Google Announces Chrome OS Partners

Although Google just made the announcement about their new operating system last night they already have the web a buzz. Sites are teaming with information and speculation as to how popular Chrome OS might be once it actually hits the consumer market. In Google's original announcement they let it slip that they had already teamed with several netbook and PC manufactures in developing the new OS.

Today they tipped their hand a little more and gave us all a peek at what we might expect and who they will be teaming with.

Google Chrome OS - FAQ

Is Google Chrome OS free?

Yes – Google Chrome OS is an open source project and will be available to use at no cost.

This might be great news for consumers looking for a good low cost alternative to using Windows, Linux or even Google's Android (which will reportedly be showing up on several devices before years end). Right now its a wait and see situation as we just don't know that much about the OS.

What companies is Google working with to support Google Chrome OS?

The Google Chrome OS team is currently working with a number of technology companies to design and build devices that deliver an extraordinary end user experience. Among others, these companies include: Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments.

Acer and ASUS are the no. 1 and no. 2 netbook manufacturers worldwide so the partnership there is really no surprise. HP and Lenovo are also large netbook manufacturers so again no really surprise. The one name missing from the list that is a bit pf a shocker is Dell however this by no means excludes them. Freescale, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are chip companies that Google is likely working with to ensure a good user experience. We know they are looking to get as much widespread chip support they can!

I'm a developer – how can I work with you?

Later this year, the Google Chrome OS code will be open source. Google will be looking forward to working with the open source community and making their own small contributions to the great work being done out there. Please stay tuned to the Google Chrome Blog for more details

If you are interested in a full time position as a software engineer please visit the jobs pages for the following offices and indicate that you are interested in Chrome.

• Mountain View, US
• San Francisco, US
• Kirkland, US
• Santa Monica, US
• Reston, US
• Montreal, CA
• Aarhus, DK
• London, UK
• St. Petersburg, RU
• Tokyo, JP

Building anticipation!
Since they won't officially be releasing the source code until later this year we won't likely see exact details of what the new OS will bring to the table until early next year. It will likely take developers a few good months to get the development ball rolling.

Google's announcement however comes at a great time to build tons of anticipation. With only the official release left the buzz surrounding Windows 7 is already dying a bit. Netbooks continue to gain ground on the PC market and will likely gain more ground with the back to school crowd hitting stores over the next month or two.

If just the announcement of a new OS makes this big a mark then wait until we get some actual screenshots and a few hands on reviews!

BIOSTAR Introduces New G41 Chipset Motherboards

BIOSTAR, a professional manufacturer of motherboards introducing Intel G41 chipset mother boards – “T41 HD”, “G41D3G”, “G41 DVI”, “G41-M7”.

The Intel G41 Express Chipset, with the next-generation Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 (Intel GMA X4500), includes built-in support for smooth high-definition video playback without the need for add-in video cards or decoders. Intel GMA X4500 comes with Intel Clear Video Technology, a combination of video processing hardware and software technologies designed to enhance the visual experience.

In addition to video, the Intel G41 Express Chipset delivers optimized 3D graphics performance and support for Microsoft DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0 and OpenGL 2.0. These graphics enhancements deliver the performance and compatibility you need for entertaining, everyday game play for the most popular game titles. The Intel G41 Express Chipset includes support for the latest PC operating systems, including Windows 7.

In addition, BIOSTAR T41 HD provides a “FREE” DVI to HDMI adapter for HD video experience; this bundling set can also be ordered on other models.

For more product information, please visit BIOSTAR website http://www.biostar.com.tw

Source: BIOSTAR

NVIDIA Announces World Of Warcraft Blizzcon GeForce Contest

Buy a GeForce GPU today and enter for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Blizzcon 2009 for two and receive World of Warcraft Classic for Free!

What: Buy any qualifying NVIDIA GeForce graphics card between July 1, 2009 and August 1, 2009 and receive an entry code for a chance to win an all expenses paid trip to Blizzcon 2009 for you and a guest. The entire trip is valued up to $2400 USD!

But that’s not all. The same entry code is also good for one FREE digital download of the complete World of Warcraft Classic. This download includes a full install of the complete retail version of the game with unrestricted 30-day access to character classes, cities, quests, chat, and other features from World of Warcraft Classic.

Who: Contest is open to all legal residents of the US, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Norway and India (excluding the state of Tamil Nadu) who have attained the age of majority under the laws of the country or state of residence as of the start of this promotion.

Where: For complete contest details, rules and regulations, and additional information on how to enter through the mail without a qualifying product purchase, please visit: www.nzone.com/WoW. For additional information on Blizzcon 2009, please visit: www.blizzard.com/blizzcon.

