VERY,VERY HOT READS, I Would Read The News In This Thread This Thead Is To post Any Thing Ye Want About The News,,NEWS WAS MOVED,READ MY FIRST POS...

Movies Top Ten File Share Downloads, Global
Week ending March 9, 2006
Ranking Movie Number of Downloads
01 >>> Final Destination 3 1,140,121
02 >>> The Pink Panther 1,125,974
03 >>> Saw 2 1,111,598
04 >>> Redeye 1,075,086
05 >>> Madea's Family Reunion 1,061,786
06 >>> Date Movie 1,059,245
07 >>> Eight Below 1,053,339
08 >>> Big Momma's House 2 1,020,741
09 >>> Underworld: Evolution 1,016,071
10 >>> Walk The Line 1,003,893

Movies Top Ten File Share Downloads, USA
Week ending March 9, 2006
Ranking Movie Number of Downloads
01 >>> Final Destination 3 608,123
02 >>> The Pink Panther 610,478
03 >>> Saw 2 595,112
04 >>> Madea's Family Reunion 594,404
05 >>> Redeye 580,603
06 >>> Date Movie 573,077
07 >>> Eight Below 566,901
08 >>> Big Momma's House 2 566,506
09 >>> Walk The Line 549,395
10 >>> Underworld: Evolution 518,764



(Thursday 9th March 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/8141

 

Hollywood reports 'banner year'

p2p news / p2pnet: Like their corporate music industry brethren, the major movie studios claim they're being ravaged by file sharers who post features on the p2p networks, robbing the likes of Time Warner, Viacom, Fox, Sony, NBC Universal and Disney of their rightful dues.

Never mind that that significant numbers of the miscreants seem to be Hollywood insiders rather than kids with cams.

However, in its annual theatrical market statistics report out today, the Big Six-owned MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) says blockbuster films had a banner year.

Eight films movies more than $200 million compared to just five in 2004, and, "The total number of films released in the U.S. increased by 5.6% from 2004.

New releases by the major motion picture studios grossed an average of $37 million in 2005, an increase of 7% over the past five years.

And although US box office takes dipped by 6% in 2005, they "remained healthy" with nearly $9 billion in revenue.

"Last year, 1.4 billion theater tickets were sold in the US and the worldwide box office recorded intake of $23 billion, which was a 7.9% decline over the previous year," it says.

So what does it cost to make a Hollywood movie these days?

The average bill for making and market a flic in 2005 remained under $100 million, falling slightly to $96.2 million.

Marketing costs were up 5.2%, but production costs went down 4% from the previous year and the MPAA's owners, "spent more on network television and Internet advertising and less on newspapers and local television," it says.

(Thursday 9th March 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/8140

 

Mohammed' sites blocked

p2p news / p2pnet: Twelve Pakistan web sites, including blogger.com, have been blocked for posting cartoons of the prophet Mohammed which appeared in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten.

On February 28, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority ordered ISPs to block blogspot.com (or blogger.com), "taking down thousands of weblogs hosted by this tool," says Reporters Without Borders, stating:

"We believe that the decision to ban a website should only ever be taken by a judge, at the end of a fair trial. It is moreover unacceptable that the order to block a site should go through the PTA, which while apparently aiming at one blog hosted by blogger.com, led to the filtering of all websites sharing the same domain name."

The PTA ban came about ten days after a petition calling on the government to ban the spread of "blasphemous content" through the Internet was submitted to the Supreme Court which on March 2, "formally asked the government to take such a step," says RWB.

"The bloggers network Global Voices, which revealed the case on its site, has been posting information about campaigns launched by bloggers to condemn the filtering."

Also See:
Mohammed - Animated Jesus, Muhammed cartoons, February 9, 2005
Reporters Without Borders - Twelve websites, including blogger.com, blocked for posting cartoons, March 8, 2006

(Thursday 9th March 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/81

 

Turnitin turned down

p2p news / p2pnet: "Academic cheating is a growing problem that's become easier since the onset of the Internet," says the promo blurb for Turnitin, a US-made application designed to stop students from plagiarizing other peoples' work and turning it in as their own.

"Now teachers at all levels have to be more vigilant to catch cheaters in the classroom," it says, going on:

"Every paper submitted is returned in the form of a customized Originality Report. Results are based on exhaustive searches of billions of pages from both current and archived instances of the internet, millions of student papers previously submitted to Turnitin, and commercial databases of journal articles and periodicals."

But But Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is banning the use of Turnitin.

"We in no way condone plagiarism," the Canadian Press has student union president Chantal Brushett saying, but she says the program raises a host of human rights, legal and intellectual-property issues.

Students must consent to having their papers submitted to the database, "but since it's a course requirement, they're over a barrel," the story states, continuing, "Professors have other means to check on papers, she says, such as working with university librarians or typing a fishy-sounding line into Google.

"There's no need to be submitting papers to a for-profit company based in the United States, in order to check for that plagiarism, if it exists."

The ban starts in May and the decision will be reviewed after three years, adds CP.

Also See:
Canadian Press - Turnitin.com turned off at university, March 8, 2006

(Thursday 9th March 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/8138

 

Giest gives Hart House lecture

p2p news / p2pnet: If you're Canadian and you're following attempts by the entertainment and software cartels to turn Canada into mini-America, you'll be interested in a talk in Toronto at the end of the month.

