News Archive for 08/03/24

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Justice Department approves XM-Sirius merger

03/24, 11:05pm

XM-Sirius merger approved

The US Federal Justice Department today approved the highly controversial XM-Sirius merger, with some in the industry claiming that despite over 10 years of rebellious behavior against the FCC, the decision will grant monopoly status to the two companies. Just over a month ago, the two satellite radio content providers had officially announced the desire to merge, which many Sirius shareholders voted to approve.

Briefly: Booq Boa Slimcase review

03/24, 7:10pm

Take Control of iWeb '08

In brief: We have a review of the Booq Boa Slimcase, the book Take Control of iWeb '08 has shipped, an REM music video available is available now through iTunes and "Easter mEgg Hunt" hunt for Mac software participants have been announced ... We have posted a review of the Booq Boa Slimcase. The series of bags supports laptop sizes ranging from 13 to 17 inches, and fit Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops. The Boa Slimcases are available in portrait and landscape formats. The two models and three sizes per model are designed for the professional who wants to carry only the basic necessities of computing. This $115 bag fits 13 to 15" laptops, while the other more expensive models fit the 17" MacBook Pro portables.

Intel's "Netbook" made official, called 2go PC

03/24, 7:05pm

Intel 2go PC by CTL

Intel's heavily rumored Netbook is now official, being renamed the 2go PC, and manufactured by PC builder CTL. According to Engadget, the education-oriented budget laptop will feature an Intel Celeron M, as well as a 915GMS graphics chipset. The 512MB of included DDR2 memory is upgradable to 1GB, while the PC features 40GB of storage. CTL will sell the 2go PC for approximately $400, and will see distribution within two months.

Study: 50% of phones playing music by 2011

03/24, 4:45pm

Study on Music Phones

Fully half of all phones shipped in the world will be music-capable within three years, according to a study by MultiMedia Intelligence. The research group estimates that while the cellphone market will largely remain flat, with 941 million phones being sold in 2011, about 50 percent of those devices will have at least some level music playback. This includes both high-end devices as well any phone that offers at least support for non-ringtone music files and a memory slot, the company said.

Australian WiMAX network closed, called a failure

03/24, 4:40pm

australian wimax closed

Australia’s WiMAX pioneer, Buzz Broadband, closed its network, with the operator’s CEO publicly calling the technology a “disaster” that “failed miserably.” The speech took place at the WiMAX World Asia Conference & Expo in Bangkok on March 19, according to reports. Garth Freeman went on to say the wireless broadband technology’s indoor performance was limited to about a quarter mile, while he called non-line-of-sight capabilities, at just over 1.2 miles, “non-existent.” Latency reached as much as 1 second, which makes the technology useless for Internet applications and VoIP. The latter was a major selling point for customers to make the switch to Buzz Broadband.

First Look: Safari 3.1

03/24, 4:30pm

First Look: Safari

With the release of version 3.1 of Safari for both Mac OS X and Windows, Apple’s browser has grabbed bragging rights for the fastest, most compatible, and fullest featured browser on any platform. Given these claims, Safari 3.1 seems like the hands-down winner. Since Safari is free, Mac OS X and Windows users have nothing to lose by trying Safari. The real question is whether Safari lives up to its extravagant claims.

FCC's 700MHz auction tainted by extortion charges

03/24, 4:15pm

700MHz auction extortion?

The FCC has agreed to look into accusations of extortion following its 700MHz wireless auction, reports say. While major blocks of the sought-after spectrum were quickly snapped up by companies such as AT&T and Verizon, the D block was largely abandoned, receiving a single $472 million bid by Qualcomm -- well short of the FCC's asking reserve price, $1.3 billion. The investigation will be headed by the FCC's inspector general, Kent Nilsson.

DOJ approves Sirius/XM merger

03/24, 3:40pm

DOJ Approves Sirius XM

The proposed merger between Sirius and XM took a major step forward today with tentative approval by Department of Justice. The government agency's ruling notes that the threat of a monopoly isn't likely as their satellite radio services compete against many other formats besides themselves, including iPods and HD Radio. A combined entity would have no chance in the market if it tried to raise prices, the Department said. The statement also dismisses claims by HD Radio that a merged Sirius and XM would exclude competing technology from car stereos and other equipment.

Motorola faces suit from famous investor

03/24, 3:10pm

Carl Icahn vs. Motorola

Motorola is being deliberately guarded about the prospects of its cellphone business, a lawsuit from a prominent investor alleges. Carl Icahn has been unhappy with the declining fortunes of the company, and for a year has proposed the installation of four new directors; Motorola has fought back, however, and is claimed by Icahn to have resisted attempts at accessing useful records. The lawsuit, filed in a Delaware court, looks to obtain those records, to "ascertain what the board could have done" to persuade shareholders that financial comments were right and would not give "an inaccurate perspective on the prospects for the mobile devices business."