When: The World of Warcraft bundle and code promotion will begin at 12:01 a.m. PST on July 1, 2009 and will end at 11:59:59 p.m. PST on August 1, 2009. All mail-in entries must be postmarked by 11:59:59 p.m. PST on July 15, 2009 AND received by 11:59:59 p.m. PST on August 1, 2009. Please refer to the full contest details at www.nzone.com/WoW.

Source: NVIDIA

Google Officially Announces Chrome OS

The folks that run the worlds most popular search engine have officially announced that they are throwing their hats into the operating system arena with the new Google Chrome OS. The new operating system will be a Linux based open source OS that according to Google will be initially targeted at netbooks.

In their announcement Google has already confirmed that the company has been working with netbook and PC manufactures to deliver the Chrome OS to consumers in the second half of 2010.

"Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve," said Sundar Pichai, VP of product management.

Google Chrome OS will be designed to run on both x86 as well as ARM chips making it highly adaptable which might eventually led to its transition away from netbooks to PCs and laptops.

The software architecture is simple and highly web based. Google Chrome will be running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. The user interface is said to be minimalistic to create a faster easier interface that should stay out make the OS fairly user friendly. As could be expected from a search giant most of the user experience takes place on the web with most all of your applications being web-based.

So far there are few details and specifics, so we don't yet know if Google plans to offer the new OS free of charge. Nor do we have specifics on which manufactures might be involved in the release. About all we know for sure is that Google will release the code later this year and they expect Chrome OS to makes its first appearance on netbooks by the end of 2010.

I for one can't wait to take it for a spin.

The iPhone Dev Team Release New 3GS Unlock

Its now a bit of old news but the newest version of the iPhone has now been unlocked and today the guys over at the iPhone Dex Team have announced the release of the updated versions of "redsn0w" used to jailbreak the 3GS and ultrasn0w the carrier unlock.

Originally the Dev Team was going to hold off until Apple's 3.1 release of the new software, however they were forced to show their hand when Geroge Hotz posted his "purplera1n" unlock.

Here are the details of the unlock from the Dev Team Blog:

ultrasn0w unlockers — You all must remain particularly vigilant against upgrading your basebands, since doing so will kill the unlock (for most phones, there’s no going backwards in baseband version). Apple has gotten very serious with the latest baseband — they’ve removed 180 (!) commands in an effort to cut down their exposure to holes. So please always stay away from stock Apple IPSWs and instead use our tools as we release them. These tools let you update your firmware without updating your baseband.

Those installing ultrasn0w will probably also need to do a single run of Settings->General->Reset->Reset Network Settings. We’re testing various fixes for that particular glitch.

Once again, thanks to @Oranav for finding the new injection vector that allowed us to transform yellowsn0w for baseband 02.28 into ultrasn0w for baseband 04.26, and for not revealing it to Apple before it could be used where it would be most effective — firmware 3.0.

redsn0w platforms — This is the first redsn0w release that also supports linux! It’s the newest version of the bunch, so any feedback would be appreciated. But right now, redsn0w should work on OS X, Windows, and linux.

How to get the goods:

• The redsn0w torrent seeds are all here. Any direct mirroring help would also be appreciated.
• The updates to ultrasn0w, MobileSubstrate, and WinterBoard are all handled directly through Cydia (after you’ve jailbroken!)
• The Cydia repo for ultrasn0w is http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com (that last o in ultrasn0w is the number 0!)

iPhone 3GS Unlock Demonstration from planetbeing on Vimeo.

MSI Unveils New G41 HTPC Ready Motherboards

With hi-definition audio and visuals becoming ever more common, Home Theater PC (HTPC), offering improved audio support and hi-def multimedia playback, provide more upgradeability and compatibility for the coming future. In light of this trend, more and more people are seeking to build their own HTPC.

Global mainboard and graphic producer, MSI, has integrated Intel's current multimedia platform - the Intel G41 chipset - into its new series of mainboards to meet this growing demand.

The Intel G41 chipset sets a new standard for visual enhancement technology with DirectX 10 support, playback-enhancing decoders, integrated HDMI and DVI, cutting-edge multimedia equipment, and Intel's own Clear Video technology. This new series not only meets all the demands for creating an HTPC with competitive pricing, but also get next generation operating system--windows 7 certification. According to these reason, MSI’s G41 series mainboards will be Intel’s best choice for hi-def computing.