Professor Michael Geist will deliver the 2006 Hart House Lecture at the University of Toronto on March 30 and he's called his presentation, Our Own Creative Land: Cultural Monopoly and the Trouble With Copyright.

The lecture will be the Hart House Great Hall and tickets, free, are available at the U of T Ticket Office, online by phone (416-978-8849), or in person (7 Hart House Circle, on the lower floor of Hart House).

Make sure you get your tickets early!

"The lecture will weave together a number of themes that I have focused on in recent months including reflecting on the Bulte incident, highlighting the opportunities presented by the Internet, placing the current round of copyright reform in context, and sketching out an alternative, forward-looking vision of Canadian copyright law," says Geist.

His talk will be recorded for radio and TV.

Stay tuned.

(Thursday 9th March 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/8137

 

Top 5 Speaker Systems
We test six 5.1-channel models. Our findings? Spending wads of cash doesn't guarantee quality, convenience, or more

Top 5 Speaker Systems


April 2006 Our tests of six 5.1-channel surround-sound speaker sets reveal which system offers the best audio. more

Edited by Narasu Rebbapragada



TOP 100 REVIEWS

See All Top-Rated Product Charts.




Rank 5.1-channel PC speaker set Comments
1
BEST
BUY Logitech Z-5500 Digital
• Price when reviewed: $400
• Overall performance: Very Good
• Ease of use: Superior
• Features: Superior
• Full Specs
• Check latest prices
PCW Rating: 88 Very Good

Well-designed product has digital inputs to best take advantage of digital surround sound.
Full Review | Test Report
2
Creative Labs GigaWorks ProGamer G500
• Price when reviewed: $250
• Overall performance: Very Good
• Ease of use: Superior
• Features: Good
• Full Specs
• Check latest prices
PCW Rating: 85 Very Good

Relatively inexpensive set of speakers has an additional treble control and performed best in our tests of stereo music tracks.
Full Review | Test Report
3
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1
• Price when reviewed: $350
• Overall performance: Very Good
• Ease of use: Very Good
• Features: Very Good
• Full Specs
• Check latest prices
PCW Rating: 84 Very Good

Though this system isn't new, it's the best PC-based speaker set that Klipsch offers.
Full Review | Test Report
4
Cambridge Soundworks MegaWorks 505
• Price when reviewed: $400
• Overall performance: Good
• Ease of use: Very Good
• Features: Good
• Check latest prices
PCW Rating: 77 Good

Cambridge Soundworks' only 5.1-channel offering lacks center and rear speaker controls but has a treble switch.
Full Review | Test Report
5
M-Audio LX4 2.1 System and LX4 5.1 Expander
• Price when reviewed: $550
• Overall performance: Good
• Ease of use: Good
• Features: Poor

PCW Rating: 62 Fair

Expensive product combo omits PC-centric conveniences such as bundled cables, a distinct volume controller, and adapters for 0.125-inch inputs.
Full Review | Test Report
6
Sicuro RW-670XL
• Price when reviewed: $170
• Overall performance: Poor
• Ease of use: Poor
• Features: Good

PCW Rating: 59 Poor

Inexpensive, garishly designed product has poor sound quality and an Enhance button that heavily distorts bass.
Full Review | Test Report

go here to read the reports
http://pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,124820,00.asp

 

CeBIT: Samsung Shows 10-Megapixel Camera Phone

Handset also includes a music player, a video recorder, and a document viewer.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Thursday, March 09, 2006

Click for full image. HANOVER, GERMANY -- Samsung Electronics is planning to launch in the second quarter a cell phone that boasts a 10-megapixel-resolution digital camera, the company said at the CeBIT technology show on Thursday.

The SCH-B600 is due to go on sale in South Korea in the second quarter of this year and continues a line of cell phones with high-resolution cameras from Samsung. The company launched a 5-megapixel camera phone in October 2004, a 7-megapixel phone in July 2005, and an 8-megapixel model in November 2005.


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From one side the handset looks like a conventional cell phone; from the other, it looks like a digital still camera, with an autofocus 3X optical zoom lens and a flash.

Images and other data can be stored to the handset's internal memory or on MMCmicro memory cards.

The high-end handset supports South Korea's satellite digital broadcasting service. This serves several TV and radio channels on subscription to compatible receivers. Samsung has already launched several cell phones with such a feature.

Other features include MPEG-4 video recording; a music player that plays MP3, AAC, and AAC+ files; a TV output port; a document viewer; and Bluetooth and Pictbridge printing.

No price was provided for the telephone, which is compatible with the Code Division Multiple Access 1X EvDO standard.

Another New Phone

Samsung also launched at CeBIT on Thursday a handset designed to offer functions often found on stand-alone music players. The SGH-i130 is based on the Windows Mobile operating system and packs an 8GB hard drive.

The built-in music player supports the MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, and Ogg music file formats and has dual speakers, an amplifier, and a Bluetooth stereo link. Other features include a 2-megapixel digital camera, Bluetooth printing, and a video output connector. It will be available in Europe during the second quarter of this year, Samsung said.

For more coverage from the world's largest technology show, go to our CeBIT News page.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125020,00.asp

 

nVidia Launches Three New Graphics Chips

In our initial tests, the company's 7900 and 7600 chips demonstrate a solid performance punch.

