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About this site

For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Friday, July 30, 2004

Is Real's iPod "hacking" legal?

CNET: "Legal experts say there's a big difference between RealNetworks' product and the work of code-crackers who have helped break through DVD copy protection, or who have previously helped strip FairPlay protection from iTunes songs. Those underground programmers, at least in the United States, risk running into the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which bars 'circumvention' of digital copy protection. By contrast, legal experts note that RealNetworks is 'hacking' Apple's technology in order to protect music in its own way, not to pirate or otherwise copy it without permission. This kind of reverse engineering for compatibility purposes happens routinely in corporate America, and is allowed as long as competitors aren't actually using copyrighted code, attorneys say."

Bravo. It's nice to see someone finally write something intelligent about this.

[ Posted at 8:36 PM | Permalink ]

Apple ships first batch of liquid-cooled 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5s

Apple Insider: "Less than 24 hours after Apple Computer began informing customers that it would miss the July ship date for its 2.5 GHz liquid-cooled Power Mac G5s, the company did an about-face on its statement and is actively shipping the new computers. It's unclear what exactly caused yesterday's false alarm, but several customers were told that the Apple Store accidently fired off 'delay messages' to more customers than it originally intended. Apple Store reps also suggested that customers who received e-mails this morning ignore any conflicting delivery status messages currently reflected on the Apple Store web site ... Apple first introduced the dual processor 2.5 GHz liquid-cooled Power Mac G5 on June 9th, promising availability in July."

Hey July 30 is still July, right?

[ Posted at 8:33 PM | Permalink ]

Despite optimism Apple further delays liquid-cooled Power Macs

Apple Insider: "Although the Apple Store this week remained optimistic that the it would begin shipping larger orders of its liquid-cooled dual processor 2.5GHz tomorrow, several customers began receiving word of further delays this afternoon.

To Our Valued Apple Customer:

Thank you for ordering the new Dual 2.5GHz Power Mac G5!

The demand for this item has been incredible. We are shipping them as quickly as possible, but cannot meet the ship date we previously estimated for you. We now expect to ship your Power Mac on or before August 20th.

Please rest assured that we fulfill all orders in the order they are received.
If we do not hear from you prior to shipment, we will assume the revised date is acceptable, and will ship your order. We will notify you if there are any changes to the revised ship date.

Earlier in the week Apple Store sources indicated that the company appeared to be on track to deliver the first batch of the new Power Macs by next week, but would not rule out further delays.

Several of the customers affected by the most recent delay appear to be some of the earliest purchasers, shedding doubt on the possibility that Apple will be able to meet its July delivery estimates."

Shocking.

[ Posted at 10:54 AM | Permalink ]

Bluetooth iPod Coming Soon (fake)

blueserker: "According to DigiTimes someone leaked an image of the new Apple Bluetooth iPod ad campaign. Supposedly, the image was IM'd to a family member of a person working in an Asian PR firm by accident. Reportedly, the new Bluetooth iPod will be enabled with a higher rate Bluetooth chip combined with a new Toshiba mini HD. Sounds like one of those Japan only products that we all will crave and never get."

UPDATE: It's a fake.

[ Posted at 10:53 AM | Permalink ]

Apple offers trade-ins in Japan

Not sure what the deal is, but Apple offers its Japanese customers trade-ins on old products when they buy new Apple products. Gizmodo covers the iPod trade-in (worth up to $246) here, and a wider trade-in policy here. Kind of make this guy look like even more of an idiot than usual, eh?

[ Posted at 10:48 AM | Permalink ]

Apple vs. Real

Bubble: "Apple is committing a massive strategic error. We know that iTunes as a distribution channel generates little revenue for Apple - it's iPod sales that are the cash cow. So why is it worried about Real? Apple's worried that Real's access to the iPod will limit it's ability to sign even more suppliers (labels) to iTunes - and as this happens less and less, Apple's ability to exert monopsony (aka a single buyer) power over them is broken. That tells us pretty clearly that Apple's unspoken strategy was to leverage iTunes into the distribution channel for digital audio, and, eventually, when the market grew and their monopsony position solidified, flip the onerous terms of the licensing and royalty agreements demanded by the labels around."