Support for HD movies and independent visual improving technology
The Intel G41 chipset's integrated Intel GMA X4500 GPU, compared to its G31 predecessor, not only improves 3D performance, but also supports Direct X 10, OpenGL 2.0 and other graphical standards for total gaming support. Additionally, the G41 chipset also supports faster hardware decoding, which decreases the loading on the CPU, and can run all current forms of HD movies. The Intel G41 also equips Intel Clear Video technology which improves the playback quality and level of detail for a better home theater experience.

DVI and HDMI output provide total digital visual support
The Intel G41 chipset, in addition to the standard D-Sub and DVI-D video ports, also supports the dual video & audio output, HDMI. When connecting to another audio visual display product, HDMI brings forth rich images and sound in one connection for even simpler setup and use. Posts-wise, no other platform can match the G41's connectivity.

Take on the latest games with DX10 support
Another key feature of the G41 chipset is its total DirectX 10 support. All one needs is to install Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS to enjoy the most life-like gaming visuals around - a must for today's HTPC.

A multitude of MSI-only technology
Aside from the above benefits, MSI's G41 series of motherboards also build upon years of research and development MSI put in to ensure its products are a cut above the rest. APS intelligent power management, USB safeguard protection and M-Flash BIOS recovery are just some of the ways this series ensures a new level of convenience for customers.

Of course, every different product, due to market placement and demands, will have specification differences. Currently the strongest boards - G41TM-E63/ G41TM-E43 - are the G41 series flagship products, and include all of the above mentioned technology with embedded D-Sub, DVI and HDMI ports. Additionally, these boards feature a completely solid capacitor design which enhances the product's life span and stability.

MSI's Easy OC Switch technology is also included to allow the user to easily overclock via the BIOS-located 'Switch' - no complex understanding about ‘how to overclock’ required. With so many convenient features, the MSI G41 series of mainboards clearly stands out from the pack.

MSI's G41 series model specs:

• G41TM-E63
• G41TM-E43
• G41M4-F
• P41T-C31
• P41T-C33
• G41M-FD
• G41M-FIDP

Source: MSI

Google Finally Pulls The Beta Tag From Several Apps

We've spoke out in the past about Google's ongoing use of the beta tag for most of their apps and how the company seems to redefine the term beta. So I must say it comes at a bit of a shocker to see that the company has decided to pull the beta tag from several of their top applications.

Google took the time to poke a little fun at themselves in today's announcement on the Official Google blog. Stating Google Apps is out of beta (yes, really).

The company officially took the beta tag of of Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Talk — "Beta" will be removed from the product logos today.

We're often asked why so many Google applications seem to be perpetually in beta. For example, Gmail has worn the beta tag more than five years. We realize this situation puzzles some people, particularly those who subscribe to the traditional definition of "beta" software as not being yet ready for prime time...

"We've come to appreciate that the beta tag just doesn't fit for large enterprises that aren't keen to run their business on software that sounds like it's still in the trial phase. So we've focused our efforts on reaching our high bar for taking products out of beta, and all the applications in the Apps suite have now met that mark."

Kudos to Google, I mean it is just a tag and we all know the software works well, but from a traditionalist point of view I hate to see the beta tag over used.

Sony Offers New High Priced, High Res. Notebook

Sony Style has always come at a bit of a premium so it should be no shocker that when the company announced a new netbook it would be priced considerably higher than the competition.




Today, Sony has announced a new VAIO W computer with specs similar to almost every other netbook on the market with the exception of a higher resolution 10.1-inch LED backlit screen. The new screen beats out most of the 1074 x 768 offerings to post a resolution of 1366 x 768. But with that high resolution screen you get a high price tag with a starting price of $500!

According to the product page over at Sony Japan the new VAIO W will feature a 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, VGA out, a webcam, and a memory card reader. All this will be packed into a case that is 267.8mm × 179.6mm and 27.5mm tall (32.4mm at it's thickest). This means you get an 87% full-size keyboard which might be a tad small for most.

Powering the standard VAIO W will be a stock 3-cell battery promising three hours of run time while an optional 6-cell battery should double that.

Watch The Michael Jackson Memorial Online

The King of Pop's memorial takes place today at 1pm Eastern Time (10am Pacific), for those of you that aren't lucky enough to be there in person there are several ways to watch online.

Your first option, and likely the best one, will be Hulu. They have a strong network that will hopefully keep up with the high demands. Your second alternative, and a good option for you Facebook fans is through CNN. The news company and social media network have teamed up to offer a live stream. From what I can see the page is only accessible from CNN's website as a pop-up however it will feature a live update version of your Facebook page on the right-hand side so you can see what your friends and others watching are saying.

