iGot it

After waiting in line for 10 hours, James Everett walked into the AT&T store with his arms in the air, and said, "iPhone. Right now!"

"Do you know how long I waited for this machine? I waited months for this thing. I was on the (Apple) Web site every day," said Everett, 25, a Boston resident whose family lives in Framingham. He was the first of about 50 people in line at the Rte. 9 AT&T store yesterday.

At 6 p.m., Apple Inc. released its long-anticipated iPhone, a combination wireless phone, video and photo iPod and mobile Internet device, in partnership with wireless carrier AT&T Inc. The device has been deemed revolutionary by many market watchers because it features a 3.5-inch glass touch screen, full Internet browsing and intuitive software, among other reasons.

Hype-generated lines formed outside Apple's retail stores in Braintree, Burlington, Cambridge, Chestnut Hill, Hingham and Peabody, as well as its 162 other locations. This time, the lines were also outside AT&T's 1,800 company stores nationwide, including 80 in New England.

Outside the Framingham AT&T store, Everett said the group became an "iPhamily," which "ate together, played together and had a good time." The group all ordered out from UNO Chicago Grill, next door, he said.

Nadia Mahmoud, 15, of Ashland, said she had a friend who went on a trip to Italy but she couldn't. So the $599, 8-gigabyte iPhone was her "something great." The phone also comes in a 4-gigabyte, $499 model.

"I can't even imagine my life without my iPod and my phone," said Mahmoud. "Them together, along with my pictures and the Internet, that's all I need."

Steve Krom, vice president and general manager of AT&T New England, said anyone who didn't end up with an iPhone yesterday could still buy one.

"Customers can purchase a product and accessories in the store, and we'll ship it to them in three to five business days," Krom said.

Inside the store, accessories from DLO, Case Mate, Belkin and Griffin were already on sale.

Buying the iPhone at the store is different than buying any other smart mobile phone. Customers can buy the device there, then take it home and connect it to their computer. Only through iTunes software program can customers activate the device.

To get unlimited Internet, e-mail and visual voice mail service, 200 text messages and 450 rollover minutes, with free AT&T to AT&T calling on the iPhone, customers pay $59.99 a month. Similar plans with more rollover minutes cost more.
Source :http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/

Break For Internet Radio?

A key concession Friday by a recording industry trade group might help ease the way toward an eventual settlement to end a bitter battle over royalty fees paid by Internet radio stations.

SoundExchange, a former subsidiary of the Recording Industry Association of America, said Friday that it has agreed to extend a cap on a portion of the fees that Internet radio operators will have to pay under new rules scheduled to take effect in about two weeks.

The $2,500 cap on an annual $500-per-radio-channel fee that Internet radio stations have to pay could represent a significant break for major streaming-audio services run by Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ), Pandora and CBS's (nyse: CBS - news - people ) Last.FM, which feature multiple, customized audio feeds for their listeners.

Current rules already include such a ceiling, but no such ceiling was included under a new free structure issued in March by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), an arm of the U.S. Library of Congress.

SoundExchange is proposing that the cap be extended through the end of 2008. But the Digital Media Association, which represents Internet radio stations, countered Friday that it would only accept a cap that extends through the end of 2010.

Under the new CRB rates, which are scheduled to take effect July 15, Internet radio operators will face a sharp jump in the "performance" royalties they pay record labels and recording artists. In addition to losing the cap on annual fees, Internet radio operators will also have to increase the royalty they pay for each song they stream from 0.08 cents in 2006 to 0.19 cents in 2010.

Performance royalties are distinct from the publishing royalties that terrestrial, Internet and satellite radio operators must pay to songwriters. Only Internet and satellite radio stations have to pay performance royalties, but record labels are now gearing up for a battle to extract performance royalties from terrestrial radio stations as well.

Internet radio operators have warned that the increase in royalty rates and the elimination of the cap on annual fees will force many of them out of business and might prompt large portal sites like Yahoo! and AOL to reconsider their commitment to music services. On Tuesday, thousands of Internet radio stations observed a day of silence in protest of the pending royalty hike.

