Microsoft is working hard to ensure users of Apple's iPod music player do not experience difficulty when trying to use the device with Windows Vista. Among several patches released for the new operating system was one designed to address iPod issues that have appeared. Users had complained that their iPods were becoming corrupted after using the "Safely Remove Hardware" option to eject the player.

While Apple itself had addressed several of the problems with Vista in the iTunes 7.1 release earlier this month, it warned that the hardware removal issue was a Microsoft problem and advised users not to access the option. Even with the fix, however, 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista still remain incompatible with iTunes.

Continue reading →

Verizon said Tuesday that it plans to deploy technology developed by Alcatel-Lucent across its FiOS service area that could increase speeds by four to eight times.

Customers in Lewisville, Texas and Kirklyn, Pennsylvania would be the first to receive the upgrade, called a gigabit passive optical network (G-PON). Verizon would be the first to deploy the new technology within the United States.

Continue reading →

After IBM released its initial teaser yesterday touting its demonstration of an optical transceiver with a theoretical 160 gigabit per second (Gbps) throughput speed this upcoming Thursday, press sources seized upon this phrase: "fast enough to reduce the download time for a typical high definition feature-length film to a single second compared to 30 minutes or more."

That may be a tall order, given the fact that the prototype in question is a transceiver and not an endpoint. A transceiver is a device that bridges between layers of the Internet, such as between the physical layer (Layer 1 in the OSI model, the "backbone") and the data link layer (2). So we're not talking about something that goes into your PC, despite what you may have heard on local TV news.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has launched the appropriately named Windows Vista Additional License program, which will enable customers to save a bit of money if they want to install Windows Vista on multiple computers. Before, users had to purchase a completely new copy of Vista; now, they can just buy a license key online and save 10 percent.

"Remember, not properly activating Windows Vista will lead to it running in reduced functionality mode, so this new program is a handy way to avoid that situation. With it, customers can use their original Windows Vista media for installation and activate each installation using the newly purchased licenses," explained Vista product manager Nick White. The program is now available in the United States and Europe.

Continue reading →

Electronics retailer Best Buy has taken the unusual step of acquiring Speakeasy, one of the largest independent Internet service providers in the United States. The company is increasingly focusing on selling services to small businesses, which is where Speakeasy excels.

Speakeasy services, which include DSL broadband and voice over IP telephone offerings, will be sold through the retailer's Best Buy for Business division, which has locations in 281 physical stores across the country. The company intends to become a one-stop shop for small business technology needs.

Continue reading →

British music label EMI and Bertelsmann, the German media company that invested in the original Napster music sharing service, have settled a long-standing copyright infringement lawsuit. EMI joined Universal and a group of music publishers suing Bertelsmann in 2003, saying it should be held liable for music piracy committed by Napster users.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, although Bertelsmann previously settled with Universal for $61.22 million. Bertelsmann did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the agreement. "We can now put this matter behind us and continue to pursue the development of new legitimate digital-music business models," said EMI CEO Eric Nicoli in a statement.

Continue reading →

A Russian schoolteacher is being forced to stand trial on charges he pirated software for a second time, as a regional court overturned an earlier ruling that had dismissed the charges against him.

The initial case drew the attention of former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who wrote an open letter to Bill Gates to ask that he show the defendant mercy. However, Microsoft responded and said they had nothing to do with the case, and it was later thrown out.

Continue reading →

Among the major draws at this year's CTIA Wireless show are a slew of devices outfitted with the new "touch-to-connect" pairing capability of Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). The new standard's ratification was made official this morning.

The key feature of the 2.1 spec is its vastly improved pairing procedure, which is only very slightly more difficult than using a "keypass" to pay for gas at the pump. For instance, with a 2.1-endowed mobile phone, you can tell it to "Add Device," and then pass it close to the item you want to pair it with, such as a PC. (In company demos, the pairing range is within a few feet, though some Bluetooth representatives are using the term "tap" or "touch" to indicate that the pairing range in everyday practice should be much closer.)

Continue reading →

Cingular has signed deals with several banks that will eventually allow it to offer services that let its customers manage their accounts and pay bills via their cell phones, it said Tuesday.

The service will be available to customers that download a special application, and belong to banks managed by Wachovia, BancorpSouth, Regions Financial, and SunTrust among others. There will be no additional fee to use the service.

Continue reading →

Sporting what appears to be a demo of a zooming, tiled Web browser for mobile handsets with larger displays, and borrowing a term coined by the creator of the Macintosh's user interface, a startup firm called ZenZui burst upon the scene at CTIA Wireless this morning. Driving its debut is about $12 million in venture capital secured through the direct and overt assistance of Microsoft's IP Ventures program.

As ZenZui's co-founder and vice president, John SanGiovanni, stated in his company's inaugural podcast this morning, it's been operating in deep stealth for about five months, in cooperation with Microsoft Research. "ZenZui, as a technology, was actually born in the halls of Microsoft Research," SanGiovanni remarked.

Continue reading →

Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer HTC has unveiled two smart device models, including one that runs a full copy of the Windows Vista operating system.

HTC's Shift features a 7-inch widescreen touch display and 30GB hard drive, as well as a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE.

Continue reading →

At the CTIA Wireless tradeshow this week, Microsoft announced that AT&T (formerly Cingular) will be providing Windows Mobile 6 as a free upgrade to current customers using the Samsung Blackjack, HTC 8525, or Palm Treo 750. T-Mobile previously said it would offer a free upgrade as well.

Windows Mobile 6 is the latest version of Microsoft's smartphone operating system that brings a number of new features to handsets. AT&T customers using the Treo 750 will gain HSDPA 3G capability with the upgrade, allowing for faster download speeds. Palm will provide the WM6 upgrade directly to Treo 750 customers in Europe and Asia.

Continue reading →

Microsoft on Monday added another member to its board of directors, bringing on Netflix CEO and founder Reed Hastings. Hastings becomes the 10th member of the company's board, and will join its finance committee.

"Reed's track record for delivering innovative and disruptive technologies to market is very impressive," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Microsoft’s esteemed group of board members to help shape the direction of the company as it continues to tackle the biggest industry challenges and opportunities," said Hastings.

Continue reading →

Calling it the largest software release in the company's 25-year history, Adobe on Tuesday took the wraps off Creative Suite 3, an impressive catalog of 13 standalone applications available in six different configurations.

Adobe's latest release answers the call of many of its users who use the Mac OS X platform by making CS3 a Universal Binary - meaning it is compatible with Apple computers utilizing an Intel processor. In addition, the suite will take advantage of Windows Vista as well.

Continue reading →

Sprint elaborated on its WiMAX plans Tuesday, saying it was already in discussions with several manufacturers about producing compatible devices, as well as naming nineteen markets in the US where it would initially offer service.

Initial launches of WiMAX will begin by year's end, with commercial services available in "a number of markets" by April of next year. Sprint hopes to have service available to 100 million consumers by the end of 2008, it said.

Continue reading →