News Archive for 09/07/06

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Jammie Thomas seeks reduction of $1.9m RIAA damages

07/06, 11:50pm

Thomas fights RIAA damages

Following an unsuccessful legal battle against the RIAA, Jammie Thomas-Rasset has asked a federal court for a new trial or a reduction of the $1.92 million in damages she was recently ordered to pay, according to CNET News. The defense lawyers have argued that the recent judgment is disproportionate to the crime, with approximately $80,000 placed on each of the 24 copyrighted songs she is accused of illegally sharing.

Simple Help Editor 4.0 adds Apple Help Tech support

07/06, 10:40pm

Simple Help Editor 4.0

PandaWare has released the newest version of Simple Help Editor, an application used to create and alter cross-platform help systems. Version 4.0 aims to help edit individual pages and offers support for additional Apple Help technologies. The update also includes tools that enable a common set of content to be applied across different platforms or file formats, with support for RTF export. The software is now capable of producing output for Apple Help Viewer, HTML Help, and web browsers.

SIRIUS XM iPhone app reaches 1 million downloads

07/06, 9:55pm

SIRIUS XM iPhone App

The SIRIUS XM iPhone application has been downloaded by more than 1 million users since its release on June 18th. The title quickly became the top free app in the music category during its brief two-week stint on the App Store. The free app delivers sports, comedy, commercial-free music, and talk radio channels to an iPhone or iPod touch.

Infringement suit targets Apple, Sony, Nintendo

07/06, 8:50pm

Patent suit targets Apple

A new lawsuit has targeted Apple, Sony and Nintendo, for allegedly infringing on patents involving technology used in the iPhone, Wii and PS2, among others. The plaintiff, Shared Memory Graphics LLC, holds U.S. Patent No. 5,712,664 that describes a "shared memory graphics accelerator system."

Disk Doctors Photo Recovery now supports PSD files

07/06, 7:40pm

Photo Recovery enhanced

Disk Doctors has enhanced its Photo Recovery software to work with Adobe Photoshop files. Users can now recover PSD files from hard rives, memory cards, and other devices the content could be stored on. The application additionally recovers other file formats such as RAW photographs captured by a variety of DSLR cameras including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and Kodak.

Demand surges for Apple and Palm smartphones

07/06, 6:45pm

Smartphone buyer survey

As consumers plan to purchase more smartphones than ever, future demand for Palm and Apple devices also continues to surge, according to recent survey data collected by ChangeWave. While a March survey indicated only four percent of surveyed individuals expected to buy a Palm in the next 90 days, the group has doubled to eight percent in the June data.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX ships for Avid DS

07/06, 5:40pm

BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS

Boris FX has released its Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX video effects package for Avid DS. The package consists of approximately 180 filters, including 30 new effects such as Pixel Fixel, DV Fixer, Swish Pan, Cartoon Look, Pencil Sketch, Charcoal Sketch, and Water Color effects. The plug-in also includes such OpenGL-accelerated effects as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic.

Babylon translator expands to 33 languages

07/06, 5:05pm

Babylon translator update

Babylon has produced an updated version of self-named app, used to translate a variety of languages. The software now supports both online and offline dictionaries, allowing users to work when missing an Internet connection. The number of supported languages has meanwhile been expanded from 17 to 33; users have access to over 1,400 dictionaries and glossaries, including Oxford, Britannica, Merriam-Webster, Pons and Duden.

iPhone apps: Photo+Map, Mathemagics, Instaviz

07/06, 4:40pm

Apartments.com, QuickTip

Photo+Map ($2) can combine a map showing the location where a picture was taken and the picture that was taken there. The maps are automatically retrieved and are added as an extension to the image instead of reducing the original size of the image. Users can additionally choose to add a time-stamp along with latitude and longitude information to the image. A recent update includes support for the new 3MP camera used in the iPhone 3GS allowing users to save images at the full 2048 x 2048 resolution.

Pentax K-7 DSLR camera now shipping

07/06, 4:40pm

Pentax K-7 DSLR shipping

The Pentax K-7 digital SLR camera introduced at the end of May is now available via online retailer Amazon. Offered as a body-only, with no bundles in sight, the camera is priced at its promised $1,300. The 14.6-megapixel camera is Pentax' flagship, and can capture HD videos in 720p. Unlike other HD-capable cameras in the class, it also has a microphone jack for external input.

Conformalizer 3.1.3 includes AVID Pro Tools 8 support

07/06, 4:35pm

Conformalizer 3.1.3 ships

Maggot Software has released v3.1.3 of its Conformalizer utility. The application is used during sound editing in video recuts, and can detect VFX changes as cuts evolve. The update includes support for AVID Pro Tools 8, and adds new auto-conform routines, an updated search feature, and improved QuickTime views with better response and restored playback controls.