How very Microsoftian (and correct). There's also a follow-up post to this article that might be of interest.

[ Posted at 10:44 AM | Permalink ]

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Time Gadget of the Week: Apple 4th-Generation iPod

Time: "The latest [iPod] is, without being contradictory, both a modest hop forward and a complete overhaul ... you should know that internally the new iPod is a ground-up reconstruction, and its really compelling applications — the ones that very well might get the goat of anyone unable or unwilling to upgrade — are still secret. All that Apple is saying is that there's more to this than what's being publicized. If you're thinking about finally getting an iPod, now's your chance. If you're thinking about handing down your current iPod and getting a new one with a bigger hard drive, now's your chance."

[ Posted at 9:03 PM | Permalink ]

The Missing Sync for Palm OS - New Version 4.0!

mark|space: "Say goodbye to outdated sync software! The Missing Sync for Palm OS makes it easy to synchronize with Mac OS X apps like Address Book, iCal and Microsoft Entourage, eliminating the need for Palm Desktop and HotSync Manager. Supports many Palm Powered handhelds, including those from palmOne, Sony, Tapwave, Samsung, Garmin and AlphaSmart. Connect over USB, Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi. Includes tons of features never before available on the Mac...or on Windows!"

[ Posted at 8:20 PM | Permalink ]

Nexus design updated

I began what I hope will be a long-lasting design change for the Internet Nexus today, and it appears to display correctly in Mozilla and Safari, and almost correctly in IE, though I'm not going to spend much time worrying about that. I also finally updated the Archives page to match the front page design, which was previously horribly out of date. Someday soon (I hope), I'll add sub-pages for books, games, movies, and music archives. Let me know what you think.

[ Posted at 7:53 PM | Permalink ]

Brosnan Finished With Bond

Dark Horizons: "Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Pierce Brosnan looks to have turned in his license to kill, telling the mag's online outlet a few hours ago - 'That's it, I've said all I've got to say on the world of James Bond...Bond is another lifetime behind me. We went out on a high and I look back affectionately at that time and doing those four movies. But I've said all I gotta say on it'. Some have already labelled the comments as a potential negotiating ploy in order to lure a bigger salary. Brosnan starred in four 007 films ranging from 1995-2002, and with another one set to begin production in January there's still a lot of talk as to who'll slip on the Walther PPK. At last count, despite some denials, talk surrounded Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Eric Bana."

Hopefully this is just a bargaining tactic. Brosnan needs to make at least one more Bond film.

[ Posted at 6:19 PM | Permalink ]

The Official DOOM 3 Hardware Guide

Hard|OCP: "id Software and HardOCP team up to bring you a real-world DOOM 3 hardware guide that will help you understand and maximize your DOOM 3 gaming experience ... The fact is that id Software has done a tremendous job in optimizing DOOM 3 for computers that are two years old or older. If you have a 1.5GHz Pentium and a 3D card that has been made in the last couple of years, you should be able to enjoy the DOOM 3 experience as it was meant to be."

Awesome. I'll be all over this once DOOM 3 arrives.

[ Posted at 6:15 PM | Permalink ]

Too much of a good thing

Salon (registration required): "The problems with e-mail go far beyond spam; indeed, for all the grousing over spam, getting rid of easily identifiable unsolicited commercial mail is probably one of the easier tricks engineers will pull off in the years ahead. The real crisis is with the legitimate mail -- we're drowning in it. Every day, dozens or hundreds of people -- people we want to keep in touch with -- use e-mail to make demands on our time. And it's not only the volume of mail that's killing us, it's also the variety. If you're a 'knowledge worker' -- and who isn't a knowledge worker these days? -- just about every facet of your life is tracked by e-mail. You use mail not just to communicate, but to order and organize your existence: E-mail's where we keep our travel itineraries, our tax forms, our doctor's appointment reminders, our wedding pictures. If the cops were ever to ask you what you were doing on the night of so and so, where, besides e-mail, would you look for your alibi?"

