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arstechnica.com rss archive / August-27-2007
Intel's new vPro: two steps forward for x86... as well as for DRM and P2P?
Intel's launch of vPro 2007 is a major milestone for both x86 virtualization and for "trusted computing." Though vPro is currently an enterprise technology with a ton of promise for the corporate desktop, it's worth remembering that the term "trusted computing" used to set of alarm bells in the technology press.Read More...
RIAA-style lawsuits hit Singapore anime scene
A licensed Singapore distributor of anime is following in the RIAA's footsteps, sending out prelitigation letters to suspected file-swappers and filing lawsuits. The company has even engaged BayTSP to do the tracking—maybe.Read More...
Microsoft's UI ambitions not limited to tables: a new windshield HUD patent
Microsoft, in what looks to be a move toward driver safety, filed a patent that could potentially turn our windshields into interactive and informative displays. Read More...
Microsoft: "less than" 12,000 systems affected by WGA outage
Microsoft has revealed more details on last week's Windows Genuine Advantage outage, and the company says that the nearly 12,000 users identified as having counterfeit software have been restored to normalcy.Read More...
Bad Medicine: student fined for uploading teacher's Bon Jovi karaoke
A Finnish teenager was fined more than $4000 over a video he uploaded to YouTube showing a teacher's fine appreciation of New Jersey. Teach'a, you give YouTube a bad name.Read More...
FCC chairman suspects "grassroots" astroturfing in la carte cable debate
The FCC's Kevin Martin is bothered that some of the opponents of la carte cable programming have received cash from the cable industry. The groups are offended, but Martin is sticking to his guns.Read More...
TorrentSpy to MPAA: Log this! Site blocks US searches
Torrent search site TorrentSpy has begun to block searches by US-based users. It is instead directing them to a page explaining that TorrentSpy is attempting to protect their privacy from the MPAA, which is still looking for site usage logs after a court order.Read More...
A different kind of Rapture: a review of Bioshock
Forget the hype. Bioshock brings story, art direction, and voice acting together into one of the best gaming experiences this year. Ken Levine and 2K Games show us just how good a first-person shooter can be.Read More...
Audiophiles vs. the iPod: the battle over loudness
Tensions between music marketing, typical listening conditions, and high-end tastes are playing out in a battle over the dynamic range of music, possibly leaving typical consumers suffering loudness fatigue.Read More...
If you build it, they will come: Google sees big boost in mobile traffic
Google's VP of search products, Marissa Mayer, spoke this week about the company's mobile apps seeing an increase in traffic this summer, due in part to the launch of the iPhone. Google's been working hard in the mobile space, and it's been paying off.Read More...
SoundExchange drops DRM requirement, webcasters still oppose new deal
Even with anti-streamripping DRM requirements off the table, the latest offer from SoundExchange has plenty of small webcasters upset about caveats they describe as unfair and rigged to limit growth of their business. Read More...
Sony announces high-definition DVR for the PlayStation 3 in Europe
Sony announces its newest attack on your living room: PlayTV, a high definition DVR that allows control and playback using a PSP. The catch? It is only going to be available in Europe.Read More...
On-demand out-of-body-experiences: all you need are VR goggles and a stick
Two papers appearing in today's issue of Science report the ability to induce an out-of-body experience simply by using VR googles and some carefully planned pokes.Read More...
U of Tennessee student says RIAA subpoena violates federal privacy law
A University of Tennessee student asks to have an RIAA subpoena seeking his name, addresses, phone number, e-mail address, and MAC address quashed. His argument: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act bars the school from releasing the data without his or his parents' permission.Read More...
AMD's chief sales and marketing officer Henri Richard to step down
As if AMD's year couldn't get much rougher, the company has now announced the the imminent departure of chief sales officer Henri Richards. Read More...
With 60% sales boost, PS3 is hotter but still in "last place"
July NPD console sales numbers show a strong console market with plenty of competition. Sony's price cuts lifted the PS3, which is now breathing down the neck of the Xbox 360. Ain't competition grand?Read More...
What state secrets? National Intelligence Director cops to spying program
In a remarkable interview released yesterday by the El Paso Times, National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell confirmed several new details about government surveillance activities and telecom companies' participation in them. He also charged that public debate of the program would get Americans killed.Read More...
Report slams Google Apps' enterprise prospects, Google says: just you wait
A new report by the Burton Group suggests that IT managers that are looking to save money by switching from traditional enterprise software to Google Apps have another thing coming. Google Apps should be seen as supplementary, the report says, not a replacement for enterprise software.Read More...
First look at Microsoft's Tafiti: sexy Silverlight searching
Microsoft has released a demonstration application of their Silverlight web development frameworks: a fancy search engine shell called Tafiti. Is beauty only skin deep?Read More...
Study: Students more wary of Wikipedia, online resources than thought
Research tools online and offline make for a harrowing research experience, according to a new study. While students are wary of Wikipedia and the like, there's also a clear need for resources like it.Read More...
New DRM scheme will let consumers stream cable TV over home networks
Consumers will be able to stream digital cable content, including HD and video on demand programming, across their home networks. Of course, that programming will be locked down tight with DRM.Read More...
University presses being left behind by digital era
A new report suggests that university presses have become peripheral to the academic mission in the age of the Internet. A university press group has responded by putting the report online using CommentPress.Read More...
Big webcasters agree to royalty cap deal, DRM to be "discussed" later
DiMA and SoundExchange have agreed to cap per-station minimum fees at $50,000 for large webcasters. Actual royalty rates—and DRM issues—will be decided later.Read More...
WHOIS privacy reform reaches dead end
Privacy advocates have pressed for reform to the WHOIS database so that registrants don't have to pay for extra services in order to protect their personal information from publication. Law enforcement and intellectual property lawyers, on the other hand, want easy access to the information. Read More...
Court orders movie pirate to switch to Windows
A pirate who was sentenced to five years in jail for illegally downloading a movie from a BitTorrent site has been told that under the terms of his probation, he has to switch to Microsoft Windows.Read More...
Willful infringement gets harder to prove in patent cases
A new ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit makes treble damages harder to collect by simply claiming that patent infringement was "willful."Read More...
iPhone set free from AT&T with first full software unlock
The iPhone is free. Free from AT&T, that is. A full software unlock has been developed by a dedicated team of hackers that allows users to take the device to any GSM network anywhere in the world.Read More...
Judge sides with RIAA: file sharing apps lead to direct infringement
As the judicial system grapples with the RIAA's claim that merely running file-sharing software can constitute copyright infringement, one judge sides with the RIAA. The issue is far from decided, however.Read More...
AllofMP3 set to stage a comeback
Russian website AllofMP3 promises to return from the dead in the "forseeable future."Read More...
WGA failure highlights major flaw in Microsoft's anti-piracy strategy
Unfortunately for Microsoft, as an anti-piracy system, WGA's track record is mostly negative. This weekend's Windows Genuine Advantage outage was a powerful indicator of the asymmetrical trade-off inherent in Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts.Read More...
Battle of the Asian OEMs: Acer buys Gateway, thwarts Lenovo
Looking to increase its presence in the US market, Taiwan-based Acer has announced an agreement to purchase Gateway in an all-cash deal. The deal is likely to be a big blow to Lenovo as well.Read More...
Identity theft alone not enough for class action lawsuit
A federal appeals court ruled last week that consumers cannot file a class action suit over a data breach unless they can show some actual damages. Read More...
No class action lawsuit for data theft victims who don't suffer identity theft
A federal appeals court ruled last week that consumers cannot file a class action suit over a data breach unless they can show some actual damages.Read More...