New Guitar Hero record set; no music harmed
From the Okay, But Is That The Best Use Of Your Time? files, the Guinness world-records people want you to know that there's a whole new collection of gamer scores in print, ready for videogame fans to look upon and despair.
There's also a new world record to wonder at, though you are allowed to wonder about the sense of setting the record itself if you prefer. Danny Johnson, a 14-year-old from Grapevine, Texas, set a Guitar Hero record Wednesday morning for his 973,954 score -- a 99% completion rate on Expert Level -- for shredding along to "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce.
Akamai profit up by double digits
Internet acceleration-and-management firm Akamai announced on Wednesday that the company's fourth-quarter profit exceeded analysts' estimates, climbing 13% year-to-year. As announced in November, the company will lay off 110.
The company reported Q4 revenues of $212.6 million, an increase of $15.3 million (8%) from Q3 and a year-to-year increase of $29.4 million (16%) year-over-year. Total revenue for fiscal year 2008 was $790.9 million. GAAP net income of $40.5 million works out to 22 cents/share, non-GAAP earnings were 44 cents/share. That beat analysts' estimates of a 40-cent EPS.
Cisco head gives emphatic thumbs-down to layoffs
John Chambers isn't crazy and he isn't unaware of the market, but Cisco's CEO wanted to make something quite clear Wednesday: Restructuring and realignment, not layoffs, are the path Cisco intends to follow through this crisis.
That could change, of course; anything said in the forward-looking portion of a quarterly earnings call can change as situations unfold. But on its Q2 2009 call this afternoon, Cisco laid out a detailed plan for pursuing revenue opportunities and positioning during the downturn. A hiring "pause" is on tap -- but those dreadful en masse walks to HR are not.
YouMail: Free visual voice mail for BlackBerry, with some kinks
While visual voicemail through Verizon carries an additional charge, and is only offered on select devices through others, YouMail today launched its carrier-agnostic free visual voicemail app for BlackBerry. Betanews took a look.
The YouMail application is available directly through the native browser on handsets running BlackBerry OS version 4.3 and up. Only T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T Wireless subscribers can currently use YouMail's new utility after first signing up for a YouMail account. That is best done through the YouMail Web site, as the application is still rough around the edges.
House bill would strike radio's exemption from performance royalties
In the first round of a new chapter in the music royalties debate, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has proposed a fresh bill that would excise language in US law exempting terrestrial radio stations from paying royalties.
In one of his first major moves since abolishing the House Subcommittee in charge of Internet and intellectual property-related issues, Rep. John Conyers (D - Mich.) today introduced fresh legislation that would close the books on a key exemption in place ever since the formation of the radio industry in the 1920s: the exemption enjoyed by radio stations from paying royalties for performances of a musical work.
Does a cell phone's name spell its success?
While Motorola's RAZR launched an industry movement into "cooler" names, the now financially ailing manufacturer was soon outdone by names such as the Samsung Blackjack and LG Chocolate, a new study says.
"Better cell phone names equal better marketplace performance." That's the key finding of a new report from analyst firm Strategic Name Development.
Microsoft offers clarifications on Windows 7 SKU issues
A number of key details surrounding Microsoft's announcement yesterday on Windows 7 versions were left up in the air, and now spokespersons are working to bring them down to earth.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to Betanews this afternoon that Windows 7 Home Basic -- the version of the operating system that would have reduced "experience" features, comparable to Vista Home Basic -- will not be available to retail customers in the US, Canada, and Western Europe. But Win7 Starter Edition -- which was at one time touted as the company's emerging markets version -- will be available through retail channels.
California waits for Delaware in Rambus patent infringement suit
California's Federal District Court placed an indefinite delay on Rambus' coordinated SDRAM patent infringement suit against Micron, Hynix, Samsung, and Nanya yesterday.
District court Judge Ronald M. Whyte based his ruling on the January 9 Delaware District Court decision by Judge Sue L. Robinson that Rambus' patents are unenforceable due to conflicting views of the two courts.
LG rumored to be readying Arena and AT&T Neon phones
With the texting-friendly LG KS 360 now looking likely to morph into the AT&T Neon, LG is also reportedly prepping an iPhone-like device dubbed the Arena.
Photos depicting the LG KS 360 branded with an AT&T logo have now shown up on a number of blogs. Previously, the KS 360 was available on the Orange and O2 networks in Europe, for instance.
Yahoo unwraps a Search Pad
Despite the real possibility that your desk actually is composed of nothing but sticky notes and scraps of random paper, Yahoo's testing a new tool that could help you dismiss some of the daily data debris.
The search engine's testing a Search Pad, an online app that the company envisions as your virtual scratch pad, or maybe your virtual monitor bezel -- if you're the sort that sticks notes and printouts all around your monitor in hopes of not losing track of sites in your delicious list, bookmarks, or tab forest. (Apparently keeping 75 tabs open at once is not an effective research strategy. Or so I've heard claimed.)
Some smart thoughts on why some gear IS selling
We all know that plenty of gear isn't selling right now. What can we learn from pondering the gear that is? A variety of companies are still enticing consumers into the stores, and as you navigate your Wednesday, it may be edifying to think about who and why.
To start you off, Paul Resnikoff at Digital Music News has a nice editorial comment today on what the continued success of the iPod tells us about where we are at the moment.
RIM settlement in backdating scandal to be heard tomorrow
Research in Motion announced that it has reached an agreement with the Staff of the Ontario Securities Commission in the investigation of the company's backdating practices.
RIM came under investigation nearly two years ago for granting backdated options to employees without reporting their value as a charge against the company's income. Backdating options is fully recognized by law, but improperly filing them with securities agencies is an illegal practice which put the Canadian company in considerably hot water.
RFID bag tag tests underway in Windy City
A pilot program in Chicago would allow some flyers to check in their luggage with RFID tags that would speed travelers' passage through the security process. United Airlines is testing the system at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
To blithe but harried travelers it must sound like a nice time-saver: Drop off your RFID-tagged bag on a reader-enabled counter, where an airline employee compares the ID information broadcast by the tag to the passenger's ID. The passenger goes onward to the gate; the bag gets another scan and goes onward to its usual screening process.
Amazon launches games site beta with three free downloads
Less than four months after buying games distribution and development specialist Reflexive Entertainment, Amazon rolled into beta with its own casual games download site on Tuesday, celebrating the occasion with a one-week trial offer.
The games available for free download from February 3 - 10 include Jewel Quest 2, The Scruffs, and Built A Lot.
Google Maps launches location-sensitive Latitude interface
This morning, Google announced the availability of Latitude, a social location tool for Google Maps accessible through BlackBerry, Windows Mobile 5.0+, and Symbian S60 devices or the corresponding iGoogle gadget.
Users with Latitude turned on show up as an icon on their buddies' Map, which acts as an interface to launch SMS, Google Talk, or GMail communications. Similar to mobile social network Brightkite, Google Latitude's locations are granular and can be as specific as a user's GPS coordinates, or as vague as his hemisphere.
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