If you thought WGA was a problem, Vista brings more stuff to harvest your Information!

I have written a countless times about XP and WGA. I was not happy with the way M$ dealing with a lot of issues. So were countless others. But now those worries seems to be simple compared to what Windows Vista brings in.
I read the article at SoftPedia and have not investigated any of the statements but you don't need to as I Softpedia article follows simple logic to explain the facts.
So my hotmail account size might drop as M$ has to store all these data from 60million people it sold Vista so far!
But why worry? Well, it's written in the Vista license agreement. "By using these features, you consent to the transmission of this information. Microsoft does not use the information to identify or contact you."

Tags: M$, WGA, WGA 2.0, Vista, harvest user data

Sony Rootkit Saga continues!

If you thought Sony Rootkit (Geemodo: Sony pays up for rootkit saga, but it is a pittance) saga is over, you are wrong! Now this time, we even get to laugh a little.
Sony BMG is suing the Amergence (formerly SunnComm) that sold it spyware-based DRM for its music CDs. The DRM company made a piece of spyware called MediaMax that infected your computer even if you declined its license "agreement." The program spied on your music listening habits, installed itself in a way calculated to make it hard to uninstall, and phoned home with information about your computer. An uninstaller the company eventually released didn't really uninstall the software, but did create security vulnerabilities on your PC. It was a whole lot of trouble for Sony. I have not bought a single Sony product since them.
I got the first Aibo, the first Paly station, the play station 2 from Japan and numerous entertainment products and Cameras. But not any more. I have not got PS3.

I got the information from Hollywood reporter via BoingBoing.

Tags: sunncomm, amergence, DRM, SONY BMG, MediaMax

It is the Price Dummy! Wii on the top again!

I think we will keep on telling this for some time to come. Wii has sold more units than XBox and PS3 combined in the month of June!
According to NPD's latest data, the Wii was the top selling next-gen home console system, with 380,000 units sold last month. The Xbox 360 took its usual #2 spot with 198,000 units and the PS3 lagged behind once again with only 98,000.

Thanks to the pending discontinuation of the 60 GB PS3 and the associated price drop, the console's sales numbers were higher than previous months. May, for example, saw PS3 sales of around 82,000 units.

The Playstation 2, however, continues to sell very well. Around 270,000 units of the seven-year-old system were sold during the month of June, putting it ahead of the Xbox 360. Why? the price?
On the handheld side, the DS scored exceptional sales again as well. 561,000 units of the dual-screen system were sold last month. Sony's PSP showed a bit of a surge, though it was still well behind the Nintendo competitor. Around 290,000 PSP units made their way to consumers in June.
Source

Tags: Wii, Xbox, PS3

Latest cell phone gadget Sharp SH704i will go on sale July 27 in Japan

It is a cell phone that is also a digital TV!
VOIP IP Telephony: Sharp SH704i will go on sale July 27 in Japan

Tags: Sharp SH704i, SH704i, japan, docomo

Most needed Wii Accessory, Party Station.

Party Station
The center of the Wii-party experience

Eat, drink and enjoy your favorite multiplayer games on the Wii with Nyko's Party Station. The Party Station was built from the ground up to embrace the competitive and social gameplay of the Wii, and to enhance the Wii experience for gamers of all ages. With the Party Station you and friends can easily keep drinks cool with the freezable cup holders, snack with the built in chip and dip bowl, store up to four Wii-Remotes, keep your hands nice and cool with the Hand Fan, and keep rivalry alive across a number of games with the digital scoreboards. The Party Station is the perfect companion to any coffee table.

	Hand Fan Fan cools sweaty hand during the most intense gaming sessions		LED Scoreboard LED scoreboards allow you to keep score across a number of games
	Snack Bowl Easily keep your favorite snacks and dips ready with the built-in snack and dip bowl		Cup Holders 4 cup holders keep your beverages ice cold

	Cooling fan provides a gentle breeze for warn hands during intense Wii tournaments
	LED scoreboards allows teams or players to easily keep score across a number of different games
	Includes removable snack and dip bowls
	4 removable cup holders
	Wii-Remote holders easily store up to 4 controllers
	Storage drawer for assorted items like nunchunks, SD cards, etc.
	Compact design fits any coffee table and matches the Wii aesthetic

Tags: Wii Accessory, Wii, Game console, nyko, party station

Braille PDA named Voice Sense

It is a long time since I wrote about a gadget! Here is something that worth its while. I think I know a few people who will be very happy to have it!