Tom Mainelli, PC World
Thursday, March 09, 2006

nVidia 7900 GTXGraphics giant nVidia announced three new graphics chips today, the 7900 GTX, the 7900 GT, and the 7600 GT. The company expects its partners to begin shipping graphics boards based on the new chips this week.

The 7900 chips will replace nVidia's 7800 GTX and 7800 GT processors. Initial PCW tests using reference boards show the 7800 GT largely outperforming existing boards, while the 7900 GTX yielded mixed results. Most notable was the 7600 GT card's significantly faster performance over existing boards on most tests.nVidia 7900 GT

All three chips were produced under a new 90-nanometer manufacturing process, which leads to smaller, more-efficient chips than those created under the older 110-nanometer process.

High-End Battle


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Until ATI's recent launch of the X1900 XTX chip, nVidia had owned the upper-end graphics market with its high-speed 7800 GTX boards, though the 512MB versions often proved exceptionally difficult to find. The company says that boards based on the new 7900 GTX will be plentiful, and notes that there will be only a 512MB version (no 256MB version). The chip's core speed is 650 MHz and its memory runs at 800 MHz. Expect boards to sell for between $499 and $649.

In our highest-resolution tests performed at 1600 by 1200 with antialiasing turned on, the 7900 GTX-based reference board beat an XFX GeForce 7800 GTX XXX Edition ($750) and an ATI X1900 XTX board ($649) in two tests--Half Life 2 and Quake 4--and it tied with the 7800 GTX in Doom 3. The 7800 GTX was the clear victor in our Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Unreal Tournament 2004 tests, while the X1900 XTX won out in our Battlefield 2 test.

Boards based on the 7900 GT will sell for between $249 and $399 and will include 256MB of RAM. The chip's core speed is 450 MHz, and its memory runs at 660 MHz.

Top view of the 7900 GTIn our highest-resolution tests performed at 1600 by 1200 with antialiasing turned on, the 7900 GT generally outperformed a shipping XFX GeForce 7800 GT ($300) and an Asus Radeon EAS X1800 XL ($380). The 7900 GT turned in the highest frame rates almost across the board, including in Battlefield 2, Half Life 2, Quake 4, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Doom 3, Far Cry, and Unreal Tournament 2004.

New Mainstream Leader

Of the three new chips launched today, nVidia's 7600 GT will likely be the most popular with the average graphics card buyer. Boards based on the chip will carry 256MB of RAM and will sell for between $179 and $229.

The 7600 GT ran away with nearly every test we performed when compared with comparable products such as eVGA's eGeforce 6800 GS ($179) and PowerColor's Radeon X1600 XT Bravo Edition ($169). The card was a clear winner at both our test resolutions (1024 by 768 and 1600 by 1200) and with antialiasing turned on and off.

For example, in Quake 4 tests performed at the higher resolution with antialiasing turned off, the 7600 GT cranked out an impressive 63 frames per second, easily topping the 6800 GS board's 42 fps and the X1600 XT's 24 fps. The only tests that the 7600 GT failed to win outright were for Far Cry, where it tied with the 6800 GS, and Unreal Tournament 2004, where the 6800 GS outpaced it by 1 fps.

Return to PCWorld.com in coming weeks to read reviews of retail boards from BFG, PNY, and XFX based on the new chips. And be sure to check out our current reviews of graphics cards.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125008,00.asp

 

CeBIT: Sony to Launch Blu-ray Vaio PCs in Midyear

Blu-Ray Disc drive to come in both Sony desktop PCs and notebooks.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Thursday, March 09, 2006

HANOVER, GERMANY -- Sony plans to launch desktop and laptop PCs with Blu-ray Disc drives in the middle of this year, an executive said Thursday at the CeBIT technology show here.


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The first computers to feature Blu-ray Disc drives will be high-end models aimed at multimedia use, but over time the technology will trickle down to other models, said Tasuku Yazaki, general manager of Sony's Vaio product planning department. The machines will be launched worldwide at around the same time, he said, without revealing product details.

Players and computer drives for the Blu-ray Disc format, an optical disc format that boasts a storage capacity of 25GB on a single layer disc the size of a CD, are due out in the coming months.

The first consumer Blu-ray Disc players are due on May 23 when Samsung Electronics launches the BD-P1000. On the same day Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Lionsgate Films will launch several movies on Blu-ray Disc media.

Competing Format

But the future of the market is far from certain. A competing format called HD-DVD is also about to be launched and offers much of the same benefits. Users will be faced with choosing one of two competing formats or putting off a purchase until a dominant format has emerged.

Executives from the Blu-ray Disc Association talked up their format at CeBIT today and supporting companies announced hardware launch plans. Pioneer previewed an upcoming Blu-ray Disc drive for computers and both Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) and Koninklijke Philips Electronics said they would launch consumer players in the second half of this year.

Philips said its computer drive, the SPD700, will be available in the U.S. in the second half of the year and will be able to write to recordable BD-R and rewritable BD-RW media in addition to DVDs and CDs. No price was given for the drive.

For more coverage from the world's largest technology show, go to our CeBIT News page.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125023,00.asp

 

Microsoft Patches Trip Up Windows Media Player

Three security patches may cause player performance problems.

Shelley Solheim, IDG News Service
Thursday, March 09, 2006

NEW YORK -- Three recently released Microsoft security patches may cause performance problems for Windows Media Player users, according to a company advisory.


