MP3.com To Go Brick-And-Mortar
In a rare instance of a dot-com going brick-and-mortar,
MP3.com, the embattled online music retailer that has
been under fire from the recording industry, reportedly plans to
participate in a chain of storefront entertainment complexes.
The company said Monday it has inked an agreement with The Outernet
Inc., a chain of retail outlets, that will enable consumers to go to
the stores to create their own custom-made CDs, according to a report
in the Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper, which noted that the CDs will
feature artists and groups posting their music on MP3.com.
Big Blue Goes Atomic
Computing powerhouse IBM has created what can only be described as an atomic sized computer. The experimental system utilizes quantum physics to enable the processor and memory to consist of just five atoms combined. IBM says this is the next step in creating computers with superfast calculating abilities, which could eventually be used for ultra-fast database search on the Internet or something else of that nature. The NSA is interested in the project as the computers could be used as code making and breaking machines with advanced cryptography. Read the article on CNET for more information on how quantum computing works.
Ticketmaster Gets Setback In 'Deep-Linking' Suit
Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch Inc. said it has failed again in an attempt to obtain a preliminary injunction preventing another Web site from "deep linking" into its pages while a lawsuit over the issue unfolds in a California federal court.
This is the second time US District Court Judge Harry Hupp has rebuffed the company's attempt to keep Tickets.com, an aggregator of online information about entertainment and sporting events, from probing its database. However, the high-profile case hasn't gone entirely Tickets.com's way either.
RealNetworks Subscription Service
RealNetworks is set to launch a subscription service for netizens around the globe that would give them access to videos, music, and software updates all through the Web. The new service, dubbed RealPlayer GoldPass, comes as an effort by the company to create a more cable-style business model for the net. The service will cost $9.95 USD a month, and will be available to those users who have purchased RealPlayer Plus premium, which costs $29.95 USD. For more information visit RealNetworks.
Justice Dept. To Ask Supreme Court To Hear Microsoft Case
Attorneys for the Justice Department on Tuesday will ask the
Supreme Court to handle an appeal to the government's landmark antitrust
case against Microsoft Corp. The DOJ is expected to argue that the case is
so important for the American consumer that it cannot be held up in a
lengthy
appeals court process.
The DOJ will file its brief with the Supreme Court pursuant to a briefing
schedule agreed upon by the federal government and Microsoft Corp., wherein both parties are given time to try to
convince the court to accept or reject jurisdiction in the case.
1.1 GHz AMD Athlon Processor
On August 28th Advanced Micro Devices will begin selling its 1.1GHz Athlon processors in new computers around the globe. At a cost of $853 USD in thousand unit quantities, the newest Athlon comes just shortly after the one year anniversary of the shipment first Athlon processor. For more information visit AMD's Web site.
BizTalk Server Beta Begins
Microsoft has made its BizTalk Server application available to the public to download and test out. The Redmond giant hopes that the new software will become a standard on the net for businesses. The main goal of the software is to make it easier to conduct business-to-business transactions over the net. BizTalk Server takes advantage of new technologies by using XML as the BizTalk Framework. The final version is set to be released sometime before the end of this year. For more information visit Microsoft.
Game Voice Share Download
Microsoft has released Game Voice Share, a free, feature limited version of its upcoming Game Voice software. Used for multi-player online gaming, Game Voice allows users to communicate verbally with opponents and teammates to either "trash talk" or perform strategy planning. The retail version features channels, hardware, and voice commands, which are missing in the free version. For more information, visit the Game Voice Web site.
Updated AOL for Linux Beta
America Online has a new beta of its Linux port to the popular AOL Instant Messenger application loved by netizens across the world. This latest version "runs on intel platform, and as has been tested on RedHat Linux 6.0, RedHat Linux 6.1,SuSe Linux 6.4 and Mandrake Linux 7.0." For more information on version 1.1.14 of AIM for Linux, visit the AOL Linux Beta Web site. Download this release at FileForum.
Microsoft Plans Reorganization to Focus On the Net
Microsoft is working on a major shuffle of
its operations to allow it to focus more on Internet strategies and
business, news reports said.
Today's Wall Street Journal (WSJ) notes that the shuffle will be the
software giant's third in 18 months, but will create a new division
to oversee the Microsoft.NET initiative, which was announced in June.
AMD's Hammer: 64-Bit Power
Advanced Micro Devices is set to go head-to-head again with powerhouse Intel in a completely new, and yet untouched market, the 64-bit processor arena. Intel has been working on their chip, the Itanium, for quite some time now, and due to another NDA breach, consumers can now have a first peek at details of Chipzilla's competition, in the AMD Hammer series of chips. The guys over at CPUReview have written up a lengthy story covering the subject, complete with technology specs and a comparison between current 32-bit processors. For more information read the article at CPUReview.
Office 10 - More Information
After reading several articles around the net, each offering various tidbits of information about the office suite, here is a summary of many of the new features that will be found in Microsoft's Office version 10. A wide variety of features and functions have been added, from online storage capabilities, to new ClipArt and language support. The new software is set to be the most powerful Office to date, with features not found in any other suite.
Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet writes that for starters, it appears that speech functions are being added according to testers. Version 10 will not only handle voice dictation, but command-and-control scenarios as well.
Nintendo's Dolphin - A Little Later
Nintendo says that on August 24th, details will be revealed about its new and upcoming 128-bit gaming system, codenamed Dolphin. The system is expected to be released sometime in the year 2001, a bit later than its original expected launch of later this year. Tight supplies appear to be part of the delays, and the system is expected to start a "full-blown war" in the gaming industry according to ZDNet.
Nintendo will also discuss two other new products, one dubbed Mobile System GB, which will allow consumers to connect their GameBoys to cellular phones. The other is GameBoy Advance, a 32-bit handheld gaming device with telecommunications functions built in.
Instant Messaging Groups Assail AOL's FCC Testimony
A coalition of companies offering "instant messaging" (IM)
chat services today blasted America Online Inc. for misleading federal
regulators about plans for allowing its 22 million customers to chat with
users of competing IM software.
At last month's Federal Communications Commission hearing on the
proposed merger between AOL and Time Warner Inc., FCC commissioners
quizzed AOL chief Steve Case as to why the company was taking so
long to develop compatibility protocols for its IM system.
Hack Attacks On Pentagon Sites Persist
Despite crying "uncle" and appealing to hackers to leave
their locales alone, US Defense Department officials said Tuesday
that mischief-making cyber vandals continue to target Pentagon Web
sites.
The ongoing acts, or "events," as described in a Reuters report,
include probes, scans, virus incidents and intrusions, and Pentagon
officials said the hacks make it more difficult to track cyber
threats possibly tied to foreign foes. The jump in reported attacks
is partly attributable to improved intrusion-detection procedures and
technology, along with increased awareness and reporting, but the
sophistication of attacks is also increasing and the often-present
"noise floor" from hackers "makes it a whole lot easier for (a
serious threat) to slip in," Reuters said.
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