IBM's optical chip speeds data transfers

The transceiver chip being demonstrated this week by IBM scientists at the 2007 Optical Fiber Conference is capable of transferring 160 Gigabits per second, eight times the speed of currently available components.

Although IBM chose to describe the chip's speed in terms of the amount of data in a high-definition movie, initial applications are apparently likely to be within computing systems rather than in broadband connections to homes.

Data flow between individual CPUs in a supercomputer or blade servers is currently a bottleneck because of the amount of space required and the heat generated. By using IBM's transceiver in conjunction with densely spaced waveguides in place of copper tracks, designers stand to save valuable real estate on circuit boards as well as reducing power consumption, while simultaneously increasing performance.

Other early applications are likely to include the high-speed routers that control the flow of data across the Internet's backbone and in high-end corporate and scientific/engineering networks.

The chip was built with "standard, high-volume, low-cost technology used for most chips today," company officials said, with the addition of more exotic materials where necessary. When the chip reaches the market - which could take as long as three years - IBM hopes to deliver optical performance at copper prices.

IBM's technology could eventually prove to be a cost-effective way of implementing optical networks in homes and offices. At present, network interface cards (NICs) and related components using copper-based media are cheaper than their optical equivalents at a given speed. The electronic/optical interface has been one reason for the extra cost.

It is possible that the breakthrough will ultimately deliver a more affordable way of implementing 10G or 100G Ethernet, but that will be of little value to consumers in countries that do not take the Fibre To The Home (FTTH) route.

Sony Ericsson Gets Faster, Slimmer

Sony Ericsson announced two flashy, sexy phones - the Z750 and the W580 - just for the US market at the CTIA trade show today.

The smooth, rounded Z750 flip phone will become Sony Ericsson's flagship model in the US. It uses tri-band HSDPA and quad-band EDGE, so it can access high-speed networks both in the US and abroad. It will come in gray and pink, with a mirror-like finish and an "invisible" front display that lights up with caller ID information. There's a 2-megapixel camera on the outside of the flip, and a 2.2-inch, 320x240 screen inside. Music plays from the built-in FM radio or MP3 player that uses Memory Stick M2 media and can play back through wired or Bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR will make for fast wireless transfers to and from PCs, and one of the first phones that can keep up with HSDPA speeds when in wireless Bluetooth laptop modem mode.

The Z750 also has an unusual amount of e-mail flair for a midrange phone. It supports corporate push e-mail from Microsoft Exchange servers, although it isn't a Windows Mobile phone, as well as POP3/IMAP email. US carriers have been known to cripple phones' built-in email capabilities, though, so we'll see if that feature shows up on retail phones.

Meanwhile, the W580 puts Sony Ericsson's Walkman brand on a slim, sliding phone. It's the same orange-and-white color scheme as the popular W800 Walkman phone , but there's also a gray version. Disco lights around the edge of the phone that pulse along with your music give it a youthful advantage.

Like the W800, the W580 has an MP3 player that plays all the popular unprotected music formats from a Memory Stick M2 card. Other impressive features include a 2-inch, 320x240 screen, real HTML Web browser, pedometer, FM radio, and built-in high-end games including The Sims 2. All this comes in a package only .56 inches thick and weighing 3.35 ounces. The W580 is a quad-band EDGE phone, so it will work on Cingular or T-Mobile networks.

Neither phone has a carrier yet, but Sony Ericsson has a good relationship with Cingular and isn't afraid to sell phones directly unlocked through its own online store. We should be seeing both phones in the third quarter of this year.

Copyright 2007 by Ziff Davis Media, Distributed by United Press International

Customers clamouring for Apple's iPhone

More than 1m potential customers have expressed interest in Apple's forthcoming iPhone, said Randall Stephenson, chief operating officer of AT&T, the US carrier that negotiated an exclusive deal to sell the device when it becomes available later this year.

"Over one million people have asked us to call when this phone is available," Mr Stephenson said in a keynote speech at the CTIA Wireless industry conference in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday.

While Mr Stephenson acknowledged later in an interview that many of these people will not end up buying the device, the level of interest it has generated among potential customers will surprise some analysts who had suggested that it has been priced too high for many consumers.

Apple has said it will offer two versions of the iPhone, one with 4 gigabytes of flash memory will cost $499, and an 8Gb version that will cost $599.

Both will feature a big touch screen, run Apple software and enable users to listen and watch multimedia content in addition to making regular voice and data calls.

Apple itself has targeted selling 10m iPhones by the end of next year, though that would also include sales in markets outside the US. "Interest has been exceptional," said Mr Stephenson, "there are a lot of Apple enthusiasts out there."

Cingular, the largest US-based wireless service which is being rebranded as AT&T following AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth, will be the first to carrier to sell the iPhone when Apple, the maker of the popular iPod music player, begins shipments in June.

Although Cingular is not yet taking advance orders for the iPhone, it set up a section on its Web site inviting visitors to leave their e-mail addresses to receive information about the phone when it is released.

Mr Stephenson also highlighted AT&T efforts to build out its mobile-entertainment services, singling out the company's agreement on Monday to extend a deal with Napster, the Internet music download service, under which Cingular customers will be given free access to 3 million songs for one year.

"We think this deal could really jump start music subscription services," said Jim Ryan, vice president of data services for AT&T's wireless unit. Until now music subscription services which typically charge users about $15 a month, have struggled to attract customers.

In addition, AT&T on Tuesday unveiled a new video service called Video Share which will allow customers with the latest 3G mobile phones to instantly set up a video call with other 3G handset owners. Mr Stephenson said the new Video Share service will eventually enable users to upload videos taken on their phones to a central web site and then view them on a PC or television.
Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microsoft spins off ZenZui mobile browser

Microsoft announced ZenZui today, a content browser for use with mobile phones. ZenZui was developed in Microsoft's Redmond Research lab but has now been launched into its own independent venture.

The ZenZui browser makes use of Microsoft's patented Zooming User Interface to zoom in, out, and pan through a "tile"-based grid. Each tile in the grid displays a widget-like, optimized version of a web page for display on the mobile phone, and the ZenZui interface can currently zoom through up to 36 different tiles. It can be controlled via touchscreen or number/control pad on a mobile phone, although based on the promotional video, it looks as if controlling it via touchscreen is the way it was intended to be used.

However, the web-based "tiles" of the ZenZui are not determined by the user and cannot be used to browse just any web pages—the options are predefined based on what mobile apps the company considers to be valuable to the grid. Most of those apps will be sponsored by advertisers, so ZenZui is in fact selling tile space—the company justifies this by saying that everyday consumers are "terrified about the idea of spam on our mobile phones," and therefore everything that is displayed to the user is tied to specific brands. ZenZui is trying to spur development by offering a cut of the advertising revenue with developers whose apps are chosen. Developers can opt not to be sponsored, however, and if their apps are chosen for the grid, they will be displayed along with a message from a nonprofit instead.

ZenZui already has four companies on board for launch: Kayak.com, an air/hotel/car reservation service; OTOlabs, an interactive marketing company with clients such as The Family Guy; Avenue A | Razorfish, another web/interactive agency; and Traffic.com, which provides traffic information for commuters. "This hyper-localized content platform allows us to engage our users multiple times per day, and the rich visual capabilities offered by ZenZui enhance users' dynamic interaction with the traffic news crucial to their daily lives," said Traffic.com CEO Christopher Rothey in a statement.

ZenZui likely won't have problems finding more developers for the platform, especially with the temptation of shared advertising revenue. But its success will truly depend on the rate of mobile adoption of the interface. Similar "widget"-like interfaces already on the market include those from bluepulse and Widset, but the Microsoft name might give ZenZui a little more of a head start than others. ZenZui's interface is currently only available for Windows Mobile devices, although it's rumored that the company plans to release other versions later in 2007.

Creative Suite preview: InDesign CS3

Expected to ship in mid to late April, the newest version of InDesign, Adobe’s flagship layout program will offer an intriguing mix of a few new features and lots of refinements throughout the software. Based on a look at a prerelease version of the software (features may change as the release is finalized), InDesign CS3 promises a smoother layout and production workflow punctuated with some newfound, dramatic creative capabilities.

What’s new

Don’t be surprised if, a few months after InDesign CS3 is released, you see more lighting effects such as embossing and inner shadows appear in magazines. The new version brings in the lighting effects familiar to Photoshop users and pumps them up. With InDesign’s new Effects panel, you can apply any of 10 such effects plus basic transparency to your objects layout. What makes this stand out from the Photoshop approach is that you can apply any, some, or all of these effects independently to an object itself, its frame, and its contents. That provides almost unlimited creative possibilities. The only thing I didn’t see in the prerelease version was the ability to apply any lighting effects to text selections.

While designers focus on the new special effects, many publishers will want to explore the new text variables capability, in which InDesign can automatically update text throughout a document, such as putting the current issue date or current topic in every page’s folio, or keeping the copyright date updated in all documents. InDesign CS3 comes with several predefined variables, but you can create your own variations of these, as well as unique ones of your own.

