Google Opens Up Calendar API
Adding to its growing list of "GData" application programming interfaces (APIs), Google on Thursday opened up its new Calendar beta service to third party developers. The API enables external Web sites and applications to integrate directly with Google Calendar and create, edit or delete events.
Google says the Calendar data API, based on Java, can be used in a number of different ways. "You can create a web front end for your group's calendar that uses Google Calendar as a back end. Or you can generate a public calendar for Google Calendar to display, based on your organization's event database." An application or site can also search calendars and display a list of upcoming events.
HP Recalls 15,700 Notebok Batteries
Disney isn't the only company facing a massive recall due to batteries overheating -- Hewlett-Packard on Thursday said it was recalling 15,700 HP and Compaq-branded notebook computer batteries worldwide after receiving 20 reports of overheating and one burn injury, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recall covers lithium ion batteries manufactured in January 2005 that have barcodes starting with L3. The affected units were manufactured in China and sold in the United States through December 2005. The Commission urged users with an L3 battery to stop using it immediately and visit the HP Battery Replacement Program Web site.
Sprint Buys Wireless Affiliate Ubiquitel
Sprint Nextel said Thursday that it had agreed to purchase Ubiquitel, an affiliate of the wireless carrier that offers cellular services in small and mid-size markets in California, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Sprint agreed to purchase the Conshohocken, Pa., based company for $1 billion, and assumed $300 million in debt. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.
Ubiquitel, like many of Sprint's affiliates, filed suit against the wireless carrier following its merger with Nextel to force it to purchase the company outright. As a result of the buyout, this litigation would be stayed in Delaware court pending the closing of the merger. As of the end of the first quarter of this year, Ubiquitel served about 452,000 wireless subscribers and 151,000 wholesale customers.
Apple Fixes Java Vulnerabilities
Apple has issued a security update to patch a potential vulnerability within Java affecting Mac OS X 10.4.5. A specially crafted application could bypass built-in security and allow access to system files by an intruder. The problem is located within Java Web Start, which loads Java applications over the Internet.
Also, other bugs within the Java runtime that pose a potential security risk were also fixed as part of the update. Mac OS X is not the only operating system affected by the issues. Windows, Solaris and Linux are also vulnerable. In February, Sun issued an advisory warning of both flaws, and said at the time that no reports of attackers exploiting the issues had been received.
Google Search Appliance Gets 'OneBox'
Google late Tuesday announced an update to its Search Appliance hardware for businesses, which adds what the company calls "OneBox functionality." The idea of the feature is to enable customers to search for a variety of data using a single box, rather than manually selecting what type of data to scour.
Just as Google can load up movie listings, weather and flight information with a standard search query, employees can now access "real-time contact info, sales forecasts, and customer information the very same way," says Google's VP of Enterprise Dave Girouard. "We launched an initial set of OneBox modules with Oracle, Cognos, SAS and Salesforce.com."
Microsoft Looks to Photos for Search
Microsoft is working on a way to search the Internet by submitting a photo shot by a cell phone to represent what the user is searching for. The effort is part of a bigger project by Microsoft Research called Photo2Search to make search technologies more usable on cell phones. The search engine would return Web sites that match items in the photo, or similar photos found across the Internet.
By including the details of what a photo captures, Microsoft says the results produced are more useful. According to Microsoft researcher Xing Xie, "the value of camera phones on daily information acquisition" has been overlooked. The findings are planned to be released in mid-May as part of a larger research paper titled "Photo-to-Search: Using Camera Phones to Inquire of the Surrounding World" in Nara, Japan.
Kaspersky Testing Mobile Antivirus
Kaspersky Labs is seeking beta testers for the second version of its Anti-Virus Mobile product, which protects Symbian based smartphones, including those from Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung and Siemens. New features of the 2.0 release include faster performance, quarantine support, as well as spam blocking for SMS and MMS messages.
In addition, "The user can customize Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile settings, monitor current protection status, and view application logs with the results of application activities," the company says. Kaspersky plans to add support for Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform with Beta 2, which is currently in development. More information and downloads of Anti-Virus Mobile 2.0 are available from Kaspersky's Web site.
Fox to Put Prime Time Shows Online
Fox has signed a six-year revenue sharing agreement with its 187 affiliates that will allow it to make sixty percent of its prime time schedule available online. The move follows a similar one by Disney's ABC network that will put some of its most popular shows online a day after they originally air starting in May.