NEC introduces NP-series mobile projectors

03/24, 3:05pm

NEC NP-series projectors

NEC announced the release of two mobile projectors on Monday, the NP100 and NP200, aimed for use in small or home offices and developing businesses. Both look nearly identical and feature Texas Instruments’ DLP technology that allows for a 1,300:1 contrast ratio. The NP100 has just SVGA (800x600) resolution, while the NP200 increases that sharpness to XGA (1024x768) for computers and other high-resolution sources.

Quanta, ooVoo partner on HD chat system for HDTVs

03/24, 2:40pm

quanta oovoo teamup HD

A technology partnership between Quanta and ooVoo will produce the first plug-and-play, real-time, high-definition video chat and messaging system, the two companies announced Monday. The companies, in response to the continuing growth in HDTV sales and popularity of chat programs, plan to create a product that will easily turn a laptop computer, HDTV or desktop PC into a high-definition chat screen. Quanta Research Institute, a research center of Quanta Computer Inc., the world’s largest laptop maker, would develop the hardware, while ooVoo, a provider of real-time video communication over the Internet, would work on the interface and related software.

Seagate CEO threatens SSD suit, trashes Air

03/24, 2:25pm

Seagate on SSD Lawsuit

Seagate may pull a lawsuit as its trump card if solid-state drives (SSDs) threaten to undermine its conventional hard drive business, company head Bill Watkins has said in a new interview with Fortune. The executive alleges that both Intel and Samsung are violating patents dealing with the interaction between computers and storage and that a formal complaint could follow that would either force them to change their technology or else compensate Seagate for their purported infringement.

Apps: CardRaider, NetFinder

03/24, 2:20pm

MacLoggerDX

CardRaider 2.0.2 ($20) utility for recovering photos and movies from digital camera memory cards. Recovered images can be sent directly to iPhoto. It can even find photos and movies on damaged or reformatted media cards that don't show up in the Finder. In addition to JPEG files, CardRaider will detect and recover professional "raw" formats, as well as MPEG, AVI, and QuickTime Movie files.The new version adds support for recovering additional pro formats including Hasselblad H3D (3FR), Epson Raw (ERF), Leica Raw, and Mimiya Raw (MEF). It also fixes an issue with recovering some Kodak Raw (KDC) formats. [Download - 2MB]
NetFinder 3.1 ($25) website and general file management and automation tool for remote servers and local files. It supports a number of protocols including FTP, FTP SSL/TLS, SFTP, WebDAV to name a few. QuickLook support for viewing files in NetFinder. Hit the space key to toggle. 10.5 only. [Download - 8.1MB]
MacLoggerDX 4.3.4 ($95) logs into your favorite Telnet or TNC DXCluster and as DX Spots are received, tunes your radio to the spot, looks up the call and displays the DX station on the real time grey line Map with distance and bearing from your station. The new release adds a Kenwood TS-60 Driver and Icom IC-718 S-Meter, Audio and Squelch support.[Download - 12.8MB]
Colorspace 1.9 ($30) universal color picker for web developers and designers. The application can be hidden in the task bar (requires Java 1.6) and lets you pick colors from anywhere on your screen. The new release has a context.js script rewrite, tray icon responds to single click (requires Java 1.6), some changes to the shutdown system, Mac OS X Quit no longer cancels system restart. [Download - 4.8MB]
DX Toolbox 3.3.0 ($25) radio propagation / conditions analysis and forecasting tool for amateur radio operators, shortwave listeners, and other radio enthusiasts. This version adds: HTTP Proxy support for those behind a firewall, a graph of the Planetary Kp Index. Can now copy the Grayline map to the clipboard. Automatic setting of the UTC offset. Updated for the new Space Environment Center URL which affects data for the Proton and Electron Flux graphs. [Download - 5MB]

Alienware adds 3.2GHz quad-core to Area-51 tower

03/24, 1:55pm

Alienware Area-51 3.2GHz

Quickly following on the heels of its GeForce 9800 GX2 update, Alienware on Monday afternoon refreshed the Area-51 gaming tower to add Intel's 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9770 as its best processor option. The new speed eclipses the 3GHz limit set by the older system and also brings with it a faster 1.6GHz system bus; the extra bandwidth helps keep traffic going to all four cores and also more properly feeds the DDR3 memory.