Other online sites that are offering streams include MySpace, ABC News, TV.com, Justin.Tv and MSN's inMusic. MySpace unfortunately doesn't have a good reputation for the strong backbone that Hulu has so it might be a questionable connection. ABC News might be a good choice but I'm not certain I'd bank on the other two.

Rock The Bike Utilizes Power Efficiency Of JBL PRX Series Loudspeakers To Drive Environmental Awareness

This is a story that truly rocks. The folks at Rock The Bike have teamed with JBL to create a human powered audio setup that can be used as an artists performs. You can pedal along and power up the stage while you rock out with your favorite artist, what a great concept!

Checkout the press release below for more details on the setup.

In a highly creative and environmentally forward-thinking application of JBL PRX portable loudspeakers, Rock the Bike, a designer and manufacturer of bicycles with an eye on raising the awareness of the “bike culture,” has employed PRX loudspeakers at several of its live music events, which are run on human power generated on bicycles.

For its live events, Rock the Bike designed a pedal-powered stage, which enables one or many individuals to ride stationary bicycles in place, which in turn power the audio system as the artists perform. “It’s been a steady progression to this—most of our performances used to be primarily in the streets and running off battery power,” said Paul Freedman of Rock The Bike. “Then we started hooking up with people interested in human power and over the past year, we’ve put a lot of energy into creating our own pedal-powered stage.”

Thanks to the efficiency of the JBL PRX Series, Rock the Bike employs PRX535 speakers for its main sound reinforcement system. “Because we’re an environmentally conscious group, the PRX speakers are a perfect fit, plus they’re lightweight so we can easily transport them on our cargo bicycles,” Freedman said. “I also really like the PRX speakers because the low/mid/high knobs on my mixer correspond directly with the low/mid/high drivers in the speaker, which make them very easy to use.”

Rock the Bike relies on volunteers from the audience to pedal the bikes, something that has never posed a challenge. “If there are a lot of people at an event, we have no problem getting volunteers from the crowd to keep a 2-bike pedal-powered system going,” Freedman said. “We position them close to the stage so they have a good view of the performers, and they’re literally supporting the music with their power.”

While the pedal-powered stage contributes to a sense of community at the live events, the system has taken an ironic (but intentional) back seat to the actual performances, as a result of its own efficiency. “The pedal-powered stage used to be the center of attention at our shows, but with the sound quality of the PRX speakers, along with our ability to make the pedal-power bikes quieter, the audience is getting absorbed into the music without even thinking about the pedal power,” Freedman added. “That’s our goal: to keep the music excellent and help spread the spirit of the bike.”

Since employing the pedal-powered stage, Rock the Bike has supported events ranging from rock star performances to a press conference at City Hall in San Francisco. “We recently powered a show by Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam,” Freedman said. “He was only supposed to play the first song of his set through pedal power, but he ended up playing the entire set with it because he got such a great response from the crowd.”

For more information on Rock The Bike, please visit www.rockthebike.com

They've got some great pics over at Rock The Bike of them doing everything from street performances, music festivals what looks like a back yard jam session. If you are into bikes and music then this is one gadget that is definitely worth checking out.

Zer01 Mobile Officially Launches New Mobile Wireless Service

Zer01 Mobile Officially Launches New Truly Unlimited Voice, Data & Web Mobile Wireless Service Nationwide That Includes No Contracts, Low Pre-paid Monthly Fee

Zer01 Mobile announced today the formal launch of its new nationwide truly unlimited voice, data and Web mobile wireless service that will allow users to make as many phone calls, surf the Web, view movies and videos, text messages, download music and use their smartphones for a variety of other applications all for one, low monthly fee. Offering the new mobile wireless service as a mobile virtual network enabler, Zer01 Mobile has created its own grouping of mobile virtual network operators and strategic business alliances including a new partnership with Netmovies.com, an online entertainment network.

"Many years of research and testing have culminated in the public launch this week of the new, truly unlimited voice, data and Web mobile wireless service from Zer01 Mobile. Thanks to the ingenuity of the Zer01 Mobile engineering team, our new Veritable Mobile Convergence technology allows each smartphone user to make voice calls or transmit data through a VoIP system," explained Ben Piilani, CEO, Zer01 Mobile. "Because Zer01 Mobile is the only carrier in the United States offering truly unlimited mobile Web access, a number of important strategic partnerships with Zer01 Mobile have been finalized including the recent agreement with Netmovies.com, the Boston-based online entertainment network."

