Micron Picks Up Lexar for $680 Million
Computer memory manufacturer Micron said on Thursday it will acquire Lexar Media in a deal valued at $680 million. The purchase will expand Micron's reach into the consumer space, where flash memory has become a staple in electronics such as digital cameras and portable media players.
The move is the second major effort by Micron to cross-over from a largely business background; in November, the company created a joint venture with Intel to build NAND memory chips and signed Apple as a customer shortly thereafter. Lexar has been struggling to compete with SanDisk, and the acquisition by Micron will give the company much-needed direct access to memory chips.
Microsoft Pushes New Piracy Initiative
Expanding upon its Windows Genuine Advantage program, which requires customers to verify their licenses before downloading operating system updates, Microsoft has rolled out a new effort called the Genuine Software Initiative. The undertaking will combine the company's anti-piracy and counterfeit prevention efforts.
GSI will focus on three areas: education, engineering and enforcement. Microsoft plans to spend more time highlighting the importance of genuine software, as well as developing new protection methods such as WGA. The company has already been involved in the arrest of numerous counterfeiters, and expects to work more closely with law enforcement in this regard.
Sling Media to Develop for 'Origami' PC
Not far behind Thursday's announcement of the Ultra Mobile PC by Microsoft, Sling Media said it would begin offering a customized version of its SlingPlayer software for the platform. The application would leverage the touch screen functionality and resolution that UMPCs provide in order to make the program easy to use.
Sling Media says it sees the new market as an ideal solution for portable entertainment. "Ultra-Mobile PCs give consumers one more way to take their TV with them wherever they go, and Sling Media is helping more of our customers experience the freedom and flexibility this device offers," said Bill Mitchell, vice president of the Mobile Platforms Division at Microsoft.
TiVo Readies DVR Software Update
TiVo is preparing to roll out version 7.2.2 of its software for all Series2 TiVo owners. The update brings a number of new features including the ability to undelete recordings, improved suggestions and support for new USB network cards.
According to TiVo, "All deleted programs go to the Recently Deleted group in the Now Playing List where they will remain until space is needed for new programs." TiVo users can request priority access to 7.2.2, which will be delivered automatically through the set-top box's standard update process.
T-Mobile to Offer Opera Mini in Europe
T-Mobile will soon begin including Opera's mobile Web browser on several of its phones in the European market. The first handsets with Opera Mini would launch beginning this month, with additional models coming later in the year. The carrier would be the first to install a customized version of the browser on its handsets, with the Sony Ericsson K608i, Motorola V3/V3i and Nokia 6280 featuring Opera Mini.
Opera says the company's move allows full Web access on many phones that were previously only capable of WAP browsing. Mobile Web capabilities have been lucrative for T-Mobile; shipping a Web browser on its most popular phones has increased data revenues by 40 percent. The company sold 400,000 of the so-called 'Web and walk' devices last year.
Sprint Offers New Frequent Call Options
Sprint introduced new options for its wireless subscribers Wednesday, including two plans that would allow the user to make unlimited calls to a pre-designated phone number for an additional fee. These calls would not be taken out of the customer's monthly minute allowance. The consumer option costs $5 per month, and business customers with a rate plan of $49.99 or higher could add it for $8 per month.
Sprint has plans to extend the business option to nearly 30,000 known DIDs later this year. This would mean a customer could call anyone within their company that uses a PBX system without using their minutes. Sprint said it would also soon offer a special deal to consumers where the option would be bundled with home long distance service.
First HD DVD Laptop Makes Debut
Toshiba took the lid off its HD DVD-enabled Qosimo laptop at the CeBIT electronics fair in Hanover, Germany Wednesday. Although it comes with a hefty price tag -- some $3,000 to 4,000 USD depending on features -- the Qosimo will be the first computer to come with the technology built in.
The release of the new Qosmio comes at about the same time as the expected debut of Toshiba's first HD DVD set-top players. Those players would cost either $499 or $799 USD, depending on the model. The first Blu-ray drives are expected to make it into as yet unannounced Sony VAIO PCs, as well as players from Samsung and Pioneer, in May of this year.
Apple Sets Date for Developer Confab
Apple has scheduled its yearly developer conference for early August, about two months later than previous years. The WWDC is often the event where Apple CEO Steve Jobs offers a peek at the next release of Mac OS X, but he used last year's show to announce a transition to Intel processors.