In an earlier concession, SoundExchange offered to extend, with some modifications, existing provisions allowing small commercial and nonprofit Internet radio operators to pay lower royalty rates based on a percentage of their revenues, rather than on a per-song basis. Under the proposal, such operators would pay a royalty rate of 10% on their first $250,000 of gross revenue and 12% on all revenue above that.

Because the CRB's new royalty structure for Internet radio will take effect in the absence of a settlement, the recording industry would appear to hold the upper hand. But legislation pending in Congress would throw out the CRB decision and set royalty rates for all Internet radio operators at just 7.5% of gross revenue.
Source :http://www.forbes.com

“Obvious” missing features

OK, so I promised a list of “Obvious Features Missing from the iPhone.” Basically, these are features that you would have expected the iPhone to have — either because most modern phones have them, or because the iPhone is such a Mac- and iPod- like device that it seems odd they’re missing.

The good news is that, since the iPhone runs a version of Mac OS X and can receive software updates (likely via iTunes), and Apple has made clear that new features will be rolled out via such updates, I expect a good number of these features to eventually make their way onto the current iPhone — in other words, you shouldn’t have to go out and spend another $500 or $600.

iChat/IM: AIM is hugely popular, iChat is on every Mac, the iPhone’s SMS feature looks exactly like iChat, the iPhone has true Internet connectivity, there’s a keyboard for input — am I missing anything? Oh, yeah: AT&T makes lots of money on SMS messages. This was likely one of the (few) concessions Apple had to make to the carrier.

MMS: Basically, MMS is the multimedia version of mobile text messaging. Whereas SMS is plain text, MMS lets you send images, audio, video, and rich text. For example, if you take a photo with your phone and want to send it to someone else’s phone, you would send an MMS. Or at least you would if the iPhone supported it.

Interesting note: according to a leaked AT&T iPhone training guide, “MMS and IM messages are included in the customer’s iPhone Data Plan.” Typo? Or a sign of things to come?

Voice dialing: I haven’t seen a decent mobile phone without voice dialing in years. Of all the “missing” features, this one is the most puzzling to me.

One-button dialing: A minor drawback of the iPhone’s “one-button” interface is that basic phone-dialing, even via “shortcuts,” requires more steps than on most phones. For example, even though I’ve added my wife to my Favorites list in the iPhone’s phone section, calling her requires 3 (or 4) steps: waking up the phone, switching the iPhone to phone mode (if it’s not already there), touching the Favorites button, and touching her entry. On my previous phone, I could perform the same action by simply pressing 2 and then Send; on the phone before that, I could just hold down the 2 button for a couple seconds. (And, I should add, on both phones I could perform the action without actually looking at the phone.) Unfortunately, I think we’re stuck here; given that the iPhone doesn’t have physical buttons, I’m not sure how Apple would be able to implement such a feature. It’s one of the drawbacks of the iPhone’s impressive touchscreen interface. (Although this makes the lack of the previous feature, voice dialing, that much more painful.)

MP3/AAC ringtones: Again, it’s been years since I owned a phone that didn’t let me use my own MP3 or AAC files as ringtones. (Which is another way of saying that I’ve never been a Verizon customer.) And, in fact, early demos of the iPhone clearly showed this ability. But the iPhone I have in my hand doesn’t let me. We’ve seen reports (a.k.a., rumors) that a possible upcoming feature in iTunes will let you convert snips of your music to ringtones for $0.99. Hopefully this is one of those rumors that’s partly wrong (specifically, the $0.99 part — although this could be another concession to AT&T).

Video recording: It’s got a decent camera, but you can’t currently record video using it. Think about the possibilities, especially with YouTube built into the iPhone: What if you could record video and then upload it directly to YouTube, sans computer?

To Do list: Not much to say here. I’d use it.

iPhoneAccessIncompat.jpgVoice memos: Many current phones can do this. All current dockable iPods can do this if you connect an iPod microphone. The iPhone can’t, and — as you can see from the image to the left — doesn’t work with iPod microphone attachments.


I’ve also noticed a few features missing from the iPod side of things:

Lyrics: There’s no way to view them on the iPhone; too bad, as the iPhone’s screen is much more suited to reading text than that of any “normal” iPod.

