09/29, 4:55pm
Akamai intros HD Network with online streaming
Akamai on Tuesday announced it will soon launch the Akamai HD Network that will be capable of delivering HD video to hundreds of thousands of people using Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight and, eventually, the iPhone. The Akamai HD Network will support both live and on-demand streaming. It will run on Adamai's global EdgePlatform network platform composed of over 50,000 servers, allowing content providers with a reach to some 70 countries.
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09/09, 1:40pm
Microsoft, Tesco movie service
Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has teamed with UK-based retailer Tesco to bring out a new service that will provide customers with DVD-quality movies delivered to them over the web using Microsoft's Silverlight technology. While details are scarce, customers who buy DVD movies from Tesco will be able to download digital copies of the title to their Windows PCs and Macs.
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09/07, 10:30am
May close some common vulnerabilities
Beginning with two Tuesday updates, all future iterations of Mozilla's Firefox browser will check for at least some outdated plug-ins, the company has announced. Firefox 3.5.3 and 3.0.14 will both scan for the latest version of Flash, prompting users to visit a link where an updated plug-in can be downloaded. "For now, our focus is on the Adobe Flash Player both because of its popularity and because some studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of users currently have an out-of-date version," says Firefox security team member Johnathan Nightingale.
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08/24, 10:40am
RIM Buys Torch for Browser
Software developer Torch Mobile on Monday hinted at Research in Motion's (RIM) future plans for the BlackBerry by confirming that it has been bought out by the Canadian smartphone maker. While the terms of the deal aren't known, Torch explicitly says it expects to bring its experience with developing WebKit-based browsers like Iris to BlackBerry devices. It will similarly continue to develop WebKit as part of its open-source nature.
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08/19, 2:30pm
BBerry Gets Flash in 2010
A rumor from a purportedly certain source suggests RIM will have full, near desktop-grade Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight on the BlackBerry's web browser next year. Full details aren't given, but BGR understands that the update is primarily waiting on hardware. As either web plug-in demands both a strong processor and a fast Internet connection, RIM is said to only be launching the more advanced browser in summer 2010, when its phones will be faster and should have faster 3G and potentially 4G connections.
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08/11, 5:30pm
MS Nokia Office Tomorrow
Microsoft this evening said it and Nokia together would hold a conference call late tomorrow morning to unveil an "alliance" between the two firms. The two aren't specific about details. As the call will be led by Microsoft Business president Stephen Elop as well as Nokia's executive devices VP Kai Öistämö, however, it's the news may involve the addition of Office apps to Nokia's smartphones, especially its Eseries business models.
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08/03, 2:40pm
Netflix iPhone Rumor
Netflix may soon be opening the gates to its unlimited movie and TV streaming on the iPhone and iPod touch, a rumor indicates today. An executive for an unnamed company claims to MCN that Netflix will "soon" extend Watch Instantly to the Apple devices. The service would likely be limited to Wi-Fi for bandwidth concerns, though it's unclear whether this would be due solely to pressure from AT&T or simple practical concerns: Netflix streaming normally needs hundreds of kilobits per second and would be likely to encounter connection problems over 3G.
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07/11, 9:45pm
MS Silverlight 3 released
Microsoft has released Silverlight 3, a new release of its multimedia software for Web. The software is available for Mac OS X, Linux and Windows. Version 3 of new version of software, designed only for Intel-based Macs, offers better performance, GPU acceleration, tools to run on the desktop, and support for higher quality audio and video, including native H.264/Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) Audio, live and on-demand IIS7 Smooth Streaming, full HD (720p+) playback, and an extensible decoder pipeline. For developers, it new 3D graphics, animation features, hardware accelerated effects and text improvements to enable designers and developers to create next generation Web visuals.
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07/09, 10:30pm
Microsoft Silverlight 3
Microsoft tonight launched the public version of Silverlight 3, its animation and video plugin for the web. The rival to Flash is the company's first to use hardware graphics acceleration both for 3D and for offloading the work of decoding video from the main processor. Regardless of graphics power, the update is also the first to promise a near-seamless HD video experience: a "smooth streaming" technique that automatically lowers the bitrate to start playback immediately and quickly brings it back up to provide the maximum quality the connection allows.
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03/18, 7:00pm
MS outs Silverlight 3 Beta
At its MIX 09 developer and designer conference which kicked off on Wednesday, Microsoft released a beta version of its upcoming Silverlight 3 Internet media player. The Flash alternative is smaller in size than its Silverlight 2 predecessor, at 4.4MB, and aims to improve on the earlier software which launched in full build four months ago. Along with the player, the software giant release associated tools for developers, including the Software Development Kit (SDK) and various authoring programs.
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02/17, 6:50am
Flash on smartphones
Adobe’s Flash Lite multimedia player for mobile phones, while still lacking iPhone compatibility, has been growing in popularity and will have reached 1 billion phones by the end of March this year, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. Reaching their desired mark one year ahead of the company’s previous target, Flash Lite is said by Strategy Analytics expert Steward to have risen due to recent support for HD video as well as Nokia’s agreements to install Flash Lite on its phones. Another factor mentioned by Robinson is the absence of real competition for Adobe's Flash Lite player, though he still predicts another 1.5 billion smartphones carrying the software within two years.