The Voice Sense is the smallest, lightest and most fashionable PDA for the visually impaired with a Perkins style keyboard for inputting information and synthesized voice for outputting information.

It has multimedia functions: a Daisy talking book player, an MP3 player and voice recording capabilities. Wireless networking features (such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth) are also available, as are many other Braille notetaker features.

The Voice Sense boasts a high speed CPU and large memory storage. Connect a portable Braille display, such as the SyncBraille, for maximum Braille portability.

It comes with;

• File Manager
• Word Processor
• Address Manager
• Schedule Manager
• E-mail
• Media Player
• FM Radio Tuner
• Web Browser
• Daisy Player
• Bluetooth Manager
• MSN Messenger
• Database Manager
• Calculator
• Date/Time
• Calendar
• Stopwatch
• Power Status
• OS Upgrade
• Context Sensitive Help

and is based on following;

• Processor: PXA270, 540MHz
• Memory: 1GB (separate user data area), 192MB (128 RAM and 64 OS storage)
• OS: Windows CE.NET 5.0
• Ports: USB OTG (USB 2.0 Compatible), SD Slot, CF Slot
• Keyboard: Perkins style Braille keyboard
• Audio Output: Stereo Speakers, Headphone jack
• Audio Input: Internal condenser microphone, Microphone jack
• Battery: rechargeable, detachable, user-replaceable, lithium polymer, 12 hours continuous use
• Networking: Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b/g) Bluetooth 1.1
• FM Radio Receiver
• Dimensions: W 18.8cm (7.4") x D 7.7cm (3.6") x H 2.5cm (0.98")
• Weight: .58lbs (266g)

hardware!

Tags: Voice Sense, PDA, visually impaired, Perkins style keyboard, SyncBraille, Wireless networking

MyADLETS: ADs on ATM to reduce use fee, in Japan

MyADLETS: ADs on ATM to reduce use fee, in Japan

Tags: myadlets, atm ads

Only reason I would get a PS3 for! Oh may be one of the few other reasons

GT 5, Grand tourismo 5 is so good that I had to put info on it.
iWantmyGTV: Grand Tourismo 5, E3 trailer

Tags: GT 5, PS3, Grand Tourismo 5

PS3 in your game arcade, curtesy of Namco Bandai Games Inc.

Fighting game "Tekken 6" will go on sale later this year as the first arcade game using Sony's PlayStation 3 technology, game developer Namco Bandai Games Inc. announced Monday.

"Tekken 6" will be available for amusement parks and other game arcade facilities worldwide, but the company has not decided on the exact launch date for that game or others that will follow, using Sony's latest game technology, Namco Bandai spokeswoman Miki Baba said.

Tokyo-based Namco Bandai, Japan's second largest toy and game business group and maker of the "Ridge Racer" and "Pac Man" games, has previously used the predecessor PlayStation 2 technology to develop arcade versions of games, Baba said.

Namco Bandai has sold its PS2 arcade technology to other makers, but it is still undecided about whether to sell its PS3 cell-based technology, Baba said.

The PlayStation 3 went on sale in the U.S. and Japan late last year and in March in Europe.

Technology for PlayStation 3 includes a new computer chip called "Cell," which Sony Corp. developed with IBM Corp. and Toshiba Corp. and will be used in new gadgets for the home as well as video game products. (AP)

Tags: Namco Bandai, PlayStation, ps3 arcade, Tekken 6

Holly Molly Wii Cake!

I am not going to write anything! via Kotaku! (hmm I already did!)

Tags: Wii, Wii cake, Wired, How to bake a Wii cake

RIAA Owes Wrongfully-Accused Defendant her legal fees, Judge says!

