AT&T Adds Subscription-Based Pandora Service
AT&T today announced the availability of yet another subscription-based music offering on select handsets, this time a mobile version of Pandora, a music recommendation service.
While Pandora can be ad-supported or subscription based when used in a browser, the mobile version will only be available for an $8.99 monthly charge, and integrates user data from the online version.
EU Trade Commissioner Pressures US to End Internet Gambling Ban
As a demonstration of the rapidly growing payoff from the falling value of the US dollar against foreign currency, European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson was in Washington today as part of an effort to compel Congress to repeal a ban on Internet gambling signed into law last year. Comm. Mandelson argued that the ban was unfair to Europe, where much of the world's online gambling operations are centered.
"It's not in the interest of American consumers to have good responsible competitors in this market excluded by regulatory mechanisms," Reuters quotes Mandelson as having told a Capitol Hill press gathering.
Whistleblower: AT&T Maintained a 'Secret Room' for the NSA
Bringing his claims to Capitol Hill for the first time, former AT&T network technician Mark Klein appeared yesterday at a press conference to reiterate his astonishing claim: AT&T operated a 24 x 48-foot room in one of its network operations centers in San Francisco, where Klein discovered his employer was cooperating with the National Security Agency in the monitoring of all Internet traffic over a major backbone line.
"I have first-hand knowledge of the clandestine collaboration between one giant telecommunications company, AT&T, and the National Security Agency to facilitate the most comprehensive illegal domestic spying program in history," Klein remarked in his press conference yesterday.
Microsoft to Remove Eolas Barrier in IE
Microsoft has begun advising customers on planned changes to IE now that it has licensed technology from Eolas, however it may have accidentally let slip a release window for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 to boot.
UPDATED The Redmond company said Thursday that it will release an update in April 2008 as part of its regular cumulative update for Internet Explorer that month. Microsoft will make the functionality available via a preview release in December.
Some Blu-ray BD+ Equipped Discs Now Duplicable, But For How Long?
A mere five months after the initial specification for the long-awaited BD+ copy protection system for Blu-ray Disc was formally released, the manufacturers of the media disc backup utility AnyDVD HD released a beta that has apparently been proven capable of copying BDs equipped with BD+ protection.
The beta of version 6.1.9.6 is apparently not without problems or exceptions, as indicated by a check of manufacturer SlySoft's forums today. Users reported problems copying Fantastic Four, Live Free or Die Hard, Sunshine, The Hills Have Eyes, and Spiderman 3 - which collectively constitute the bulk of all BD+ titles currently available. 20th Century-Fox was the first label to produce BD+ titles, and continues to be a principal champion of the system.
HP to Depart Digital Camera Market
Three years ago, Hewlett-Packard announced it would revamp its digital camera lineup and invest $1 billion in research and development over 18 months to become a leading vendor. In a stunning about-face today, HP announced that it is now seeking an outside OEM to design and distribute HP branded digital cameras.
The company will continue to sell its own models through the holiday season, and then cease in the first half of 2008, when a partnership is intended to be in place. The company that will take over production has not yet been determined.
Vonage Struggles to Move Past Lawsuits
Despite its continuing legal troubles, Vonage was still able to add new customers and is on the verge of settling a suit brought against it by AT&T.
The two sides have agreed to terms in principle that have Vonage pay AT&T $39 million over five years to settle all claims. Both sides will dismiss any legal actions outstanding.
FTC Fines Six Companies Over Do Not Call Violations
The Federal Trade Commission showed that it was serious about prosecuting those who did not follow the Do Not Call list, announcing six settlements totaling some $7.7 million in fines.
Since the law was enacted in 2003, the FTC has filed some 34 cases against violators, and nearly 134 million numbers have been placed on the list. Altogether some $16 million in penalties have been collected, the largest of which was a $5.3 million fine levied on DirecTV in 2005.
Sony Updates PS3 Firmware to 2.0
Sony said Thursday that it had released version 2 of the firmware for the PS3, including the feature to remotely turn the console on and off through the remote play function. The Japanese electronics maker says that the feature now gives all users with a PSP access to content on their PS3 hard drive from anywhere, as well as the ability to create unlimited numbers of music and photo playlists. However, according to reports, the feature also requires that the cooling fan run constantly.