Sony Ericsson Twiggy flip-phone spotted

07/06, 4:25pm

Sony Ericsson Twiggy outed

A Sony Ericsson handset, only known as Twiggy, has been spotted recently, though no specific information regarding its features is known. Believed to be a replacement for the Walkman W350, the device sports an uncommon form factor in Sony Ericsson's lineup. Less a flip than a candybar with an opening flap that covers the keypad, the handset is nevertheless unique among recent Sony Ericsson offerings.

Three versions of ASUS T91 tablet coming

07/06, 4:20pm

3 versions of ASUS T91 due

A Monday report from ASUSTablet has the computer maker's UK arm reveal that there will be three versions of the Eee PC T91 netbook tablet. Aside from the standard model, called simply the T91, there will also be a version, the T91go with a 3G data network access, a GPS sensor and a digital DVB TV tuner. A third model will allow multi-touch inputs to its touchscreen, and this version is called the T91A. Whether this model will have the 3G, GPS and TV tuner as well is not yet known.

Medion intros Akoya Mini E1312 netbook

07/06, 4:05pm

Medion intros netbook

PC maker Medion recently announced it will soon offer its 11.6-inch Akoya Mini E1312 netbook. The screen has a 1366x768 resolution and is paired with an HDMI output for a similar resolution on a TV, with graphics processing coming via an ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 chipset. Rather than choose Intel's Atom, Medion instead opts for AMD's low-power 1.5GHz Sempron 210U, and there is 1GB of RAM onboard. The 160GB hard drive will be preloaded with Windows XP.

Android-based Samsung i7500 confirmed by O2

07/06, 4:00pm

O2 confirms Samsung i7500

UK carrier O2 has become the second carrier to confirm it will be carrying what is being called the most advanced Android handset to date, the Samsung i7500 Galaxy, TechRadar reported on Monday. French wireless provider Bouygues Telecom announced back in May it will begin offering the Galaxy in July, but O2's shipments are expected to begin in August. It's not known whether O2 will be the exclusive carrier of the handset, but it will offer it subsidized with a contract only.

Best Buy, Sprint offer Compaq netbook for 99 cents

07/06, 3:55pm

Compaq Mini 110 for 99c

Best Buy and Sprint sought to lure customers into shops today with a special promo for the Compaq Mini 110. Normally $390, the netbook now costs 99 cents when tied to a two-year data plan and bought through one of Best Buy's stores. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon currently offer only partial discounts, typically offering their own systems for $200 on the same terms. No mention is made of whether or not the deal will expire, though it should need a monthly $60 plan that allows 5GB of data per month.

iPhone 3.0 causing unusually rapid battery drain?

07/06, 3:45pm

iPhone 3.0 battery drain

The iPhone 3.0 firmware is likely responsible for some unusually heavy battery drain on Apple handhelds, claims Aaron Vronko, the CEO of RapidRepair. The group was one of the first to conduct a teardown of the iPhone 3GS. Devices with the v3.0 firmware can sometimes drain "very quickly," Vronko notes, to the extent that they may be unable to make it through a single workday without a recharge. Similar complaints have appeared on Apple's support forums.

PS3 bundle with Killzone, MGS4 hints at slim model

07/06, 3:35pm

PS3 MGS Killzone 2 Bundle

A new bundle slipped out by Best Buy staffers suggests Sony is aggressively trying to clear stock ahead of the slim PlayStation 3 overhaul. Confirmed through box shots sent to Kotaku, the promo will see a current-generation 80GB PS3 packed with both Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 at the same $400 price as the regular model. The deal is unusual as Killzone is still considered a new title and normally costs $60 by itself.

Orange has LG watch phone coming in August

07/06, 3:10pm

LG watchphone at Orange

Orange has recently announced that LG's watch phone, the GD910, will be coming to the UK wireless provider sometime in August. Introduced as recently as late 2008, the phone will be available on pay-as-you-go plans as well as a SIM-only offering, where users buy the device itself and bring their own subscription and SIM card. The watch phone has a touchscreen interface, access to 3G HSDPA networks and video-calling support thanks to an integrated camera. It will ship together with a Bluetooth headset for making private calls.

DOJ starting AT&T, Verizon antitrust reviews?

07/06, 2:50pm

DOJ Starting ATT Antitrust

Cellular carriers have been given added pressure on Monday as a new leak claims the US Department of Justice is beginning a review of whether major providers are violating antitrust laws. The government's head for such cases, Christine Varney, is said by Wall Street Journal tipsters to be reviving Sherman antitrust law and checking to see whether AT&T, Verizon and other providers are misusing their dominant positions to stifle competition, particularly with exclusive handset deals. Politicians and DOJ officials have been concerned that AT&T's deal for the iPhone and similar bargains have prevented smaller carriers from offering a fair challenge.