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Users who have applied the patches may experience problems when seeking, rewinding, or fast-forwarding files, said the advisory. For example, files may return to the start position or freeze up.

One of the patches at issue is a critical fix released by Microsoft last month, MS06-005, for a vulnerability in the way Windows Media Player processes bitmap files. The process could allow remote code execution.

Older Patches

The other two updates, released in October of last year, are a fix to enable Microsoft DirectX Video Acceleration of video content for video cards used in certain drivers and an update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 that addresses several stability and performance issues.

As possible work-arounds, Microsoft suggests that Windows Server 2003 SP1 users disable the Advanced Fast Start feature on the publishing point and make sure that the server-side playlist does not use the "clipBegin" element. Information about the problems has been posted on the Microsoft Help and Support site.

http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125025,00.asp

 

CeBIT: Hands On With Samsung's Q1 Origami Handheld

Our reviewer calls it light, interestingly designed, and expensive.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Thursday, March 09, 2006

HANOVER, GERMANY -- The buzz on Thursday at Germany's CeBIT show is all about Samsung Electronics' Q1. The device is based on the Origami platform from Microsoft and is the first of a new class of machine dubbed the "ultramobile PC." I had a chance to play with the device as soon as the show opened on Thursday, and here are my impressions.

Click for full image. The Q1 is finished with the same sort of shiny black plastic that is used for the PlayStation Portable, and the few devices on show were already collecting fingerprints. It's going to be one of those products that requires lots of polishing.

In my hands it didn't feel too bad. It's quite light at just under 28 ounces and wasn't too thick to hold easily. It measures about 10.5 by 9 by 5.5 inches.

Click for full image. The Q1 is based on an Intel Celeron M processor running at 900 MHz. It has 512MB of memory and a 40GB hard drive. There are wired and wireless LAN adapters, Bluetooth networking, and a Compact Flash card slot that could be used for other types of modems.

Button and Touch-Screen Control

Buttons take up both sides of the display and can be operated by thumb. The right side has Enter and Menu buttons, plus a user-defined four-way button; the left side has a joystick and a button for the auto-scaler. This latter function automatically scales content to match the Q1's 800-by-480-resolution (Widescreen VGA) display.

Click for full image. Along with the buttons, the touch screen display can be used to interact with the Q1. There's a conventional QWERTY keyboard that can be brought up on screen, but much more interesting is the dial keyboard. This appears as two quarter-circles in the bottom right and left corners of the screen that are operated with one's thumbs while holding the Q1. It's going to take users a little bit of getting used to but it's certainly a good option for such devices.

There isn't much too much to report about what's on screen. The Windows XP version running on the Q1 looks just like Windows XP on your desktop, so it immediately feels very comfortable to operate.

Instant On for Multimedia Via Second OS

One of the nicer features of the Q1 is instant-on for multimedia files. This involves booting up a second operating system--Samsung wouldn't say what it is--and in about 10 seconds you can play videos, listen to music, or look at pictures.

Q1 in use

On the negative side, the screen resolution is perhaps a little low. Browsing the Web at WVGA resolution means that lots of scrolling is involved. Battery life could also be better. When watching a DVD using an external drive, the battery life is given as 1.7 hours by Samsung. That works out to about 1 hour and 40 minutes--so you'd better carefully check the running time of DVDs.

Priced Over $1000


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Perhaps more important in determining whether the Q1 stands a chance of success is its price. It looks quite expensive. Samsung said the Q1 will go on sale in Europe for $1190, which is slightly over the $500 to $1000 price range we first heard about when Microsoft began talking about Origami.

For more coverage from the world's largest technology show, go to our CeBIT News page.

http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125018,00.asp

 

CeBIT: Fujitsu Shows Smaller, Faster Palm Vein Sensor

Biometric security device is also cheaper than the company's previous model.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Thursday, March 09, 2006

HANOVER, GERMANY -- Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories have developed a new model of their palm vein security sensor that is smaller, faster, and cheaper than the previous model, they said Thursday.


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The new sensor conforms to an industry-standard application programming interface and will be available globally later this year, Fujitsu said at the CeBIT technology show here. The company will use the PalmSecure brand name for the product and technology.

The palm vein system relies on an image sensor similar to that in a digital still camera. It takes a picture of the palm of a user's hand, and the image is then matched against a database as a means of verification. The camera works in the near-infrared range so it can detect the veins present under the skin; a proprietary algorithm is used to help confirm identity. The system takes into account identifying features such as the number of veins, their position, and the points at which they cross.

This makes for a biometric system that offers a higher level of security than competing technologies including voice print, facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, and iris scan, according to Fujitsu.

The technology has been adopted by more than 40 Japanese banks, including one national bank, as a way to authenticate customers at automated cash machines. It is also used in access-control systems at some companies. It has yet to find the same level of adoption overseas, however. Fujitsu hopes this will change with the launch of the new sensor, said Ichiro Hirose, president and chief executive officer of Fujitsu Europe.

The second-generation sensor is roughly cube-shaped. It measures 1.4 inches square and is 1.1 inches high, which is a quarter of the size of the previous sensor. Authentication time has been cut in half from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds, said Yoshiaki Kitamura, general manager of Fujitsu's biometric business development group, in an interview at CeBIT.