Another significant new feature takes an existing function and brings a whole new capability to it—actually, several. Take Find/Change. In InDesign CS3, you get three new types of searches: object attributes, special characters, and—for the geekier set—rules-based search using the Unix Grep syntax. The ability to search and replace object attributes should make it much easier to update a document’s layout or find those older objects you meant to change but overlooked when you rethought your design—even if you are using the object styles features. The ability to find and replace special symbols through the same interface as the Glyphs panel will make use of special symbols much easier. And InDesign lets you save any search so it can be reused at any time.

As with other components in the Creative Suite update, InDesign CS3 is a Universal application that runs natively on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs.
What’s improved

Much of InDesign CS3’s enhancements make the program that much more intuitive and flexible. For example, you can now create style groups in the various style panels to help manage the sometimes out-of-control styles in your document. You can also now create styles for tables and table cells, making consistent formatting and design changes easier to implement.

The Pages panel now shows you previews of the pages, making it easier to go to the right page from that often-used panel. And you can now import master pages from one document to another, making it much easier to share layout standards.

But I suspect that most designers will smile most at the newfound ability to import multiple files at the same time. You can select multiple text and/or graphics files and place them in one trip to the Place dialog box. InDesign lets you import the files in any order you want; it even shows you a preview of each file in the place pointer so you know which one you’re actually placing at the moment.

Conversely, I think most designers will frown at the revamped user interface, part of a Creative Suite-wide effort to integrate Macromedia and Adobe interface approaches. It can be frustrating when familiar interface elements change, but on the whole the changes do help you use multiple products more easily. And they’re not radical differences that will interfere with your ability to use the software. Nice touches include individual controls over the panels (the new word for palettes) and the collapsible docks that keep common features easily accessible without cluttering up your layout.
What to expect

I suspect that InDesign CS3 will be the kind of upgrade you really appreciate after you’ve had it a while, as the sometimes subtle changes begin to show their benefits. When the final product has shipped, Macworld will review the new and refined capabilities in depth, to see if they deliver on the promise of the prerelease version.

Analyzing Microsoft's Windows Vista sales claims

Is Windows Vista being received as favorably as Microsoft suggests? In a news release yesterday, the company said it sold more than 20 million Windows Vista licenses in the first month of availability, more than twice the initial sales of Windows XP. Microsoft said the numbers reflected "broad interest" in Windows Vista's features.

But as P-I reporter Dan Richman noted in his story this morning, the PC market has grown by a similar rate between then and now. That, by itself, would lead to a natural increase in Windows sales. From the story:

Given that the personal-computer market has nearly doubled since Windows XP launched, Windows Vista sales "probably should be more," said Michael Silver, vice president of research at Gartner, a technology research group. The analyst said 51 million PCs were sold to consumers worldwide in 2002. This year, the research group predicts 96 million consumers will buy a computer.

Meanwhile, Joe Wilcox of Microsoft Watch offers several additional reasons to question Microsoft's claims. He writes: "By my accounting, Vista is actually off to a slower start than Windows XP, using real world comparisons."

Confirmation: Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite

Microsoft is announcing today that it will begin selling the Xbox 360 Elite, a beefed-up black version of its game console, starting April 29. We got most of the details right in Saturday’s blog post.

The move upgrades the technology in the Xbox 360 for hardcore technology buffs and it is aimed at keeping Microsoft from losing those customers to the temptations of Sony’s PlayStation 3. I can understand why they’re doing it. But I think they’re shooting at the wrong target. They should be going after Nintendo, which is cleaning up with the lower-priced Wii. The good thing for Microsoft is they have made themselves into a moving target.

In the past, games consoles have been set in stone at the launch. Microsoft debuted the XBox 360 in November 2005 with a $399 version with a 20-gigabyte hard disk, and a $299 version without a hard disk. But Sony came out with the PS 3, which had advanced video features and a Blu-ray next-generation DVD disk player that allowed it to charge as much as $599.

With the new machine, Microsoft is breaking the rules of the console wars, which dictate
that the same machine last for five years or so. The new Xbox 360 Elite machine will have a 120-gigabyte hard disk drive so that gamers can store more media such as movies or music. It will have a high-end video connector and cable based on the HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) standard. It will sell for $479, less than Sony’s cheapest PS 3 model, which comes with a 20-gigabyte hard disk.

Microsoft will keep its other versions of the Xbox 360 at their current prices. Albert
Penello, director of global marketing for the Xbox division, said that Microsoft would not
relegate its earlier customers to second-class status. That means that any game or service that Microsoft launches will play on every version of the Xbox 360.

That limits how much game developers can exploit the advanced features of the Elite, but it also keeps the earliest customers from feeling like they have to throw away their boxes. Those who want to buy a stand-alone 120-gigabyte hard disk can do so for $179.99. That’s a relatively high price, but Penello notes that the external drive has its own power supply and it uses a small version of a hard disk meant for laptops.

Gamers will remember Sega’s doomed strategy of offering frequent upgrades to its consoles with the SegaCD, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast. It changed its hardware so often that it frustrated both gamers and game developers. The gamers had to keep plunking down money. The developers didn’t know which platform would be stable enough for them to invest years of development time and money. Microsoft isn’t making that mistake since the previously mentioned policy of making all games run on each model will keep the platform stable. But it’s clear from the upgrade that Microsoft, which waited only four years to launch its second console, should have put better, more expensive, and longer-lasting technology into the Xbox 360 in the first place. If it had done so, there would have been little need for an Elite console to compare favorably against the PS 3. I realize this would have put Microsoft in the hole on costs, but we can all see the trade-offs here. Imagine how developers might have moved more aggressively into the massively-multiplayer online game space if Microsoft had not launched the Xbox 360 Core. To run an MMO, you need a hard drive to store the game world data. The 120-gigabyte version will be an excellent platform for that, but developers can’t know whether the installed base of 120 gigabyte machines will ever be big enough to justify a dedicated effort of making a game that will require a big hard drive.

While Sony has Blu-ray drives built into the PS 3, Microsoft chose not to include the $199 optional HD-DVD movie player in the new Xbox 360 Elite. That’s a good move as it looks like there isn’t a great deal of demand for the next-generation movie disks yet. Blu-ray is starting to pull away in sales because of the PS 3, but there is enough confusion out there so that consumers aren’t buying yet. There are combo players available from LG, and Warner Bros. is promising combo disks with both Blu-ray and HD-DVD on them. You can bet if the demand for HD-DVD was huge, Microsoft would have built it into the Elite.

Microsoft is also announcing that it will have more movies available for download on the
Xbox 360 with the addition of movies and TV shows from A&E, National Geographic Channel, and New Line Cinema. It will also have a leading distributor of Japanese Anime films. It is racing ahead to provide high-definition video which can be downloaded to the Xbox 360’s hard disk, partly to head off the appeal of Apple’s new Apple TV product, which launched for $299 last week but doesn’t enable true high-definition movies.

Penello says that the movie-downloading that Microsoft launched for the Xbox 360 in
December has become hugely popular, accounting for a 400-percent increase in downloads on Microsoft’s Xbox Live online service.

One of the most appealing uses for the Xbox 360 Elite isn’t available yet. Microsoft
announced in January that the Xbox 360 can serve as an IPTV set-top box. Phone companies such as AT&T are launching such boxes with TV services that compete with cable. As an IPTV set-top, the Xbox 360 could be used to store enough video to serve as a digital video recorder. Penello declined to say if IPTV services would be launched to take advantage of the Elite. He said that Microsoft’s partners in IPTV would determine their actual service and hardware offerings.

Microsoft hopes the Elite will blunt the appeal of the PS 3. Sony has already shot itself
in the foot by pricing its machines so high. Microsoft shouldn’t join Sony at the high-end of the price range, at least not until it justifies the price with cool services such as IPTV.

If you must have an Xbox 360 Elite, it could be tough to find them. Microsoft will start
selling them in the U.S. and Canada only at first, suggesting that they will be in short
supply at the start. By the fall, Microsoft will likely be able to sell higher volumes of
consoles with cheaper components inside them. At that point, it could be in a very good
position to cut prices and put some pressure on Sony. But as Microsoft rattles sabers with Sony, it would be wise to keep an eye on Nintendo.

In contrast to what I reported on Saturday, Penello said that the Elite is not a “limited edition.” It will be available on April 29 in the U.S. and Canada. However, that means it is not going to be built in such high quantities that it can debut on a worldwide basis. Penello would not confirm what Microsoft did to the insides of the Xbox 360, though he noted that the addition of the HDMI out port signifies a change in the motherboard.

I had heard that Microsoft changed the motherboard to reduce costs of the machine and to accommodate the Elite changes. The black finish on the Elite is the only thing different about the case, which is the same as the white Xbox 360s.

