EFF argues placing files in 'Shared Folder' isn't sharing
Can the act of file sharing take place "passively," without the users' direct involvement; and if so, can they no longer be held liable for copyright infringement? That's the question a US district court is preparing to consider.
Next week, an Arizona district court will hear arguments in the ongoing case of the Howell family of Scottsdale, who last August was found to be illegally distributing 2,329 MP3s in violation of copyright. At that time, the judge in the case ruled that the fact that those MP3s appeared in Mr. Howell's shared music folder for his Kazaa program was proof enough that he had intention to share them, and that no evidence needed to be uncovered of actual subsequent file transfers.
Apple unveils 'world's thinnest notebook'
Capping off his Macworld 2008 keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs put the rumors to rest by announcing the "world's thinnest notebook" called the MacBook Air.
Jobs began by noting the specs of Sony's Vaio TZ, which weighs 3 pounds and has an 11- or 12-inch screen with smaller keyboard and what he called a "slower processor." The Vaio is also 0.8 to 1.2 inches thick.
Zune 80 to come in red in time for Valentine's Day
In what it calls a response to the "consumer excitement" for the Zune 80, Microsoft said Tuesday that it will ship a red colored model in time for Valentine's Day.
Along with the debut of the red Zune, Microsoft also has made available 20 different Valentine's Day themed engraving options through its Zune Originals program. The company will also offer special playlists for the holiday through its online store.
Apple announces iTunes movie rentals with every major studio
During his Macworld 2008 keynote Tuesday, Steve Jobs announced what everyone knew was coming: iTunes movie rentals. An update to Apple TV was also unveiled.
Jobs touted the success of iTunes, noting that the 4 billionth song was sold last week. 20 million songs were sold on Christmas day alone, which is a new 1-day record for the company.
Jobs: iPhone has 19.5% of US smartphone market
In his Macworld 2008 keynote Tuesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told the audience that the company has sold 4 million iPhones in the 200 days since it went on sale.
Apple is shipping an average of 20,000 iPhones each day, and in shipments for the first quarter holds 19.5 percent of the smartphone market in the United States. This puts the device behind on RIM's BlackBerry in terms of market share.
Jobs opens Macworld 2008, announces 'Time Capsule'
Opening Macworld 2008 with his annual keynote address, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told the audience "there is clearly something in the air today."
Jobs began his keynote by looking back at 2007. Apple sold five million copies of Leopard in just three months, making it the most successful Mac OS X release ever. 20 percent of the Mac OS X install base has upgraded to Leopard, said Jobs, noting that "We're really thrilled by this."
MySpace backs AG effort to strengthen online safety
The social networking site and the Attorneys General of 49 states plus the District of Columbia have agreed on key principles for the entire industry to build around.
The joint statement sets guidelines for online safety tools, technology, education, and law enforcement. Texas was the lone state to decline to sign the agreement, but so far no reasoning for their abstention has been given.
FCC opens the Comcast throttling debate to public comment
Demonstrating it's taking seriously charges that Comcast's "network management" practices for slowing down P2P traffic constitute discrimination, the government agency has asked the public to weigh in.
Comcast no longer denies that it implements certain network management techniques to help regulate its traffic, and it now clearly warns its customers -- albeit in a tucked-away location -- that it has the right to slow down certain classes of traffic. The company has argued that such management is not only within its rights, but that it works within the parameters for "reasonable network management" set forth in the Federal Communications' principles.
New video delivery system for cable promises more HDTV
Cable operators have been fighting bandwidth limits to squeeze in more high definition content. A new system aims to assist in that fight without sacrificing quality.
Imagine debuted its new video delivery system on Monday, saying it will help cable operators deliver up to 50 percent more HDTV and SDTV channels without sacrificing video quality.
Cloud platform built on Amazon adds Adobe Flex support
The developers of a Web services application environment that leverages the leased computing services of Amazon have reworked their Web functionality to incorporate Adobe's Web language for Flash applications.
In another challenge to the conventional application services model, a nearly five-year-old startup called Coghead, led by former Red Hat executive Paul McNamara, has updated its unique Web application development suite to incorporate Adobe's Flex Web development language.
Google redesigns its iPhone homepage
The company said at Macworld Monday that it will retool its all-in-one Google application for the iPhone, improving the UI and speeding up loading times.
The new UI is better suited for the touchscreen capabilities of the iPhone, Google claims, and applications such as Gmail and Calendar have been sped up.
How is Windows Vista Service Pack 1 running?
Microsoft on Friday made available to the public a pre-release version of Windows Vista SP1. We want to know what you think, assuming you're willing to install the beta.
Service Pack 1 -- due out this quarter -- is slated to bring a number of major improvements to Microsoft's flagship operating system, but mostly behind the scenes. Performance and reliability has been boosted, in addition to improved compatibility with applications and drivers. Vista users have been clamoring for SP1 since the OS debuted one year ago, so we want to know: does it live up to the hype? Leave a comment below with your experiences, both good and bad.
Windows may be coming to your shopping cart this year
What hopes to be the final form of an innovative new grocery shopping aid device using Windows CE will go into beta this spring, with a possible nationwide rollout by the end of the year.
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - A pilot program in New Jersey testing the efficiency and viability of computers with scanners and touch-sensitive panels embedded in shopping carts, may finally draw to a close in 2008 after four years in the field. At the annual National Retail Federation conference here, the privately held MediaCart holdings unveiled what it hopes will be the final design of its in-cart computer, which features aisle-specific advertising, a wealth of convenience features for shoppers, and one more venue for Microsoft Windows.
Imation's removable HDD adds innovative USB interface
Possibly in response to the rapidly shrinking desktop PC market in the United States, Imation's Odyssey removable hard disk storage system line has expanded to include a portable USB interface.
Imation says its Odyssey line was designed for small and home offices for backup and data security, so it's no surprise that its peripherals should be pared down in size, if only to meet the shrinking footprint of the computer.
Eye-Fi to improve Mac support for wireless memory card
After announcing a deal with Lexar last week to distribute its technology, Eye-Fi moved onto Macworld Monday, announcing support for Leopard and Safari.
Eye-Fi will now be able to upload photos directly into iPhoto, which eliminates the need for manual import as users must do now. It will also support uploading to any of the 19 providers that the Windows version supports.
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