Memorex offers iWake iPod clock radio

03/24, 1:35pm

iWake

Memorex has begun shipping a new clock radio for various iPod models, includin the iPod Touch, Classic, nano and mini. The device, dubbed iWake, features a digital AM/FM radio, dual alarm function and a gradual volume increase for the alarm. There's also a clock backup capability that is invoked in the case of a power failure -- that function requires 2 "AAA" batteries (which aren't included). Other standard features include a snooze function. The iWake powers and charges any iPod with dock connector. The iWake clock radio is priced at $80.

Sony, Warner close to MySpace Music deal?

03/24, 1:25pm

Sony Warner and MySpace

Two major music labels are close to signing a deal for the rumored MySpace Music online store, say sources talking to the New York Post. Both Sony BMG and Warner Music are reportedly near the end of talks that would make their catalogs available the service, which is still expected to offer paid MP3 downloads as well as ad-subsidized free streams of music and videos. The feature is also now said to have downloadable ringtones through a deal with News Corp.-owned (and MySpace sister company) Jamba.

Google sets sights on mobile 'white space' broadband

03/24, 1:10pm

Google mobile broadband

Google has submitted a new proposal to the FCC to develop so-called white-space frequencies in the US, reports say. The frequencies lie in the spectrum between channels 2 and 51 in the television range, but are used by neither satellite nor cable providers; Google, one of the members of the White Spaces Coalition, is proposing that the FCC authorize the use of the space for a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans," according to a letter by company lawyer Richard Whitt.

MIU reveals HDPC all-in-one device

03/24, 12:10pm

MIU reveals HDPC device

Korean company MIU has unveiled an unusual new product, the HDPC. Its name standing for "Hybrid Dual Portable Computer," the HDPC functions primarily as a handheld UMPC, running Windows XP. Its four-inch screen displays images at 800x480, and users have access to a QWERTY keyboard as well as a pointer controller, and wireless Internet. By closing the lid however users switch into dedicated phone or media player modes, with extra touches such as a camera, an electronic dictionary and voice recording.

Toshiba ships low-cost 128GB SSD

03/24, 12:00pm

Toshiba 128GB SSD

Toshiba is about to ship its 128GB solid-state drive, the first SSD from the company and the first it says to offer the speed of faster drives with the storage of slower models. The 1.8-inch drive uses the same multi-level cell (MLC) process as the flash memory used in portable music players but also relies on a new controller that boosts its speeds well past the sometimes slow speeds of these cheaper drives. As promised, the unit can read at 100MB per second and writes at 40MB per second, making it faster than many 2.5-inch, notebook-sized drives.

Acer micro-notebook to undercut Eee PC's price?

03/24, 11:35am

Acer Undercuts Eee PC Cost

Acer will knowingly run under the price of the Eee PC 900 when it releases its own 8.9-inch notebook, say claims from its manufacturers. Although specifications are still unconfirmed, the system will purportedly cost a full $50 less to make than the Eee PC and push the real selling price closer to $350 or $400. The ASUS system will in turn sell for between $400 and $500, the report notes, giving Acer a major price advantage in the notebook category.

iLuv ships Bluetooth-enabled i399 speakers

03/24, 11:25am

iLuv ships i399 speakers

After some delay, iLuv has announced that it is finally shipping its i399 iPod speaker dock. The system produces 45W of RMS output across 2.1 channels, and can both play and charge an iPod at the same time; "most dockable iPods" are supported, excluding those of the first three generations. The Shuffle and other sound sources are supported through an auxiliary 3.5mm input, and an integrated FM tuner supports up to 20 presets.

Plextor intros Blu-ray drives with HD DVD

03/24, 11:10am

Plextor Blu ray RHD DVD

Plextor today surprised the computer drive industry with a pair of dual-format HD optical drives. The B920SA and B300SA are both intended as native Blu-ray disc drives but also provide 3X HD DVD reading; while the format war has ended, the new drives give owners of the now-obsolete HD DVD format a chance to watch their movies on a computer, according to the company. The B920SA also loses none of the functionality of a Blu-ray only drive and can burn 25GB discs at up to 4X speed in addition to writing DVDs and CDs.

jetBook brings multi-lanugage support to e-books

03/24, 10:45am

ECTACO jetBook Reader

Relative newcomer ECTACO became the latest to join the slowly growing field of e-book readers with the jetBook. The handheld uses a 5-inch e-paper display to supply grayscale books and photos without the eyestrain that normally accompanies LCDs. Its primary change from the formula of its rivals is language support: the jetBook not only supports Russian, Spanish, and multiple other languages natively but comes shipped with translation dictionaries to make foreign books readable without hunting down native versions or loading extra software.