But the Elite does not yet include the cost-reduced 65-nanometer chips. That means it uses the same power-hungry chips as before, which suggests that the machine will be just as loud as current machines with their multiple fans. The 65-nm chips will lead to reduced chip sizes and, as one of our posters emphasized, lower power consumption. That would allow less expensive cooling solutions. The smaller chips could, over time, lead to lower production costs that would help Microsoft accommodate price cuts in the future.

Penello declined to say whether Microsoft would change prices anytime soon. For now, it’s keeping all the current prices. I believe that Microsoft is planning to have higher volumes of the 65-nm chips in the fall, along with more plentiful supplies of the Elite as well as other consoles.

Regarding the reduced forecast, Penello said, “We’re the fastest console to 10 million units. That’s a gigantic milestone. Regardless of numbers, PS 2 is $130. I’m not particularly worried what’s happening with the PS 2. We have no idea who they are selling to. The Wii did a good job. They are four months in. They are still in allocation, launch mode. It will take time. I’m not saying they are not a good competitor. Sony is doing terribly. Nintendo is doing well.”

Penello said that the launch of the Elite didn’t really affect Microsoft’s change in its forecast for sales ending the year June 30. As you recall, Microsoft shaved at least 1 million units off its forecast, partly because of a changing sales outlook and a focus on profits. That suggests that they are not planning a price cut during the first half of the year.

Penello said that there have been more than 135 million downloads from Xbox Live to date. He would not break out the movie or TV download figures, but noted that they led to a 400-percent increase in downloads. Next to iTunes, he said that Xbox Live is the No. 2 legal downloading service.

He said that five Xbox 360 titles have sold over a million units: Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, Madden, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Uno on Xbox Live Arcade.

I have a mixed opinion about the benefits of HDMI. Gears of War, for instance, looks outstanding when it is scaled up to 1080p resolution, even though I’ve used the Xbox 360 only with a component cable. (I haven’t tried VGA). I suppose that game would look better, but I’m not sure I could articulate the difference to anybody even if I saw it. Penello noted that Microsoft will include an HDMI cable in the Elite, which he said was a $50 value.

The accessories for the Elite will all be black.

Regarding IPTV, Penello said, “It doesn’t have anything to do with IPTV. How it will be distributed has a lot to do with the partners. How it gets delivered to consumers will depend on service offered by the partners. We haven’t talked about how we would deliver IPTV. How you get IPTV will vary by vendors around the world.” That’s a step back from what I heard from Bill Gates at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Gates said back then that any Xbox 360 — the Core, the Xbox 360 — would be capable of handling IPTV if necessary. So I am still assuming that, whenever Microsoft’s IPTV partners launch, they will likely be happy to take advantage of the 120-gigabyte hard drive in the Elite to store videos recorded by the IPTV service’s digital video recording feature.

Now I am not prepared to say that Microsoft will offer IPTV on the Xbox 360 at a certain timetable. It has to strike deals with the likes of AT&T, which is offering the IPTV Uverse service. But to me, the great advantage of the the Elite will be the large hard drive that allows it to function as a DVR. And that DVR is most useful as one of the features of an IPTV service. (Got that?).

It’s also interesting to note something that Gates said to me in January. He said that with IPTV, they have developed an efficient streaming architecture. You can instantly get a video feed without waiting for a long download. Thus, with a big menu of video on demand choices, there isn’t as much need to actually store videos on the hard drive. Some people will still want to store movies they’ve purchased. But that’s why Gates said IPTV could still work on a drive-less Core unit. So the scenarios here can vary. But if the Xbox 360 has Sony beat on anything so far, it’s the ability to offer IPTV service. (If you haven’t seen a demo of Uverse yet, AT&T is giving the hard sell in a variety of malls where the service is rolling out. It seems pretty compelling to me as a cable competitor).

In other matters, Penello said, “Japan is a tough market. We are making inroads with the Japanese publishers and are getting content like the Devil May Cry franchise which was previously only on PlayStation.”

Here’s some answers to some other questions I emailed Microsoft:



How many movies are now available for download on the Xbox 360? Also, how many TV shows are going to be available on the Xbox 360?

More than 1500 hours of premium entertainment content is available on Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace and new content is being added all the time which is why we do not provide a breakdown for number of TV Shows vs. number of movies.



Was there a reason that you did not include wireless networking WiFi in the Elite?

There are so many options with connectivity, it didn’t make sense to make everyone pay for something they may not use. Many of our core LIVE users play with a wired connection. Peoples home configurations are different and people with multiple devices may require bridges. Also – as wireless protocols continue to evolve, you find that built-in solutions are inevitably outdated; as soon as we would have included a G adapter, everyone would be switching to N. We think giving customers the choice to decide how they want to connect is the best route.



When will the Xbox 360 get 65-nanometer chips?

We are constantly updating internal components on our consoles and therefore do not have a specific timeframe.



When will this go on sale in other countries re the Elite?

Xbox 360 Elite will be available in North America beginning on April 29. The Xbox 360 Elite will be available in other regions around the world. We will announce its availability in those regions when we have a firm date of arrival in stores.

And finally, here is the release:
REDMOND, Wash. — March 27, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the upcoming availability of Xbox 360™ Elite, a new model of the video game and entertainment system that will include a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller and Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The new 120GB hard drive also will be sold as a stand-alone accessory to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience. Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery, will be available separately. The Xbox 360 Elite and its accessories are expected to begin arriving in U.S. stores on April 29.

“Today’s games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Xbox 360 Elite’s larger hard drive and premium accessories will allow our community to enjoy all that the next generation of entertainment has to offer.”

Distinguished by its black finish and signature metallic detailing, Xbox 360 Elite will have an estimated retail price1 of $479.99 (U.S.)/479.99 euros/349.99 pounds, and will come packed with components and accessories for the ultimate high-definition entertainment experience:2

· Xbox 360 Elite console. The console is equipped with a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in HD entertainment (up to 1080p), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, HDMI output and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box.

· Xbox 360 120GB hard drive. The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.)/179.99 euros/119.99 pounds.

· Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (black). This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller, now in black, features the Xbox® Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of 30 hours on two AA batteries. It is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.)/44.99 euros/32.99 pounds.

· Xbox 360 headset (black). Now available in black, the headset lets gamers strategize or trade taunts while playing games and send voice messages to friends on Xbox LIVE.

· Xbox 360 HDMI cable. New to Xbox 360, HDMI allows consumers to get HD video (up to 1080p) and multichannel surround sound, all from one cable.

· Xbox LIVE Silver Membership. With this, gamers can chat with friends online, collect achievements and gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, HD movies and TV, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade.

· One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, chat with more than one person at a time, and take advantage of unique privileges in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and Xbox LIVE Arcade.

The following accessories for the Xbox 360 Elite console will only be sold separately:

· Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit. Complete with a charging cable and a black rechargeable battery pack, the Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit allows gamers to recharge their Xbox 360 Wireless Controller without interrupting their gameplay. it is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $19.99 (U.S.)/19.99 euros/14.99 pounds.

· Xbox 360 rechargeable battery (black). The rechargeable battery pack provides more than 25 hours of gameplay per charge. It is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $11.99 (U.S.)/11.99 euros/9.99 pounds.

Source : http://blogs.mercurynews.com

Global Warming Forecasts Creation, Loss of Climate Zones

A new global warming study predicts that many current climate zones will vanish entirely by the year 2100, replaced by climates unknown in today's world.

Global climate models for the next century forecast the complete disappearance of several existing climates currently found in tropical highlands and regions near the poles, while large swaths of the tropics and subtropics may develop new climates unlike anything seen today. Driven by worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, the climate modeling study uses average summer and winter temperatures and precipitation levels to map the differences between climate zones today and in the year 2100 and anticipates large climate changes worldwide.

The work, by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wyoming, appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of March 26.

As world leaders and scientists push to develop sound strategies to understand and cope with global changes, predictive studies like this one reveal both the importance and difficulty of such a task. Primary author and UW-Madison geographer Jack Williams likens today's environmental analysts to 15th-century European mapmakers confronted with the New World, struggling to chart unknown territory.

"We want to identify the regions of the world where climate change will result in climates unlike any today," Williams says. "These are the areas beyond our map."

The most severely affected parts of the world span both heavily populated regions, including the southeastern United States, southeastern Asia and parts of Africa, and known hotspots of biodiversity, such as the Amazonian rainforest and African and South American mountain ranges. The changes predicted by the new study anticipate dramatic ecological shifts, with unknown but probably extensive effects on large segments of the Earth's population.

"All policy and management strategies are based on current conditions," Williams says, adding that regions with the largest changes are where these strategies and models are most likely to fail. "How do you make predictions for these areas of the unknown?"

Using models that translate carbon dioxide emission levels into climate change, Williams and his colleagues foresee the appearance of novel climate zones on up to 39 percent of the world's land surface area by 2100, if current rates of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions continue. Under the same conditions, the models predict the global disappearance of up to 48 percent of current land climates. Even if emission rates slow due to mitigation strategies, the models predict both climate loss and formation, each on up to 20 percent of world land area.

The underlying effect is clear, Williams says, noting, "More carbon dioxide in the air means more risk of entirely new climates or climates disappearing."