In April 2009, Zer01 Mobile first premiered its new truly unlimited voice, data and Web mobile wireless service at the CTIA Wireless Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Receiving positive reviews while showcasing its service at the global wireless industry event, Zer01 Mobile was presented with the "Best Overall Product" Award by Laptop Magazine. "That's the appeal of Zer01, which uses highly efficient VoIP technology to let users make phone calls over existing cellular networks. This new breed of carrier will sell a variety of Windows Mobile devices starting in July that can tap into its service, but it will also enable users to bring their unlocked BlackBerrys, Android phones and other handsets. An extra $10 per month will allow subscribers to add international calling to 40 destinations. Zer01 Mobile promises that it will take as little as five minutes for the company to update your phone's SIM card to make it compatible with its network," stated the Laptop Magazine Web site.

Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Zer01 Communications is owned and operated by the Unified Technologies Group, Inc., a global technology services and consulting company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. Zer01 Communications recently premiered the new Zer01 Mobile service at the CTIA Wireless 2009 Conference. Laptop Magazine awarded Zer01 Mobile the "Best Overall Product" Award at the conclusion of the industry conference. For more information about Zer01 Communications, visit www.Zer01mobile.com.

The New Pirate Bay Plans To Share The Booty

The new owners of The Pirate Bay want to pay you for file-sharing that is of course if the files you share are nice and legal.

Hans Pandeya, Global Gaming Factory's Chief Executive Officer told the BBC "we are going to set up a system where the file-sharer actually makes money." According to Pandeya the new business model for The Pirate Bay would setup to continue the traditional file-sharing aspects of the site with the one major difference being - at least in terms of content - that the files would be hosted legally, rather than stolen from copyright holders.

Under the new model not only would copyright holders be paid for sharing their files but users would also be paid for hosting those files and sharing them via P2P.

As Pandeya explains:
"Let's say a popular song comes out. Rather than a million downloads from a [single site] - which would cause a considerable strain on that ISP - we can take that song and put it out on P2P.

The copyright holder still gets paid, the users still get their file, the ISP doesn't have a million people all grabbing a file and - for the users who share that song - a payment for putting that file on the P2P network."

The major downside is now users would have to pay to download the files they want. While this might create a win win for copyright holders and could potentially help file sharers in the long run traditional P2P users are likely to jump ship. Who wants to pay for something they can get free elsewhere?

Getting users online with the new business model will be vital in TPB's plans for creating the revenue stream that would make it possible to pay the royalties to the copyright holder and pay those users that would be sharing via The Pirate Bay's new network. However unless they are sharing a decent amount of the profits with file sharers I don't see it working!

When you break it all down essentially what the company is looking to do is create a giant computer grid. The company wants to harnessing the storage capacity and processing power of all the computers in the file-sharing community. Every user connected would become a node for the network which could ease the burden placed on local ISP's.

"We're talking about next-gen file sharing so you can create revenue from storage and internet traffic optimization, this technology is new. For now, we're outlining our intentions and asking users to have faith," said Mr Pandeya

Have faith is one thing traditional Pirate Bay users don't have. Reading through comments on TPB's blog you'll see that the vast majority of users think the sales represents a sell out on behalf of The Pirate Bay's co-founders. The sell-off sparked hundreds of remarks of dissension from TPB's loyal users. The dissension amongst TPB loyalist eventually lead to an all out DDoS attack.

TPB co-founder Peter Sunde confirmed the attacks via his Twitter account yesterday. In response to one user who asked if a DDoS attack was why he couldn’t access the site, Sunde replied, “Yup, DDoS. Understand the people doing it as well. I hope people will calm down and understand what it means logically instead...”

Dell To Offer GPS And Wi-Fi Positioning In New Mini 10s

Dell today announced they will begin offering GPS and Wi-Fi positioning via the Dell Wireless 700 location solution for the new Mini 10 netbook. Dell's Wireless 700 location solution will feature a combination of hardware and software built to accurately pinpoint a users position anywhere around the globe.

The hardware will feature an internal GPS card with built-in Wi-Fi locationing. Used in conjunction the two technologies will work together to locate the netbooks position both indoors and out. In other words, it can calculate your position using Wi-Fi access points by utilizing Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) or using standard GPS satellites. The Dell Wireless 700 will be powered by Broadcom's A-GPS and Skyhook Wireless' Wi-Fi position solutions.

On the software side, the Dell Wireless 700 location system features CoPilot navigation software to provide turn by turn directions. The software will offer things like 2D and 3D map views, the ability to save up to 50 addresses for one trip, trip optimization to provide the most efficient route as well as providing instant detour information when you encounter expected delays and provides continuously updated information about the trip.

