T-Mobile Debuts Low-Cost Sidekick iD
Long a favorite of the rich and famous as well as hip teenagers, T-Mobile USA is aiming to take the Sidekick communications device to the masses with a new low-cost option. Available at a price of $99 with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate, the Sidekick iD is more in line with the average price of other cell phones offered by the company. It contains all of the standard features of the regular Sidekicks minus the camera.
The device would also give users the ability to exchange faceplates, a feature first made popular among late 90's cell users with Nokia handsets. A full HTML browser, AIM/Yahoo/Windows Live Messaging capabilities, myFaves compatibility, and a dedicated e-mail account would also be included. The phone will be available beginning April 25.
Toshiba Ships Low-Cost 1080p HD DVD Player
Toshiba said Wednesday that shipments of its HD-A20 HD DVD player had begun. The player is the first of the high-definition players, either Blu-ray or HD DVD, to offer 1080p resolution at a sub-$500 price point. The player will include an HDMI interface which Toshiba says could upconvert standard DVDs to near-HD quality, as well as standard interactivity and networking capabilities.
Over 900,000 HD DVD discs have been sold to date, Toshiba says, and 70 new titles are scheduled to be released between now and July. In an effort to continue the momentum, the company has announced a promotion that offers five free discs from a selection of 15 via a mail in-offer. Available titles include The Chronicles of Riddick, Constantine, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and U-571.
Beyond TV Adds Digital TV Recording Support
Although it is not CableCARD-like support, SnapStream Media said Tuesday that its latest update to Beyond TV will allow users to record select digital television channels through the software. Making this possible is support for what is called "unencrypted QAM." This will allow the viewing of channels compatible with the format, and record them as well through Beyond TV.
"Getting this working does require some specific hardware and to get everything setup, but if this survey is any indication, this won't deter many of you," SnapStream president and CEO Rakesh Agrawal said. Instructions on how to use the feature -- which the company says 'isn't for the faint of heart' -- are available from the company's message board. The update is free to current Beyond TV 4 users.
MGM Adds Catalog to iTunes Movie Store
MGM has become the latest major studio to offer its films through iTunes, adding some of its most memorable titles to the more than 500 movies now available through the service. Films such as "Dances with Wolves," "Mad Max," and "Rocky" have already been added, with plans to add additional titles in the coming weeks. Movies would be delivered in 640x480 resolution, Apple said.
More than two million movies have now been downloaded, and Apple claims that it is the most popular movie download service on the Internet. Currently iTunes has about five million songs, 350 television shows, and over 500 movies. Over 2.5 billion music tracks, 50 million television shows, and two million movies have been purchased, according to the latest figures.
Google Investing in Maxthon Browser?
The popular alternative IE-based browser Maxthon may now be partially owned by Google, if press reports are correct. Silicon Valley insider Michael Arrington said Tuesday that sources are indicating the search giant has invested around $1 million in the company.
While Maxthon has gained traction in the United States by offering tabbed browsing and other features that only arrived in IE7, most of its users are located in China. Searches sent by the browser could amount to 25% of leading Chinese search Baidu's traffic, Arrington said. The investment would include replacing Baidu and Yahoo with Google as the default search provider. Mozilla signed a similar deal with Google for Firefox.
Apple Fixes Two Airport Extreme Flaws
Apple released an update for its Airport Extreme base station product that addresses two separate security issues. The first tightens security issues with the 802.11n protocol available within the product. The second addresses an issue where the filenames of a password-protected AirPort Disk could be viewable to users on the local network, the company said in an advisory.
The update can be installed using the AirPort utility, and only affects those models with 802.11n capabilities. Of the first issue, Apple said it had to do with inbound traffic problems with IPv6, the replacement for the IP address system currently used, and the router would no longer accept inbound requests by default. The second fix would ensure a password was entered in order to view files on a local network.
TiVo Begins Rolling Out Spring Update
DVR manufacturer TiVo has begun rolling out to Series2 customers version 8.3 of its software, which it has dubbed the Spring 2007 Service Update. New features include a much-requested "More Options" menu when watching a program, enabling users to schedule a Season Pass or view upcoming showings.
TiVoCast has also been tweaked to display logos for partners in order to make it easier to identify where broadband video content is coming from. TiVo has staggered rollouts for its software, which means Series2 users will likely see the update arrive over the next month. Software version 8.3.1 will ship later for Series3 customers, most notably adding a "high-definition filter" to TiVo wishlists and the program guide.