User Feedback

The new sensor is not just the product of advances in technology but has also benefited from feedback Fujitsu received after the system went into commercial use in Japan, Kitamura said.

"Most of the comments we had were in three areas," he said. "People complained it was too slow; there was no SDK [software developer's kit]; and it was too expensive."

In response Fujitsu has switched from a proprietary software base to an open SDK with support for the industry-standard Bio API. The SDK will be available in English and Japanese in June and April, respectively.

The cost has been halved for the new device, Kitamura said, although he didn't reveal the price. Other improvements include a reduction in the number of scans required to register new users, from three to two, and a switch from a proprietary encryption system to AES (Advanced Encryption Standard).

Sensor in keyboard

The new model can be directly connected to the USB port of a laptop or embedded into keyboards. Fujitsu will demonstrate the new sensor in both configurations at CeBIT starting on Thursday.

With these changes Fujitsu hopes the device will attract the same attention overseas that it has in Japan since its commercialization in July 2004. The company is aiming for a 9 percent share of the total biometrics market by 2008 and around $680 million in cumulative sales over the next three years, it said.

For more coverage from the world's largest technology show, go to our CeBIT News page.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125021,00.asp

 

CeBIT: Novell Launches Next-Generation Linux Desktop

OS is finally "good enough" to replace Windows, company says.

Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
Thursday, March 09, 2006

HANOVER, GERMANY -- Novell has introduced the next version of its desktop Linux OS, a release the company hopes will begin a "viral" migration from Windows in the next several years, said Jeff Jaffe, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Novell.


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Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 (SLED 10), launched at the CeBIT show here, is the first version of Novell's desktop Linux that is "good enough" for enterprises to replace Microsoft's Windows OS in more than just limited deployments, Jaffe said.

"Our new SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop now meets the needs of the basic office worker," he said.

Jaffe acknowledged that desktop Linux has barely made a dent in the enterprise, though a migration from Windows to Linux on enterprise desktops has been predicted for years. However, he said that he expects enterprise pilots of SLED 10 to begin in earnest in late 2006.

Then, once companies realize how painlessly they can integrate a Linux desktop into an enterprise dominated by Windows, the trend to use Linux alongside or to replace Windows in the enterprise should catch fire by 2008, Jaffe said.

"I don't think mass migrations will come until 2007, maybe 2008, but this is the year to really prepare for it," he said.

Nat Friedman, vice president of Linux desktop engineering for Novell, demonstrated SLED 10, which appears to share many of the same features as early test versions of Windows Vista. Vista is the next major upgrade to Microsoft's Windows OS and is expected to ship at the end of the year.

SLED 10 will be available by late September, Jaffe said.

New Features

Novell created a new 3D graphical user interface for SLED 10, which is similar in appearance to the interface Microsoft has demonstrated in Vista in that it allows for 3D maneuvering of windows on the desktop. It also allows users to make windows transparent so they can see what is in the background while working on another application in full-screen mode.

Novell also created new features to fix some of the common problems that Linux on the desktop has had in the past, Friedman said. For instance, the company created a new plug-and-play mechanism for SLED 10 that immediately recognizes hardware devices and allows users to work with them much in the same way that Windows does.

Novell also created its own music player software for SLED 10 with the help of RealNetworks. The software, called Banshee, looks somewhat like Apple Computer's iTunes. It allows users to listen to MP3s legally on Linux, something that previously was not available in mainstream open-source software because of the complexities of licensing the patented MP3 codec for use in open-source software, Friedman said.

"Linux users used to download an MP3 player from some site in Russia," he said, not entirely joking. "This gives you the out-of-the-box experience."

Jaffe said that Novell has not lined up any hardware partners yet to ship SLED 10 on their PCs and laptops, but he expects those will come once the system is available.

"Part of [hardware vendor adoption] is to get the message out that the Linux desktop is going to happen," he said. "All the hardware OEMs are going to listen carefully to that message."

For more coverage from the world's largest technology show, go to our CeBIT News page.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125015,00.asp

 

Microsoft to patch Office, Windows flaws


By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: March 9, 2006, 11:48 AM PST
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As part of its monthly patching cycle, Microsoft plans to release on Tuesday two security bulletins with fixes for flaws in Office and Windows.

The alert for Office is deemed "critical," Microsoft's highest risk rating, the company said in a notice posted on its Web site on Thursday. The Windows bulletin is rated "important," one notch lower on Microsoft's rating system.

Microsoft rates as critical any security threat that could allow a malicious Internet worm to spread without any action required on the part of the user. Problems deemed "important" could be exploited to compromise the confidentiality, integrity or availability of data, or the integrity or availability of processing resources, according to the company.

Last month, Microsoft released seven security bulletins also covering flaws in Office and Windows. Two of those bulletins were tagged critical. On Wednesday, it emerged that one of last month's patches can cause some trouble for users of Microsoft's Windows Media Player 10.

Microsoft's notice did not specify which components of Windows or Office are being repaired with Tuesday's patches or how many flaws the update will tackle. Security researchers with eEye Digital Security list one vulnerability on their Web site for which a fix is considered overdue.
As part of its monthly patch day, Microsoft also plans to release an updated version of the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. The software detects and removes common malicious code placed on computers.

The company gave no further information on the upcoming bulletins, other than stating that the Office fix may require restarting the computer. The Windows fix will not require a restart, Microsoft said.