Ratings: You can’t view them on the iPhone, which also means you can’t set them on the iPhone. I actually rate all my music, and I use this feature all the time on my iPods. Update: My mistake. My colleague Chris Breen just let me know that you can indeed rate tracks, although the feature is somewhat hidden. Go to the Now Playing view — when the iPhone is vertical, not horizontal — and then click on the track listing button in the upper right. At the top of the screen is the familiar five-star rating scale; you can tap a star, or drag your finger to it, to assign that rating.

Bluetooth A2DP: A2DP stands for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, a Bluetooth profile that supports stereo audio transmission. Newer mobile phones use A2DP to send stereo audio to a compatible speaker system and to support stereo Bluetooth headsets such as iSkin’s Cerulean F1. I find this omission especially odd given that the iPod is, in Steve Jobs’ own words, “the best iPod ever.” Possible good news: a couple sources have told me that A2DP is likely to be supported in a future software update.
Source :http://iphone.macworld.com

Carriers Should Hail the iPhone Shakeup

Apple (AAPL) has never been a company to shy away from risk, and the iPhone, which finally became available in the U.S. on June 29 (but won't hit Europe until this fall), could be its next important milestone. If the integrated phone-and-media device is a hit, Apple will revolutionize the mobile industry and cement its reputation for creating gadgets with chic designs that are so compelling, consumers will gladly pay a premium.

But if the iPhone does not justify the hype, Apple's ambition to become one of the few companies to bridge the technology and entertainment worlds could collapse, damaging its aura of invincibility.

To avoid that outcome, Apple will need to work with the mobile industry. Given the company's track record, carriers ought to welcome it with open arms. A successful iPhone could be the catalyst in evolving a new telecommunications business model.

Apple does face challenges. It's entering a maturing telecommunications market that's already highly saturated. With more than a billion handsets likely to be sold worldwide this year, consumers have and will continue to get lots of choice. Hyped as it is, the iPhone is just one of many devices out there.
The Power of Cool

Still, Apple's risk is well calculated. It has a strong pedigree in delivering the best combination of desirable devices and user experience. It has a robust user base from which to negotiate—IDC estimates that iTunes has nearly 80% of the worldwide music download market—and, above all, Apple is cool. Though the Nokias (NOK) and Vodafones (VOD) of the world have a cachet of their own, there isn't a mobile brand out there that comes close to Apple's buzz-creating ability.

By generating buzz in its traditional fashion—eschewing first-mover advantage to create market-leading products based on a killer blend of ease-of-use, design, and desirability—Apple has been able to make demands of the mobile industry.
The Internet Model

First among them is that the carriers must apply the Internet model. Until now, they have recognized the need for this change but, in a cozy alliance with handset makers, have largely managed to resist it. No more. Since iPhone users will want to connect their devices to iTunes and access third-party applications via the Safari Web browser, avoiding the Internet model is no longer plausible (see BusinessWeek.com, 6/5/07, "Why Vodafone Should Welcome Googlefone").

Whether or not they worry about losing control, operators are savvy enough to know that they need to get this device into their portfolios. They are aware that their high-spending customers are not highly brand-loyal and will go elsewhere to get an iPhone, if need be. Since Apple's application model may also deliver a more dynamic and innovative route to increasing average revenue per user (ARPU), operators will be willing to make concessions.

That said, Apple won't get everything it wants without making some adjustments of its own. Once Apple gets past the 10 million-unit milestone—the target it must hit to recoup its investment—it will start to erode the main handset makers' market share. Handset makers are already reacting by pointing out the device's shortcomings and, in some cases, offering competing products.
Weaknesses: iPhone Does Have Them

And indeed, there are drawbacks to the iPhone. First, it doesn't support 3G (third-generation) mobile networks. To get high-speed downloads, the consumer will have to find Wi-Fi hotspots to connect to some services.

Also, the iPhone is not a business device. Large organizations may not advocate incorporating iPhones into their systems, given that the Internet model Apple is offering may present too many IT challenges. Big business likely will stay with its tried and trusted PDAs—BlackBerrys (RIMM), Palm Treos (PALM), and Nokia Enterprise devices—which are designed for corporations and already deliver features similar to the iPhone's.