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02/16, 12:25pm
LG GM730 Arena and GD900
LG's turn at MWC phone launches centers on three full touchscreen devices, including the first-ever phone planned around Windows Mobile 6.5. The GM730 (shown) has the company's new S-Class 3D interface, which adds an iPhone-like home screen with a "cube" that lets users flick between apps, media, phone and widget functions; underneath, it now has the updated Internet Explorer's full web browsing with Flash and Silverlight support.
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11/02, 10:15pm
Netflix Mac player
Netlflix has opened the Mac version of its streaming movie player into the public stage of beta testing, according to Hacking Netflix. Anyone can now opt-in to try out the player, which is based on Microsoft's Silverlight animation plugin. The entire Netflix collection is not yet available for streaming playback, although over 12,000 titles are accessible and the company is regularly adding more content to its "Watch Instantly" section. The service should be available for all customers by the end of the year.
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10/27, 1:25am
Netflix streaming to Macs
Netflix, the online movie rental service, is launching Mac support for internet streaming movies utilizing Microsoft's Silverlight, a web-browser plug-in that features animation and audio-video capabilities similar to Adobe's Flash software. The deployment of the capabilities will start with a small number of subscribers, expanding to all subscribers by year's end. Silverlight features cross-platform and cross-browser support, as well as Play Ready DRM, a pivotal factor in Netflix being able to stream copy-write-protected content to subscribers on both Macs and PCs.
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10/13, 3:25pm
Silverlight 2 released
Microsoft is nearing a final release of its updated programmable browser plugin, Silverlight 2, with a beta version available for download. Many of the new features are designed to be attractive to developers, which will be a key factor for taking market share from its main competitor, Adobe Flash. Support for the full range of .NET framework has been added, which further expands the list of compatible programming languages that also includes Visual Basic, C#, JavaScript, IronPython, and IronRuby. The plugin now works across Windows, Mac, or Linux systems in Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.
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05/19, 11:15am
ITV video now Mac-ready
British TV broadcaster ITV is officially supporting Macs for web-based viewing, it has announced. The network lets users watch a number of programs online, such as Coronation Street, Britain's Got Talent and Pushing Daisies; until recently however users were forced to use Windows, and ideally Internet Explorer. The site now runs on Firefox 1.5 and 2, as well as Safari; the key difference is that these require Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in, which operates similarly to Flash. Mac owners must be running Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later.
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03/18, 10:20pm
Adobe iPhone Flash Coming
Adobe is in the process of developing its own Flash client for the iPhone, company chief Shantanu Narayen told investment experts during a conference call (registration required). The executive revealed that Adobe has obtained the publicly available Software Development Kit and intends to release a version of the animation plugin through the App Store as soon as the software is completed. Narayen stated that analysis by the company suggested a form of Flash could be developed without requiring special access to Apple's mobile Safari browser and that it would be an important launch regardless of how it arrives.
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03/17, 9:55am
Google on MS Yahoo Bid
A successful Microsoft takeover of Yahoo could potentially impact the open nature of the Internet, Google chief Eric Schmidt said today. The head of the search engine giant is "concerned" that Microsoft's ownership would result in the use of proprietary technology and curb a diverse market that comes from web standards that work in any device or browser.
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03/07, 12:40pm
Ballmer on iPhone SDK
Steve Ballmer recently sat down with Guy Kawasaki at the Mix 2008 conference in Las Vegas, where Kawasaki asked him about his feelings on Apple's iPhone developer announcements yesterday. According to CNET, Ballmer thinks that Silverlight on the iPhone would be interesting, but somewhat dismissed the idea. He says that there has been no official conversations with Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the matter, and Apple's business model of taking 30-percent of revenue is questionable.
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03/04, 8:40am
Nokia Adds MS Silverlight
Nokia today said it would add support for Microsoft's Silverlight web plugin, resulting in some of the first mobile devices to support the new rival to Adobe's Flash. The update applies to virtually all of Nokia's handhelds and ranges from the most basic Symbian Series 40 cellphones to Series 60 smartphones and the company's Linux-based N800 series Internet tablets. Adding the feature provides the phones with support for animation, videos, and even software programs running inside of Silverlight and helps mirror the experience a user would have on a desktop.
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12/26, 10:05am
Flip4Mac WMV 2.2 ships
Telestream has released a new update for its Flip4Mac WMV Components packages, bringing their version to 2.2. The software is used to play, import and/or convert Windows Media videos in a manner compatible with QuickTime; the upgraded edition is now fully compatible with Mac OS X Leopard, and should better support online streaming, whether through websites or directly from servers. The application now also has a JavaScript browser plug-in, which allows web developers to create interactive options for users such as playlists and custom buttons.
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