In general, the models show that existing climate zones will shift toward higher latitudes and higher elevations, squeezing out the climates at the extremes - tropical mountaintops and the poles - and leaving room for unfamiliar climes around the equator.

"This work helps highlight the significance of changes in the tropics," complementing the extensive attention already focused on the Arctic, says co-author John Kutzbach, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UW-Madison. "There has been so much emphasis on high latitudes because the absolute temperature changes are larger."

However, Kutzbach explains, normal seasonal fluctuations in temperature and rainfall are smaller in the tropics, and even "small absolute changes may be large relative to normal variability."

The patterns of change foreshadow significant impacts on ecosystems and conservation. "There is a close correspondence between disappearing climates and areas of biodiversity," says Williams, which could increase risk of extinction in the affected areas.

Physical restrictions on species may also amplify the effects of local climate changes. The more relevant question, Williams says, becomes not just whether a given climate still exists, but "will a species be able to keep up with its climatic zone? Most species can't migrate around the world."

For the researchers, one of the most poignant aspects of the work is in what it doesn't tell them - the uncertainty. At this point, Williams says, "we don't know which bad things will happen or which good things will happen - we just don't know. We are in for some ecological surprises."

Sprint to cut mobile phone song price to 99 cents

Sprint Nextel plans to cut its digital music download fee to 99 cents per song, matching prices at iTunes, the leading Internet music service run by Apple.

Sprint, which announced the move Monday, a day ahead of the CTIA wireless conference here, is the first of the top three mobile phone service providers to offer this price, which will go into effect in early April. It currently charges $2.49 per song.

The price cut is an about-face for Sprint, which has long maintained that consumers are willing to pay a premium to buy songs on the go. It has sold 15 million wireless song downloads since it launched its music service in late 2005.

By comparison, iTunes has sold more than 2 billion songs since its inception in 2003.

Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said the price cut should help Sprint win new music customers. He said bigger rival Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, would probably follow suit.

Verizon Wireless charges $1.99 for each wireless song purchase including a copy for the customer's desktop computer. Sprint said its 99-cent fee includes a copy for the user's desktop computer.

The move by Sprint, which also announced a slim new music-playing phone from Samsung Electronics, comes ahead of Apple's launch of its iPhone in June. The iPhone will go on sale exclusively at Sprint's biggest rival, Cingular Wireless, which is being rebranded as AT&T.

One side of the Samsung phone, dubbed the Upstage, has a big screen that takes up most of the phone and keys dedicated to the music player. On the other side is a typical phone keypad and a much smaller screen.

The phone also comes with a slim case that can be used to charge it or can serve as a spare battery.

Greengart said that while the Samsung phone is innovative, it is not in the same league as the iPhone.

"It doesn't challenge the iPhone in any shape or form," said Greengart, who pointed to the iPhone's touch-screen interface with a computer-like keyboard.

The iPhone will go on sale at Cingular for $500. Sprint is charging $149 for the Upstage for customers who sign up for a two-year contract.

IBM to Demonstrate World's Fastest Optical Chipset

IBM scientists said they will demonstrate this week at the 2007 Optical Fiber Conference a prototype optical transceiver chipset capable of reaching speeds at least eight times faster than optical components available today. The chipset is able to move information at blazing speeds of 160 Gigabits per second by speeding the flow of data using light pulses, instead of sending electrons over wires.

The transceiver is fast enough to reduce the download time for a typical high definition feature-length film to a single second compared to 30 minutes or more, according to IBM. Furthermore, the technology could be integrated onto printed circuit boards to allow the components within an electronic system – such as a PC or set top box – to communicate much faster, dramatically enhancing the performance of the system itself.

To achieve this new level of integration in the chipset, IBM researchers built an optical transceiver with driver and receiver integrated circuits in current CMOS technology, the same standard, high-volume, low-cost technology used for most chips today. They then coupled it with other necessary optical components made in more exotic materials, such as indium phosphide (InP) and gallium arsenide (GaAs), into one, integrated package only 3.25 by 5.25 millimeters in size.

This compact design provides both a high number of communications channels as well as very high speeds per channel, resulting in an amount of information transmitted per unit area of card space taken up by the chipset (the ultimate measure of viability for practical use) that is the highest ever. This transceiver chipset is designed to enable low cost optics by attaching to an optical printed circuit board employing densely spaced polymer waveguide channels using mass assembly processes.

“The explosion in the amount of data being transferred, when downloading movies, TV shows, music or photos, is creating demand for greater bandwidth and higher speeds in connectivity,” said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president, Science & Technology, IBM Research. “Greater use of optical communications is needed to address this issue. We believe our optical transceiver technology may provide the answer.”

This work was partially funded by Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) through the Chip to Chip Optical Interconnect (C2OI) program.

Microsoft sells 20 million Vista licenses in first month

Microsoft has claimed a strong debut for its new operating system, with sales figures showing more than 20 million licenses were sold in the first month of its consumer release on Jan 30. According to Redmond, this is double the pace that XP sold at when made its debut five years ago.

The Microsoft figures would appear to contradict predictions from most analysts that the initial take-up of Vista would be slow.

While Vista has been generally praised for its features and improved security, pundits have criticised the lack of drivers and compatibility with existing hardware and software. This was believed among many to be a reason for an initial slow take-up.

If Microsoft's figures are to be believed, however, consumers have not been deterred from adopting Redmond's new flagship product, although no news of Office 2007 sales figures have been released as yet.

“We are encouraged to see such a positive consumer response to Windows Vista right out of the gate,” said Bill Veghte, corporate vice president of the Windows Business Group at Microsoft. “While it’s very early in the product lifecycle, we are setting a foundation for Windows Vista to become the fastest-adopted version of Windows ever. Working with our partners, we are helping our customers leverage new tools and programs to accelerate the transition and provide a great user experience.”

Windows Vista license sales after one month of availability have already exceeded the total of Windows XP license sales in the earlier product’s first two months of availability, according to Microsoft. In January 2002, the company announced sales of Windows XP licenses had exceeded 17 million after two months on the market.

The more than 20 million copies shipped represent Windows Vista licenses sold to PC manufacturers, copies of upgrades and the full packaged product sold to retailers and upgrades ordered through the Windows Vista Express Upgrade program from January 30 to February 28.

FCC unlikely to lift airplane cell phone ban

San Francisco (IDGNS) - The chairman of the U.S.
Federal Communications Commission will ask fellow commissioners to keep in place a ban on mobile phone use during airplane flights.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that he has asked the commission to end its inquiry into whether mobile phones can be used safely on airplanes, based on concerns from ground-based wireless carriers that the calls could interfere with their networks. The FCC's proceeding to lift the ban on mobile phones, launched in December 2004, also drew comments from thousands of passengers who supported the ban.

"To add to the already high noise level within the aircraft by allowing the use of cell phones while in flight is absurd, in my opinion," a Virginia man wrote to the commission in May.

"We are currently experiencing an extreme loss of civility in our country, and cell phones are part of the problem," added a woman from Washington state, in an e-mail to the FCC last April. "Air travel is painful enough without having to listen to one or more cell phone conversations while you're a captive audience."

Verizon Wireless Inc. and the Cingular division of AT&T Inc. filed joint comments in August 2005, saying in-flight calls present "complex technical and engineering issues that have not been resolved to date." Several proposed fixes to interference raised major questions, the two carriers said then. However, European airlines are gearing up to offer in-flight mobile phone service by the end of the year.

Northwest Airlines said in a May 2005 filing with the FCC that it wanted the in-flight call prohibition lifted as long as the FCC took steps to ensure safety. "We believe that the marketplace should ultimately decide whether or not [in-flight mobile technology] will be actually used on airborne aircraft," the company said in its filing.

The FCC's action would have needed to be accompanied by a change in rules at the U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration.

Martin has told other commissioners he intends to have them vote to terminate the proceeding, an FCC spokeswoman said. Commissioners are still examining Martin's proposal, she said.

The spokeswoman said she didn't know why Europe seems to be moving ahead with in-flight service. A Verizon spokesman declined to comment on Europe's move, saying the company deferred to the FCC's authority on the issue.

But Bob Egan, chief analyst for research firm The Tower Group, said Europe could still back away from allowing in-flight calls. If Europe goes ahead with the service, it may be a matter of a more relaxed regulatory approach on some issues, he said.

Egan, a critic of in-flight calls, said interference concerns remain unresolved. "On a technical basis, I'm not sure the airline industry has done enough to ensure the safety of people," he said.

But passenger annoyance would continue to be an issue if the technical challenges were fixed, he added. "It'd be just aggravating to other people," he said. "Flight attendants would find themselves in wrestling matches."

Cablevision loses network DVR court case

Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE:CVC - news) has lost a legal battle against several Hollywood studios and television networks to introduce a network-based digital video recorder service to its subscribers.