Apple will have to keep abreast of the market it is trying to change and have an upgrade path to ensure it stays ahead of its competitors, including those who have already introduced iPhone-like devices, such as the Prada from LG Electronics and HTC's Touch. In the future, Apple will have to incorporate 3G and applications such as GPS, which rivals such as the Nokia N95 already offer.
Pressure Will Be Felt

What's more, carriers won't change their business models overnight. If Apple doesn't keep the iPhone cool and cutting-edge, operators will happily go with another vendor to get a device that will. In releasing its RAZR, Motorola (MOT) (and, by extension, other major wireless players) learned the hard way that while a handset's design can grab market share, not following up quickly with continued innovations can lead to rapid erosion.

Its track record suggests Apple will do just fine. With the iMac and the iPod, Apple proved it can innovate in established markets and carve out a place for itself. Right now, the mobile-phone market is fickle and highly competitive, but Apple's blend of design and cool may make it three-for-three. Regardless, it seems bound to energize the market—and that means good things for consumers.
Source :http://www.businessweek.com

Bald eagle soars off endangered list

The bald eagle, America's national symbol, is flying high after spending three decades in recovery. On Thursday, the government took the eagle off the Endangered Species Act's "threatened" list.

"The eagle has returned," Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne told government officials, wildlife conservationists and journalists at a ceremony held on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington.

"Today is an opportunity to celebrate and draw inspiration," Kempthorne added.

"We do have 1,300 species that have been listed and our recovery rate is about 1 percent. I would like to see us have more days like this when we can announce success and victory and delisting of species."

Since the 1970s, the government has worked hard to save the bald eagle, which was dying off because of habitat destruction, illegal shooting and contamination of its food source. Video Watch bald eagles along the Hudson River »

It was first listed as endangered, then threatened, and now is off the list entirely.

Challenger, a bald eagle, also attended the ceremony. Challenger is a teaching bird who travels the country educating young and old about the national symbol. See one bald eagle's story of survival »

The birds will be now protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Bald eagle populations severely declined in the lower 48 states between 1870 and 1970 because of hunting, habitat loss and the use of DDT.

DDT, a powerful insecticide, made bald eagle eggshells so weak they couldn't produce viable offspring. In 1963, there were only 417 breeding pairs in the lower 48. Photo See bald eagles in the wild »

In a national effort to save the iconic bird, the federal government banned the use of DDT in 1972 and placed the bald eagle under protection of the Endangered Species Act, which allowed the government to protect bald eagle habitat.

These two key factors helped it recover, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, there are 9,789 breeding pairs in the lower 48 states.

But Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity conservation group said this victory comes at a price -- loss of eagle habitat protection.

The bird's nesting grounds were protected as long as the bald eagle was considered a "threatened" species. But the less restrictive eagle protection act does not put eagle habitats off-limits.

Suckling said he worries that without habitat protection, developers will move into critical bald eagle areas, push the birds out and reduce their numbers.

"There is big money to be made in cutting down and developing bald eagle habitat," he said.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits anyone without a permit from "taking" bald eagles, including their parts, nests and eggs. Its definition of "take" includes: pursuit, shooting, shooting at, poisoning, wounding, killing, capturing, trapping, collecting, molesting and disturbing.

"For the most part, it's a shooting and hunting statute," said Nicholas Throckmorton of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"It does talk a little about nesting and the tree that eagles are in, but it's not intended to protect habitat or ecosystems."

As part of his concern, Suckling points to Arizona, home to 43 breeding pairs. The birds nest along small rivers, which are easily affected by development, he explained. Suckling said once protection is gone, these rivers will be under severe threat.

He said he's particularly concerned about growth in Prescott in central Arizona and its impact on the Verde River, which he said could harm eagles' nests.

One landowner ready for delisting is Minnesota retiree Edmund Contoski.

Contoski, 69, wants to build five log homes on his undeveloped seven-acre property along Lake Sullivan. However, the Endangered Species Act has prohibited development within 330 feet of an active bald eagle's nest on his property -- that covers all of Contoski's usable land.

"Eagles don't pay taxes; I pay taxes," Contoski said. "I'm paying taxes, and I can't do anything with the property."