Thanks Keith.

[ Posted at 5:55 PM | Permalink ]

RealNetworks statement about Harmony Technology and creating consumer choice

RealNetworks: "RealNetworks is delighted by initial consumer and music industry support for Harmony. Compatibility, choice and quality are critically important to consumers and Harmony provides all of these to users of the iPod and over 70 other music devices including those from Creative, Rio, iRiver, and others. RealPlayer Music Store provides the highest sound quality of any download music service. That's why so many consumers have welcomed news of Harmony. Consumers, and not Apple, should be the ones choosing what music goes on their iPod.

Harmony follows in a well-established tradition of fully legal, independently developed paths to achieve compatibility. There is ample and clear precedent for this activity, for instance the first IBM compatible PCs from Compaq. Harmony creates a way to lock content from Real's music store in a way that is compatible with the iPod, Windows Media DRM devices, and Helix DRM devices. Harmony technology does not remove or disable any digital rights management system. Apple has suggested that new laws such as the DMCA are relevant to this dispute. In fact, the DMCA is not designed to prevent the creation of new methods of locking content and explicitly allows the creation of interoperable software.

We remain fully committed to Harmony and to giving millions of consumers who own portable music devices, including the Apple iPod, choice and compatibility."

[ Posted at 5:43 PM | Permalink ]

Kick the compression habit

MSNBC: "Digital music doesn't have to mean inferior sound quality ... battery problems aside, the iPod is a magnificent device which has the capability of providing true hi-fi audio. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it and all the wannabe clones are being marketed. Instead of telling you how great your music can sound, Apple and other MP3 mass-storage device manufacturers boast how many compressed music files you can fit on their devices ... If you want to actually preserve your music, you can do a lot better. Ideally, what you should be doing is listening to songs encoded in Apple’s AIFF format. AIFF files and the similar WAV files in the Windows realm are not compressed at all. Each file is approximately 30 to 40 MB each, or about 10 times the size of files compressed into the AAC, MP3, RA or WMA formats. To my ears, compressed music files are the equivalent of junk food to the music industry. The difference is like comparing a slice of the best bakery-made chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten to a Devil Dog or a Ring Ding. Fulfilling richness vs. empty calories. Both are satisfying chocolate desserts but which one will you remember as being something special?"

Around these parts, we refer to Gary Krakow as "Crazy Guy" (look at the picture, he's even more nuts in person) and this article highlights the method behind the madness. Yeah, uncompressed music is nice, but it's prohibitively large as well. I can't wait until this guy settles on uncompressed video as his next jihad. Does anyone really fret over the quality of today's highly-compressed DVDs? When does "Good Enough" stop being good enough?

[ Posted at 11:53 AM | Permalink ]

Apple's real problem

CNN Money: "Refusing to license its FairPlay system has cost Apple control. That may be a good thing ... Apple intended the iPod and iTunes to be a closed system, allowing no other company to sell iPod-compatible downloads ... To create Harmony, Real reverse-engineered Apple's proprietary AAC format, and created a way for Real's downloads to appear in AAC format when loaded onto an iPod. Industrious hackers have attempted such a feat but have been spooked by legal threats. Apple may yet decide to challenge Harmony in court, but it should carefully think through the consequences: Harmony may actually prove beneficial to Apple and the industry as a whole. As for Real, it gets some great press and momentum heading into the fall, when Microsoft is expected to launch its long-rumored digital-music offering. 'They need [an answer] that doesn't sound anti-consumer and yet preserves the system they've built for themselves,' Bernoff says. 'I can't think of a response that satisfies both of those requirements.' I don't know the answer either. But I do know that in most cases -- especially when it comes to consumer electronics -- open standards and consumer choice usually win. Giving consumers the ability to choose which store they want to purchase music from instead of locking them into one store is sound policy."

Yep, it sure is. And Apple should embrace, not dispute, Real's efforts. Apple doesn't make any money from its Music Store anyway. If Apple wants to sell more iPods, and support its customers, making peace with Real is the way to go.