The New York-based cable operator said in a statement late on Thursday it is currently considering an appeal against the ruling by Judge Denny Chin of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Cablevision was sued last May by several Hollywood studios and television networks, including those owned by Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX - news), News Corp. (NYSE:NWSA - news), CBS Corp. (NYSE:CBS - news) and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS - news), which charged that the planned service would violate U.S. copyright laws.

Cablevision had hoped a network-based DVR system, called Remote Storage DVR or RS-DVR, would have done away with the need for the installation of hundreds of thousands of digital set-top boxes in subscribers' homes.

This would potentially have saved Cablevision significant administration and maintenance costs. It already has installed over 500,000 set-top boxes in homes in its area.

Other cable operators had been vocal in their support for such a system.

But the studios and TV networks argued in two suits filed at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan that because the proposed service would allow subscribers to store television programs on the cable operator's own computer servers, it would be breaking copyright agreements by effectively retransmitting the programs.

The judge agreed with the studios and networks. "The RS-DVR is clearly a service, and I hold that in providing this service, it is Cablevision that does the copying," Chin said in his ruling.

He also dismissed a countersuit by Cablevision.

Cablevision had argued that DVR technology based on its network is as legal as digital video recorders in the living room, such as those produced by
TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq:TIVO - news) and Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO - news)

"The RS-DVR is not a stand-alone machine that sits on top of a television," Chin said. "Rather, it is a complex system that involves an ongoing relationship between Cablevision and its customers."

Cablevision said it would be considering all its options and would continue to install conventional set-top boxes.

"We are disappointed by the judge's decision, and continue to believe that remote-storage DVRs are consistent with copyright law and offer compelling benefits for consumers -- including lower costs and broader availability of this popular technology, Cablevision said in the statement.

Mom donates laptops to wounded soldiers

Laura Brown, a mother with a son who fought in the
Iraq war, is trying to improve conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — one laptop computer at a time.

The 50-year-old from Cody, Wyo., was chatting on the Internet with the mother of a wounded soldier two years ago when the mother mentioned she had to print out her son's e-mails and take them to him at Walter Reed because there weren't enough laptop computers to go around.

Brown, whose own son had recently returned safely from the war, thought the solution to that problem seemed incredibly easy.

"It just kind of hit me," she said. "If one person needed one, then there's others. ... I mean, my son had e-mail in Iraq. I was really stunned."

So Brown formed a group, Laptops for the Wounded, to raise money for the cause.

Since its fundraising effort began in November 2005, Brown's organization has donated 27 computers to military hospitals around the country — 24 of them to Walter Reed.

On Friday, Brown flew to Washington to deliver 10 donated laptops to the hospital in person.

Those computers, which were upgraded and refitted with new equipment, included Web cameras so soldiers could lay eyes on their families from afar.

"She basically just made it her mission," said Lisa Ramdass, a case manager at the hospital who has been working with Brown to coordinate the donations.

Ramdass said the laptops are used for more than e-mail. One soldier who worked with a donated laptop couldn't speak, and was able to communicate with his family and his doctors by typing on the computer. Others who have eye injuries use the laptops to watch movies or television up close.

The hospital, flooded with wounded from the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, has attracted media and congressional scrutiny in the last month, due to reports of shoddy living conditions for soldiers housed there.

Brown said she can relate with the loneliness and isolation of the wounded because she is also disabled, having suffered knee and back injuries in recent years. She is also inspired by her son, who lost his young wife to illness just weeks after they were married several years ago.

Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin (news, bio, voting record) said Brown's efforts show the difference one person can make.

"Out of the goodness of her heart, she's turned a few small donations into a national campaign," she said.

Mom donates laptops to wounded soldiers

Laura Brown, a mother with a son who fought in the
Iraq war, is trying to improve conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — one laptop computer at a time.

The 50-year-old from Cody, Wyo., was chatting on the Internet with the mother of a wounded soldier two years ago when the mother mentioned she had to print out her son's e-mails and take them to him at Walter Reed because there weren't enough laptop computers to go around.

Brown, whose own son had recently returned safely from the war, thought the solution to that problem seemed incredibly easy.

"It just kind of hit me," she said. "If one person needed one, then there's others. ... I mean, my son had e-mail in Iraq. I was really stunned."

So Brown formed a group, Laptops for the Wounded, to raise money for the cause.

Since its fundraising effort began in November 2005, Brown's organization has donated 27 computers to military hospitals around the country — 24 of them to Walter Reed.

On Friday, Brown flew to Washington to deliver 10 donated laptops to the hospital in person.

Those computers, which were upgraded and refitted with new equipment, included Web cameras so soldiers could lay eyes on their families from afar.

"She basically just made it her mission," said Lisa Ramdass, a case manager at the hospital who has been working with Brown to coordinate the donations.

Ramdass said the laptops are used for more than e-mail. One soldier who worked with a donated laptop couldn't speak, and was able to communicate with his family and his doctors by typing on the computer. Others who have eye injuries use the laptops to watch movies or television up close.

The hospital, flooded with wounded from the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, has attracted media and congressional scrutiny in the last month, due to reports of shoddy living conditions for soldiers housed there.

Brown said she can relate with the loneliness and isolation of the wounded because she is also disabled, having suffered knee and back injuries in recent years. She is also inspired by her son, who lost his young wife to illness just weeks after they were married several years ago.

Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin (news, bio, voting record) said Brown's efforts show the difference one person can make.

"Out of the goodness of her heart, she's turned a few small donations into a national campaign," she said.

TV Guide to offer Web video search tool

TV Guide, which has helped viewers navigate through thousands of TV shows for 53 years, now wants to do the same for Internet video. Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. will launch a test version next month of an online video search tool that allows viewers to find clips and full episodes of TV shows now being posted on the Web. A formal launch is planned for September.

The tool will not try to aggregate the thousands of user-generated videos featuring pet tricks, skits and other antics being posted on sites such as YouTube and Revver.

Instead, it will scour about 60 Web sites from major networks such as ABC and Fox and other video portals such as AOL and Google to find network and original programming produced by major media companies.

"Everybody says, 'Who's going to be the TV Guide of online video?' and we say, why shouldn't it be us?" said Richard Cusick, senior vice president of digital media at Gemstar-TV Guide. "We're making a bet, but we think it's a safe bet and consistent with our mission."

The company hopes to make money by selling ads on the new search site as well as licensing its technology.

The effort comes amid an explosion of video content on the Web. Sites such as YouTube, which is owned by Google Inc., Revver, Grouper, which is owned by Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news)., and others attract millions of visitors and feature short clips uploaded by users.

Meanwhile, TV networks and film studios are searching for new ways to distribute their content and grab the attention of online viewers.

On Thursday, NBC Universal, which is owned by General Electric Co., and News Corp., which runs the Fox network, among others, formed a joint venture to distribute their shows across the Web.

The new company will run its own Internet site and syndicate programs to such popular portals as Yahoo, MSN and AOL.

The move reinforced Gemstar's belief that Internet viewers want quick access to high-quality network shows, and there is money to be made by providing a tool to sift through such content.

TV Guide is coming late to the video search game. The head start enjoyed by other companies, most notably Google, could be difficult to overcome, said Rob Enderle, a technology analyst.

"If they don't want to become obsolete, they have to get into the search business," Enderle said, adding that the strength of the TV Guide brand could be a key to attracting users.

But Google is likely to expand its own video search capabilities.

"Today, TV Guide can be better," Enderle said. "But fast-forward two years from now, and you wonder if TV Guide has the resources to compete with Google long term."

The company hopes to learn lessons from the Web that can be applied years from now when video is delivered directly to TV sets through high-speed Internet connections. And it hopes its electronic guide, which already is used on most TV sets and cable systems, will serve to organize both traditional TV content and Web-based shows.

The company is also planning search tools for mobile devices.

"For us, the notion of guidance has changed dramatically," Gemstar chief executive Richard Battista said. "It used to be about TV guidance, but now its about video guidance and TV Guide needs to be the leading provider of video guidance."

Other companies are also entering the nascent field of online video search. Time Warner Inc.'s AOL launched its own search tool using technology from Truveo Inc., which crawls the Web and looks for information surrounding a video on a Web page to make the search more relevant.

Search company Blinkx uses voice recognition and transcription software to find clips, then automatically sends them to subscribers.

Google and Yahoo also provide video search tools. But those are either too broad, returning irrelevant and, in many cases, pirated results, or concentrate too much on user-generated content, TV Guide contends.

The often simple titles of TV shows also complicate search. Someone looking for clips from the Fox show "House" might have to wade through pages of results about homebuilding or mortgage rates.

The TV Guide video search technology, like some other search engines, looks for descriptive words, called "metadata," surrounding a video.

It then marries that information with the vast database compiled over the years for TV Guide's print magazine and Web site. That kind of cross-referencing is designed to provide more relevant results and also allow TV Guide to group results by celebrity, network or genre.

"We can take relatively unstructured Web data, combine it with our very structured TV data and get much more relevant results and start to draw those connections," Cusick said.

The TV Guide search tool will also allow users to save videos in an application that can be 'detached" from the site and sit on the computer screen, allowing viewing at any time.