In 2005, he challenged the Fish and Wildlife Service to make good on its 1999 proposal to delist the bald eagle. He took the agency to court and won. His court battle led to the June 28 delisting.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will issue voluntary guidelines for landowners to protect bald eagles and permits to people who wish to evict a bald eagle from their property.

The agency took the additional step of defining what it actually means to "disturb" an eagle under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act: "To agitate or bother a bald or golden eagle to a degree that causes, or is likely to cause, based on the best scientific information available, 1) injury to an eagle, 2) a decrease in its productivity, by substantially interfering with normal breeding, feeding or sheltering behavior, or 3) nest abandonment, by substantially interfering with normal breeding, feeding or sheltering behavior."

The conservation organization National Wildlife Federation called it a "solid framework" that will keep the bald eagle around for generations to come. Dr. Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society, said he feels confident that "good things will happen for the bald eagle" as a result of the government's actions.

Suckling said while that definition will help protect the birds, it fails to protect their habitat.

"The definition is linked to bothering or agitating actually present birds; it does not apply to logging the nest area when the bird is not present," he explained.

Suckling offered this analogy: "You come back from your summer vacation and someone has trashed your property so badly that you can't live there anymore. Have you been 'disturbed'? I would say so, but the Fish and Wildlife Service definition says, 'No.' "

Paul Schmidt, the Fish and Wildlife Service's assistant director for migratory birds, told CNN.com the government is confident the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act will "afford adequate protections" and the agency won't see a decline in populations after delisting.

"Americans can and will coexist with a healthy and sustainable population of bald eagles," Schmidt added.

Endangered species delistings are often contentious. The proposal to delist the Northern Rockies gray wolf worries conservationists, who argue that without safeguards, wolf populations will dangerously dwindle. But ranchers say that if the wolves are protected, they will over-reproduce and packs of them will attack their livestock.

Earlier this month, conservation groups filed a lawsuit asking the government to restore Endangered Species Act protections for the Yellowstone grizzly bear. Lack of habitat protection and climate change threaten the bears' future, says Earthjustice, a nonprofit public interest law firm representing the environmental groups.

The Yellowstone grizzly bear was delisted in March. For more than 30 years, it was considered a "threatened" species.
Source :http://www.cnn.com

GPLv.3: 'A Great Improvement'

Version 3 of the GNU General Public License is out.

The Free Software Foundation released GNU GPL v.3, its latest version of its popular free software license, Friday.

"Since we founded the free software movement, over 23 years ago, the free software community has developed thousands of useful programs that respect the user's freedom," FSF Founder and President Richard Stallman, said in prepared remarks. "The programs are in the GNU/Linux operating system, as well as personal computers, telephones, Internet servers, and more. Most of these programs use the GNU GPL to guarantee every user the freedom to run, study, adapt, improve, and redistribute the program."

The organization said that the latest version of the GNU GPL strengthens protections that allow users to use, study, change, and redistribute programs. It allows users to modify the free software on their personal and household devices. The new license also extends compatibility with other free software licenses.

Jeremy Allison said, on behalf of the Samba team, that the latest version is "a great improvement" and "a necessary update to deal with the new threats to free software that have emerged since version 2 of the GPL."

The FSF said much of the free software community warmly embraced the release after an "unprecedented drafting process," which included four published drafts in 18 months. Those generated discussions, which drew thousands of public comments. The comments helped committees, representing the public and private sectors, and legal experts from the Software Freedom Law Center, write the final text, FSF said during its announcement Friday.

"By hearing from so many different groups in a public drafting process, we have been able to write a license that successfully addresses a broad spectrum of concerns," the FSF Executive Director Peter Brown said in a prepared statement.

He added that the groups found common ground on issues like patents, TiVo, and "Treacherous Computing," FSF's tongue-in-cheek term for Microsoft's Trusted Computing Initiative, which covers PC security standards. The FSF scorned the standard and "Tivoization" during the announcement, labeling them schemes to prevent users from utilizing modified or alternate software.

The group said TiVo blocks modified software, while Trusted Computing standards stop Web sites from working with modified software. The FSF said "both are typically used to impose malicious features" like DRM, a term that FSF also changes from Digital Rights Management to Digital Restrictions Management.