[ Posted at 11:24 AM | Permalink ]

Science fun: Scientists Spot Rare Blue Whales in Alaska

Associated Press: "Federal scientists have sighted a rare mammal in Alaska waters — endangered blue whales, the largest animal known to live on Earth. The sighting by researchers on board a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel means the blue whale population may be getting healthier and expanding back to traditional territories. 'We are thrilled,' Dr. Jay Barlow, chief scientist on board the McArthur II for a 120-day research cruise, said Friday from Kodiak. 'It's been 30 years since we had a confirmed sighting up here.' Most recent population estimates show about 12,000 blue whales worldwide, with about 2,000 in U.S. waters off California in summer and fall. Others are found in found in the western Pacific, the North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Antarctic. Blue whales in the Pacific can reach 85 feet long and 100 feet long in the Antarctic, Barlow said. Blue whales are believed to migrate in the North Pacific in summer to northern feeding grounds, where they eat about four tons of krill per day, putting on fat for the winter. In winter, the eastern Pacific group migrates south to calving grounds off Mexico and Costa Rica, Barlow said."

[ Posted at 11:21 AM | Permalink ]

Walkman over iPod

Hartford Courant: "According to Sony, about 50 million Walkmans had been manufactured by the device's 10-year anniversary. In contrast, Apple had shipped about 3 million iPods by the end of 2003, two years after its debut, accounting for about half of the market for MP3 players. 'For all the general excitement (about the iPod), it's still a pretty small market,' said David Card, an analyst at Jupiter Research, a technology tracking firm. 'It's totally a New York and Silicon Valley thing.' 'It's a relatively inexpensive status symbol in comparison to a Rolex. There's a certain fashion statement that people are making with these, but I don't think that's driving it,' Card said. Instead, buyers have responded to the iPod's sleek and functional design, its capacity for massive amounts of music and its array of functions, allowing users to store data or even DJ a party with it."

I'm not sure I agree with this. While the sheer number of cassette- and CD-based Walkman (and Walkman-like) devices out there dwarfs the number of iPods, there is no doubt that Apple has rejuvinated the portable audio market in the same way that Nintendo did with the video game market in the late 1980's (after companies like Atari, Mattel, and Coleco crashed in 1983). OK, they weren't there first, but the iPod is very much a societal phenomenon and needs to be acknowledged as such.

[ Posted at 11:12 AM | Permalink ]

Apple Blasts RealNetworks As Music War Heats Up

WSJ (registration required): "Apple Computer Inc. blasted rival RealNetworks Inc. and said it is 'investigating the [legal] implications' of Real's recent move to begin selling songs in Apple's music format, used with Apple's popular iPod device. In a brief press release Thursday morning, Apple said: 'We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod.' Apple also cautioned RealNetworks and its customers that 'when we update our iPod software from time to time it is highly likely that Real's Harmony technology will cease to work with current and future iPods.'"

So there you go. As some have predicted, Apple will try to purposely break Real's technology in a future iPod software update. This tactic is fraught with problems, of course. But I have to wonder how successful it will be: The (admittedly single) song I purchased from Real's RealPlayer Music Store is now safely captured on my iPod in Apple's Protected AAC format (albeit in a wonderful 192 Kbps version, higher than Apple's 128 Kbps offerings), and will likely keep playing regardless of what Apple does. My feeling here is that it was too bad the companies couldn't work together, but I think everyone agrees that it was Apple's decision to break things. As a music lover and a PC user, I believe that choice is good, and I'd rather purchase 192 Kbps AAC songs than 128 Kbps AAC songs, given the choice. And this is the reason Real's efforts should be applauded, and not denounced.

[ Posted at 9:24 AM | Permalink ]

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

DOOM 3: Windows 2000 and XP only

PlanetDOOM: "Well there have been rumours flying around lately that DOOM 3 would not be able to run on computers that have Windows 98 or Windows 98SE as their operating systems. Since we here at planetDOOM dislike rumours in all shapes and sizes, we went straight to the horses mouth so to speak and asked Activision themselves. The reply we got was that it is confirmed and indeed true that DOOM 3 will only run on Windows machines that have Windows 2000 or XP."

