Microsoft looks to monetize SEC filings with advertising
The Redmond company announced Thursday that it had penned a deal with financial data provider EDGAR Online to bring the reports to its service.
While EDGAR will supply the actual data to MSN, Microsoft will present those reports in context along with advertisements from its own network. The revenues would likely then be used to balance out any expenses for bringing the content to its users.
TiVo, Jaman in deal to bring indie movies to set-top box
One of the largest distributors of independent films online said Thursday it had struck a deal with the DVR maker to offer thousands of titles from its catalog to subscribers.
The deal would be very much like the Amazon Unbox service that is already available to TiVo customers. Movies from Jaman will be downloadable to the DVR and would be in high definition, the companies said.
Why are Windows products moving to Apple's Mac OS?
Although you can run Windows applications on Apple's Leopard anyway, many vendors at Macworld are debuting Mac OS editions of products originally designed for Windows.
This, in spite of the vaunted Windows/Mac cross-platform capabilities of Apple's new Leopard operating system. And regardless of Mac fans' claims of relative security versus Windows, some of the new products for Mac OS are geared toward virus protection and Web filtering.
Yahoo to embrace OpenID standard for validating users
In a move that will apparently open up its quarter-billion-user database to cross-platform username validation across Web sites, Yahoo announced this morning it is embracing the Web's most endorsed open validation standard.
"All Yahoo IDs will be OpenIDs on January 30," a Yahoo spokesperson confirmed to BetaNews late this morning, in a change-over that may elevate the whole issue of users' online identities to a new level.
Time Warner tests Internet bandwidth caps
There may be limits coming to high-speed Internet from Time Warner Cable, according to details of a memo obtained by Broadband Reports.
While the new policy is expected to affect about one out of every 20 subscribers, it is aimed at collecting revenue from those who apparently "utilize over half of the total network bandwidth."
AT&T to replace U-verse batteries after several explosions
While AT&T was hoping for its U-verse service to catch fire, it was certainly not in this manner.
The communications company is recalling about 17,000 batteries due to a fire hazard. The batteries are housed in outdoor cabinets that are primarily used as a backup power source, which in some occasions either caught fire or exploded. AT&T said it will replace all of them as a safety precaution.
Another Excel 2003 file format exploit discovered in the wild
A new and reportedly dangerous exploit has been discovered already in the wild, and this time it affects users of Excel with the older file format.
Security firm Secunia today is classifying as extremely critical an exploit involving versions of Excel 2003 prior to Service Pack 2. Though Microsoft released a security advisory on the problem this morning, there are no available details as to the nature of the exploit.
AMD Xilleon processors to receive DivX certification
DivX announced it is working with AMD toward certifying certain Xilleon processors, which could add native DivX functionality to next-generation digital TVs or set-top boxes.
Xilleon is a system-on-a-chip MIPS processor found in set-top boxes and digital TVs. It was formerly a project of ATI, but when AMD recently acquired ATI, it absorbed the Xilleon brand as well. DivX and AMD have not come to a decision yet as to which of the growing Xilleon line will be certified.
Helio brings a Korean standout slider phone to the US
Helio increased its portfolio of handsets today with its release of the Mysto, a slider-style device produced exclusively for US distribution by Samsung.
The 3G CDMA device is based upon Samsung's U600 released last year. It has a 2.22" QVGA display, 106 MB of internal memory expandable to 4 GB via MicroSD, mono and A2DP stereo Bluetooth support, and an MPEG-4 video camera.
Oracle buys BEA Systems for $7.85 billion
At an asking price of nearly $8 billion, BEA Systems was finally talked into an Oracle buyout. But with Oracle's long history of software buyouts, will it cut BEA -- and its many business customers -- enough slack?
Oracle raised its offer, and at the crack of dawn this morning in California, we learned that this time, BEA Systems simply couldn't refuse it. With a deal in the works now for the database giant to acquire the middleware vendor for a whopping $7.85 billion, pending regulatory approval, the two combined "powerful masterbrands" may now be in a better position to fend off middleware rivals IBM and Microsoft.
Copyright Board denies SoundExchange rehearing on XM, Sirius royalties
The decision of how much performers should be compensated when their works are played on radio, drew one big step closer to a workable compromise last week, though now it's the collection agency that's raising the red flag.
In a dramatic change of stance, the US Copyright Royalties Board denied a petition from performance rights organization SoundExchange last week for a rehearing on the matter of a royalties agreement between the Board and Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. This after having been perceived throughout last year to have been firmly on SoundExchange's side in its efforts to boost royalties paid by Internet, terrestrial, and satellite radio.
Microsoft, JVC agree to cross-license patents
Exact details of the patents in the agreement were not disclosed, although the two companies say it covers a "broad range" of products either company offers.
Financial terms of the deal were also not disclosed, although the companies say that the agreement results in a net financial benefit for Microsoft. The two companies had already been collaborating on certain technologies in the past.
Analyst: Retail Web sites should focus on customers, not competition
Too often, retailers' Web sites don't work right, if at all...and they keep chasing after new customers instead of trying to retain their current ones. Are some big online retailers focusing too much on the competition at the expense of their own evolution?
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - With retail Web sites that are too glitchy and search engines that don't always turn up the right stuff, a lot of retailers trying to sell online are still missing the boat with consumers, according to an analyst at Forrester Research.
Amazon.fr keeps free shipping, for now
Sun to spend $1B to acquire MySQL, will compete with Oracle, Microsoft
One of the principal products in the LAMP open source arsenal will become a Sun Microsystems product, possibly by the end of this quarter.
When discussing enterprise database installations worldwide, as of today, it will be impossible not to consider Sun Microsystems along with Microsoft and Oracle. This morning, Sun announced it has reached an agreement with MySQL -- which by some accounts may have become the producer of the most widely installed database, under everyone's noses -- in a deal expected to be closed as soon as this March.
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