The license begins with a preamble, laying out ideals for free software. The FSF said the new license does not prohibit DRM, but it does not allow users to block software modification.

"Thus, they are free to remove whatever features they dislike," FSF announced Friday.

The FSF said that more than 15 GNU programs would be released under the new license Friday and that the whole GNU Project would follow. The FSF plans educational and outreach programs to promote the new license.

According to FSF, the GNU GPL is the most widely use free software license in the world, with nearly 75% of all free software packages distributed under it. Stallman wrote the first two versions with legal guidance. They were released in 1989 and 1991. The third version -- a result of collaboration between Stallman, the public, industry experts and the Software Freedom Law Center -- aims to address changes in computing and policy around the world.

Stallman's GNU software system, coupled with Linux, is a free operating system under GPL version 2. The GNU components of the system will be released under GPL v.3. If Linux kernel developer Torvalds sticks with the earlier version, as he has previously indicated, the GNU/Linux system will contain GNU packages using the latest version, along with Linux under the old, the FSF said.
Source :http://www.informationweek.com

AMD says for Opteron, it's 'Barcelona' in August

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said Friday that it will start shipping quad-core versions of its Opteron microprocessor in August and that it expects hardware vendors to follow in September with servers based on the new chips.

According to AMD, the quad-core Opterons will deliver a performance gain of 40% to 70% over its existing dual-core chips, depending on the application. And they will do so without consuming more power, said the company, which will come to market with its quad-core offering nine months after Intel Corp. released versions of its Xeon server chips with four processor cores.

The quad-core product line, code-named Barcelona, gets some of its performance improvements because AMD is using a 65-nanometer manufacturing process to build the new chips vs. 90nm for its dual-core chips. In addition, the quad-core devices are being manufactured on a single die of silicon, which allows for faster and easier memory sharing, AMD said.

The new chips will initially ship in two versions with different energy-usage levels: a standard model that consumes 95 watts of power and a lower-power edition that operates at 65 watts. AMD said the clock speed of the quad-core processors will range up to 2 GHz in the standard devices and 100 MHz to 200 MHz slower in the reduced-power chips.

Additional processors will be released in this year's fourth quarter with faster clock-speed frequencies that eventually will reach 3 GHz, AMD said. It added that users who are running servers with dual-core Opteron chips will be able to easily move to the quad-core devices because the two processor lines have similar power usage characteristics and were designed to operate within the same "thermal envelope."

John Fruehe, AMD's worldwide market development manager for server and workstation products, said that the bulk of Opteron sales have always been for the standard-power chips but that customers are increasingly asking for better energy efficiency. Because of the demand, company officials wanted to make sure that the lower-power devices got to market quickly, Fruehe said.

Intel launched its quad-core Xeon processors last November and claims to have shipped more than 1 million of the devices, which were code-named Clovertown.

Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at research firm Insight 64 in Saratoga, Calif., said more details need to be disclosed about the performance of AMD's quad-core processors, including benchmarking data and the real-world experiences of users, before much can be said about how they compare to Intel's Xeon 5300 line.

"AMD didn't give us enough information to make a definitive statement," Brookwood said. "They believe that at 2 GHz, their performance will be very competitive with Intel's Clovertown products. However, there is no data to back that up."

Moreover, Brookwood wondered what will happen "over the next few months as Intel introduces 45nm versions of its current products." He said that he expects AMD to reach 3-GHz clock speeds by this time next year.
Source :http://www.computerworld.com

Even Apple's co-founder is standing in line for an iPhone

Those standing in line around the Bay Area to be among the first to spring for a new iPhone shouldn't feel bad: Even the cofounder of Apple was queued up.

Steve Wozniak arrived at the Apple store at Valley Fair Mall in San Jose at 4 a.m. to begin the wait wearing a button that read, "The line starts here. Woz #1."

In fact, he hadn't been the first to show up but in deference, Apple fans stepped aside to give him the first space.

"This has been the main mall my whole life," Wozniak said, explaining his choice of venue. "This is where I and Steve Jobs came when we were kids."

When the Apple store closed at 2 p.m. to prepare for the 6 p.m. onslaught of business, 200 people stood behind Wozniak.