6 days left.

[ Posted at 5:39 PM | Permalink ]

iTunes, Meet Your Musicmatch

TechNewsWorld: "Perennial underdog Musicmatch this week unrolls a new version of its software and online service with what could be the coolest new feature of the year: "Send to a Friend," allowing you to e-mail a 20-song playlist to acquaintances. Those friends can play the songs in full up to three times each, without having to pay a dime or download any music files. Musicmatch, based in San Diego, came up with the first commercially successful jukebox software, for managing a library of digital music files on a computer, back in 1997. Musicmatch Jukebox still stands, in my view, as the most powerful program in a field that now includes iTunes, Microsoft's Windows Media Player and RealNetworks' RealPlayer. On Tuesday, Musicmatch launched Musicmatch Jukebox 9.0 along with an online listening service called On Demand. Subscribers to On Demand, which costs from $7.95 to $9.95 a month, get Send to a Friend."

There is little doubt in my mind that the future of online music is subscription-based. That said, iTunes is still a much nicer player than MusicMatch.

[ Posted at 3:35 PM | Permalink ]

Losing Your Laptop With Dell's New PDA

Forbes: "Dell's new Axim X30 fits a traveler's basic needs. It's affordable, weighs less than 5 ounces, and has Microsoft's Pocket PC software and a 3.5-inch display. And its two higher-end models have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Launched in May, it comes in three different configurations. The least expensive model costs $199 and has 32 megabytes of memory. A second mid-range version comes with a 312-megahertz Intel processor and costs $280. The most expensive one uses a 624 MHz chip and goes for $350. For travelers who frequent Wi-Fi hot spots, the Axim X30 may turn out to be a fair substitute for a full-fledged laptop computer. With its own versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, as well as Internet Explorer, this PDA's Pocket PC software really does equip those on the go with the functionality of their workplace desktop ... On July 21, Dell furthered the device's viability as a laptop substitute by adding Bluetooth accessories for the PDA, including a full-size keyboard for $99. The Axim's GPS navigation add-on costs $249."

I've been trying to replace my laptop with a keyboard-equipped PDA for years, and I'll be looking at the Axim's BT keyboard soon. Maybe, just maybe ...

[ Posted at 1:51 PM | Permalink ]

Sony's iPod Killer

WSJ (free registration required): "Next month, however, the iPod will face its most potent competitor. This latest challenger is none other than Sony Corp., the Japanese giant that revolutionized portable music with its Walkman tape players 25 years ago. Sony, which has lost its leadership in portable music to Apple, will try to regain that crown with its first iPod-type high-capacity, hard-disk-based music player. My assistant, Katie Boehret, and I have been testing Sony's would-be iPod killer -- a sleek, slim, silvery, magnesium-clad gadget inelegantly called the 'Network Walkman NW-HD1,' which holds 20 gigabytes of music and is set to go on sale in mid-August for $399. Sony plans a massive ad campaign to back the new Walkman, and to try and revive the once grand, but now faded, Walkman brand ... Our verdict: While the new Sony is smaller than the iPod and has much better battery life, it is markedly inferior overall. It has a confusing, complex user interface that makes it hard to use; weak software for the PC; an oddball music format that makes loading it with songs tedious; and a companion music download service that offers less than Apple's. The iPod wins this round, and remains champion."

[ Posted at 1:41 PM | Permalink ]

Mozilla to squash security bugs

ZDNet: "Web surfers eyeing Mozilla-based browsers as a safer alternative might want to wait a week before making the switch. That's because the Mozilla Foundation, an open-source browser development group in Mountain View, Calif., has acknowledged a pair of serious flaws in the way its browsers handle certificates, the digital documents that let you verify a Web site's identity. Mozilla said its engineers were caught off-guard by the vulnerabilities, as the code in question dates back from the open-source browser's proprietary progenitor, Netscape. 'The security code has been around for six or seven years, so all the serious bugs got worked out in the Netscape 4.0 time frame,' said Chris Hofmann, the Mozilla Foundation's director of engineering. 'We haven't seen anything serious in quite some time, so this is a surprise.' The certificate-handling flaws come at an awkward time for the Mozilla Foundation, just as security experts are promoting its browsers, along with Opera and others, as safer alternatives to Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer software."