The Redmond, Wash., software maker offers advance notification about patches so people can get ready to install the updates.

Microsoft said it will host a Webcast about the new fixes on Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT.
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+patch+Office,+Windows+flaws/2100-1002_3-6048003.html?tag=nefd.top

 

Novell hopes its next desktop will leapfrog Windows


By Ingrid Marson
Special to CNET News.com
Published: March 9, 2006, 11:52 AM PST
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Novell on Thursday unveiled the features that will be available in the next version of its Linux desktop product--SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop--which the company claims will be more usable than any other desktop product on the market.

"We have made a big investment taking the Linux desktop past everybody. The usability work we've done is not to reinvent Windows, but to reinvent a better desktop," Greg Mancusi-Ungaro, Novell's director of marketing for Linux and open source, told ZDNet UK on Wednesday.

"When Microsoft Vista ships it will catch up to us in a number of areas, but we'll enjoy six months where Novell's Linux desktop is in the lead," he said.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED), which will be available beginning this summer, is a "big change for Linux" as it is now suitable for all enterprise users, according to Mancusi-Ungaro.

"Up until now the Linux desktop has primarily been deployed in specialized circumstances--as a fixed-function workstation or as a transactional desktop," he said. "Now, for first time, we can tell you with confidence that it can be deployed for general office workers."

Important new features in SLED include an animated user interface and integrated desktop search.

Other features that Novell is touting in the product include the addition of support for Microsoft Excel Macros and Pivot Tables in OpenOffice.org, and full support for all standard network and printing protocols, allowing plug-and-play functionality for cameras, USB drives, personal music players and printers.

The animated GUI takes advantage of the XGL graphics software, which Novell made available to the open-source community last month. The GUI makes the Linux desktop more usable, for example, by providing visual cues to users when they minimize windows, according to Mancusi-Ungaro.

"When users minimize windows to the panel at the bottom of the screen they will see it move there rather than vanish, so users are more aware of where they have put something," he said.

As for desktop search, although the Beagle tool is already available in SuSE Linux Professional 9.3, this is the first time that Novell is offering seven years' support around the product.

Novell carried out hundreds of usability tests and shot almost 1,500 hours of user-interaction video to aid the design of SLED. It claimed that each feature of the product has been "rigorously tested and refined for usability to ensure the best possible performance in a business environment." The results of the usability tests can be viewed on Novell's Better Desktop Web site.

Ingrid Marson of ZDNet UK reported from New York.
http://news.com.com/Novell+hopes+it...Windows/2100-1016_3-6048016.html?tag=nefd.top


It's Official! Windows XP Boots on Macbook!!!!

 

Flash MP3 player market gets threatened by mobile phones


Posted by Seán Byrne on 10 March 2006 - 00:26 - Source: AVinfo

There was a time when portable music was basically where one carried a cassette player along with a couple of tapes such as home compilations. Later the portable CD player gradually took over until a few years ago when the iPod and MP3 players became the main things consumers carry music on. As mobile phones are becoming more sophisticated, with some integrating an MP3 player as well as the ability to download music via 3G, it looks like they will start seriously competing with the MP3 player market.

Despite the iPod's higher HDD pricing compared with flash based MP3 players, most consumers are happy paying the extra for much greater capacity considering how big the iPod market is. So for the foreseeable future, iPod sales will likely be unaffected, since most music player based mobile phones have a very limited storage capacity. However the main manufacturers that will suffer will be those offering budget MP3 players, since consumers are unlikely going to buy a budget MP3 player if their mobile phone already offers this same capability.

As mobile phone's music player functionality and memory continues to improve with each new mobile hitting the market, Apple is keeping a close eye on this. Apple already has partnered with Motorola with some iTunes enabled phones available on the market; however the current series have a 100 song restriction. The next step will likely be an Apple iPod phone.

MP3 players from the cheapest cigarette lighter-size all the way up to the iPod Nano offer a dedicated music device that can store and manage our favourite tracks. But while these gadgets are very popular, they face a significant challenge in the form of the mobile phone. Over the last five years mobile bandwidth and handset design have made it possible to download music files and store them on mobiles. 3G networks and next generation handsets are raising the bar in terms of memory size and functionality on a regular basis posing a real threat to the low end of the MP3 market.

Some handsets can already match the performance of the cheaper MP3 players, and while the latest iPod is quite safe for the time being, other manufacturers might soon start to feel the pinch.

If Apple decides to launch their own branded iPod phone, it could potentially be a good competitor to other handsets, at least for consumers looking for a phone with a built in music player. On the other hand, as the features of mobile phones change so frequently with handsets often becoming obsolete within a year of launching, Apple would have to keep up with this also, even though Apple's policy has been for simplicity and doing away with unnecessary features. Even though the iPod may sell very well as a dedicated portable music player, there is a good chance that the ‘iPod’ brand is not going to make their phones sell as easily if it lacks the features that competing mobile phones have.