Why did they bother, when Apple is offering to ship its new product at no extra cost?

"Yeah, you can order a CD online, too -- or you can go to the concert and hear it live," Wozniak said.

Over in Emeryville, more than 150 iPhone devotees had lined up outside the Apple store, many chatting, tapping away on Apple laptops or grooving to music on iPods.

The Apple store provided free WiFi, and Bay Street shopping mall let people power up electronic devices from nearby poles while they waited.

First in the line of loungers was Jiggs Davis Jr., a 73-year-old biotech entrepreneur from Piedmont, who was accompanied by one of his employees, project manager Chi Pak, 24.

Davis, wearing a red American flag ball cap to shield the sun, said he's been an Apple fan since the company's inception. His own Alameda company is outfitted with all Apple products. He appreciates their simplicity, he said.

He nabbed the first spot in line by arriving at 4:45 a.m. and was passing the time working on his Powerbook G4. He will be happy, he said, to replace the Cingular Treo hooked to his belt with the new iPhone.

Sitting next to them was Saul Sutcher, an 18-year-old Occidental college student, a self-proclaimed Apple fan since birth who owns several iPods, a few laptops and couldn't wait to add the iPhone to his collection.

He was keeping busy organizing his music and photos so they'd be ready to load onto his new accessory. His family dropped by from time to time to drop off blankets, food and electronics.

Next to Sutcher was Rick Shibata, a 36-year-old information technology manager for a Richmond freight company, who was wearing a MacWorld T-shirt. He gave up a good-paying consulting gig, he said, to wait in line for an iPhone.

The Apple fan, who has attended every MacWorld convention for the past eight years and catches all the Steve Jobs keynotes on the Web, said he couldn't wait to replace his Motorola Razr cell phone. "I just love their user interface, and their design is top-notch," he said.

All four got to the Emeryville store so early, they helped set up the barricades through which the line snaked this afternoon.

At the end of the line was the most recent arrival: Kyle Killion, 29, of Oakland, who co-founded JamLab, a Web site for musicians. He had to work, he said, so he got there about 1 p.m.

He got hooked on the new product when he got a chance to play with it for a few minutes at the Apple developer conference.

Killion, who calls himself an "Apple whore" and planned to purchase two iPhones, said that he didn't like the company when Jobs wasn't at the helm.

"It's possible to love a product and hate a company," he said, adding that he doesn't like how Apple treats its developers.

Across the street and down a block, a much smaller line of about 20 people -- including a baby in a stroller -- formed outside the Cingular store. Limit for customers there is one phone per person.

That's OK with Angelica Contreras, 20, a college student from San Pablo, and her boyfriend of six years, Owen Perez, 22, who arrived at 9 a.m. and jumped to the head of the Cingular line rather than wait in the already long line in front of the Apple store. They had heard rumors that the Apple store would be giving away T-shirts, but they didn't care. They just want one phone for Contreras, who has been pining for the product for six months and can't wait to play with its touch screen. She has had it with her Razr phone. "Everybody has it," she said. "I want something else, something better."

So what does Perez, a Merritt College psychology major, think? He laughed. "I'm not getting one. But she wanted one bad."

In San Francisco, about 200 hopeful consumers had queued up by 3 p.m.

Some had been on-hand the previous evening, when an unknown benefactor delivered pizza, and a local company handed out chocolate.

Those in line had plenty of time to spread rumors. A bearded man at the end of the San Francisco line this morning, who would only identify himself as Ray, insisted that the store "only had 600 phones.''

Where did he hear that?

"From the media, man,'' Ray said.

Actually there have been no reports of how many will be available. However, postings on the Apple Web site remind potential buyers that they can order online, have a phone shipped to them and not even pay a delivery charge. That may be keeping the lines in check.

Or, like San Francisco Art Institute student Chris Silva, they may just think "the whole thing is totally over-hyped.'' Silva, number five in line at Walnut Creek, has no interest in buying an iPhone himself -- he's earning $100 for every 24 hours he stands in line. But his guess is the buyer who's paying him didn't have to bother.

