This Computer Will Self Destruct
The Cyber Group Network Corporation is announcing a new technology developed at the company that gives a person the ability to track any computer or electronic device and either disable or destroy it remotely. The hardware/software combination, dubbed "The C-4 Chip," can accurately locate a lost or stolen device within five feet. The technology will be available in the first quarter of 2001, and will retail for around $99 USD. Visit The Cyber Group Network for more information.
New File Compression System for Images
A new file compression system, developed by a company named FileFlow, claims to have the ability to compress a 37MB file into 600KB for transfer across the net. The new compression is aimed specifically at digicam images and desktop publishing at the moment. Dubbed Fast Image Transfer (FIT), the file uses the same image for both the thumbnail and full-sized version of the images, while supporting military-grade encryption at 2,048 bits if necessary. Visit FileFlow for more information.
Interactive Voice for the Web
Tangozebra, a UK-based firm created by several musicians, is reporting they have created the first interactive voice for the Web. The java program allows various voice files to be loaded across the Web and accessed sequentially for playing. Online retailers and educators are the main target at this point in the operation, saying that a human voice can boost a consumers confidence in the product or company. For more information visit the Tangozebra Web site.
New MSN Next Week
ActiveWin is reporting that a new version of MSN Mars may arrive on July 18th, the same day as the expected release of a new version of Windows Media Player 7. Keep checking back with BetaNews and ActiveWin later today for more information about this latest release and the new features and fixes added.
64-bit Windows Coming Soon
Today at the Professional Developers Conference Bill Gates announced the availability of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.5 technologies to rev the engine of the conference participants. Not only did he speak on Microsoft's .Net strategy along with that, but also gave developers a glimpse of 64-bit Windows technologies and the software driver devlopment kit.
Gates told attendees, "the Internet Explorer 5.5 development platform is the best path forward for Web developers preparing for .NET as it offers the ability to develop reusable components for use across the Internet, providing the first steps toward creating rich services on the Web," as he highlighted key new features to make development on the IE 5.5 platform easier and more robust.
Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 - Soon
Microsoft reported yesterday "the expected summer release of Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) remains on target." The first service pack will address issues reported by a very select group of testers, which include some MSDN subscribers, hardware vendors, and premier support customers. Overall reliability of the operating system will be improved, along with better methods for installing service packs. For more information visit Microsoft.
3dfx's New Chip - Rampage
3d Retreat sends word that 3dfx has finally announced a few specs for its mysterious new chip, the Rampage. Long whispered about in the gaming world, including several rumors posted at 3d Retreat yesterday, the Rampage will reportedly support a screen resolution up to 2048x1536, and provide support for the DirectX and OpenGL APIs. For more information read about it at 3d Retreat.
Microsoft Introduces ADO+
As an "evolutionary improvement" to ActiveX Data Objects, ADO+ gives the developer more freedom and support for platform interoperability and program scalability. The new improvements make code writing simpler and easier to read with the use of "strongly typed programming". Other improvements in Visual Studio 7, such as the color-coded XML designer, are set to make ADO+ and programming easier and more powerful. Read the MSDN article about ADO+ for more information.
LiveWare! 3 for Windows 2000 Drivers Available
UPDATE - Creative has released the full version of the software and drivers for LiveWare! 3 for Windows 2000. You can get them from Creative. According to Creative newsgroups and ActiveWin, LiveWare! 3 for Windows 2000 is available for download, almost. The drivers have been posted, while the rest of the program remains to be seen. LiveWare! 3 gives users the ability to encode MP3s and comes packed with Lava!, Creative's music listening and 3D visualization software. It comes bundled with an array of software, and the new drivers can be downloaded from Creative. For more information visit the LiveWare! homepage.
Microsofts Eighth Professional Developers Conferece Begins
To open the annual conference for attendees, executive Paul Maritz announced that all professionals attending the conference would receive alpha copies of Visual Studio 7, newly dubbed Visual Studio .Net, and get a sneak peak at the initial framework of Microsoft's latest venture, the .Net strategy. Visual Studio 7 updates Visual Studio, C++, Visual FoxPro, and adds support for the new C# language. Visit Microsoft for more information.
AT&T, BT Unveil First Global Wireless Products
The wireless divisions of AT&T and British Telecom (BT) this morning took the wraps off their first global wireless products.
The products are the result of Advance, an alliance AT&T and BT announced earlier this year. Advance is charged with responding to the increasingly global expectations of their customers.
AOL in Mexico
Today marks the first official day of America Online availability in Mexico. Later this year the online giant plans to take its Latin America unit public in a separate IPO, and Mexico is just the first step in the process. Although it is the second service offered in the region, it is the first exclusively Spanish service. An extravagant party in Mexico City will launch the services today, with stars such as Antonio Banderas and Magic Johnson making appearances. For more information about the new services, visit AOL, Inc..
Online Privacy A Key (But Not Simple) Issue - Report
Coming to grips with consumer concerns over online privacy will be critical to the future of online commerce, but industry- and government-backed solutions to the issue aren't as simple as they may seem to their proponents, according to a new report from the Internet Policy Institute (IPI).
The latest addition to the IPI's Briefing the President project was penned by Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy, who have in the past partnered on books about the history and impact of the US Bill of Rights and about the notion of Americans' legal rights to privacy.
Napster CEO Gets His Day In The Senate
Napster Chief Executive Officer Hank Barry will be a star witness Tuesday when the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee holds an "information gathering" hearing on downloadable music and file-sharing technology.
Tuesday's hearing, which will also feature testimony from MP3.com's Michael Robertson, will represent the Judiciary Committee's first foray into the controversial issues surrounding digital music, Judiciary Committee spokesperson Jeanne Lopatto said today.
Report: The Internet Is, Like, Really Big Now
For those who need further proof that this Internet thing is getting huge, a study released today found that there are now more than 2 billion pages on the Internet.
Using a complex statistical model of the entire Net, a company called Cyveillance today unveiled its finding that there are some 2.1 billion "unique, publicly available pages available on the Internet."
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