Al Jazeera news network posts English iPhone app

07/06, 2:30pm

Al Jazeera iPhone app

The Arabic TV news network Al Jazeera has launched a new iPhone application, also compatible with the iPod touch. Users are able to stream the English-language version of the network's news feed, which has attracted controversy both Western and Middle Eastern countries as a result of covering material like statements from Al Qaeda. Video can be streamed in either low or high quality, depending on whether users are on a 3G or Wi-Fi connection.

Intel's mobile Core i7 chips all too thirsty?

07/06, 2:10pm

Intel Clarksfield 45W

Intel's Core i7 notebook chips may all consume too much power to be used in anything but high-end notebooks, a late leak indicates. Also known as Clarksfield, the 1.6GHz and 1.73GHz quad-core parts were originally thought to use 35W of peak power, suitable for average and some thin-and-light notebooks, but are now estimated to use 45W and would be ruled out for all but larger, desktop replacement notebooks. The flagship 2GHz Core i7 Extreme would be even more demanding at 55W.

Sony to intro TX1, WX1 cameras soon?

07/06, 1:10pm

Sony to intro new cameras

Sony will soon announce the release of a couple of new cameras, the DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1, which are based on its fairly new DSC-HX1, according to a SonyInsider report and listings on Provantage.com. The announcement is expected to come before month's end and the pair will build on the HX1 by replacing its 9-megapixel sensor with a 10-megapixel unit. Both will also be capable of recording 720p HD video, while the HX1 should also support 1080p recordings.

Radiopaq Sound Jacket attemps to boost Nano output

07/06, 1:00pm

Radiopaq Sound Jacket

Accessory maker Radiopaq has begun selling the Sound Jacket, an inline add-on for the fourth-generation iPod nano. The device performs automatic hardware equalization of a Nano's output, in theory compensating for distortion, as well as quality lost during file compression. Radiopaq claims that in some circumstances, quality should be improved by as much as 60 percent.

Apps: FlashVideo Converter, CaptureIt!, Camfrog

07/06, 12:10pm

MyMacTime, Letter Opener

FlashVideo Converter 3.1 ($100) is a tool for converting Flash SWF and FLV files to video files such as MP4, MOV and MPEG. The software has controls which allow users to adjust the codec parameters and to control the size and quality of the output video. Users can also adjust the resolution, quality, and audio settings of the conversion to their specific needs. The new release includes improved fps settings for QuickTime, MPEG, MPEG2, and MP4 files along with an updated preview window. [Download - 16.2MB]

Nokia teases rugged 3720 phone

07/06, 12:10pm

Nokia Rugged Phone Teaser

Nokia on Monday began teasing one of its few truly ruggedized phones. Likely to be called the 3720, the bar phone is shown surviving heavy rain as well as deliberate shock tests, such as kicking it or hitting it with a golf club. None of the other features of the phone are mentioned in the preview.

Adobe plans ColdFusion fix in wake of web attacks

07/06, 11:55am

ColdFusion sec. fix soon

A ColdFusion 8 security fix is due to be released this week, says Adobe. Targeted in the patch is a problem with FCKEditor, an open-source application that comes bundled with the ColdFusion suite. The software permits file uploads and management, features which are supposed to be disabled on a ColdFusion server; the connectors can sometimes remain active however, creating a vulnerability. Knowledgeable hackers can call up FCKEditor's file manager, and use it to upload files and gain control of a server.

Garmin intros BMW Motorrad IV motorcycle GPS

07/06, 11:45am

Garmin BMW Motorrad IV GPS

Portable GPS device maker Garmin has recently announced the upcoming release of its BMW Mottorad Navigator IV, which is based on the company's existing $800 zumo 660. The device was developed in conjunction with BMW to work with its motorcycles, and therefore has a customized four-button mount, unique though unspecified Bluetooth capabilities and a list of BMW dealers preloaded into its point-of-interest database.

Magellan bows new-design Maestro 4700 GPS

07/06, 11:25am

Magellan Maestro 4700

Magellan this morning officially unveiled its first significantly redesigned GPS unit in recent years. As seen at the FCC, the Maestro 4700 is significantly slimmer than most other models even with its larger 4.7-inch touchscreen. It's also Magellan's most advanced with 3D landscapes, Bluetooth calling and predictive traffic alerts that offers to reroute based on usual road congestion patterns.

