LimeWire to Launch Legit Music Store
File sharing company LimeWire has announced plans to open a legitimate music store, which it will eventually integrate into its popular -- and controversial -- P2P software. The company is facing increasing pressure to clean up its business after being sued by the record industry.
While the court case is ongoing and the RIAA is demanding $150,000 for every song illegally shared via LimeWire, the company has kept its business moving forward. The LimeWire store won't have an extensive library to begin with, as it is initially only licensing music from IRIS Distribution and Nettwerk Productions. But the songs will be available as 256kbps MP3s with no copy protection. Both a la carte downloads and subscription offerings will be available to customers, but pricing has not yet been announced.
Microsoft Upgrades Hotmail Storage, Features
Microsoft this week began rolling out new features to users of its Windows Live Hotmail service, most notably adding increased mail storage of 5GB for free accounts and 10GB for paid subscribers. The company has also add "vacation replies" and the ability to turn off the Today screen.
The updated Hotmail will reach users gradually over the coming weeks, Microsoft says. Other new features coming include better performance, increased mail retention, contacts de-duplication, mail forwarding for combining accounts, meeting requests, and better spam filtering.
Symantec, Intel Working on Secure Chips
Security firm Symantec has joined up with chip giant Intel to research and develop security solutions built directly into the hardware used by computers. Symantec software would interact directly with the Intel chips at the hardware level, rather than relying on an operating system like Windows.
Integrating security into hardware technology is nothing new, but virtualization is opening the door to more capabilities. The effort, known as "Project Hood" according to Reuters, involves running the software "underneath and alongside" the operating system. The companies are calling the result an "appliance" that can be added to Intel's processor chipsets.
Australians See Xbox 360 Price Drop
A week after the United States and Canada saw the Xbox 360's price tag slashed to better compete with the PS3 and Nintendo Wii, Australian gamers can buy Microsoft's console for the same price as a Wii. Starting today, the Xbox 360 Core will run A$399.95, down from A$429.95. The Pro model has been lowered from A$649.95 to A$579.95.
By comparison, in Australia the PS3 runs A$1000. Xbox 360 Pro units sold down under will also soon sport the HDMI connection that United States buyers are starting to see. Microsoft plans to bring the new Elite and Halo 3 Special Edition models to Australia as well, but the company did not specify a timeframe for availability.
No Beatles Yet, iTunes Gets John Lennon
Although the library of Beatles music isn't expected to be available digitally until next year, Apple announced Tuesday that it has made available the solo catalog of John Lennon. 16 works from EMI have been posted on iTunes, although all but two were available for purchase on other services previously.
The “Lennon Legend” and “Acoustic” collections are making their digital debut on iTunes, and for the next 30 days, exclusive video content will be included with the albums "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band," "Sometime in New York City,; "Walls and Bridges," "Milk and Honey" and the collections "Anthology" and "Working Class Hero." All tracks are available in DRM-free form for $1.29 USD per song.
Intuit Preparing Quicken Online
With QuickBooks having long been available as an online service, it was only a matter of time before Intuit launched a Web based version of its Quicken financial software for consumers. The online version is currently in closed beta testing, but will be expanded on September 10, the company said Tuesday.
Quicken Online largely offers the same user interface as the software, which already relies heavily on HTML. Intuit has seen big success with QuickBooks online, but it's not clear what advantages an online version of Quicken will bring to consumers, since they don't need multiple accounts or remote access like businesses might. Pricing for Quicken Online also has not been set, but more details are expected later this year.
Trend Micro to Host Beta Test Event
Security software vendor Trend Micro is hosting a two-day beta testing event to help the company prepare its Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 suite for release. Participants will be asked to bring their laptops and use the product over a three hour period, providing feedback and working directly with developers.
The event will be held on August 17 and 18 at The Grand Hotel in Sunnyvale, California. At the end of the day, participants will receive a $200 American Express gift card and Trend Micro gift pack. In addition, the company will send everyone a 1-year free license for TIS 2008. The event is open to Windows XP and Vista users, but space is limited. To sign up, select a time: August 17, 7pm to 10pm; August 18, 9am to 12pm; August 18, 2pm to 5pm.
US Asks WTO to Stop Chinese Piracy
The US signaled that its patience was wearing thin with China on Monday, as it asked the World Trade Organization to crack down on piracy within the country. The Bush administration is especially concerned over the economic losses sustained to American businesses by the problem, which it says costs the country billions of dollars per year.