Details of the Fox agreement have not been ironed out, including what shows would be made available and how they would be delivered, but the network is considering allowing local affiliates to place the programs on their own Web sites. The agreement is an extension of one struck in 1993 that gave the local affiliates some responsibility in paying for the rights to air National Football League games.
Disney Recalls 102,000 DVD Players
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday a recall of 102,000 Disney-branded DVD players that were sold between April 2005 and March 2006. The devices contain battery packs that can overheat and potentially explode while being charged. 17 reports of overheating were filed with the Commission.
The affected DVD players came in a variety of themes of children and were sold at Disney theme parks, catalogs and at discount stores across the United States for between $70 and $130. Customers are urged to contact Memorex Electronics -- the company that distributed the batteries -- for a replacement. More information is available on the company's Web site.
BMW Adds New iPod Integration
BMW said Wednesday that it will begin adding a new interface co-developed by the carmaker and Apple to allow for seamless integration of the iPod with a car's audio system. With the special adapter, control of the iPod would be available through the steering wheel and in-dash player.
New BMW 3, 5, 6, and 7 series vehicles, as well as the BMW M5 sedan and M6 coupe would be compatible with the adapter. The same interface is being used to connect Sirius Satellite and HD Radio with these vehicles. Pricing has not been announced, although the unit itself will become available in July. BMW intends to continue to support the older interface, which is compatible with certain vehicles beginning with the 2002 model year.
Skype Buys Internet Calling Company
eBay's Skype announced Tuesday plans to acquire start-up Sonorit Holding and its US subsidiary Camino Networks, which specializes in speech processing, coding, and transmission over the Internet. The technology is expected to be integrated into Skype's voice over IP calling services.
"We're excited about bringing the talented Camino Networks team to Skype," said Niklas Zennstrom, Skype CEO, in a statement. "They will add considerable expertise to our own world-class technology team." Sonorit will receive 700,000 shares of eBay stock in the transaction, which is valued at approximately $27 million.
Trend Micro Extends Microsoft Deal
Tokyo-based Trend Micro on Monday extended its 2004 agreement with Microsoft to provide antivirus capabilities to 230 million Hotmail accounts. The company will scan and clean incoming and outgoing e-mail attachments for viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malicious threats.
"As Internet threats remain a top concern amongst users worldwide, Microsoft can rely on Trend Micro -- with our proven track record in delivering a scalable antivirus engine and rapid-response service -- to continue safeguarding e-mail for MSN's growing base of Hotmail customers," said Lane Bess, global Trend Micro's general manager of consumer products and services in prepared remarks.
FDA to Explore Cell Phone Cancer Risk
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration questioned a Swedish study that claimed a heightened risk of cancer from cell phones, but said Thursday it would review the study anyway. Calling it "difficult to interpret," the agency said it was concerned with the study's methodology. Researchers used mail-in questionnaires in lieu of in-person meetings.
Numerous queries were received by the agency following the study's release. A meeting has been scheduled for the near future to discuss the findings, as well as possible research in the area. Industry representatives lauded the FDA's move, saying most scientists already agree that cell phones are safe.
Google Releases Toolbar 2 for Firefox
Google on Thursday released a beta of its second Toolbar revision for Firefox, adding RSS feed integration with the Google Personalized Homepags and improving search functionality with previous queries, spell checking and suggestions. Toolbar v2 for Firefox also catches mailto links and opens them within Gmail rather than a desktop e-mail client.
"As a dedicated Firefox user, I think that the latest version enhances an already innovative browser. Meanwhile, you IE Toolbar 4 fans may notice that the feature sets aren't identical. That's because Firefox and IE users have different needs," said Google software engineer Justin Voskuhl. "Rest assured that we're working to get the most popular features in both versions."
LG Begins Selling 71-inch Plasma TV
While companies such as Samsung and Panasonic showed off over 100-inch plasma televisions at CES in January, those sets were largely prototypes designed to showcase the companies' technological prowess. LG, meanwhile, has delivered the largest plasma TV for retail, measuring 71-inches and offering 1080p HD resolution.
Ken Cranes on the west coast and Sixth Avenue on the east coast will sell the massive display, which incorporates LG's XD Engine technology to take lower resolution images and up-scale them to near high-definition levels. "The retail launch of the LG 71-inch plasma HDTV monitor underscores our commitment in providing innovative solutions to the premium, high-end consumer electronics industry," said Robert A. Perry, LG vice president. Pricing for the 71-inch plasma TV was not yet announced.
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