According to wired, The RIAA must pay P2P defendant Debbie Foster $68,685.23 for accusing her of sharing copyrighted music over a P2P network. Judge Lee R. West had ordered the RIAA to pay these fees back in April, but didn't specify a total, which he revealed in an Order (PDF) issued yesterday.
The sum of various fees are $68,685.23.
But RIAA was quick to send a statement to wired!
The RIAA issued a statement regarding a judge's order requiring Capitol Records to pay Debbie Foster over $68K in attorney's fees, claiming that the judge made a mistake in granting the fees that will not be replicated by other judges in similar P2P lawsuits:

"We respectfully believe that this ruling is in error and is an isolated occurrence.

"Our interest in these cases is enforcing the rights of the record companies and artists, while fostering an online environment where the legal marketplace can flourish and the music industry can invest in the new bands of tomorrow. In the handful of cases where the person engaging in the illegal activity in the household is not the person responsible for the ISP account, we look to gather the facts quickly and do our best to identify the appropriate defendant."

It's worth noting that the RIAA was granted a default judgment against Foster's daughter Amanda, who declined to answer the RIAA's complaint. This award of attorney's fees, however, could mean that labels can't claim that the person who pays for an internet account is responsible for infringement that occurs using that account, without incurring risk. The RIAA believes this Capitol vs. Foster order is an "isolated occurrence," but with so many open/shared Wi-Fi networks in operation these days, I think we could see this sort of ruling again.

More over, I thought appeal system was there for this type of Judgmental errors, So RIAA, why not appeal?

Tags: RIAA, RIAA Loses

Report on E3's big three, Microsoft,Nintendo and Sony

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo — a.k.a. E3, an industry-only trade show devoted to the multi billion dollar video game industry — kicked off last week in Santa Monica, Calif., with press conferences held by the Big Three console manufacturers: Microsoft (Xbox 360), Nintendo (Wii) and Sony (PlayStation 3).

The Game Guy was front row-and-centre at these invite-only events, where each of the companies splashed next-generation video games on huge screens, much to the delight of salivating gaming journalists.
Following the conferences were three days of hands-on time with tomorrow’s titles, but you’ll have to check out tomorrow’s entertainment section in the Toronto Star for my five top picks.
So follow this link to read Star's MARC SALTZMAN account of all big three!

Tags: Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Nintendo, Wii, Sony, PlayStation 3, ps3

Internet Radio gets a stay!

UPI NEW YORK, July 14 The U.S. recording industry has granted a stay to Internet radio programmers who fear a hike in royalty payments will put them out of business.

After pressure from Congress and online listeners, industry representatives said they might not demand all the payments called for under the new royalty program set to take effect Sunday, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Internet stations were paying 0.0762 cents per play of each song, and small Webcasters, who generate little or no advertising, were charged based on a percentage of their revenue.

The new rate system, established by the federal Copyright Royalty Board, called for the rate per play to more than double by 2010 and required a separate fee of $500 a station, The Times reported. Royalty payments would be retroactive from January.

Sound Exchange, an industry-backed group that collects royalties for record labels and artists, said Saturday it would work to reduce fees if Webcasters provide more data about songs they play and prevent listeners from using their computers to copy or store the radio streams, The Times reported.

Tags: recording industry, Internet Radio, online listeners, federal Copyright Royalty Board, Sound Exchange

Gmail with mail fetcher as your mail hub,

First to those who going to cry foul about privacy and Google taking over our lives, please read the excerpt from wikipedia below! . and further more I have moved my business email to Google! No more spoof protecting mail server(s), no mo spam troubles (or very very little) and I communicate!
I came across this info in gmail blog,
Official Gmail Blog: Manage multiple accounts with Mail Fetcher
and even though I have been using it, never thought of it as a big thing! But now I see it. If you have Gmail account and you are halfway there. If you have already not noticed, there is mail fetcher, that lets you retrieve messages from up to five different email accounts. Besides taking advantage of Gmail’s spam filtering, you can also use Gmail to send messages using your other email addresses. This is convenient for users juggling multiple accounts -- log in once from anywhere and access all of your messages from different email accounts (without missing a single Gmail chat). To enable Mail Fetcher, simply click "Settings," select the "Accounts" tab, click "Add another mail account" and specify your settings.