IntelliTouch ships Eos wireless iPod speakers

03/24, 10:45am

Eos Wireless iPod speakers

Having announced it at the CES expo in January, IntelliTouch is now shipping its Eos wireless iPod speaker system. At the core is a base station, which provides 2.1-channel sound, using at its source any iPod or iPhone with Apple's standard USB dock connector; owners can alternately pipe in sound from the Shuffle, and other devices such as computers, through an auxiliary cable input. Output is enhanced through SRS WOW! technology.

LG LCD adds up to 6 displays via USB

03/24, 10:20am

LG LX206WU Display

Hoping to offer a new alternative to notebook owners and others forced to use only one or two displays, LG on Monday took the wraps from its Flatron LX206WU. Larger than its Samsung equivalent, the 20-inch screen shares the ability to output video using solely a USB connection rather than requiring DVI or VGA output from a video card. The technique allows as many as six of the wide LCDs to run from a single PC, with even notebooks supporting the extra space through a powered USB hub.

Flowing Pennies 1.0 aims at simple finance

03/24, 9:55am

Flowing Pennies 1.0 ships

Clarkwood Software has released the first incarnation of Flowing Pennies, a personal finance application. The software attempts to simplify use as much as possible; it concentrates solely on the amount of money flowing in and out of a person or family's budget, displaying all information in a single view. Adding and editing entries is handled through a simple footer bar, which also lets users specify how something was paid for.

Lenovo auctions rare Olympic notebook in US

03/24, 9:45am

Lenovo Olympic Notebook US

Lenovo this morning helped kick off the Olympic torch run with its first international edition notebook commemorating the trip to Beijing. The Olympic 3000-series V200 adds the company's "Cloud of Promise" design previously shown only for China to the company's home-oriented 12-inch portable, adding red with silver clouds to the normally black design. Specifications are unavailable should fit in line with one of the stock V200 models, which starts out with a 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, and a 160GB hard drive.

Images of iPhone App Store leaked?

03/24, 9:20am

App Store images leaked?

Apple may have inadvertently revealed ongoing testing of the App Store for the iPhone and the iPod touch, a popular hacking site claims. One contributor notes that while experimenting recently with the v2.0 firmware, he inadvertently managed to enter the App Store, instead of receiving the normal "cannot connect" message. Found inside were two web applications, including the well-known iPhone version of Facebook; it is speculated that Apple is doing live testing of the Store, and using placeholders in advance of the first truly native applications.

BlackBerry 8820 comes to T-Mobile with HotSpot@Home

03/24, 9:00am

BBerry 8820 at T-Mobile

T-Mobile on Monday hoped to improve on AT&T's formula in carrying the BlackBerry 8820. Like the reference version, the 8820 adds Wi-Fi to the pro smartphone's normal EDGE access and gives it quicker access. In contrast to AT&T, however, the T-Mobile edition adds UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) support to let it place free calls on Wi-Fi and bridge those calls to the GSM phone network and back as the user leaves the range of a local hotspot.

Mio intros Moov GPS units on US shores

03/24, 8:45am

Mio Moov for US

Quickly following its European launches earlier this month, Mio today launched its Moov GPS units in US-friendly versions. The 3.5-inch Moov 200/210 and 4.3-inch Moov 300/310 are the first Mio navigators to include Mio's own mapping software and also integrate SiRF's newest InstantFixII receivers to provide a fix in as little as five seconds -- an important factor in downtown driving where a dropped update means a missed turn, Mio claims. Both Moovs also provide text-to-speech conversion to speak street names and come preloaded with maps of the entire US and Puerto Rico.

Fujitsu 1st with 320GB, 7200RPM mobile drive

03/24, 8:10am

Fujitsu MHZ2 BJ Drive

Fujitsu is claiming a performance advantage today by introducing the largest-capacity fast notebook drive yet available. The MHZ2 BJ series holds the same 320GB as all but the most capacious 2.5-inch hard drives but spins at 7,200RPM versus the normal 5,400RPM. Combined with 16MB of cache, the extra speed reportedly provides a more desktop-like level of performance without the sacrifice in capacity dictated in the past.

Adobe ships Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac

03/24, 12:35am

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

Adobe on Monday began shipping Photoshop Elements 6 software for Macintosh. Photoshop Elements 6, announced at Macworld Expo in early January, features new Photomerge technology that lets users create a group shot by simply choosing and combining the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots. Version 6 also includes a new Quick Selection tool that snaps to the edges by simply clicking and dragging over a specific area and offers three editing modes, tuned for different levels of experience, including the new Guided Edit mode that walks beginners through various image improvement steps. Photoshop Elements 6 software streamlines editing with clean, uncluttered spaces and new tabs for easy access to various functions. Other enhancements include an improved conversion tool that converts color images into elegant, nuanced black-and-whites.