Feel free to discuss about iTunes and other online music services on our Music Download, Peer to Peer (P2P) & Legal Issues forum.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13168

 

Roxio releases Blu-Ray Disc Technology Preview Kit


Posted by Dan Bell on 10 March 2006 - 14:36 - Source: Roxio

The following text is a complete press release, unmodified by CD Freaks. If you don't want to view these kind of news posting you can disable them in your preferences page once logged in. Please send your press releases to news@cdfreaks.com

Roxio Releases Blu-Ray Disc Technology Preview Kit

Comprehensive BD Playback and Recording Software Available for OEM Qualification

Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today released its Blu-ray Disc (BD) Technology Preview Kit. The Kit is a collection of software applications that enable PC and drive manufacturers to qualify a full range of BD capabilities including data backup of as much as 25GB on Blu-ray Disc Recordable (BD-R) or Blu-ray Disc Rewritable (BD-RE) media, non-protected Blu-ray disc copying, and BDAV format recording and playback. The Blu-ray Disc-enabled and Windows Vista™-compatible functionality is currently being integrated into Roxio’s line of premier consumer retail and OEM applications such as Roxio Easy Media Creator®, Roxio WinOnCD®, and Roxio MyDVD®.

The Blu-ray Disc Technology Preview Kit is the latest in a series of high-definition initiatives by Sonic Solutions which began its pioneering work on the new formats over two years ago. Sonic has taken the leading role in helping Hollywood and their authoring facility partners prepare for the launch of the new formats. Sonic founded the High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA) in 2005 and is the world’s leading provider of tools and technologies vital in the production of the industry’s first replicated discs to utilise advanced interactive modes for both Blu-ray Disc as well as HD DVD. In addition, Sonic has been working with consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers such as Broadcom who have licensed the company’s technologies for use in its high-definition multi-function consumer electronics players.

“Sonic’s core high-definition technologies are tried and trusted, and already in use today helping professional content creators make a smooth transition to next-generation formats,” said Mark Ely, Sonic’s executive vice president of strategy. “Our knowledge and experience in these new formats combined with our growing intellectual property portfolio, uniquely positions Sonic to deliver a full selection of high-definition products ranging from professional authoring compression and authoring tools to our market leading Roxio-branded software for consumer HD creation and playback.”

CeBIT 2006 runs from March 9th through March 15th in Hannover, Germany and is the world’s largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments. Sonic will be demonstrating a comprehensive selection of high-definition technologies and applications for Hollywood, technology partners and consumers, in addition to its innovative AuthorScript® DVD on Demand™ system for the electronic sell-through of movies and television content. Sonic is conducting private briefings in room 124, 2nd floor, Hall 12 (North-South) and demonstrating at a number of partner booths throughout the exhibition.

About Roxio
Roxio, a division of Sonic Solutions, develops and markets the best-selling digital media software in the world. Roxio offers award-winning software products for CD/DVD burning, photo editing and video editing and has an installed base of over 150 million users. Roxio distributes its products globally through strategic partnerships with major hardware manufacturers, through leading retailers, through Internet partnerships and through direct sales at www.roxio.co.uk.

Roxio's parent company, Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ : SNIC) http://www.sonic.com is the leader in digital media software and provides a broad range of software tools and applications for creative professionals, business and home users and technology partners. Sonic's products range from professional DVD authoring systems and interactive content delivery technologies that are used to produce the majority of Hollywood movies released on DVD, to the award-winning Roxio- and Sonic-branded CD and DVD creation, playback and backup applications that have become the premiere solutions for consumers and business users worldwide. Sonic's AuthorScript® is the de facto standard for CD and DVD burning and formatting and has been licensed by major software and hardware manufacturers, including Adobe, Broadcom, Microsoft, Scientific-Atlanta, Sony, and many others. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Roxio, Roxio Easy Media Creator, MyDVD, WinOnCD, DVD on Demand and AuthorScript are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonic Solutions in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13170

 

LG to produce both HD-DVD and Blu-ray products


Posted by Dan Bell on 10 March 2006 - 15:52 - Source: Yahoo News

D4rk0n3 andshimman used our news submit to tell us about this news release. shimman had this to say: "Many thought BD already won the battle, but I guess it"s not over yet. LG must be thinking the next gen supermulti drive."

Up until this announcement, LG was definitely a BD supporter, just like Sony, Philips and Dell. However, now we have another company that sees the future of blue laser is not so clear and they are hedging their bets. Probably a good idea the way things are going.

LG is the second high-profile Blu-ray supporter to change position after Hewlett-Packard, the world's second biggest PC maker, decided last month to also support HD DVD alongside Blu-ray.

LG expects to announce the first product later this year, its European president James Kim told Reuters on the fringes of the world's top electronics trade fair CeBIT.

"We will do both," Kim said.

It certainly is not over, especially when one takes a minute to forget about the writing strategy or which technology is superior based on that or capacity etc. Many less technical consumers, will simply look at the cost of a player, when making that first purchase. We already see that the initial hardware on the scene is much cheaper when it comes from the HD-DVD camp. Then others that are slightly more savvy, will read a bit about the interface with a PC and many may decide to go HD-DVD for this reason as well.

Another possibility is that consumers will just wait around until one or the other formats dies, due to the totlal investment cost in either format, that will be required to take advantage of the benefit of a high definition picture. Surely, just like VHS and Betamax, there will not be sufficient demand put there to support both formats. What a mess! You can read the full story here.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13171

 

Zero to 60 Mph in 3.4 Seconds

By Bruce Gain | Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Mar, 10, 2006 EST

GENEVA -- New designs introduced here at the Geneva Motor Show are pushing small engines further than ever, allowing street-legal vehicles to rival race cars in performance for a fraction of the price.