Both countries had previously met on the subject two months ago, but were not able to come to terms. While China has taken some steps to improve the situation, the US government said that significant issues still remain. "We will pursue this legal dispute in the WTO and will continue to work with China bilaterally on other important intellectual property reform issues," US Trade Representative Office spokesman Sean Spicer said.
Skype for iPhone Users
Shape Services said Monday that it had made a version of its IM+ for Skype client that works with the Apple iPhone. The application is already available for several other platforms, including BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Symbian, and J2ME devices. Shape said the Web application had been developed specially for the touchscreen interface of the iPhone.
IM+ allows users to place calls using SkypeOut credits or Skype plans to any Skype PC or phone number. "Noticing the public interest for Skype on iPhone, we decided to use our mobile IM and mobile Skype experience and develop an application for [the device's users]," Shape Services CEO Igor Berezovsky said in a statement. iPhone users can access the service by visiting skypeforiphone.com.
Study: EU Kids Ignore Risks of MP3 Sharing
A European Commission study has found that children in the EU know that downloading pirated music is illegal, however they justify it with a wide variety of excuses. Among the most popular were that everyone was doing it; downloads were for their use only; and that CDs and DVDs are too costly. Many didn't believe that downloading harms the artist at all.
The threat of legal repercussions is not what is stopping many from downloading pirated MP3s. In fact, many cited the risk of infecting their computers with a virus as a bigger deterrent. Almost all polled said they also planned to continue downloading music.
Microsoft Completes aQuantive Buy
aQuantive said Monday that it is now a fully-owned subsidiary of Microsoft, after the acquisition cleared all regulatory concerns and was approved by aQuantive shareholders on Thursday. As per the deal, the board of the company has resigned, although its CEO will serve within Microsoft as the head of its newly formed Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group.
The new division takes responsibility for building and marketing all ad platforms, and reports to Kevin Johnson, Microsoft's chief of the Platforms & Services Group. "The addition of aQuantive's technologies and people to the Microsoft portfolio is a core, strategic investment and step forward in our plans to become one of the top two online advertising platforms in the industry." Johnson said.
Microsoft to Appeal FCC TV Spectrum Ruling
Microsoft plans to dispute an FCC ruling striking down a proposal brought forth by several technology companies that utilizes unused portions of TV spectrum for high-speed Internet. According to the Washington Post, Microsoft will show that the devices would not cause interference.
Apparently, the first prototype demonstrating the use of "white space" to deliver Internet to rural areas was defective, causing the FCC review to show static on existing broadcasts. Microsoft has submitted a new model to the FCC, which it says causes no interference. The unused TV spectrum is set to be opened in early 2009.
Toshiba Issues Third Sony Battery Recall
As if consumers haven't heard enough on the subject, Toshiba on Friday issued its third recall related to malfunctioning Sony batteries that could overheat and potentially explode. This time around, only 1,400 batteries are affected for the company's Satellite A100, Satellite A105 and Terca A7 laptop models.
According to an advisory from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries and contact Toshiba to receive a free replacement battery." In the meantime, the laptops can be used safely without the battery when plugged in. More information is available from Toshiba's Web site.
Microsoft Tests New Live.com 'Dashboard'
Microsoft is testing out a new personalized homepage for Live.com that integrates separate Windows Live services into a single "dashboard." The site, located at home.live.com, displays new e-mails, blog postings from friends, and links to try out other Windows Live services like OneCare and SkyDrive.
The Redmond company hopes that by unifying its Windows Live services onto a single page, it may convince Hotmail or Spaces users to try other offerings they may not know about. Microsoft has struggled to draw consumers to its new services despite the new branding. Unified homepages are nothing new, as both Google and Yahoo offer similar sites, along with upstarts like Netvibes.
Google Offers Paid Storage Upgrades
On the same day that Microsoft rebranded its storage service to Windows Live SkyDrive, Google made some moves of its own in the space. The company unrolled "overflow" solutions for those users who exceed their 1GB of storage for Picasa Web Albums and 2.8GB for Gmail.
For $20 per year, customers can use up to 6GB of storage, $75 for 25GB, $250 for 100GB and $500 for 250GB. At the moment, the new storage applies only to Gmail and Picasa, but Google says the capacity will soon be expanded to cover Docs & Spreadsheets and other Google Apps. More information is available on Google's new Manage Storage page.
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