'Google for films' site helps Britons find media
A "Google for films" type of search engine site just rolled out this week lets you quickly peruse a database of 60,000 titles to find movies for downloading, in cinemas, to watch online, and on TV, standard DVD, and Blu-ray.
In a quick visit to the FindAnyFilm.com site today, for example, Betanews confirmed that The Dark Knight is available in all of these categories, whereas Slumdog Millionaire -- another box office draw -- can still be seen only in cinemas.
Stimulus package contains broadband open access provisions
A legislative measure to fund broadband deployment in rural and underserved areas is one of the attachments to the hotly debated economic stimulus package.
A chunk of the economic stimulus package being debated on Capitol Hill, and whose initial votes are happening now, would empower the Commerce Dept. to direct its NTIA division to provide federal grants to businesses that build out broadband service in underserved regions of the country.
The Sony PSP perception problem: Is it losing its luster?
Sony's PSP was Time's "Gotta Have it" device for 2005, which was like being voted "Person of the Year." Now as the PSP enters its middle-age, it is the subject of less adulation, and more dismissive grumbling.
Today, GamesIndustry.biz posted an interview with Laurent Benadiba, CEO of French software developers Smack Down Productions, who says publishers are discouraged from making PlayStation Portable games, despite it being an outstanding platform.
FCC's McDowell: Stay focused on February 17
In remarks this morning at a Media Institute Luncheon in Washington, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell told attendees that he believes the government should concentrate on the existing DTV transition date of February 17:
I think it is important for all of us to stay focused on February 17 regardless of what Congress does or does not do. Most broadcasters are prepared to shut off their analog signals on that date, and with good reason. Not only has the government been working with them for three years to realize this goal, but broadcasters have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in new DTV equipment in the past few years.
Move to fast-track DTV delay fails in the House
A move to suspend the rules of the House in order that the DTV Delay Act would be brought to the floor immediately, was defeated minutes ago. Although a majority voted in favor -- 258-168 -- a two-thirds majority of aye voters is necessary in order to pass a suspension of house rules.
As a result, the bill will not be fast-tracked, though it has yet to face total defeat. Rather, it must now be processed in the usual manner by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Its ranking member, Rep. Joe Barton (R - Texas), led the fight against the rules suspension and is currently against the bill.
Cox experiments with an 'anti-throttling' alternative
While throttling is still being treated by some Internet users as an implicit form of discrimination, the nation's ISPs must find both a technologically and politically correct method of managing their traffic congestion problems.
The US' second largest ISP, by many estimates, remains the nation's second greatest blocker of Internet traffic believed to be related to BitTorrent protocol. This according to the most recent test data released yesterday by the Max Planck Institute.
Audacity X gets 1.3.7 beta update
Download Audacity for Mac OS X from Fileforum now.
Audacity X, the Mac version of the free open source audio editing and recording tool created by Google Dev Dominic Mazzoni, quietly received a beta upgrade this morning, fixing a handful of bugs and including some new features. The new features include Full Screen mode, a pitch shift/time scale slider effect, a WCAG2 accessibility testing function, improved latency correction and effect grouping.
AT&T earnings drop 23.6 percent, despite strong iPhone sales
While AT&T added 1.9 million Apple iPhone 3G subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2008, and the giant's overall revenues also rose, the company has reported an earnings dip of 23.6%.
AT&T also experienced strong growth across its wireless business, with revenues of $12.9 billion for the quarter, an increase of 13.2 percent over the final quarter of 2007.
House Republicans invoke bin Laden to expedite DTV transition
"Osama bin Laden isn't fictional, and he isn't waiting," stated Rep. Joe Barton (R - Texas), in a vehement defense of the February 17 hard date.
The postponement of the US' digital TV transition to June 12 hit its first serious legislative obstacle yesterday, when Republicans led by the former Energy and Commerce Committee chairman and current ranking member, Joe Barton, debated the DTV Delay bill for the first time on Capitol Hill. Yesterday, Barton and colleague Rep. Cliff Stearns (R - Fla.) began their counter-assault with a letter (PDF available here) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D - Calif.), urging her to reconsider even bringing the delay bill to the floor for a vote.
US cell phone camera law might not really click
Although its intent seems to be in the right place, a newly proposed US law imposing an audible alert on cell phone cameras raises thorny issues about actual implementation in the real world.
Along the same lines as existing laws in Japan and Korea, the Camera Phone Predator Alert Act now introduced into US Congress is aimed at thwarting sexual predators.
Sony 3mm thick OLED hits UK stores
The Sony Bravia XEL is tiny. The Organic LED screen measures only 11" across, and has a profile of only 3 millimeters, roughly the thickness of two stacked pennies. But this size carries with it a heavy pricetag, and in the US, units cost between $2,400 and $2,600 each. Today, the OLED screen is available in the UK at a price point twice that of North American retailers, £3,489 ($4,944).
Acer smartphones coming in February
An invitation to Acer's press conference at GSMA in Barcelona on February 16 confirms that the third largest PC manufacturer will be entering the smartphone market.
Acer's Gianfranco Lanci talked about the company's plans for launching a Windows Mobile smartphone last year, after the company announced that it was acquiring Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer E-TEN.
ICANN group ponders fixes to fast-flux abuse
"Fast flux" is a technique used by highly respectable service providers and content networks to handle serious traffic loads. It has also become a favored tool of scammers and spammers.
ICANN this week released a report detailing its initial efforts to save this technique from being commandeered by the bad guys.
Wednesday is Data Privacy Day
Unfurl the festive banners and prepare the parades: Wednesday is the second annual Data Privacy Day, celebrated by the U.S., Canada, and 27 European countries. Intel co-sponsors the project, which includes a variety of events held on and around the special day.
In the US, six states (Arizona, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington) have declared Wednesday Data Privacy Day; in the US House of Representatives, 50 Congresspersons so far have signed on to co-sponsor a national version H.R. 31, a proclamation declaring Data Privacy Day, passed 402-0. In Canada, they're focusing efforts on educating The Kids about privacy on Facebook and similar sites. And in Europe, where this is in fact the third Data Protection Day, various efforts are also underway to educate the youth.
Gmail rolls out its offline options
If you use Google's Gmail service for your correspondence, check underneath the Labs tabs in the upper right corner. You may be one of the lucky ones in the first wave of those with access to the service's new option for reading and composing mail offline.
Using Gmail while offline has, of course, long been possible for anyone with an email reader compatible with POP and IMAP. But the option to do it via Gears-based functionality is new, and can handle work offline, work online (of course), and work over what the service calls "flaky" connections. (Gmail engineer Andy Palay assures readers of the Gmail Blog that live wire-chewing squirrels were used in the testing of the system.) Offline Gmail will include mailbox search and threaded conversations.
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