Guys, wake up. Mozilla is still a lot more secure than IE. Duh.

[ Posted at 1:39 PM | Permalink ]

For Apple, Harmony Is Off-Key

Business Week Online: "RealNetworks thinks it has found a way to break Apple's lock [on the digital music market]. As of July 27, consumers can go to Real's Web site and download software, dubbed Harmony, that lets them play songs purchased at Real's download store on any portable player they choose -- including the iPod. What's more, Real is in talks to license Harmony to other online stores that might also want to sell to iPod users -- without Apple's approval. 'Apple clearly has a great device with the iPod, and that's great for them,' says Richard Wolpert, Real's chief strategic officer. 'But we just want consumers to be able to choose whatever device they want to choose. We think that will make the entire market grow.' You might think Apple would welcome a product that encourages consumers to legally download music onto their player. But it's said to be more than a little unhappy, and with good reason. Apple CEO Steven P. Jobs should clearly and firmly squelch Real's attempt to infiltrate Apple's music empire. GartnerG2 analyst Mike McGuire sums it up: 'At some point, Apple may decide to license [its iPod technology] to others. But they should do it for good business reasons, not because a rival issues a press release or some beta software.' Apple isn't commenting on Real's move yet. But it's almost certainly exploring the possibility of a copyright lawsuit. And that's not the only option. Experts say it could require iPod owners to download a firmware upgrade the next time they try to buy a song from iTunes that would render Harmony useless -- much as a security patch resolves a computer virus."

[ Posted at 1:35 PM | Permalink ]

Xandros Desktop OS Version 2.5 Now Shipping

Xandros: "Xandros, the leading developer of easy-to-use Linux solutions, today announced the release of version 2.5 of the Xandros Desktop OS. Maintaining its strong user focus and compatibility with legacy systems, Xandros Desktop 2.5 now offers an upgraded CrossOver Office 3.0.1, supporting Lotus Notes 6.5.1, Microsoft Project 2000/2002, and Microsoft Outlook XP. Current Xandros Desktop OS users can perform a single-click upgrade of CrossOver Office with Xandros Networks. The 2.5 Upgrade to the Deluxe and Business versions of the Xandros Desktop OS includes a special Xandros edition of CrossOver Office 3.0.1 to run Microsoft Office and other key Windows software. All versions of the Xandros Desktop OS now include Linux kernel 2.4.24 and version 1.6 of the Mozilla communications suite."

[ Posted at 1:18 PM | Permalink ]

Waiting for the Movie

Newsweek: "You don't usually go to government reports for arresting prose. But consider this sentence: 'Indeed, at the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in half a century.' Yikes. And that's not the half of it. According to a report on the reading habits of Americans issued last week by the National Endowment for the Arts, less than half of the adult American population now reads for pleasure. Using Census Bureau data, the NEA found that the number of Americans who say they've even opened a single book of fiction, let alone a poem or a play, over the course of a year has declined by 10 percent, from 56.9 percent in 1982 to 46.7 percent today. It gets worse. Young adults between 18 and 34, a category that once claimed the status of most-active readers, is now the lowest, dropping 28 percent since 1982. And by literature, 'we're not talking about the number of people who reread Proust,' says Dana Gioia, chairman of the NEA. Literature means simply any books that people read without guns pointed to their heads. 'If people read even three pages of a Harlequin romance, it got counted.'"

Scary stuff. Now, in addition to ignorant and overweight Americans, we can have illiterate Americans too. Well, ignorant and illiterate are almost the same thing. Never mind. :)

[ Posted at 9:09 AM | Permalink ]

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

New Sunbird default theme

I really hate the kitchen sink: "This is pretty old news already, but I just wanted to announce that the Sunbird team has chosen a new default theme made by Mark Carson and Chris Cook. The theme is based on the Winstripe artwork made by Stephen Horlander and Kevin Gerich. You can see preview images of the new theme in action at the top of Mark Carson's page. The contest for a new logo is still going on. Here are the final proposals of the participants and a comparison to the current Firefox/ Thunderbird artwork. I think everybody of the participants has done a great job and every proposal would deserve to be chosen."