Dell also plans to offer a secondary location-based services in the form of a location aware portal. The company has partnered with Skyhook Wireless and Loki for this offering. Loki is a browser based plugin that comes preconfigured for Internet Explorer and Firefox. The plugin works with Loki-supported sites to improve local search functionality by providing you details from nearby restaurants store locations and even your friends' location information from supported social media sites like Flickr, Loopt and BrightKite.

In the OS department, initially, it will support Windows XP. Vista and Windows 7 support will come later. The Mini 10 is the first system that we'll offer with the optional Dell 700 Wireless location solution.

Source: Direct2Dell Blog

The Pirate Bay Sells-Off, Users Jump Ship

Several sources around the web are now confirming that Swedish software company Global Gaming Factory X AB has purchased The Pirate Bay for the rock bottom price of 60 million Swedish Krona or roughly $7.8 million. While the top dogs at The Pirate Bay have confirmed there "might" be a sell in place they have yet to confirm it has been finalized however it appears as though TPB users aren't waiting around to find out.

Shortly after the news broke and confirmation came in that TPB might be sold users began asking to have their accounts deleted and all possible personal information removed. In fact TPB received so many requests that they are now setting up a user deletion interface for faster easier deletion of user accounts.

It appears as though the Pirates are jumping ship like fleeing rats much to the dismay of TPB's owners.

We are going to build a user deletion interface later today. Many people have asked about having their account removed and we will not force anyone to stay on of course.

However, we also want to point out that we have no logs of anything, no personal data will be transferred in the eventual sale (since no personal data is kept). So no need to be worried for safety. We always care for that.

It also feels a bit sad to see the comments on the previous blog entry. We understand that you're upset. But we have reasons to do this that we cannot ignore. We need to keep the site going and this is the only working alternative. We cannot finance the growth of the site anymore and we cannot back down. The only way is up and this is the only route to that place.

The support we had, is support we still need. We've been fighting for years for you; and yes; you have supported us in that endevour. We still need you, even if you abandon the site. The important thing is that you keep sharing and keep on saving the internets. We will try to do that, but right now, we need and deserve a break. Some things needs to be reborn and rebooted. Let's make this into something good!

TPB's owners have faced mounting pressure as well as mounting fees in their fight to keep the site. Back in April they were slapped with hefty fines when they lost their trial and were found guilty in their ongoing legal battle. Clearly the pressures put on to keep the site alive and the sheer amount of money it takes to fight the legal battles have taken a bit of a toll.

The sale of the site and the changeover of ownership is reportedly scheduled for August 2009, whereby GGF will take over all day to day operations of the site which will in turn launch with new business models so that copyright owners actually get paid.

Still Using The Windows 7 Beta, Its Time To Upgrade

Beginning on Wednesday users that are still running the Windows 7 Beta will face spontaneous reboots every two hours. The beta software came equipped with this little annoyance as a way for Microsoft to push users into upgrading to the newest releases.

Computers with begin shutting down, then restarting, all in the attempt to get you to either move to the release candidate or install another one of Microsoft's operating systems before the Windows 7 Beta deadline of Aug. 1, when the operating system will completely shut down.

The only way users can avoid being plagued by this major annoyance is to download and install the release candidate (which you all should have by now anyways) or as mentioned you'll need to reinstall your old OS. The Windows 7 RC will be available until Aug. 15 so you have plenty of time to download and install it.

Just keep in mind that Microsoft blocks installation of the RC when the newer edition recognizes that the PC is running Windows 7 Beta, users must do a "clean install," which will wipe out all the all the data and applications you currently have. However, Microsoft did publish instructions on how to work around that block; the fix requires editing of the Windows registry. It sounds tricky but its really not that bad.

FireFox 3.5 Coming Tomorrow

According to reports the final version of Firefox 3.5 will be made publicly available for download tomorrow morning, Pacific time.

According to Mozilla, some of the new features included in Firefox 3.5 are:

• A high-performance TraceMonkey JavaScript engine
• An improved Gecko layout engine
• Support fr Location Aware Browsing
• Support for HTML5 (including HTML5 offline resources)
• Various other stability and performance tweaks

Last Thursday, Mike Beltzner, the director of Firefox strongly hinted that Firefox 3.5 would meet the ship deadline previously set for the first half of the year. "Everyone's pretty happy with the release, and while we haven't picked a date yet, we're still tracking to our latest schedule," Beltzner said in an e-mail to ComputerWorld.

For more details on some of the new features you can visit the FireFox 3.5 developers page.

