license authentication."
JetBlue taps Yahoo, RIM for in-flight Wi-Fi test
The low-cost business-centric airline plans to outfit its planes with Wi-Fi so that passengers can access portions of the net while in the air.
While the full Internet would not be available, customers will be able to access their Yahoo e-mail accounts and Yahoo Messenger. Those with Wi-Fi capable Blackberries can access personal and corporate e-mail.
Kadoink dials up music over the phone
A carrier-agnostic platform for sending music over the phone, has launched a beta in the United States. If it all works out, it could convert the cell phone into a music promotional tool.
Kadoink says it gives fans "the ability to evangelize their favorite band or new music...instantly to their own group of friends through the phone."
Toyota president: Robotics will be a core business
President and CEO of Toyota Motor Co. Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters at an event in Tokyo that the company plans to focus on robots that will be useful to people in everyday life.
The first of these robots will roll out as a test in 2008, with the company putting out so-called "partner robots" for public use by 2010. The company sees its work as a extension of its automotive business, where robots already play a large part in manufacturing.
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