Internet Explorer 7 Now Available to Pirates
Microsoft has released a minor update to Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP, removing the requirement for users to be validated through the company's Windows Genuine Advantage program. This means those with non-legitimate or pirated copies of Windows can now upgrade their browser.
IE7 was released to the public nearly a year ago, but has yet to overtake its predecessor as the most used Web browser. The removal of the WGA requirement is sure to boost install numbers over IE6, and -- as Microsoft notes -- in turn protect more users from security threats on the Web.
Toshiba Shows Prototype That Records High-Def to DVD
On the very same day that the president of Matsushita Electric, the parent company of Panasonic, proclaimed at the CEATEC electronics show in Chiba that the format war for high-definition recorders was already over in Japan and customers there had already overwhelmingly chosen Blu-ray, Toshiba showed a prototype of an HD DVD recorder capable of burning up to two hours of 4 Mbps MPEG-4 high-definition video. That video is apparently being burned using a red laser -- not blue -- to an ordinary DVD-R, DVD-RW, or DVD-RAM disc.
As first reported in English by CDRinfo, Toshiba's RD-X7 would not be the first high-def recorder to support DVD - Sony has a handful of Blu-ray recorders planned for this holiday season. But it would be the first to support a new file format adopted just three weeks ago by the DVD Forum, caretaker of the HD DVD format, called "HD Rec."
HD DVD Studios to Join Microsoft, Toshiba in Promoting HDi
Apparently as part of a separate effort from the HD DVD Promotional Group, Toshiba and Microsoft announced tomorrow morning Asia/Pacific time (this afternoon US time) they will form a new coalition dedicated to promoting the HDi interactive layer used in HD DVD.
The charter members of the Advanced Interactivity Consortium will consist of Paramount (along with its DreamWorks Animation unit), Warner Bros., and Universal Studios. These well-known studios have apparently made a commitment to release HD DVD titles in the near future -- a timeframe has not been publicly specified -- that will feature advanced overlaid menuing, bookmarking, Internet connectivity including download capability, and online shopping.
Calif. Web Shutdown Could Have Been Avoided
Security software firm Sunbelt said Thursday that it had attempted to warn California officials of a hack on one of its sites long before the state shut ca.gov down entirely.
In a post to the company Web log Wednesday, Sunbelt's Alex Eckelberry said the company had warned the state as early as September 11, but the government ignored its warnings,
AT&T Unveils 'Tilt' Smartphone
AT&T today unveiled its first Windows Mobile 6-enabled smartphone, the Tilt. Named for its 2.8" screen, which tilts like a laptop's when slid up to reveal the handset's full QWERTY keyboard.
Containing a host of powerful features, the device includes Wi-Fi with 802.11b and g frequencies, a 3-megapixel camera, the highest resolution yet for AT&T, Bluetooth 2.0, support for up to 32Gb microSD memory, and global 3G Capabilities from AT&T's UMTS/HSDPA-based BroadbandConnect Network.
Apple Repairs QuickTime Glitch, Closes Browser Exploit
A security update released by Apple this morning for users of QuickTime for Windows appears to eradicate the exploitable hole discovered last month by GNUCitizen.org developer Petko D. Petkov.
That exploit enabled the Web browser to pass JavaScript code to the QuickTime plug-in, which it then passes back to Firefox when it's the default Web browser. The code could then run unchecked, theoretically enabling a malicious user almost total access to a client's system, including his file system and command line.
Microsoft Looks to Bring Health Records Online
Microsoft said Thursday that it had launched a new service called HealthVault, which will allow consumers to manage their health information online. The site does not fall under Microsoft's Windows Live branding, and is currently beta.
The offering looks fairly similar to that of Revolution Health, a venture led by AOL co-founder Steve Case. Like HealthVault, that service offers a centralized online location to manage healthcare information.