Now for those privacy concerns!

Because e-mail connects through many routers and mail servers on its way to the recipient, it is inherently vulnerable to both physical and virtual eavesdropping. Current industry standards do not place emphasis on security; information is transferred in plain text, and mail servers regularly conduct unprotected backups of e-mail that passes through. In effect, every e-mail leaves a digital papertrail in its wake that can be easily inspected months or years later.

The e-mail can be read by any cracker who gains access to an inadequately protected router. Some security professionals argue that e-mail traffic is protected from such "casual" attack by security through obscurity - arguing that the vast numbers of e-mails make it difficult for an individual cracker to find, much less to exploit, any particular e-mail. Others argue that with the increasing power of personal computers and the increasing sophistication and availability of data-mining software, such protections are at best temporary.

Intelligence agencies, using intelligent software, can screen the contents of e-mail with relative ease. Although these methods have been decried by civil rights activists as an invasion of privacy, agencies such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation conduct screening operations regularly within the bounds of the law.

Happy emailing!

Tags: google, gmail, privacy, mail fetcher

Intel, OPLC are in the same boat now, with AMD et al

One laptop per child that has been many a discussions all over web. Now a long time supposed to be rival, Intel has joined OPLC. I wrote about it even before the final model was decided upon. See the old picture of the laptop! Geemodo: Hand Cranked Notebook!
I think it is good for OPLC and good for Intel. It is also good for morons who thinks poor kids in third world eat dogs and get press coverage as much as possible!.(With Intel's help, more children may soon receive the embarrassing OLPC system, so that they can watch dogs, that they'd rather be eating, skateboard on YouTube.) Registrar, I thought you were good!
Here is the OPLC news release;
"CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 13, 2007 – Intel and One Laptop per Child (OLPC) today announced they have agreed to work together to bring the benefits of technology to the developing world through synergy of their respective programs. Under the agreement, Intel and OLPC will explore collaborations involving technology and educational content. Intel will also join the board of OLPC.

OLPC is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring learning opportunities to the most remote and poorest children of the world by providing connected, low-cost and rugged laptops to each and every child in their daily lives.

“Intel joins the OLPC board as a world leader in technology, helping reach the world’s children. Collaboration with Intel means that the maximum number of laptops will reach children,” said Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop per Child.

“Joining OLPC is a further example of our commitment to education over the last 20 years and our belief in the role of technology in bringing the opportunities of the 21st century to children around the world, ” said Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel.

Intel currently invests more than $100 million per year in over 50 countries to promote education, including efforts through the Intel Foundation, and has been developing products for the educational marketplace. Intel’s focus on education for emerging markets is part of the Intel World Ahead program, the company’s comprehensive approach to bring technology to everyone, anywhere in the world.

Moronic statement

Tags: Intel, OPLC, Nicholas Negroponte, One Laptop per Child

Zero vulnerabilities goes on auction at WSLabi

I was directed to WSLabi or WabiSabiLabi.com (pronounced wobby-sobby-lobby) by Brian Krebs on Computer Security (Security Fix Blog) on Washington post. In addition to the blog post, he has also written an article "Site Plans to Sell Hacks to Highest Bidder", yes alarming! But may be we should hold our horses a while, it is born out of the idea of helping out security researchers that do all the work in discovering all these vulnerabilities.
From WSLABI news release;
"A revolution in the way security research is handled and reported has occurred! WSLabi (www.wslabi.com), a neutral vendor independent Swiss laboratory, has launched a new international security research exchange. This exchange will create a portal where researchers, security vendors and software companies can interact in an open market to enable researchers to obtain the correct value for their findings. The exchange will become a global database of every IT security research ever found.