Nokia Begins Shipments of N95 in US
Nokia said Monday that it had begun selling the highly anticipated N95 candy-bar slider phone in the United States, with the handset initially available through Nokia's flagship stores and select wireless retailers. The phone has integrated GPS functionality, 5-megapixel camera, and support for high-speed HSDPA networks, and will retail for $749 USD before any carrier subsidies.
Nokia said it began selling the phone on Saturday and many of those who arrived for the phone had been on the waiting list for several months. "We are now able to respond to consumer demand by selling the desirable Nokia N95 with a full US warranty and localized customer support, and with customers driving in all the way from Delaware and Massachusetts; we know this is the right way to go," Nokia Americas retail chief Winston Wright said.
Google Admits Help in Chinese Character Editor
Google has admitted to using a third-party in developing the dictionary for its recently-released Pinyin Input Method Editor (IME), aimed at assisting Chinese users in entering characters on a Roman-style keyboard, IDG News Service reported Monday. The search engine has come under criticism for possibly infringing on a similar service offered by Chinese competitor Sohu.com.
Sohu sent a letter to Google Friday demanding that they halt downloads of the IME, as they claim portions of the application copies its own IME. It is unknown whether Sohu used the same third-party, although names of Sohu employees and similar mistakes are found in each product. Google China apologized in a blog post Monday, making changes to the IME database.
Japan's KDDI to Offer Cell Service in US
Japan's second-largest wireless phone carrier announced plans Sunday to begin selling cellular service in the United States using Sprint-Nextel's network. The company is planning to target mainly Japanese customers living in the US, as it looks for customers beyond its saturated home market.
Although a number of MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) have fallen flat due to their reliance on a third-party network, KDDI believes it can distinguish itself by targeting Japanese who may already be familiar with the brand. According to Tokyo's Asahi newspaper, KDDI expects to begin selling phones later this month, rebranding handsets from Sanyo under its KDDI Mobile label.
Apple Sells 100 Millionth iPod
Outpacing even Sony's once-ubiquitous Walkman, Apple announced Monday it had sold 100 million iPods, making the device the fastest selling music player in history. The milestone was hit in just five and a half years, with the original 5GB iPod introduced in November 2001.
Apple has released 10 new iPod models since that time, including the iPod mini, iPod nano and iPod shuffle. Over 4,000 accessories are available for the player, and over 70 percent of car manufacturers offer iPod support. "iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that," remarked Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Microsoft: Build Your Own Home Server
Microsoft this week released a beta software development kit for Windows Home Server, the company's newest operating system version for connecting multiple PCs and digital devices in a home. The SDK will enable developers to build custom applications for Home Server, which could range from system protection and home security to media sharing.
"The SDK will enable hobbyist and professional developers to build applications that run on Windows Home Server and extend the functionality of the Windows Home Server Console, or to build applications that run on a home computer and connect to Windows Home Server," a company spokesperson told BetaNews. "Updates to the beta SDK documentation will be posted in the future."
Microsoft's Web Conference Sells Out
Microsoft's MIX 07 Web conference, which runs April 30 through May 2 in Las Vegas, has sold out, the company announced this week. Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie will open the conference with a keynote address, while other speakers include Robbie Bach, Scott Guthrie, and Michael Arrington.
Calling it "a 72-hour conversation," MIX 07 is designed to connect developers and designers who are building the next-generation Web applications. Microsoft also plans to show off the latest opportunities related to Windows Vista, Xbox 360, Windows Mobile and Windows Live. BetaNews will be in attendance covering MIX 07 live.
Yahoo Launches Beta of 'Alpha' Search
Yahoo's Australian arm launched a beta of a new search engine named "Alpha," which aims to bring together results from several different search engines. While many multi-source search sites combine the results together, Alpha would compartmentalize results into widget-like boxes. In the default set up, the main widget is Yahoo! Search, but the layout can be changed to the user's liking.
Currently in addition to Yahoo search results, widgets containing results from Flickr, YouTube, Yahoo! News, Wikipedia, and Yahoo Search Marketing are also included. A user can also add their own sources, as long as they know the base URL for search results.
New McAfee CEO Starts Blogging
Joining a growing trend of tech industry executives blogging publicly, new McAfee CEO David DeWalt published his first entry on the company's Security Insights Blog this week. DeWalt joined McAfee at the beginning of April, and says his blogging represents a changing culture at the company.
"McAfee has been through some difficult times recently, and I know it’s been hard on the people here who don’t deserve what they’ve been through. But things are going to be different now," DeWalt wrote. "I’m personally committed to providing the honest and transparent leadership that our customers, employees, shareholders and partners deserve." DeWalt even published his e-mail address for customers to contact him.
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