Microsoft, NEC Sign Patent Agreement
Microsoft and Japanese electronics giant NEC have inked an agreement to share patents and work together on corporate networking and server products. Microsoft is expected to provide software and business services that will be packaged with NEC's server hardware and routers.
"NEC has been the top share vendor in PCs in Japan for 25 years," commented Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at news conference. "It has also been the leader for the last 10 years consecutively in servers. We look forward to what we can do with their great technology in the future." Microsoft previously signed a cross-licensing patent agreement with Toshiba.
$100 Laptop Prototype Unveiled
The One Laptop Per Child foundation unveiled the first working prototype of its $100 laptop at the Seven Countries Task Force Meeting on Tuesday. The device runs Fedora Linux and features a color screen, Wi-Fi, a 500MHz processor, and 1GB of flash memory.
The prototype unit, decked out in yellow and orange, has "horns" that flip up to function as Wi-Fi antennae and cover the USB and audio ports when not in use. The keyboard sports recessed buttons much like Apple's new MacBook, and a handle on the back is designed to make transport easier.
AMD Debuts New Chip Design
AMD on Tuesday announced new desktop processor designs that it says would provide a slight boost to speed, as well as support for DDR2 memory and virtualization. While the new memory is not expected to offer much improvement, the change in architecture is said to be necessary for the future, as AMD and the industry in general turns to multi-core processors.
The first two processors will be the Athlon 64 FX-62, now AMD's best performing desktop chip, and the Athlon 64 X2 5000+, the company's top of the line mainstream CPU. Costs of the processor are $1,031 per 1,000 for the FX-62, and $696 for the X2 5000+. The move is seen as a preemptive strike against Intel, which is widely expected to release its "Conroe" chips later this year. Intel has said the Conroe chip would be a significant improvement over its current architecture.
Google to Begin Selling Video Ads
After moving from simple text links to graphical ads, Google is taking the next step forward: video. The search giant on Tuesday will begin selling video space to its advertisers in hopes to increase the number of clients and boost ad revenues. The video ads will not appear on Google's own pages, however, only on those of its AdSense partners.
Google is betting the move to video will attract companies who primarily advertise on television and want to use the Web to spread their brand image. The option to purchase video space will appear as part of Google's standard AdWords system. Analysts speculate that the move is a first step in Google placing it ads in Web video clips and eventually on TV, as the company has already experimented with magazine ads.
26.5M Social Security Numbers Stolen
The Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Monday that social security numbers of 26.5 million veterans had been stolen after an employee took the data home without permission. The information was taken when the employee's house was burglarized.
Although it's unlikely the social security data was specifically targeted, the VA has setup a cell center and Web site for veterans who believe their information was misused. VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said the stolen data did not include medical records or financial details. The employee has been placed on leave pending a review, Nicholson said.
TiVo Adds 'Guru' Recommendations
TiVo said Monday it planned to launch a new recommendation feature for subscribers called "Guru Guide." The DVR company will tap "editorial experts" from Entertainment Weekly, Star, Sports Illustrated, Automobile, Billboard and CNET to create a virtual television channel from each source.
Subscribers can choose to automatically record Guru Guide recommendations, which will each include five to ten television shows per week. The suggestions will be updated at least once a month, TiVo says, and customers can pick and choose what to record based on their interests. Subscribers will receive the feature via an upgrade in the coming weeks.
ABC Streams 3 Million TV Episodes
ABC's plans to bring some of its popular prime time television shows to the Internet for free viewing 12 hours after they air seems to be paying off. Disney CEO Bob Iger told attendees of a Boston College CEO luncheon Thursday that the company had already streamed episodes of "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Commander in Chief," and "Alias" over three million times since its launch two weeks ago.
All episodes begin with a 10-second spot from a selected advertiser, and then three more commercials air throughout the program. Iger said that the company would continue experimenting with various business models, and was looking into expanding the service. However, he did not say if the service would be extended beyond its two-month trial run. ABC also offers shows through iTunes for $1.99, and the company has considered charging for its streaming service, Iger disclosed.
Gov't Agency to Use Virtual Earth
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a division of the Department of Defense, said Thursday that it will use Microsoft's Virtual Earth technology "to provide geospatial support for humanitarian, peacekeeping and national security efforts." Both sides are expected to benefit from the partnership, with Microsoft hoping to learn more on geodetics, which is the science of measuring various geographic aspects of the Earth's topography and other geological aspects.