The focus of WWDC 2006 in San Francisco will be on building applications for Intel based Macs, along with optimizing code and learning about the latest APIs. Apple could offer the first glimpse of Mac OS X version 10.5, code-named Leopard. Registration for the event runs $1,595, although Apple is offering a $300 discount for early sign-ups.
MS: We Didn't ID Chinese Journalist
Microsoft on Tuesday denied any involvement in a case where a Chinese journalist was arrested for sending illegal e-mails through a Hotmail account. The prosecution of 45 year-old Li Yuanlong follows the conviction of two journalists based on data provided by Yahoo's China arm, which brought the company much cirticism.
Li could stand trial as early as this month, with the government claiming he "fabricated, distorted and exaggerated facts, incited to subvert the state and sought to overthrow the socialist system." Microsoft China said it had no information on how the journalist was identified, but through an internal review it determined it had played no part in the government's efforts to find Li.
The Buzz: AT&T Rebuilding Ma Bell
A little over a year after SBC and AT&T announced plants to tie the knot and bring two baby Bells together, the newly-combined company went shopping again -- this time for BellSouth. Here's what the pundits are saying about the latest high-profile tech merger.
The deal would mean four of the seven original Bell companies are now back together. Initial reaction has proven to be somewhat negative, as many are leery of the power that AT&T would hold -- over phone lines, Internet and cellular phones, where it would be the dominant provider in each category.
TiVo, Verizon Allow Mobile DVR Control
TiVo announced Tuesday a partnership with Verizon Wireless that would allow the carrier's customers to control their home DVRs by cell phone. For around $5 per month, users could schedule programs to record through a downloadable application for their phones. The service would work much like the "Online Scheduling" feature of the TiVo Web site.
Verizon intends to heavily promote the new feature on promotional materials, and in its stores and advertising campaigns. As part of the deal, TiVo additionally agreed to give Verizon exclusive rights to the service for two months following the launch of the product. After that time, the DVR maker would be free to market the service to other carriers.
T-Mobile Gives Out Free Weekend Wi-Fi
T-Mobile USA has announced a promotion to give subscribers of its cellular phone service free access to its HotSpot Wi-Fi network during Saturdays and Sundays. The company runs some 6,500 hotspots, most notably in Borders and Starbucks locations nationwide, as well as in FedEx Kinkos, some Hyatt hotels, and in the airline clubs of American, Delta, United and US Airways.
The promotion is open to both prepay and postpay customers, as long as they can receive an SMS message containing a passcode for the service. The passcode would be good for the entire weekend, T-Mobile said. According to the HotSpot Web site, the promotion would be available for a "limited time," however no specific end date was provided.
Chinese Government Turns to Blogging
The Chinese government is attempting to boost public interest and support of its Parliament by permitting members to set up Web logs to communicate with citizens. While so far only eight of some 5,000-plus delegated have been approved to post, many more have applied. The state-owned People's Daily newspaper runs the blog site.
While most entries are not surprisingly pro-party, some seem to air some of the discontents of China's 1.3 billion inhabitants. Representative Pan Shiyi was quoted in the Associated Press as writing about how he disagrees with the new city construction underway in the country that separates the rich and the poor, and promised to focus on it during his term. The blogs, in Chinese, can be found at blog.people.com.cn.
The Buzz: RIM's BlackBerry Saved
The weekend was abuzz with pundits and bloggers alike wrapping their heads around RIM's $612.5 million settlement with NTP late Friday. Some say RIM caved to the patent holding company, while others feel NTP won in court fair and square -- despite its patents now being rejected by the USPTO. Where do you stand?
"Our wireless enterprise customers are breathing a sigh of relief with this settlement. Many of these companies have invested a fortune in Blackberries to equip their field sales force and now they know their investment is secure. However, the settlement still leaves an open question as to whether patent attorneys are going to control the destiny of emerging technologies."
- Rich Koch, Apresta Marketing VP
Microsoft Gives Live Local a New Home
Microsoft flipped the switch on Windows Live Local late Thursday night, replacing its Maps and Directions product with the new service that is powered by Virtual Earth. The former product, which was based on the company's MapPoint technology, was beginning to show its age in light of newer products from Google and Ask.com.
Maps and Directions is not completely gone, however, as Microsoft has allowed visitors to opt to use the older product if they wish. In a welcome message to returning users, the Redmond company boasted about the new and improved features of the product, including new maps, "Birds Eye" imagery, and customizable printing options.
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