Nissan, Microsoft Create Xbox 360 Car
Nissan and Microsoft have teamed up to create a concept car that includes a built-in Xbox 360 gaming console. While parked, the driver can play Project Gotham Racing using the car's actual steering wheel, gas and brake pedals. The game is displayed on a flip-down 7-inch LCD screen.
The car, named URGE, will be shown off at the Detroit auto show on January 9 as the first vehicle to fully integrate a gaming system. "A Nissan URGE driver can, for example, maneuver through the streets of New York, park the car and fire up the Xbox 360, then virtually race through the same streets," Microsoft said in the announcement.
Covad, Verizon Settle DSL Line Spat
Covad and Verizon settled their differences on Wednesday, with Covad announcing it would drop an antitrust suit against the company. The company also said it had reached a deal with MCI to become a preferred provider for MCI's DSL service. Verizon has also agreed to drop a countersuit against Covad.
The deal will expand Covad's line-sharing agreement with Verizon, which would allow the company to offer DSL over Verizon lines. In order to provide DSL service across the country, Covad has made similar deals with other telecommunications companies. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Infinium to Launch Gaming Lapboard
Its Phantom game console may remain vaporware, but Infinium Labs is promising to launch at least one component in the second quarter of 2006: the Lapboard. A wireless keyboard and mouse designed specifically for gamers, the Phantom Lapboard can rotate 360 degrees, and sports full size keys and an extended spacebar.
Infinium claims the Lapboard will be a stepping stone to the launch of its full Phantom game service "further down the line." The company raised $2 million to develop and launch the Lapboard, which is positioned for both consumer and OEM segments. Final pricing for the product has not yet been set.
Virus Poses as MSN Messenger Beta
A new virus is taking advantage of the fervor surrounding the Windows Live Messenger Beta by disguising itself as a copy of the beta. Called Virkel.F by security firm F-Secure, once executed it will connect the PC to a botnet server and send a link to contacts on your buddy list.
An infected computer can then be used to attack other systems or send out spam e-mails. The file BETA8WEBINSTALL.EXE will be downloaded off a site that claims the client was "leaked." However, there is no MSN Messenger 8 Beta -- the name has been changed to Windows Live Messenger. F-Secure says to watch for the download link, as it will always contain the recipient's e-mail address.
Sirius Passes 3 Million Subscribers
Sirius said on Tuesday that it had recently passed 3 million subscribers, and expected to finish the year on a positive note. The company, which is attempting to make up lost ground to XM, is banking on the addition of Howard Stern to place itself on a more even footing with its competitor. Stern moves to Sirius on January 9.
The service has added almost 2 million subscribers during the year, more in line with the number of subscribers XM has signed up during the same period -- approximately 2.5 to 3 million. Rival XM had 5 million subscribers as of the end of the third quarter, with expectations to surpass 6 million by year's end.
Dell UK Shipping Firefox on New PCs
Firefox developer Blake Ross has confirmed that Dell Computer's UK division is bundling the Firefox Web browser with new PCs. The news follows an October deal in which Hewlett-Packard agreed to offer Netscape as an option for the default browser on its computers.
Mozilla and Dell have not yet officially announced an agreement, and it's not clear whether Firefox will replace Internet Explorer or simply be offered in addition to Microsoft's browser. Dell's Asia Pacific group, meanwhile, says it has no plans to follow suit in offering Firefox to customers.
Yahoo to Stream CBS Comedies on Web
Yahoo and CBS said Tuesday that the companies were joining forces to offer free streaming of the network's comedies "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" through Yahoo TV. The promotion extends from Tuesday through January 2.
A total of four episodes, two from each series, would be available through the service. CBS had previously tried streaming of a primetime television series on its own. Three episodes of the network's new series "Threshold" were made available through its Web site earlier this season.
Samsung in Talks with Sony Over NAND
In a move that would further secure Samsung's hold on the NAND flash memory market, the company said it was in talks with Sony and others to provide chips on a long-term basis. Samsung controls over half the NAND market and recently signed a $500 million contract with Apple to supply memory for its iPod players.