Cobalt/carbon tech to boost capacity 1,000-fold

07/06, 11:05am

Cobalt tech to up storage

Researches at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, in Dresden, Germany headed up by Ruijuan Xiao say they found a way to increase storage capacity of magnetic data drives by a factor of 1,000. While the finding is simply a theory, the answer lies in tying cobalt molecules to a ring of carbon, as cobalt has the highest magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of all ferromagnetic elements suitable for storage. The density of data storage depends on the size of magnetic grains, which cannot be shrunk indefinitely.

Analyst: Competition for Chinese iPhone continues

07/06, 11:05am

Chinese iPhone war

In spite of a recent Merrill Lynch report, no deal has been finalized for a Chinese iPhone, claims Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. While China Unicom is still considered the frontrunner for a distribution agreement with Apple, the only alternative carrier in the region -- China Mobile -- is said by industry sources to be persisting in negotiations. The company has the distinct advantage of a larger subscriber base, at 488 million.

Samsung's 11.6-inch Ion-based netbook due July?

07/06, 10:50am

Samsung Ion netbook dated

The N510 11.6-inch netbook from Samsung that was recently leaked and powered by the NVIDIA Ion platform and an Intel Atom N-series CPU will be released sometime in July, DigiTimes reported on Monday. The netbook should be be powered by a 1.66GHz Atom processor, include 1GB of memory and house a 160GB hard drive. It will still ship with Windows XP, instead of Vista, despite Intel's netbook rules that call for XP.

Apple, Nokia making micro projector devices?

07/06, 10:40am

Apple Pico Projector Rumor

A number of top smartphone companies may be developing smartphones and other devices with built-in micro projectors, inside reports claim. A Taiwan-area contractor, Foxlink, is understood to have entered the young field and is deemed likely to supply the projectors to Apple, Nokia and Samsung, all of whom are supposedly introducing handhelds with the technology by the end of the year. The projectors' features are unknown as are the device names and features, though Foxlink already has a close tie with Apple through its manufacturing of other components.

Nokia denies Android move

07/06, 10:00am

Nokia Denies Android Plans

Nokia on Monday tried to deflect rumors that it's developing an Android smartphone. A company spokesman said that there is "absolutely no truth" to the claim, which would have a touchscreen device appear in September at Nokia World. The representative maintained the company's official choice of Symbian for all its smartphones.

iPhone 3.0 Wi-Fi problems to be fixed in 3.1?

07/06, 9:55am

iPhone 3.0 Wi-Fi problems

The public may have to wait for the release of v3.1 firmware to see a fix to current iPhone Wi-Fi issues, accounts suggest. Following the release of the v3.0 update on June 17th, a number of users have been reporting a diminished or total inability to connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot, forcing dependence on EDGE or 3G for data. Users can be within feet of a hotspot without gaining a connection, and resetting either an iPhone or a router does not appear to help.

AT&T co-producing 3G e-book reader, more?

07/06, 9:30am

ATT 3G E Book Reader Leak

AT&T is in the midst of co-developing a trio of non-phone devices that will take advantage of its 3G network, a leak indicates. The carrier's signature device would be an e-book reader with built-in 3G data access, likely following a similar strategy to the Kindle that lets users download books without needing Wi-Fi or a physical connection. It's not said by the BW source who the manufacturer may be or whether the device's 3G access would be built into the cost like with Amazon's device, but it will reportedly ship by the end of the year.

Sony Ericsson's angular Bao handset spotted

07/06, 8:55am

Sony Ericsson Bao handset

A new handset from Sony Ericsson was spotted online recently, with styling that not only resembles the Nokia 7070 Prism phone but also a stealth jet fighter. Called the Bao, the flip phone has a built-in camera, although details on its megapixel count or any of the device's other features and functions are not yet known.

Samsung intros 5M:1 contrast computer LCD

07/06, 8:45am

Samsung XL2370 LCD

Samsung today launched a new desktop LCD considered as its most advanced. The XL2370 measures only 20 inches but is one of the first its size with an LED backlight; making the switch boosts the contrast ratio to an unprecedented 5,000,000:1 and gives it far darker black levels than both some earlier LED-lit LCDs as well as all fluorescent displays. It's also unusually sharp at a native 1080p (versus a more typical 1680x1050) and fast with a 2ms average pixel response time.

Apple ordering cameras for "all" iPods?

07/06, 8:15am

iPod Camera Order Leak

Apple has been ordering enough camera sensors that every iPod except for the shuffle could have a camera with its next update, Asian sources claim. The American company is believed to be ordering cellphone-quality units worth about $10 but in too large numbers to simply apply to iPhone orders. Which models would get the update aren't specified by TechCrunch, but it's speculated that more than one iPod model would have to be covered given the sheer numbers.