Adobe Looking to Spread Mobile Flash
Adobe said Wednesday it had purchased mobile graphics software developed by Actimagine, a move designed to improve the availability of Flash across a wide variety of mobile devices. Thus far, Flash is only available on higher-end phones, but Adobe said the additional technology would help the company produce versions for mass-marketed mobile devices.
In addition to the technology acquisition, Actimagine has also agreed to incorporate Adobe Flash Lite into its current and future offerings. "We look forward to accelerating the existing momentum of Flash and increasing its reach and capabilities in mass market mobile phones," Actimagine CEO Andre Pagnac said.
DOJ Approves AT&T, BellSouth Merger
The United States Department of Justice on Wednesday approved the $67 billion purchase of BellSouth by AT&T, moving the company one step closer to becoming the largest mobile, broadband and Internet service provider. However, FCC approval is still needed and some commissioners have expressed concern that consumers will be hurt by a lack of competition.
Still, DOJ gave the green light with no special conditions, stating that, "After thoroughly investigating AT&T's proposed acquisition of BellSouth, the antitrust division determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to reduce competition substantially." The FCC is slated to vote on the deal Thursday, although there has been pressure from Congress to delay the matter.
PBS Joins iTunes Video Store
PBS said Tuesday that it had added programming to the iTunes Music Store, including documentary, primetime and children's programming. As with other videos on the market-leading download service, downloads would cost $1.99 USD. Included in the offering are "Antiques Roadshow," "Nova," "Now," "Scientific American Frontiers," and children's shows "Arthur, "Cyberchase" and "Fetch."
The success of PBS podcasts on iTunes spurred the network to add its programming to the service, which now includes over 220 shows from more than 40 networks. The viewer-supported network would also attach content to each episode that would underscore the benefits of becoming a member of a local PBS station, it said.
First 50GB Blu-ray Disc to Debut
Sony Pictures plans to make available the first 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc on Tuesday when it releases Adam Sandler's latest flick, "Click." Although Blu-ray movies have been available since June, none have employed a second layer of data, which doubles the disc's capacity.
The extra 25GB of space will be used for interactivity and extras, such as high-definition bonus features and uncompressed PCM audio. Still, only a handful of films will come with such content, which was touted as a key feature of Blu-ray. Sony will release "Black Hawk Down" and "Talladega Nights" in 50GB versions before the end of the year. 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate each plan to release one dual-layer Blu-ray movie as well.
Sun Takes Press Conference Virtual
Sun's next press conference won't be held at the company's Santa Clara, Calif. headquarters; rather, it will take place in the virtual world of Second Life. The event, scheduled for Tuesday, would be the first by a Fortune 500 company to be held virtually. Sun's reasoning for the move is that it fits in with the company's position of "the network as the computer."
The event, to be hosted by Sun Chief Researcher John Gage, will discuss Sun's plans for Second Life. Also, Chris Melissinos, Sun's chief gaming officer, and Philip Linden, CEO of Linden Lab, will attend to speak with attendees. In addition to the briefing, those in attendance will be able to tour a virtual Sun booth that includes video kiosks showing various Sun accomplishments.
Google Considering Buying YouTube?
The rumor mill heated up with acquisition talks again on Friday, as reports began to surface that Google is in talks with popular video site YouTube. Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Google could pay around $1.6 billion for the startup.
Speculation surrounding YouTube's future is nothing new. The company has been bleeding money as it struggles to find a sustainable revenue model to cover its massive bandwidth costs, and an entrenched suitor like Yahoo or Google could give it a way out. However, copyright infringement issues could stall any buyout, as much of YouTube's content has been uploaded without permission.
Starbucks Hear Music Added to iTunes
Coffee house chain Starbucks said Thursday it had signed an agreement with Apple Computer to make its Hear Music offerings available through the iTunes service. The company acquired Hear Music in 1999, and the agreement would set up a separate store within iTunes. The area would include playlists created by the same people responsible with programming the music heard in the company's shops worldwide.
"Millions of people enjoy the great music featured at Starbucks locations worldwide, and ask us for it by name," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "Starbucks Hear Music has been a hit with music fans and we're thrilled to add a Starbucks area to iTunes with all this great music online for the first time."
Mass. CIO Resigns Over Lack of Funds
After only ten months on the job, Massachusetts Chief Information Officer Louis Gutierrez has resigned, citing a lack of funding as his reason for leaving. Gutierrez replaced Peter Quinn, who resigned in late December 2005. While Quinn left due to the controversy surrounding his decision to use the OpenDocument Format for government documents, Gutierrez's decision had nothing to do with ODF.