According to the Korea Economic Daily, Sony is looking for 8GB NAND chips and bigger, and the order would account for one-fifth of Samsung's total output for 2006. NAND flash memory is used in MP3 players, cell phones and digital cameras, which has led to a huge increase in demand. Intel and Micron recently forged a $2.4 billion partnership to begin manufacturing flash and combat Samsung.
Sony to Demo 82-Inch LCD at CES
While some say otherwise, Sony is placing its bets that bigger is, in fact, better when it shows off a new LCD television at CES 2006 in January. The company has developed an 82-inch display, which will further prove that TFT displays can reach sizes attained by plasma and rear-projection televisions.
Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun first reported on Sony's plans, but no other details of the TV have been announced. Samsung introduced a similar 82-inch behemoth at CeBIT in March, which boasted 1920x1080 pixels and 1080p HD support. Sony actually worked with Samsung on that TV, and is now ready to demo one of its own.
FT: Google Founders 'Men of the Year'
Time Magazine may have selected Bill and Melinda Gates along with Bono as its "Persons of the Year" for their efforts in helping to fight diseases in developing countries, but the Financial Times has chosen Microsoft's rivals Sergey Brin and Larry Page -- the founders of Google -- as its "Men of the Year."
The FT says it chose the two for their success in 2005 and ambitions to make the world a better place. "The Men of the Year recognition reflects the effect the company created by Mr Brin and Mr Page only seven years ago has had on internet users, as well as the worlds of business and technology, in the past 12 months," the paper said.
iTunes, QuickTime Flaws Detailed
Security researcher Tom Ferris has posted details on a security vulnerability that affects the latest versions of Apple's iTunes and QuickTime software. A specially crafted .mov video file could cause a heap overflow and potentially give an attacker the ability to execute arbitrary code.
Ferris first reported the problem earlier this month and says he notified Apple at that time. He says both Mac OS X and Windows machines are affected, as are older versions of iTunes and QuickTime. Security firm Secunia has rated the vulnerability "moderately critical," as code execution has not been confirmed.
Google Cross-Site Scripting Flaw Fixed
Google has fixed a cross-site scripting vulnerability on its Web site, according to security firm Watchfire. The flaw allowed an attacker to impersonate legitimate Google services in order to launch a phishing attack. The search engine applauded the firm for withholding disclosure until it could fix the problem.
The XSS flaw existed in how Google redirected users in its error pages. An attacker could use UTF-7 characters to take advantage of the vulnerability and insert malicious JavaScript into the URL, the firm said. According to Watchfire, Google fixed the problem on December 1, just two weeks after it had been alerted to the problem.
Opera Releases Final Preview of 'Mini'
Opera Software this week put the final touches on a preview version of its "Mini" Web browser, which is designed to allow users to access the Web on phones normally incapable of running a browser. To keep memory usage down, Opera Mini utilizes a remote proxy that pre-processes a Web page before sending it to the phone.
In order to prepare for a public launch early next year, any user may now download the preview release. "This is to allow for more traffic on our servers as we are scaling up and getting ready," the company says. The browser can be installed using an SMS message or by visiting mini.opera.com in a WAP browser.
Sober Helps Catch Child Porn Offender
For once the never-ending Sober worm actually did some good. A 20 year-old child porn offender turned himself in earlier this week after mistaking a message generated by the worm as an actual communiqué from Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office. The e-mail said "an investigation was underway," which apparently spooked the man into believing the authorities were aware of his online activities.
He was charged after police found pornographic images of children on his computer. A spokesman for the Paderborn, Germany police credited the worm with uncovering a crime that probably would have otherwise gone undetected. There is no word whether the worm has helped uncover any other crimes.
Microsoft Hires PC Interface Expert
Microsoft announced Monday that it had hired Canadian human-computer interaction researcher Bill Buxton to assist the company as a senior researcher in the Microsoft Research division. Buxton would continue to work from Canada, while making regular trips to the Redmond lab, as well as to international locations. His first residency would be at the Cambridge, England lab for four months starting in January 2006.
Buxton specializes in technologies, techniques and theories of input to computers, technology-mediated collaboration between people, and ubiquitous computing, according to Microsoft. He most recently served as chief scientist from 1994 to 2002 for Alias Systems, a subsidiary of SGI. "We're proud and fortunate to have Bill, a leader in the Canadian research community, join Microsoft Research," Microsoft Research senior vice president Rick Rashid said.
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