While it is not immediately clear whether or not Virtual Earth would be used for military purposes, the NGA's mission may indicate it could see some military use. According to its Web site, the agency "provides timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security objectives," and is a member of the Department of Defense's Combat Support Agency.
Symantec Seeking Beta Testers
Security software vendor Symantec is seeking beta testers for its 2007 line of products, including Norton AntiVirus, Internet Security and Norton Save & Restore. The company also has a number of new products in the pipeline, which will be provided to the Symantec Beta Testing Team.
Interested users can complete the brief registration process on Symantec's Web site. The company has also added an electronic non-disclosure agreement to ease the process. "Participants are expected to remain active throughout a project lifecycle and communicate issues to Symantec team members," the company says.
Adobe Pens Deal with Stamps.com
UPDATED Through a deal with Stamps.com, Adobe users will now be able to design print 'PhotoStamps' through a variety of the company's applications. The option would be included in Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition and Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Windows, as well as both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS2 for Windows and Mac OS X.
While they are considered legal stamps by the USPS, PhotoStamps cost more than the average stamp. 20 stamps are priced at $17.99, or 90 cents per 39-cent stamp. Ordering stamps in bulk, however, does provide a discount. Other postal denominations are also available.
Google Releases AJAX Framework Beta
Google on Wednesday released an open AJAX framework that will enable developers to build Web applications like Google Maps and Calendar. The Google Web Toolkit beta, available free of charge, is based on Java and works with any Java development tool.
GWT joins Google's growing repository of code, which includes a number of APIs and development kits. "When you deploy your application to production, the GWT compiler simply translates your Java application to browser-compliant JavaScript and HTML," explains product manager Bret Taylor. GWT can be downloaded from Google Code.
Microsoft Opens Up CodePlex Site
Microsoft is undertaking a project that aims to spur community development around the platform, Microsoft Watch reported earlier this week. Called CodePlex, the site will host projects by parties that would be made available under a variety of licenses, including Microsoft Shared Source and the GPL, among others.
Currently 19 projects are hosted on the CodePlex site. These include a Commerce Starter Kit that allows developers to use ASP.NET 2.0 to access Paypal; IronPython, an implementation of the popular Python programming language for .Net; and Turtle, Open source client for Visual Studio Team System. "You can use CodePlex to create new projects to share with your fellow developers around the world, join others who have already started their own projects, or use the applications on this site and provide feedback," Microsoft says.
ICANN Approves .tel Domain
ICANN approved the creation of the .tel top-level domain Monday, which supporters say would provide a basis for navigation and naming of Internet communications. Proposed by Telnic in 2000, the group said Internet users would benefit from navigating directly to a way to communicate with organizations that run Web sites.
"The days of needing to remember several telephone numbers, numerous VoIP or instant message identities and other points of contact for our social and professional networks are over," Telnic CEO Khashayar Mahdavi said in a statement. "By leveraging innovative DNS technology, the .Tel domain will allow anyone to publish and control, in real time, how they can be reached." The company plans to release free applications that would be able to take advantage of such services.
Yahoo Previews New Homepage
Yahoo on Monday put live a preview version of its upcoming new homepage design, which boasts simplified navigation and personalization features. While largely a cosmetic update, Yahoo has incorporated AJAX and DHTML technologies, as well as a new Yahoo! Pulse feature highlighting hot content.
Yahoo has been testing the new page since February, and it currently works with IE and Firefox. "The new home page reflects Yahoo!'s unique position at the intersection of people, media, and knowledge. It presents better access to information and the stuff of our lives, and more individual choice about the appearance of the page," said Yahoo developer Havi Hoffman.
MySpace to Offer Episodes of '24'
Social networking site MySpace will move into the digital download business next week when it begins offering users downloads of episodes from two seasons of "24." Additionally, the site would offer users the option to download two free episodes through a promotion sponsored by Burger King.
According to an article Monday in the Wall Street Journal, beginning May 22 downloads would be offered from a Burger King-themed page for $1.99 USD per download. News Corp. sees the offering as a way to exert more control over how it distributes its content, as well as a way to make MySpace more competitive with other portals. 24 seasons one and five would be available through the program, with the first episodes of each season available for free.
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