Comcast Launches New High-Speed 2go Wireless Data Service

Comcast Begins National Rollout of High-Speed Wireless Data Service

Portland first to launch Comcast High-Speed 2go with Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and more launching before year-end 2009

Comcast Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information, and communications products and services, launches its anticipated high-speed wireless data service tomorrow in Portland as the company kicks off its nationwide rollout of Comcast High-Speed 2go.

Comcast’s High-Speed 2go is a fourth-generation or 4G wireless high-speed data service that provides the fastest available wireless Internet in the nation via wireless data cards. Comcast will be selling this wireless service bundled with one or more of its popular Internet, phone and television products, providing mobile broadband where ever and whenever customers need to be connected.

“With Comcast’s wideband Internet, we already offer one of the fastest wired connections available today. Now with the launch of High-Speed 2go, we also deliver the nation’s fastest wireless Internet,” said Cathy Avgiris, senior vice president and general manager for wireless and voice services at Comcast. “Innovation through mobility is one of many advances Comcast is providing consumers in the area of entertainment, information and communications. Comcast High-Speed 2go now gives consumers the best of both worlds, the fastest fast at home and on the go. In today’s world, consumers don’t want to be disconnected for even a minute and now Comcast provides wired and wireless access – a combination consumers won’t want to live without.”

Comcast is selling two different data cards and service plans:

• Comcast High-Speed 2go Metro service uses a 4G-only data card giving customers the fastest wireless service within the 4G metro coverage area. The Metro device operates only in a 4G service footprint.
• Comcast High-Speed 2go Nationwide service delivers the fastest metro 4G service plus coast-to-coast access on Sprint’s national 3G network. The Nationwide device automatically switches between available 4G and 3G networks.

The world-class services Comcast is known for in the home are beginning to be extended to where consumers work, live and play. High-speed mobile Internet is one of the first products consumers want as a natural extension of Comcast’s super fast wired high-speed Internet. The combination of the two is a unique proposition and the only package of its kind available in Portland today.

Bundled Pricing
For the first time, consumers will have bundled access to both the fastest wired and wireless internet in the nation - sold together at launch as a “Fast Pack” for as low as $49.99 per month for one year. Both new and existing Comcast customers will be eligible for special bundled pricing, with Triple Play customers receiving 4G wireless as an add-on for as low as $30 per month. Visit www.comcast.com/highspeed2go for additional pricing plans and service packages.

The $49.99 Fast Pack Metro service includes Comcast’s 12 Mbps home Internet service, a free WiFi router for mobility and extended coverage in the home, and 4G service that will provide up to 4 Mbps download speed when customers are on the go. For an additional $20 per month, consumers can upgrade to the Fast Pack Nationwide service that includes the same services plus nationwide 3G mobile network access.

Comcast also will be selling High-Speed 2go to small-to-mid-sized businesses through Comcast Business Services sales teams. As the nation’s largest video provider, largest residential ISP and the third-largest residential phone provider, Comcast now has the ability to provide wireless mobility to consumers in a combination that is both competitive and differentiated from any bundled services on the market today.

Comcast is selling wireless data services following its investment in Clearwire in November 2008. Comcast’s 4G service will be provided via the Clearwire network, and its 3G service will be provided by Sprint’s nationwide 3G network. Comcast is one of the first investors in Clearwire to bring a service to market and expects that it will continue to add value to existing bundled products.

Source: Comcast Press Release

Google's Day In The Cloud Challenge Has Begun

Google's Day in the Cloud Challenge, an online scavenger hunt has officially kicked off today. The game is being played simultaneously on the ground and in the air aboard Virgin America flights across the U.S. The Day in the Cloud demonstrates how people can use Google Apps to stay connected with friends, family and co-workers when they're away from their homes — even at 35,000 feet in the air.


The online game will be available until 11:59pm PDT today, so check them out and see how well you can do. Google has teamed with Virgin America to offer a total of five top prizes to the top five scorers in the challenge. The prizes will include a "Year in the Cloud" prize package, which offers a year of free flights and free in-flight Wi-Fi from Virgin America, an HP netbook computer, and 1 terabyte of Google account storage for all of your photos and email.

The Day in the Cloud Challenge will offer several levels of challenges that last just one hour. Google is inviting everyone to take on the challenge between 12:00am and 11:59pm PST. If you want to win a prize you must be a legal resident of the U.S. and at least 18 years of age to be eligible.