According to Herman Zampariolo, CEO of WSLabi, We decided to set up this portal for selling security research because although there are many researchers out there who discover vulnerabilities very few of them are able or willing to report it to the right people due to the fear of being exploited. Recently it was reported that although researchers had analyzed a little more than 7,000 publicly disclosed vulnerabilities last year, the number of new vulnerabilities found in code could be as high as 139,362 per year. Our intention is that the marketplace facility on WSLabi will enable security researchers to get a fair price for their findings and ensure that they will no longer be forced to give them away for free or sell them to cyber-criminals."

Tags: WSLabi, cyber-criminals, vulnerabilities, IT security research, IT security

Microsoft uses Live Earth to push Zune with forced AD! Shame on you Bill!

I am all for Green Earth and I loved the idea of Live Earth. So like a good world citizen I went to the site! Hoping to watch Australia. After finding a PC that runs Internet Explorer, (Because the show does not support other browsers like Firefox in full regalia! See the capture below.
What do I see bloody Zune ad which I could not change. M$ if you want to do a ad campaign for you Zune is your business! But putting forced ads on a good cause like Live Earth is shameful! Live Earth is not yours, I hope you will take the ad out or at least allow users to by pass it!
Shame on you! for turning Live Earth into Marketing event for you!
You want to see what I do! Visit Solarion!

Tags: Live Earth, M$, solarion

Nokia N800 has got new Firmware, Skype added

SnapVoIP reports that Nokia N800 has got new Firmware, and a bunch of improvements!
VOIP IP Telephony: Skype on Nokia N800 with new firmware.

Tags: nokia, N800

Google loses GMAIL trademark in Germany

The regional court in the northern city of Hamburg ruled that Google may not use the name in Germany, upholding 33-year-old businessman Daniel Giersch's claim to have a copyright on the name for an e-mail service he has been developing for seven years.

Daniel Giersch (33), started using the name G-Mail in 2000, four years before Google released "Gmail".
The lawyer for Daniel Giersch claimed that it was It is a legendary victory, because for many Daniels fighting "Googliaths," confidence and financial means run out in the long course of battle. He also said Google had subjected his client to a costly three-year legal marathon that is still ongoing because the company has suits pending against him in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.

Giersch denied speculation he was trying to extort a princely sum from the company for the brand name.

"Neither G-Mail nor I can be bought," Giersch said in a statement.

Google could not immediately be reached for comment.

Tags: Daniel Giersch, gmail, google

Happy 4th of July 2007 America!

Happy 4th of July 2007 America!
This Fourth of July will be like many before, with Americans celebrating the independence and freedom by enjoying barbecues, family gatherings, trips to the beach, and most definitely fireworks shows.
Enjoy the day! Be safe!

Tags: 4th of July, independence

Anti Piracy gang traps users with a fake movie site

From torrentfreak.com

Is not it against the law to entice and trap people? Anyway read the complete article by following the link at the end of the post.

Media Defender, a notorious anti piracy gang working for the MPAA, RIAA and several independent media production companies, just launched their very own video upload service called “miivi.com”. The sole purpose of the site is to trap people into uploading copyrighted material, and bust them for doing so.

Media Defender is known for their shady tactics. Besides launching video upload services, they also trap people into downloading fake torrents so they can collect IP addresses, and send copyright infringement letters to ISPs.

Fortunately, most of the IPs of these fake BitTorrent trackers are already blocked by blocklist software like PeerGuardian. However, they still manage to collect the IP addresses of thousands of users who do fall for this trap.

Complete article here;

Tags: Media Defender, MPAA, RIAA, blocklist, PeerGuardian

"1,000 HD DVD Indies Project,"

Amazon and Microsoft are joining forces in an alliance that, on the surface, might be a boon to independent filmmakers. The bottom line, though, is that the deal is designed to bolster the chances of the HD DVD format's survival, reports toptechnews.com.

On Monday, the companies announced the "1,000 HD DVD Indies Project," which the industry giants developed to lower the barriers to entry for filmmakers to produce and distribute movies on HD DVD. Jointly sponsored by Amazon and Microsoft, the project will provide free authoring and setup services for up to 1,000 selected indie titles.

Indies, watch out, DRM might block your own videos!

Tags: HD DVD, DRM, M$, amazon