The trend was already visible last year with the introduction of the Lotus Elise, which is capable of zipping from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds on the strength of a 1.8 liter, 189 horsepower engine.

Models debuting this month set an even higher standard. The Lotus Europa S harnesses 200 hp in a 2.0-liter engine for a zero to 60 mph acceleration of 5.5 seconds. And then there's Porsche's new 911 Turbo: Packing 480 hp into a 3.6-liter engine, it can rip from zero to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds.

"The (911 Turbo's) speed was only possible to achieve with race cars before," Wolfgang Durheimer, executive vice president, research and development for Porsche, bragged in an interview with Wired News.

In fact, it's true. In the past, zero to 60 mph in under four seconds was the kind of performance mostly reserved for top-of-the-line sports cars from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. (The Lotus and Porsche models compare to the new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, which goes from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, but relies on a 6.0-liter engine.)

Since prices for high-end sports cars can hit $350,000 or more, the new Porsche could be considered a bargain at "just" $122,900. Lotus is even more affordable. The Europa S is expected to retail for about $60,000, while the Elise is priced at $49,000.

But there's more to the magic than price. These cars represent new feats in engineering to back the manufacturers' claims that their cars offer the best performance in their street-legal, engine size class.

Drawing from engine designs and engineering know-how from the companies' racing car divisions, the Lotus and Porsche engines largely owe their performance boosts to pressure chargers, as they have in years past. While Porsche calls it turbo technology and Lotus says "super charger," both systems serve to pump extra air into the engine.

"You have to think in terms of horsepower per liter," says Jamie Turner, chief engineer of powertrain Research for Lotus Engineering, which also offers engine design consulting services for major, yet undisclosed carmakers. "You really need to go to a pressure charging system to get (certain) levels of performance (in certain small engine sizes)."

But the aspirated engine designs are just a starting point. Porsche's new 911 Turbo features what it calls variable turbine geometry, which allows the engine's turbine to crank up more rapidly.

The system works by relying on a small turbo charger turbine, which revs up first during initial acceleration and is then replaced by a larger charger to deliver the requisite power for the Porsche's 911 Turbo's 480 horsepower engine.

"Normally, when you push the throttle in with a big turbine, you can count one, two or three (seconds) and then the boost comes, but with this new turbine technology, you push the throttle in and you immediately have the response of the engine power," Durheimer said.

This technology hasn't been introduced in the automotive market in engines up until now due to the 1,000 degrees Celsius temperatures the turbine blades generate, Durheimer said.

"We worked very closely with the aerospace industry and we applied material technologies that are used with high performance airplanes and missiles to get the maximum boost," Durheimer said.

Lotus representatives said the Europa S engine came from the collective efforts of as many as 15 engineers, who carefully tweaked existing Lotus engine designs using computer simulation techniques.

"If you raise the compression ration too much, then you raise the (number of cylinders) and if you raise the number of cylinders too much, then you lose efficiency … and ultimately performance," said Geraint Castleton-White, general manager of Lotus' powertrain advanced concepts unit. "There is a very small window of opportunity."

Don't expect further engine improvements to lead to drastic new speed jumps, such as a 2.0-liter engine, street-legal sport car that could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds, Turner said. Instead, he said he sees advances providing better gas mileage and reduced carbon dioxide emission levels.

Already, the Porsche 911 Turbo and Lotus Europa S purportedly offer gas consumptions of 22.1 mpg and 38.9 mpg, respectively.

Lotus Europa S C02 emissions have been reduced to 220 g/km. That's enough to qualify the car for a mild greenhouse gas tax break in the United Kingdom, where Lotus is based. But, with 145 g/km tipping the lower end of the tax benefit scale, that's still relatively high. Turner said future models will show further CO2 emissions improvements.

Don't expect performance cars to become any slower if and when alternative fuels such as hydrogen or ethanol, which are more energy-efficient than gasoline, become prevalent. In fact, cars could get even faster when engineers can harness the power of new fuel technologies, Turner said.

"All we are waiting for now is for the politicians to get their acts together," Turner said.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70365-0.html?tw=rss.index

 

Sony BMG: It's Payback Time!

p2p news / p2pnet: Help take Big Four Organized Music member Sony BMG to the cleaners.

"It's time for music fans who bought Sony BMG CDs loaded with harmful XCP or MediaMax copy protection to claim their settlement benefits: clean versions of the music, plus (in many cases) additional downloads and cash," says Derek Slater in an EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) Deep Links post.

"Submitting a claim not only gets fans music that will play on their computers without restriction or security risk, it lets Sony BMG know that consumers care about this issue," he goes on.

"And for those who have not yet protected their computers, it's long past time to download the uninstallers that will sweep that DRM off of systems and eliminate its dangerous security risks.
the uninstaller
http://www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com/Updates.htm

"But Sony BMG won't be held accountable if music fans don't have an easy way to learn about the flawed software, the settlement, and how to submit claims. That's where EFF needs your help. Along with creating a link to the Sony BMG Settlement site, we've created several banners that also link to the site. By posting a banner on your website or blog, you can help music fans protect themselves and get what they deserve."

Also See:
Deep Links - Help EFF Spread the Word About the Sony BMG Settlement, March 8, 2006

(Friday 10th March 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/8148