Other features include enhancements to the PS3 XMB interface, allowing for customization of the background and color. Additionally, an information board feature has been added that would keep users up to date on new PlayStation news, a new PlayStation Network category, and Trend Micro Web Security, which is provided free of charge until April of next year.
Microsoft + Novell at One: What's Changed for Interoperability?
It was one year ago this week that Microsoft and Novell proclaimed their historic and still controversial agreement to not hold each other responsible for using any technology the other may have created or have rights to. Whether either side actually had the legal right to claim what technology it would agree not to claim, is still a matter of debate.
Like the famous transfusion between Gene Wilder's version of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, Microsoft appears to have gotten a part of Novell's "wonderful brain." But what did Novell get in return?
Mozilla Pulls Release Candidate of Firefox 3 Beta
A posting on the popular social news networking website Digg Wednesday morning caused Mozilla to pull the release candidate of its first beta of Firefox 3 from its servers.
On Digg, the release was reported as the first official release of Firefox 3 Beta 1, which it was not. This caused a problem for Mozilla since the release had not been properly checked by quality assurance nor had it followed the steps necessary for the beta release.
Target Removes 'Manhunt 2' From Stores
Retail giant Target has pulled Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 from its shelves following the publicity of a violence-increasing hack discovered just one day after the game's release. The hack, which only works for illegally modified PSPs, essentially rolls back superficial changes made to the game to fit ratings criteria. The result is a clearer view of killings that already take place in the game, without unlocking any deleted or hidden scenes.
ESRB President Patricia Vance feels that the existence of this hack does not alter the "M" rating given to the game. However, Target wishes to keep its customers "comfortable with the purchasing decisions they make." Given the nature of the hack, it is safe to say that PSP users will not accidentally unlock the censored content, and purchasers of the game can feel comfortable that they got all the feces flinging, neck stabbing, and sledgehammer assailing that they expected and were more than adequately warned about.
With Toshiba A2 Gone, Best Buy Sends Buyers A3
As previously reported, sales of the $99 Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player were brisk last week, with retailers selling over 100,000 units following a price drop that started at Wal-Mart and spread to other other outlets. However, demand was so high that the HD-A2 quickly sold out, and Best Buy is now telling customers it will send them the HD-A3 for no additional cost.
In an e-mail to customers, which explained that Best Buy will not be receiving any further HD-A2 inventory, the company said: "Because we value your business, we will be fulfilling your order with the next generation Toshiba HD DVD Player (model: HD-A3) that is replacing the HD-A2 in Toshiba's lineup of HD DVD Players." The HD-A3 launched with a retail price of $299 last month, but now can be found for $199 at some stores. Those who ordered the HD-A2 after supplies ran out, however, will receive the new unit for just $99.
Sony to Supply Advanced Student ID Cards
Blackboard Communications Systems announced Wednesday that it would be partnering with Sony to begin developing contactless identity card systems in the U.S. Blackboard designs "one-card" systems for campus transactions, bridging financial, data, access, and authentication systems into a single "network transaction environment."
The company's swipe-able card systems are in place in many academic institutions across the globe. By partnering with Sony, and utilizing its successful FeliCa system, Blackboard systems will be able to produce student identifications that work like SpeedPass and EZPay.
Ticketmaster to Sell iTunes Albums on Site
Ticketmaster and Apple said Wednesday that they had formed a partnership where digital albums of artists would be sold alongside concert tickets on Ticketmaster.com. About 700 artists including Kanye West, Keith Urban and Bon Jovi would be the first to take advantage of the tie-in on the ticketing site. As a promotion, albums sold at Tickmaster and redeemed through iTunes would be cheaper by $1 through December 29.
The promotion would compliment another that the two companies have launched at Target. A $50 iTunes card is available at that retailer, which gives a $25 credit towards a purchase at ticketmaster.com along with $25 in iTunes credits. This isn't the first time Apple has joined forces with the ticket seller: in 2005 it sold pre-sale tickets for a Depeche Mode concert alongside the band's newest album at that time.
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