Linksys Launches New WRT160NL Linux-powered Media Sharing Router

Cisco launches Linux powered N-Router with media sharing functionality



Cisco this week announced a new Linux powered router, the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Broadband Router with Storage Link (WRT160NL). The new model complements the existing Linksys by Cisco consumer router line-up and is essentially the next generation of the popular WRT54GL. The design of the product is similar to other Linksys by Cisco N-routers, but has integrated connectors for external antennae. Consumers that prefer external aerials can now enjoy the new Linksys by Cisco router design because of the integrated R-SMA antenna connectors. The integrated Storage Link functionality lets consumers connect their USB storage device to the router to create a powerful media sharing solution that enables video, photo and music sharing through the integrated media server.

Facts/Highlights:

• The Storage Link port lets users connect USB storage devices to the router. Music, video, or data files can be made available in the network through the built-in media server. The media server can stream to PCs or UPnP AV digital media adapters. The integrated Storage Link port supports FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file systems in both read and write mode.
• Although most Linksys by Cisco router feature internal antennae the WRT160NL has external antennae. The two R-SMA antenna connectors are designed to allow tech savvy users to be more flexible in their antennae choice and placement.
• The new Linksys by Cisco product packaging provides more than 40% reduction in waste materials compared to the previously offered packaging. The size of the boxes is reduced, internal packaging is transitioning to more recyclable material, the use of plastic bags is being eliminated where possible and all packaging and internal documents are printed on paper that is made from 80% recycled content and vegetable and soy inks are being used.
• The Wireless-N Broadband Router with Storage Link is shipped with Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA). LELA helps consumers to get their network up and running and helps keep their network updated and secure. The included set-up CD is compatible with both Macintosh and Windows computers.

System specifications:

• Linux powered
• 802.11n draft 2.0 certified
• 400Mhz processor
• 8 Megabytes Flash memory
• 32 Megabytes DDRAM
• Storage Link port (USB 2.0)
• UPnP AV media server
• Wi-Fi protected Setup pushbutton security
• 2 x R-SMA antennae connectors

Supporting Quote:

“In the past we have had many successful Linux powered devices with the WRT54GL and NSLU2 being great examples. The WRT160NL is the logical next step combining Linux, 802.11n technology and USB storage functionality. We see the WRT160NL as a possible successor of our WRT54GL as the market transitions to 802.11n – but then with storage functionality on top of that,” said Aaron Marinari, senior product manager, Cisco Consumer Business Group.

Pricing

The Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Broadband Router with Storage Link is available from authorized Linksys by Cisco retailers, resellers, and VAR partners. MSRP: $119.99.

Internet Resources:

• Product Web page
• Information about the ENERGY STAR organization
• Podcast with Cisco’s Ned Hooper discussing the company’s Consumer strategy
• Read Cisco’s news feature on the media-enabled home.
• Learn more about consumer products for a media-enabled home at www.linksysbycisco.com and www.linksysbycisco.com/forums.
• Become a Facebook fan of Cisco “LinksysbyCisco” and “Digital Cribs” and invite your friends to join the conversation.
• Engage with us on our blog site at http://blogs.cisco.com/consumer
• Twitter id is @DigitalCribs and @CiscoSystems
  

Source: Cisco/Linksys Press Release

Microsoft Antivirus Beta Released Then Pulled

Microsoft Security Essentials, the company's new free antivirus software which was originally codenamed "Morro", was released in its beta form yesterday for users in the United States, Israel, People's Republic of China and Brazil to download and try. However today the beta program has already filled up meaning us late comers to the part no longer have a chance to try the new software.

Posted across the download page is a message from Microsoft stating, "Thank you for your interest in joining the Microsoft® Security Essentials Beta. We are not accepting additional participants at this time. Please check back at later a date for possible additional availability."

For those lucky enough to grab an early copy of the beta the software is said to provide free protection from viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojans for users running Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. According to several reports the new AV program appears to be very well built and extremely efficient.

DailyTech reports the software even beats out competitive offerings from Symantec and McAffee, using a scant 4 MB of memory in initial tests; processor use was also minimal. Quick scans take a mere 10 minutes, while a full scan comes in at a competitive 45 minutes, despite the small footprint. The software strives to perform most of the scanning when the system is idle, and even then maintains a relatively polite footprint.

Apple Claims A Million iPhone 3Gs' Sold, 6 Million Downloads Of iPhone 3.0 OS

Apple today announced that the company has sold over one million iPhone 3GS models it its firdt full weekend of sales (through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch). In addition the company claims that there have been six million downloads of the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since the operating systems release.

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance—up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3GS offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299. And iPhone 3G is available at the breakthrough price of just $99 for the 8GB model—a huge milestone for the high end smartphone market.

Source: Apple Press Release