Anna Nicole Smith diaries sell for over $500,000

Two diaries written by
Anna Nicole Smith have sold on online auction site eBay for more than $500,000 to a German man planning to use them as the basis of a book, according to the memorabilia house that sold them.

Jeff Woolf, co-partner and auction director at Universal Rarities in Corona, California, said the diaries, from 1992 and 1994, were found a few years ago by a man cleaning out a house in Los Angeles where Smith stayed during a filming project.

He sold the diaries to a memorabilia collector who runs a shop on Hollywood Boulevard who came forward with the diaries after the mystery death of the former Playmate in a Florida hotel on February 8 at the age of 39.

In the 1992 diary, which has the words "I follow my own star" on the cover, Woolf said Smith confesses: "I hate for men to want sex all the time. I hate sex." This diary sold for about $285,000.

In the second diary Smith writes about the illness of her billionaire husband Howard Marshall, who died in 1995 at the age of 90, with a religious awakening with lots of references to Jesus. This sold for about $230,000.

Woolf said the demand for Smith memorabilia had been overwhelming following her death so the price realized for these diaries was not that surprising.

"I don't think I've had the luck of being in such a situation, where the timing was really that perfect as far as the peak of someone's popularity in the news," he told Reuters.

"The gentleman who bought them required to be anonymous but I can tell you he is from Germany and has the intention of making a book out of them and doing some things in the publishing world."

The long-awaited results of an autopsy on Smith will be made public on Monday by a Florida medical examiner.

Her death triggered a bitter and highly publicized legal feud over her remains and the custody of her 6-month-old daughter, Dannielynn, who might one day inherit millions.

Smith was buried in the Bahamas on March 2.

Her longtime companion and lawyer, Howard K. Stern, is listed as the father on her daughter's birth certificate but several other men, including Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead, also claim to be the father and the paternity issue is still being fought in the courts.

Judge hits Vonage with injunction

A federal judge dealt a blow to Vonage Holdings Corp. that sent its stock reeling on Friday, when he agreed to bar the company from using Internet phone call technology patented by Verizon Communications Inc.

Vonage said it was confident its customers would not experience service interruptions, but investors sent its shares down nearly 26 percent.

U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton said he would delay signing the order for two weeks to give Vonage time to try to convince him to stay the injunction while it appeals the entire patent infringement case. "I will sign the injunction at the time I rule on the stay," Hilton said at a hearing.

Hilton agreed with Verizon that it would suffer irreparable harm if he allowed continued infringement of the Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies that allow consumers to make calls over the Internet.

He rejected arguments by Vonage that the harm to Verizon, the No. 2 U.S. telephone company, was outweighed by other factors, including the public interest.

"I don't think it's going to kill Vonage," said Albert Lin, an analyst at American Technology Research. But he said the legal costs and management distractions were disruptive.

Vonage has been public for less than a year, and its stock has lost value consistently since its initial public offering at $17 a share in May. It reached a new low Friday, closing down $1.05 at $3 per share on the
New York Stock Exchange.

Vonage said the patent battle was far from over and the company would vigorously defend itself.

"Despite this obvious attempt by Verizon to cripple Vonage, the litigation will not stop Vonage from continuing to provide quality VoIP service to our millions of customers," Vonage chief executive Mike Snyder said in a statement.

OPERATING CHALLENGES

Vonage has previously said it is working on redesigned technologies to avoid infringing Verizon's patents.

"It should likely continue as an independent company, but their operating challenges will have increased," said Stanford Group analyst Clayton Moran, who also warned that Vonage's subscriber growth could slow.

A jury on March 8 found Vonage had infringed three patents owned by Verizon. The jury said Vonage must pay $58 million plus 5.5 percent royalties on future sales.

"They could not have been commercially successful if they had not taken these patents we have and put them into their technologies," Dan Webb, an attorney for Verizon, said at Friday's hearing on the injunction request.

Webb also cited documents Vonage filed with the court under seal, saying an injunction would cause "enormous business difficulties" for Vonage. Webb said the Vonage filings suggested that Vonage "can't live with an injunction because of the way their technology is designed."

Vonage's chief lawyer, Sharon O'Leary, declined to comment on the sealed documents.

"We will get the stay, either through the district court or the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals," O'Leary told Reuters outside the court.

One patent lawyer told Reuters Vonage has a chance of winning an appeal, but it was crucial to get a stay of the injunction.

"A one-and-a-half to two-year injunction, even if they win on appeal, could be very significant to Vonage," said John Rabena, a partner with the firm Sughrue Mion.

Yellowstone Grizzlies Lose "Endangered" Status; Critics Growling

Citing the recovery of grizzly bear populations in and around Yellowstone National Park, the U.S. government has declared that the bears no longer need protection under the Endangered Species Act.

But conservationists see the move as premature and say it helps clear the way for logging, drilling, and other activities in forests surrounding the park.

"We think it's a big mistake," Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, told National Geographic News.

"We have made a lot of progress in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, but the species isn't established in a sufficiently wide range to be delisted."

The decision to delist the grizzlies was announced yesterday by Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett.

Yellowstone-area bears had been listed as "threatened" since 1975, when population estimates ranged from 136 to 312. Today more than 500 bears roam the area, she said.

"I believe all Americans should be proud that, as a nation, we had the will and the ability to protect and restore this symbol of the wild," Scarlett said in a press statement.

Bears Recovered?

Environmentalists are pleased by the comeback but not by the delisting.

Yellowstone's grizzlies should be considered as recovered when they are no longer isolated from other grizzly populations, said Neil Darlow, a program manager for the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

The nonprofit group advocates the creation of a continuous chain of protected habitat stretching from Yellowstone to Canada's Yukon Territory.

Isolated populations aren't viable in the long run, Darlow said, because they are more susceptible to inbreeding and local extinction from natural or human causes.

Mice learn to see in colour

Mice have had a human gene introduced into their eyes to give them colour vision similar to that enjoyed by people.

The experiment provides new hope to blind people that the brain can adapt more quickly than thought to new sensory information, for instance from an artificial retina of the kind currently under development in various labs.

And it sheds new light on the evolution of colour vision, a topic of intensive study for more than three decades, showing that the ability to detect a broader spectrum of light had knock on effects on brain development.

The light-sensing retina in the eyes of primates such as humans and monkeys is unique among mammals in that it has three pigments that absorb short (blue), medium (green) and long (red) wavelengths of light.

Mice, like other mammals, only have two pigments; one for short and one for medium wavelengths.

As a result, mice have dichromatic vision (which, in human terms, registers yellows, blues and greys), similar to what some people with red-green colour blindness see.

Although mice, like most mammals, typically view the world with a limited colour palette scientists have now transformed their vision by introducing a single human gene into a mouse chromosome.

The human gene codes for a light sensor that mice do not normally possess, and its insertion allowed the mice to distinguish colours as never before.

For the new study in the journal Sciencea team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, together with researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara, introduced a human long wavelength receptor on the X chromosome, which made the mice produce a third pigment that registered longer wavelengths of light.

The human genes were biologically functional in the mice, but the real question was whether the mice could use the new visual information.

“It’s been unclear,” Prof Gerald Jacobs explained, “whether the simple addition of a photopigment is sufficient to yield a new dimension of colour vision, or whether you might need, in addition, some changes in the nervous system.”

The new abilities of the genetically engineered mice indicate that the brain does indeed possess a flexibility that permits a nearly instantaneous upgrade in the complexity of colour vision, say the study’s senior authors, Prof Jacobs and Jeremy Nathans.

When the team tested the mice on tasks involving distinguishing differently coloured panels and lights, the results indicated that the mice had new colour vision, revealing how genetic mutations may have ultimately allowed our ancestors to see five colours in a rainbow.

Once genetic changes produced additional photopigments in primates, which is thought to have occurred more than 40 million years ago, the animals’ brains were able to “rewire” themselves in order to process the new signals and allow full-colour vision.

“If you gave mice a new sensory input at the front end, could their brains learn to make use of the extra data at the back end?” asks Prof Nathans. “The answer is, remarkably, yes.

They did not require additional generations to evolve new sight. What we are looking at in these mice is the same evolutionary event that happened in one of the distant ancestors of all primates and that led ultimately to the trichromatic colour vision that we now enjoy.”

There are several theories to explain why colour vision helped our ancestors.

John Mollon at the University of Cambridge has suggested that it allowed primates to discriminate between unripe fruit, which is typically green, and ripe red- and orange-coloured fruits.

But a team from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, has challenged this idea with evidence that colour vision is crucial for seeing changes in the skin of others - whether they are red with rage, flushed with embarrassment or white with fear.

Windows Mail bug may expose Vista users

An attacker could send an e-mail with a malicious link that, when clicked on, would execute a program on the PC without warning, according to a description of the problem published Friday on a widely read security mailing list called Full Disclosure. Windows Mail is the successor to Outlook Express, Microsoft's free e-mail client, and ships with Vista.