[ Posted at 1:24 PM | Permalink ]

Firefox 1.0 Preview Release

Inside Firefox: "Most of the major work for what will now be called Firefox 1.0 Preview Release has been completed, and we're driving a shortening bug list towards zero. We're hoping to have a release in the second or third week of August. Internally (as in, as far as the Extension and Update systems are concerned) the release will be known as 0.10 and it should be noted that this is not 1.0 - this is what had been called (by the roadmap) Firefox 1.0 Beta and recently in the bug system RC1. On choosing the name we sought something that did not undermine the fact that we've never labeled any of our previous releases alphas or betas and despite their pre-release status have gained noticable usage statistics. We felt that releasing a 1.0 beta may scare people away, so looked for something gentler. We paused on Release Candidate but it was correctly pointed out to us that doing release candidates when we know full well that all the content of RTM is not there is somewhat bogus. So we settled on that tride and true moniker, Preview Release."

[ Posted at 1:22 PM | Permalink ]

A Weekend with the 4G iPod

Macworld: "I spent the weekend using the new fourth-generation iPod, and in addition to discovering a quirky new feature, I put the rest of the product through its paces ... Previously I used a third-generation iPod, and it's taken some time to get used to the click wheel and (especially) the act of physically clicking on the wheel and the center button. But it's also been a nostalgia trip, since the experience of using this new iPod is very much like the first two iPod generations. In fact, in some ways I view the third-generation iPod as an evolutionary dead-end. If you tried a second-generation iPod (a touch-wheel with the circular ring of buttons at the compass points) and then switched to a fourth-generation iPod, it would be a pretty seamless transition."

You know, I bitched and moaned about how lousy the 3rd generation iPod's capacitor-driven buttons and scroll wheel were, and everyone said I was crazy. And now the 4th generation iPod is out, and it does away completely with the capacitor-driven nonesense of the previous units, and now everyone is crowing about how much better it is. Sigh.

[ Posted at 1:04 PM | Permalink ]

RealNetworks Harmony: It works

To test Real's new Harmony Technology, I downloaded RealPlayer 10.5 Beta, logged onto the RealPlayer Music Store, purchased a track, connected my iPod, configured RealPlayer to use the iPod, and then transferred the song--originally a 192 Kbps AAC file protected by Real's DRM--to the iPod. Voila! It works.

Curious about the file that's on the iPod, I looked at it under the Windows version of iTunes. According to iTunes, the song was a 192 Kbps Protected AAC song utilizing FairPlay version 1. Thus, it's pretty clear that RealNetworks has, in fact, reverse engineered Apple's FairPlay scheme as I reported yesterday. Interesting stuff. Here's a screenshot:

[ Posted at 12:46 PM | Permalink ]

RealPlayer with Harmony Technology: Preview our beta version

Real.com: "Get your music anywhere. Transfer to any portable device. Plays, burns and manages all major file types including MP3, AAC, WMA and RealAudio. Supports iPod and 100's of other portable devices. Transfers music to portable devices fast. Plays audio and video files as they download. Download the beta.

[ Posted at 9:39 AM | Permalink ]

Cellphones, Say Hello to iTunes

New York Times (free registration required): "Starting next year, users of Apple Computer's iTunes music service will be able to play songs on some Motorola cellphones, the companies said late Monday. The agreement is the first for the cellular phone industry, which is eager to add functions to phones to bring in additional revenue. For Apple, the deal could help it keep the lead in the online music market, which promises to get even more competitive later this year with the arrival of Microsoft. Customers of iTunes will be able to transfer possibly a dozen to a few dozen songs from their PC or Mac to their phone over a cable or wireless connection, said Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive. The new cellphones will ship with new Apple software, called iTunes Mobile Music."

