Facebook's Beacon service turns users into living ads, but at what cost?
Facebook's new Beacon advertising platform, which leverages its users' news feeds as a sort of personal endorsement for products and services used, is already coming under heavy criticism.
On November 6, Facebook launched an advertising system called Beacon that consists of a partnership between the popular social network and 44 other sites. The system allows a user's activity outside of Facebook to be recorded and then posted on his or her news feed.
T-Mobile will sell unlocked, contract-less iPhone
T-Mobile said Wednesday that it will sell the iPhone in Germany without a contract, complying with a court injunction against it. In addition, it will unlock any phone bought since November 19 -- the date of the ruling -- at no charge, so that the device can be used with other carriers. However, the company has asked the courts to clarify the injunction so it may change its offer to consumers based upon that.
Consumers will gain the option to purchase the device without the two year contract for €999, or about $1,478 USD. In all cases, contract or not, T-Mobile will unlock any iPhone purchased after the ruling. The process is apparently different in Germany than it is here in the US. American consumers may purchase the iPhone sans contract for a flat price of $399, whereas in Germany, consumers are apparently forced to purchase the contract first and the phone second.
Verizon boosts FiOS speeds to 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up
BitTorrent users rejoice: Just a month after offering a symmetrical 20 Mbps option for its FiOS Internet service, Verizon has boosted its maximum download speeds to 50 Mbps. For $139.95 per month, those users will also receive upload speeds of 20 Mbps.
Those not needing such connectivity can opt for a new, cheaper $89.95 plan that includes 30 Mbps downstream and 15Mbps upstream. Availability of both services depends on the state where the user is located. Verizon's FiOS can offer much faster speeds than traditional cable or DSL broadband because it utilizes fiber optic cables to a customer's home, but it is only available in 16 states currently.
GameStop baffles Wall Street with good earnings, bad forecast
GameStop exceeded its projected income in the third quarter so much that it threw off analysts' projections for the fourth quarter.
Wall street analysts cannot seem to get a bead on GameStop right now. The company surprised everyone in its third fiscal quarter, exceeding revenue forecasts by $200 million, and posting a $52 million net income, or 31 cents per share.
SAP could sell off its embattled division amid Oracle suit
The world's second largest software publisher may be forced to sell off a profitable and lucrative division, in the wake of an admission last July that its employees downloaded material from rival Oracle without authorization.
Last July, the German software giant SAP AG made an extraordinary admission: It confirmed claims brought forth by Oracle in March that its customer support division TomorrowNow (TN) -- which provides leased support for Oracle products as well as SAP's own -- improperly and perhaps illegally downloaded materials from Oracle's Web site by masquerading as one of its customers.
HP charges ahead with phenomenal fiscal Q4
If there's a recession on the horizon, someone forgot to tell HP. It had an extraordinary quarter and shows every sign of reinvesting its wealth into success for 2008.
It was bad economic times for the US economy that were blamed for the initial downturn in Hewlett-Packard's fortunes back in 2002, back when it seemed improper to lay blame at the feet of the company's then-esteemed leadership. But with a repeat of the economic chughole predicted by many economists, HP appears to be doing quite well, thank you, reporting that in its fiscal quarter ending in October, it earned 21% higher net profit on 15% higher revenue, with $2.3 billion in earnings.
Warner's high-def combo 'Total HD' project is unlikely to resume
The president of WHV made a statement to a reporter indicating his company would most likely not resume its ambitious hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD combo disc project, though he didn't shut the door entirely.
Warner Home Video President Ron Sanders is quoted by Home Media Magazine today as saying that since his is the only studio remaining that is willing to support both formats, it may be unable to go forth with its plans to produce high-definition titles on its hybrid "Total HD" format.
Senators, presidential candidate talk tough on 'Manhunt 2'
Members of the Senate from both sides of the aisle are pressing for a review of the current video game rating system in the wake of the controversy surrounding Manhunt 2. Senators including Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) have protested the ESRB's rating of the game, and said that consumers should be able to trust the ratings the board gives.
Sens. Clinton and Lieberman have been regular names in the fight against violent content, and have backed legislation to ban the sale of these games at the federal level to minors. "We ask your consideration of whether it is time to review the robustness, reliability and repeatability of your ratings process, particularly for this genre of 'ultraviolent' video games and the advances in game controllers," the senators wrote.
Yahoo, Sony BMG agree to content licensing deal
Looking to avoid a similar legal mess to that of YouTube, Yahoo on Tuesday announced that it had reached a licensing deal with Sony BMG.
The label counts among its artists such popular acts as Jennifer Lopez, the Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, and Britney Spears. It signed a similar deal with YouTube last year.
Are consumers' 'digital dreams' any closer to reality this season?
The latest CEA statistics remain upbeat, claiming consumers are still buying CE devices in droves. Yet they still face big challenges in getting these products to work well together - and in some cases, to work well at all.
"Lots of consumers today are very confused. They don't know what to do with some of these products," Shawn DuBravac, an economist for the Consumer Electronics Association, told BetaNews.
New DS bundles arrive in time for Black Friday
In order to keep sales of its popular portable gaming system at a high level, Nintendo debuted two new DS packages for consumers, which will arrive on Friday.
The first is a gold-colored device that would include The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, while a metallic rose-colored unit would come with the game Nintendogs: Best Friends.
The last CRT makers take a hit in EU trust bust
Sony, Fujifilm, and Hitachi have been fined €74.8 million for fixing the prices of standard definition videotapes most commonly used for broadcasting. Manufacturers of cathode ray tubes are up next.
Commissioner Neelie Kroes, former Belgian cabinet minister, and current head of the EU Competition Commission has spearheaded another effort at discouraging unfair trade practices in the European Union, without even the aid of a whistleblower.
Mozilla ships first public beta of Firefox 3
Bugs or not, Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 3 Beta 1, the first public step towards the next significant release of the alternative browser.
The new version of Firefox is running about a quarter behind schedule, and has most recently been a target of criticism over its handling of bugs. While the company maintains that such concerns are overblown, it does appear the most significant issues have been addressed.
iPhone's future uncertain in Germany after court ruling
Apple may find itself with one less distributor in Europe after a German court issued a restraining order against its partner T-Mobile.
The action was filed after Vodafone took exception to the Cupertino company's exclusive contract with the carrier. The restraining order prevents T-Mobile from selling the phone within the country.
FCC commissioner: Deregulation promotes big media breakups
As the FCC considers a plan being devised by its chairman to offer channels 'a la carte' in an effort to promote diversity, opponents in and outside the Commission are arguing it should leave big media alone.
The opposition is growing to US Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's proposal to invoke a clause in the Cable Communications Act of 1984 to open up cable TV channels to consumer choice. Chairman Martin's aim would be to ensure a more diverse programming lineup is available to customers, rather than the usual slate of basic channels that CATV services typically select for them.
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