Gateway Unveils First 'Quad HD' Display
Gateway introduced its new top-of-the-line "Quad HD" display on Thursday, a 30-inch display that it says is capable of 1600p resolution, more than four times that of the traditional 720p display. The display upconverts standard definition to look like high definition, and can even convert 1080p -- the current highest resolution in which video is delivered-- to 1600p. Consumers could use a variety of inputs, including HDMI, DVI-D, VGA, component, S-Video, and composite interfaces.
Other features include a built-in six-port USB 2.0 hub and anti-theft software, allowing the display to be set to work with one PC only. Additionally it will include a built-in speaker system, and up to 2560x1600 resolution. The display is available through the computer maker's own channels and select retailers for $1,699.99.
NBCU Chief: File-sharers "The New Face of Organized Crime"
In a speech yesterday before a summit organized by the US Chamber of Commerce, NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker was quoted as proclaiming his industry and legislators are jointly losing the war against intellectual property piracy - a fight which impacts him personally as the chief of one of the world's principal content creators.
Though a complete transcript has yet to be made available, Broadcasting & Cable reports Zucker essentially drew an outline around both physical pirates and P2P file sharers, in an attempt to shame them all with an "axis of evil" style metaphor.
News Corp: Google Needs to Protect Copyright
News Corp chief Peter Chernin seems to be losing patience with Google over copyright issues, telling the Financial Times the company needs to do better on its YouTube site.
Chernin said there was no reason why the company could not track down copyrighted content as well as News Corp's own MySpace has. While the social networking site has had its share of
Halo 3 Rakes in $300 Million in First Week
Microsoft said Thursday that its hit game Halo 3 had reached $300 million in sales in the first week of availability. Better yet for the company, the game is also driving console sales, which have more than doubled according to initial reports from retailers. The figures make Halo 3 the fastest selling video game ever, and one of the biggest entertainment launches in history.
"'Halo' is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of 'Halo 3' is an important milestone for Xbox 360 and for video games as entertainment and as an art form," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. The company said 2.7 million, more than a third of the service's customer base, have already played the game through Xbox Live. This amounts to approximately 40 million hours online.
Palm CEO: New OS Delayed Until End of '08
Palm CEO Ed Colligan admitted this week that a new version of its operating system is at least a year and a half away, highlighting the continuing struggles of the PDA maker.
The new OS is intended to allow the company to expand beyond the PDA, however it is now somewhat unclear if the company will pursue such a strategy with the scrapping of the Foleo last month.
Microsoft Makes .NET Framework Source Code Visible Under License
As part of an effort to make debugging code at the granular level more feasible with its new Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft today said it will be making the source code for its .NET Framework available under its royalty-free, "read-only" Reference License.
Why would Microsoft want to reveal the inner workings of .NET without allowing others to contribute to it? The answer may be self-evident to developers who work on a daily basis with the problem of examining program behavior, especially using Visual Studio's common tools like breakpoints and watches (alerts which pop up under certain specified conditions).
Nintendo Offers Coats for Wiimotes
Wii owners may have noticed their consoles glowing blue yesterday, which typically indicates firmware updates and important messages from Nintendo HQ. The message yesterday said that the Wiimote controllers will receive an additional safety upgrade: a silicone covering.
This is part of what has become an ongoing process to minimize potential injury related to the controllers which, in the hands of overzealous gamers, could become quite a safety hazard.
Universal's In-movie Shopping Tries to Tip the Scales for HD DVD
Today, Universal Studios Home Entertainment said it's adding an online shopping feature to one of its popular movie releases - the upcoming Evan Almighty featuring comic Steve Carell - enabling high-def viewers to pause the movie, order something featuring or from the show, and resume.
The capability for HD DVD movies to contain programs that take advantage of Internet-driven Web services was built into that format from the beginning, and a separate-yet-equal capability was built into Blu-ray. But only now have studios begun to try these online-oriented features, now that more second-generation consoles with Internet capability have been sold.
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