[ Posted at 9:37 AM | Permalink ]

Monday, July 26, 2004

RealNetworks introduces Harmony, enabling consumers to buy digital music that plays on all popular devices

Real: "RealNetworks, the leading creator of digital media services and software, today announced Harmony Technology, the world's first DRM translation system to enable consumers to securely transfer purchased music to every popular secure music device. Harmony Technology frees consumers from the limitation of being locked into a specific portable device when they buy digital music. Now consumers can build their library of downloads secure in the knowledge that it will play on virtually whatever device they choose. 'Compatibility is key to bringing digital music to the masses,' said Rob Glaser, founder and CEO, RealNetworks, Inc. 'Before Harmony, consumers buying digital music got locked into a specific kind of portable player. Harmony changes all that. Thanks to Harmony, consumers don’t have to worry about technology when buying music. Now anyone can buy music, move it to their favorite portable device, and it will just work, just like the way DVD and CDs work' ... Harmony technology will be demonstrated for the first time on Tuesday July 27th at the Jupiter PlugIn conference in New York City. Beginning on Tuesday, a beta test version of RealPlayer 10.5, the first consumer product to use Harmony Technology, will be available at www.real.com/harmony. Harmony Technology will be available later this year in other music products from RealNetworks including Real’s market-leading Rhapsody subscription service. With Harmony Technology, RealPlayer Music Store supports more than 70 secure portable media devices, including all 4 generations of the iPod and iPod mini, 14 products from Creative, 14 from Rio, 7 from RCA, 9 from palmOne, 18 from iRiver, and products from Dell, Gateway, and Samsung. Generally speaking, Harmony supports any device that uses the Apple FairPlay DRM, The Microsoft Windows Media Audio DRM, or the RealNetworks Helix DRM, giving RealPlayer Music Store support for more secure devices than any other music store on the Internet."

I can hear the lawyers sharpening their pencils as I write this.

[ Posted at 1:45 PM | Permalink ]

Harmony Technology

Real: "Thank you for your interest in the beta version of RealPlayer 10.5 with Harmony Technology. The software will be available for download Tuesday, July 27th 2004. Please come back at that time to enjoy the freedom of our new player."

[ Posted at 1:36 PM | Permalink ]

Creative and id Software Announce DOOM 3 Engine/EAX ADVANCED HD Collaboration

Creative: "Creative, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment solutions for PC users, today announced its agreement with id Software relating to Creative's patented shadowing technique and id's cutting-edge 3D graphics DOOM 3 engine, allowing Creative to develop EAX ADVANCED HD 3D audio options for future licensees. 'The DOOM 3 engine ushers in a new rendering paradigm that allows id and our licensees to bring cinema quality visuals to game players in real time,' said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. 'We look forward to further enhancing players' audio experience by working with Creative to leverage their EAX ADVANCED HD audio technology in the DOOM 3 engine.' ... A future version of the DOOM 3 engine featuring Creative EAX ADVANCED HD audio technology is expected to be available to id Software licensees later this year."

Interesting, but this means that this technology won't be included in DOOM, leading me to ask again, what are the 3D audio features in this game?

[ Posted at 1:28 PM | Permalink ]

STAR WARS Episode III title revealed

STAR WARS.com (registration required): "Comic-Con has always been important to Star Wars, so it was a natural opportunity to unveil the title of the last movie. This video feature took the crowd through the previous five films, and teased them with behind-the-scenes footage from Episode III. And the title is... REVENGE OF THE SITH."

Excellent. Most excellent.

[ Posted at 12:27 PM | Permalink ]

RealNetworks Reverse Engineers Apple's FairPlay DRM Scheme

WinInfo: "RealNetworks announced this morning that it has reverse engineered Apple's FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) scheme, allowing users to load songs purchased from Real's online music store onto Apple's successful but closed iPod portable audio player. Apple had previously refused to share the technical information RealNetworks needed to make this possible, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs snubbing repeated pleas by RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser. Apparently, RealNetworks got tired of waiting. Today, the company announced its Harmony Technology, a DRM translation system that the company says will help consumers securely transfer legally purchased music to every popular secure music device."

[ Posted at 11:02 AM | Permalink ]