Microsoft is investigating the issue, a company representative said in an e-mailed statement. "As a best practice, users should always exercise extreme caution when clicking on links in unsolicited e-mail from both known and unknown sources," the representative said.

Depending on what the malicious link tells Windows Mail to do, the threat to Vista users could be significant, said Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager at software maker McAfee. "Theoretically, attackers can do a lot of things; they will be able to pass any command through it," Marcus said.

However, the risk is mitigated because Vista is not widely used, Marcus said. "I don't think they will see a lot of exploitation simply because there is so little Vista deployed," he said. "I think Microsoft would take this seriously and wrap this up in their next patch."

Vista has been available to consumers since late January. Since then, Microsoft has issued one security update for the operating system to repair a "critical" vulnerability in the scanning engine for Windows Defender, the built-in antispyware tool.

Microsoft is not aware of any attacks that actually attempted to use the newly reported Windows Mail vulnerability, it said. Upon completion of its investigation, the company could issue a security update or provide guidance in another way, the representative said.

Boogie Announced for Nintendo Wii, Microphone Confirmed?

When the Wii made its first playable unveiling at E3 last year, developer support was somewhat split for Nintendo’s new console – and understandably so: the bad taste left behind from the GameCube was still in everyone’s mouth. But, reaction to the console was certainly promising, and recently support for the system has surged, with developers rushing to cash in on Nintendo’s dark horse success. While companies like Ubisoft have been pushing it strong from the beginning, top publisher Electronic Arts has been accused of being reluctant, something they certainly seem to be trying to remedy. Today, EA took another step in that direction, unveiling Boogie, a rhythm game to be released exclusively on the Nintendo Wii later this year.

While the game seems pretty standard as far as being a rhythm game is concerned, with players moving their controls in sync with the music and on-screen cues, perhaps the most interesting piece of information about this news is that it seems to confirm the long-rumored microphone for the system. While it has already been rumored that one would be headed to the Wii, with games like High School Musical calling for one, EA states in its press release that Boogie will have players singing and showing off their karaoke skills. While this is far from an official confirmation, it certainly seems like a no-brainer at this point, but we will continue to follow the story. We’ll try and have the first screens of this quirky new title up soon, too, but for now, you can read more about the game in the press release below:

Montreal, Canada – March 23, 2007 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Boogie™ – an all new intellectual property in development at EA Montreal will be released exclusively for the Wii™ worldwide in 2007. Boogie is a unique music/rhythm-based game that takes advantage of the innovative Wii controls to get gamers off their couch, playing and dancing to a new beat.

“We’re creating something new and different for gamers of all ages to enjoy; the complete party package where gamers can dance as well as sing,” said Alain Tascan, Vice President and General Manager, EA Montreal. “Nintendo’s Wii is an amazing console that really gives us a platform to be creative and to re-think traditional game development.”

Boogie will have gamers dancing, singing and starring in their own music videos. Players can also choose and customize different characters in the game to best show off their dancing style and karaoke skills. With innovative gameplay that perfectly matches the unique Wii controls, Boogie is the ultimate videogame party package.

Boogie is the latest addition to EA Montreal’s roster of high profile games including SSX™ Blur and ARMY OF TWO™. SSX Blur is the newest version of the critically acclaimed snowboarding franchise that shipped exclusively for the Wii in February. EA Montreal is also working on ARMY OF TWO, the highly anticipated shooter and original intellectual property that will redefine strategic two-man cooperative play. The game was ranked at the top of the list in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s Top 50 Coolest New Games cover story in their August issue. ARMY OF TWO will be released for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system.

EA established the studio in downtown Montreal in 2004. EA Montreal uses state-of-the-art technology and the remarkable creative talents of its game makers to develop the next-generation of interactive entertainment pushing the envelope in creativity and innovation. Since opening its doors in 2004, the EAM team has released NHL® 07 for current-gen systems which is the top selling game in Canada last year.

Jetpac Refulled heading for Xbox Live Arcade

Jetpac Refuelled is a remake of the 1983 Jetpac game originally released for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and later available on the BBC micro and the Commodore Vic-20.

The 2D space shooter has been 'reimagined' by Rare with new graphics, weapons and enemies, plus 128 levels and simultaneous multi-player gaming. But give Dad a chance and let him start by trying the original Jetpac mode included in the new game.

Jetpac Refuelled will be released this Wednesday, priced at a modest 400 Microsoft Points ($US5/$A6.67)

Gates heads back to Harvard

Some of us do the whole four years. For others, a college degree just isn't a ticket they need to punch before setting out to build an empire and change the world.

Harvard University has announced that Bill Gates, the co-founder and chairman of Microsoft and not coincidentally the world's richest man, will be the principal speaker at this year's commencement ceremony on June 7.

Gates is a semi-alum that Harvard can be proud of.

Microsoft makes over $44 billion in revenue a year (never mind those bothersome antitrust charges). The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charity he and his wife started, donates more than $3.6 billion to global health organizations and $2 billion to educational programs worldwide. While Gates will remain Microsoft chairman, he plans to step down in 2008 to devote himself full-time to his charity work.

He's both a family man and a knight.

But there is a sweet irony to Harvard's embrace.

Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1975 (his junior year) to concentrate on developing Microsoft, the company he founded with Paul Allen.

Still, the university considers Gates "a member of the Harvard College Class of 1977," and this spring that class will celebrate its 30th reunion.

Among Gates' fellow Harvard alums is Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, whom Gates met as an undergrad.

According to Harvard, Ballmer lived down the hall at Currier House.

Free £2,000 TVs at launch of PlayStation 3

Free £2,000 TVs at launch of PlayStation 3


Crowds fail to materialise as the next big thing from Sony goes on sale

Paul Lewis and Bobbie Johnson
Saturday March 24, 2007
The Guardian

Crowd control barriers were erected, security guards manned the escalators and uniformed nurses prepared for the herd of teenagers about to scramble for the "Rolls-Royce" of games consoles.

Everything was in place for Sony's midnight launch of the PlayStation 3 yesterday. Except, that is, for the masses of hungry customers.

Throughout the week Sony officials dismissed claims that the £425 "paystation" - sold at £120 more than its US retail price - would prove too expensive for consumers. Originally scheduled to hit the continent last November, a glut of manufacturing problems pushed back the launch of the PS3 by four months, handing the crucial Christmas slot to its rival, the Nintendo Wii.

In the US Sony's flagship product has been outsold by the Wii and even come second to its seven-year-old predecessor, the PlayStation 2. But in the run-up to yesterday's launch the company predicted record sales for its "fabulous value" and "future proof" console.

As well as console games, Sony points out, the machine plays high-definition movies and MP3s, stores photos and connects to the internet via its own browser. "Look at what's inside the box, it's fantastic value for money," said Alan Duncan, UK marketing director for Sony PlayStation, "That figure [£425] reflects the cutting edge technology that's in the box."

But even the 125 "hardcore gamers" who queued for the first PS3s to go on sale this week had their reservations. "I think it's a rubbish turnout," said Lucy Fenner, 24, from Enfield - at number 82, in the tail of the queue. "I thought there would be 500 people here - they've changed the date so much that people are just annoyed. If you create a buzz for too long, it wears off."

Whilst teenage boys poured praise on the PS3's life-like graphics, others - notably their parents - grumbled about the hidden costs required to run the machine - including games, DVDs and, to make the most of the high-definition pictures, a new TV screen. As midnight approached, Sony's public relations team twitched at complaints from the queue, where few could see the entertainment - lethargic looking breakdancers, basketball spinners and a DJ. Virgin Megastores had acquired the stale air of a near-empty nightclub.

Then, out of nowhere, an almighty cheer. The event's MC, Cole Parker - stand-up comedian and presenter of Bravo TV's The Ultimate Gamble, paused the music and announced that everyone in the queue would get a 46 inch Sony Bravia flatscreen TV worth £2,000. Free. "It's pretty generous," said Rana, a public relations man, as the crowd went mad. "Personally, I've read a lot of negative stuff, but we've rewarded our most committed fans with a spanking new plasma. Best PR you can do!" After the 17-year-old from Mitcham at the front of the queue, Ritatsu Thomas, tapped his pin number into Virgin's tills at 12:02pm, Sony had taken £425 and given away £250,000 of equipment to their queuing "ambassadors".

The company is, however, optimistic it will recover profits in the next few months. "Even if we only have the sales from the pre-orders that have already been taken this will be the biggest console launch in history by a very long distance," said Alan Duncan. "But we want to wait and have the money in the tills before we start talking about that."

Sony shipped more than 200,000 units to the UK, although many high-street sellers do not expect to sell out soon. "This launch may not have generated quite the same level of hype and excitement as Wii and Xbox 360 did," said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo. "But it's been pretty impactful given that we're post-Christmas and the price threshold is a little higher than the other consoles. We expect sales to keep building over time."