Instead, in a letter he blasted the Massachusetts legislature for failing to fund the state's IT program. His resignation will be effective in 30 days, and no immediate successor has been named. However, the migration to ODF will continue as scheduled, say spokespeople for Governor Mitt Romney.
Yahoo Testing Mobile Advertising
Yahoo on Wednesday rolled out a test of keyword-based advertisements that will be displayed on mobile phones and other portable devices when users make search queries. The trial will cover the United States and the UK, expanding a previous effort in Japan.
Although the market for ads on mobile phones is still relatively tiny, companies are hoping it will eventually prove just as lucrative as traditional Web based ads. Microsoft purchased mobile advertising company Third Screen in May for this reason. Yahoo is currently working with about 100 advertisers for the test, who pay each time a user clicks a link.
Join BetaNews at DigitalLife in NYC
On October 12, the DigitalLife conference kicks off in New York City at the Javits Center and BetaNews will be there covering the event live. The show floor will be open to the public, but free passes are going quick, so if you'd like to join us register now using the source code: INSIDER.
Companies showcasing their products include Dell, HP, TiVo, Intel, Logitech, GameTap, Movielink, Palm, Slim Devices, Sony, Microsoft, LG, Skype, ATI and NVIDIA among hundreds of others. Thursday morning's opening keynote will be given by Mike Sievert, head of Microsoft's Windows Vista marketing team. Sony Electronics president Stan Glasgow will follow Sievert by demonstrating the new era of high-definition.
Toshiba Debuts Laptop HD DVD Writer
Toshiba said Monday that it had produced the first HD DVD writer for mobile PCs, which would also have read and write capabilities for standard DVD as well as CD discs. At 12.8 millimeters in height, Toshiba says that the unit would be able to be used in most slim form factor laptops. The company plans to demonstrate the drives at an upcoming trade show in Japan, with initial shipments slated to start by the end of the year.
The drive would be capable of write speeds of 1x for HD DVD discs, between 2x and 4x for standard DVDs, and up to 10x for standard CDs. "Toshiba's new HD DVD writer allows mobile PC manufacturers to integrate high-definition digital video editing capabilities into their products, giving consumers a complete high-definition experience for their original content," marketing vice president Maciek Brzeski said in a statement.
AOL Releases AIM 6.0 Beta
The first beta edition of AOL's version 6.0 of its Instant Messenger client was released for public testing today. When the beta cycle is completed (AOL has yet to set a date), it will likely replace AIM Triton 1.5 and become the company's primary consumer IM product.
Under the Triton system, users chose what kind of conferencing they wanted using tabs, and then chose their participants. With the AIM 6.0 front end, there will be a single, integrated buddy list. This way, the user's attention is centered on the target of the message. Buttons along the bottom of the AIM panel denote what context of chat the user wants to launch: audio, video or text.
CEO: No Timetable for Mobile Skype
A version of Skype made for mobile phones and networks is far from complete due to a lack of compatible handsets and technical issues, its CEO said. The world's largest messaging network had originally intended to have the service available on Nokia phones last year. "We have no publicly available products yet to offer and I can't give you a timetable," chief executive and co-founder Niklas Zennstrom told the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat, according to a translation by Reuters.
"It is challenging and is taking much longer than expected," he continued. While the company does have a version for Windows Mobile in Europe, it is not commonly downloaded. Also in the interview, Zennstrom acknowledged that some mobile operators saw the company as a threat, but added Skype was looking into ways to work together with them on new services.
HP Lawyer Resigns, Will Not Testify
Hewlett-Packard said Thursday that its general counsel had resigned immediately from the company, the fourth to do so behind former chairwoman Patricia Dunn and two other HP execs. Ann Baskins, who had been with the company for 24 years, advised Dunn to go forward with the HP press leak investigation. Her lawyers also said she will invoke her fifth amendment rights and refuse to testify in front of Congress.
Fifth amendment rights can be used when there is a fear of incrimination from testimony made. However, her lawyers maintain her innocence, although say the current environment could unfairly implicate her. "Given the current environment, however, Ms. Baskins simply has no choice," they said in a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Google to Digitize Madrid Library
Complutense University in Madrid has signed an agreement with Google to enable the search giant to scan its library of 3 million works, becoming the first non-english library to join the Google Book Project. Spanish-language books including those from Cervantes and Sor Juana Ines will be digitized, along with thousands of works in French, German, Latin, Italian and English.
Google's controversial project involves digitizing both copyrighted and public domain books. Users are then able to search through the volumes and read a limited amount of text from those that are not freely available. Users can also read the full text of books out of copyright. Madrid joins current Google partners the universities of Michigan and California, Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, as well as the New York Public Library.
© 1998-2026 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.