For Sony, the sales of the PS3 over the coming weeks will be crucial. Howard Stringer, the Welsh-born chief executive of the Japanese company, heralded the PS3 as the key to his strategy for reviving Sony's performance against its main rivals such as Microsoft and Apple. Ken Kuturagi, the visionary "father of the PlayStation" who masterminded Sony's success in the 1990s, recently lost control over the games division, allegedly as a result of the PS3's stunted performance. The beneficiaries of Sony's expected sweetener were on message as they spilled out onto Oxford Street in the early hours of yesterday morning, £1,500 in profit.

"It's beyond belief that they gave us all that," said Gary Tahmasbi, 25, from Bethnal Green. "I don't want to big up Sony too much, but it's a really cool gesture."

The rivals

Sony's PlayStation 3 costs £425 with games about £50. At 5kg this is the console heavyweight. It plays Blu-Ray discs, CDs and DVDs, has 256MB of built-in memory and a 60GB hard disk for storing games and digital media. It can connect to the internet.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 costs £280 with games £40-£50. It is slightly smaller than the PS3, and can play DVDs. It has 512MB of on-board memory, a 20GB hard disk and the built-in internet play is a big plus.

Nintendo's Wii £179 with games £30-£40. Less powerful but found success with its controller which means on-screen action can be directed with real-life movements. It has 512MB of memory, no hard drive, but can download games from the internet.

Microsoft: Xbox Live 'issues' not our fault

Following numerous reports of vandals stealing accounts on Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming network, the software giant released a statement on Wednesday night saying its network has not been compromised and any stolen accounts are likely due to users' unwisely giving away personal information.

The statement followed reports that members of Microsoft's Xbox Live network had had their accounts stolen, especially after playing certain online games, such as Halo 2. In a report published on Wednesday, SecurityFocus discovered statements online by self-confessed account thieves that indicated that Microsoft's support staff had been socially engineered by the vandals--also known as pretexting--in order to gain control of other Xbox Live members' accounts.

In its statement, Microsoft did not specifically address the pretexting issue. The full statement, sent to SecurityFocus late Wednesday night, follows:

Despite some recent reports and speculation, we want to reassure all of our 6 million Xbox Live members that we have looked into the situation and found no evidence of any compromise of the security of Bungie.net or our LIVE network. There have been a few isolated incidents where malicious users have been attempting to draw personal information from unsuspecting users and use it to gain access to their LIVE account. We think this is a good time to remind our members that they should never give out any of their personal information.

* To our knowledge, there has been no compromise of the Xbox LIVE network.
* To our knowledge, no credit card or other personal information was exposed.
* We are always evaluating our security policies and procedures. In order to help protect their Xbox LIVE Accounts, customers should follow the guidelines outlined in the Xbox LIVE code of conduct on Xbox.com (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/legal/codeofconduct.htm). Specifically: "Don't give out information that personally identifies you (such as your real name, address, phone number, credit card number, etc.) while you're playing. This includes voice chat and the names you create for your gamertag or mottos. This information could be used by other players for illegal or harmful purposes. Also, don't give out the personal information of other players."

A shorter version of the statement--attributed to "Major Nelson," the XBox Live gamertag of Larry Hryb, Microsoft's Xbox Live Director of Programming-

'Not guilty' pleads accused ex-astronaut

Lawyers representing former US Space Shuttle astronaut Lisa Nowak have entered a not guilty plea to charges relating to her alleged attempt to kidnap Colleen Shipman.

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Nowak apparently considered Shipman - a US Air Force captain - to be a rival for the affections of fellow astronaut William Oefelein. She has been charged with attempted kidnapping, burglary with assault and battery.

Currently on bail, Nowak was fired by NASA and the US Navy is transferring her to its Air Training Command.

The case has attracted considerable international interest. Apart from the usual prurient interest in any 'love triangle' and the celebrity status of astronauts, the story involves a series of amorous emails sent to and from the Space Shuttle between Oefelein and Shipman that were subsequently discovered by Nowak and then made public by the state attorney's office, and reports that Nowak used nappies (diapers) to reduce the number of stops when she drove from Houston to Orlando where the alleged assault took place.

Yellowstone grizzly bears 'out of the woods'

Washington - Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park have been taken off the threatened species list, United States officials said on Thursday.

A statement on the US Fish and Wildlife Service website said there were now more than 500 grizzlies in the park, which straddles the north-western states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, compared with a figure believed to range between 136 and 312 when they were declared threatened in 1975.

"The grizzly's remarkable comeback is the result of years of intensive co-operative recovery efforts between federal and state agencies, conservation groups, and individuals," Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett said.

"The grizzly is a large predator that requires a great deal of space, and conserving such animals is a challenge in today's world."

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said grizzly bears in Yellowstone would now be removed from the "threatened" species list.

However, four other grizzly populations in the lower 48 contiguous US states have not recovered and would continue to be protected as threatened species.

The statement said since the 1990s the Yellowstone grizzly population has grown at a rate of four to seven percent per year. The Interior Department had first proposed plans to delist the bears two years ago.

Apple TV Just Plain Works

To say that Apple TV is the world's best media streaming device could be considered faint praise, the tech equivalent of calling someone the world's tallest midget. After all, most previous versions of these devices, which take music, video, and photos from your PC and play them on your TV and stereo, have been unreliable, hard to use and generally shunned by the buying public.

Apple has managed to rise above that kind of failure with its typical mantra: Keep it simple and make it pretty. Setting up our $299 Apple TV was a breeze, and anyone who's used an iPod will be instantly familiar with its extravagantly attractive interface.

With a 40GB hard drive for storing content, the sleek device appears to be able to avoid the picture break-ups and glitches that frequently come with streaming video over a wireless network. The basic rule of Apple TV content seems to be: If you can play something in iTunes, you can play it on Apple TV. That puts some limitations on users, but then, that's the price of simplicity.
A Squished Mac Mini?

The device looks a bit like the Mac Mini after an elephant sat on it. It's about 7 inches square and a little over an inch tall. It comes with a power cord, a remote about the size of an iPod nano, and that's it. (Watch PC World's video on "Unboxing the Apple TV" to see all included components.

You're on your own to purchase other cables you'll need. For instance, if your TV is HDMI equipped, you'll have to purchase a HDMI cable (about $20 at the Apple store). The Apple TV has ports for HDMI connectors, component video, and analog video connections.

Once I connected the box to our PCW test HDTV (you must use a widescreen TV, by the way), the device started looking for a network connection. (Read our buying advice on purchasing a new TV to work with your Apple TV.) I was using Wi-Fi instead of an Ethernet connection, and the Apple TV couldn't initially find my network. Once I typed in the network's SSID on the on-screen keyboard, though, I was up and running. The box is very quiet but got significantly hot after about an hour.

You must link the Apple TV to a copy of iTunes on a PC or Mac (the screen provides you with a passcode you must type into iTunes to make the connection). Then Apple TV starts copying your content from your iTunes library onto its hard drive in a specific order: first movies, then TV shows, then music, etc. If there was a way to move something to the front of the line, it wasn't obvious to me. I wanted to shift some of my photos to the device, but kept getting a message saying it was too busy copying my music and I should try again later.
Apple TV Remote

Once some of my video and music was on the Apple TV's hard drive, I started jumping around using the tiny remote. While the remote looks like an iPod, it doesn't quite act like one. What looks like a click wheel doesn't operate just by moving your thumb around the circumference of the wheel. Instead you need to click up, down, or sideways to move.

And while it's admirable that Apple has managed to shave a remote down to essentially six buttons, you'd better be careful of this one. Given how often the big honking remote for my TV gets lost in the folds of the bed covers, this one, which looks a lot like the original iPod Shuffle, won't last a week unless it's strapped to a boat anchor and a pager.
Video Tests

For my video testing, I bought an episode of a new show from FX, "The Riches," from iTunes. Picture quality for this drama was okay, but not sensational. Overall, the images seemed a bit dark and washed out, even in colorful outdoor scenes. (While Apple TV works with high definition sets, it doesn't show high-def video.)

Apple TV will also play video that's not on its hard drive. But for that, you're dependent on streaming over your wireless network.

Music playback was very reminiscent of the iPod's interface, with lots of ways to view your collection. Album art for the music I was playing displayed beautifully--so beautifully it made me wish I could navigate my collection by the cover art, like the cover flow view in iTunes. But, alas, that option isn't available. One other complaint: Once you left the music area, your album stopped playing. I would have liked to be able to continue listening to my choice while I was picking through pictures or watching a slideshow.

My colleague Johathan Seff at our sister site Macworld.com talked to Apple and posted this informative blog with more details about the Apple TV.
Bottom Line

As good as Apple TV is, I was still left thinking it could do more. For instance, it's got an Internet connection and a hard drive, so why do I have to download a video or album to my PC, then have it sync to the Apple TV? Wouldn't it be easier to cut out the middleman and have Apple TV connect directly to the iTunes Store?

Despite those reservations, though, Apple TV is more than just the tallest midget out there. It's the first media streaming device I could imagine recommending to a non-geek. And I wouldn't be surprised if it evolves into something even more powerful.