"Just wait,'' Silva says. "At 8 o'clock tonight you'll be able to walk right in and buy a phone.''
Source :http://www.sfgate.com

What your website says about you

It was like a scene from A Clockwork Orange : armed with metal bars, baseball bats and bicycle chains, pupils from three schools in Devon converged for a mass brawl. But this particular fight - thankfully averted by police - had been arranged online, largely on the social networking site Bebo.com.

The volume of people now using networking sites means that illicit behaviour is bound to occur online, and the forces that police the web have to guard not only against paedophiles and terrorists but everyday users, too. If a child is being bullied at school, their peers will frequently bombard their email account or homepage with abuse.

But the fact that Bebo was the forum for the pupils arranging the school fight highlights the way in which internet sites are becoming split along the lines of class and age. Bebo organises its users by the school they attend and is all the rage among pupils (although given that the site had 9.3 million British users last month aged 15 or over, the age range is clearly not just limited to kids).

A US academic, Danah Boyd, this week described how white, wealthy and university-bound high-school students tend to do their networking on Facebook.com, while those from poorer, non-university backgrounds use Myspace.com.

Is this the shape of a nascent class system - the wealthy on Facebook, average Joes on Myspace, children on Bebo?

Figures for the UK are hard to come by, but Quantcast.com, which breaks down demographic data for millions of sites, found that US visitors to Facebook were indeed wealthier and from better-educated families, while the families of Myspace and Bebo users were poorer and less well-educated.

The sites' most famous moments reflect these age and class boundaries. Bebo, popular among children, was used by Alan Shearer's daughters to post a video of him singing along to U2. Myspace, big with teens, was the launchpad for singers such as Lily Allen.

Facebook, where the students and graduates hang out, had some fascinating debates on the Labour deputy leadership contest. As Boyd pointed out, the US military recently banned soldiers in Iraq from using Myspace, to conserve bandwidth, but Facebook, favoured by officers, was left alone.

One factor that determines the audience a particular site attracts is its history. Facebook was started at Harvard, spread around the Ivy League and other universities, and only then opened up. Design is also a factor: our own MyTelegraph site was built to link to our news stories and blogs, and attracts a readership to match - intelligent, adult and engaged.

Myspace and Bebo, meanwhile, let users design their own homepages, putting a premium on youthful self-expression. Joanna Shields, president of Bebo, says these "skins" are perhaps the site's most popular feature.

User culture also plays a part: Facebook's members tend to use their full names, but only allow their friends to read their profiles. On Myspace, first names or pseudonyms are the norm - but so is leaving your page open for anyone to read.

Most important, however, is getting there first. These sites live or die by the network effect - more users means a greater pool of prospective friends, which makes the sites more attractive. Start losing people to another site and the wound can be hard to staunch.

Thus Bebo, which launched after Myspace and Facebook in America, is a distant third there, but rivals Myspace in popularity in the UK and is top of the heap in Ireland.

But much of the process is out of the sites' hands, as users discover niches and uses not originally envisaged - Myspace has gathered a host of unsigned bands; Orkut, a social-networking site owned by Google, has bombed in most places but is huge in Brazil; an older site, Friendster.com, is massive in the Philippines.

Shields admits that targeting specific features at particular demographics is nigh-on impossible. "It's much less scientific than that," she says. "We just try to make the site a platform for self-expression, something that is interesting for users, that they will want to stick around on."

Kathryn Corrick, a digital media consultant, agrees. "Facebook works because people recommend it to each other," she says. "That's because they've made it very 'viral', by creating so many different ways you can engage with your friends.

Some people just want to say 'Hey, I'm here' - which they do using the function called Poke. Some want to send private messages, so use the mail system, while others want to talk in a very open way, so write on Walls. It's very good design."

It is possible that eventually social networking will be dominated by a few giant sites, to which virtually every internet user will be signed up - but there are some important sticking points. For starters, not everybody wants to talk to everybody else.

Even within a family, it is hard to imagine everyone signing up to the same site - teenagers will not want their parents to see what they got up to the night before; adults might dislike the lack of grammar and chaotic design on their children's pages.

Already, niche networks that cater to special interests are emerging around the giants. MyTelegraph is one, as is Beautiful People (us.beautifulpeople.net), a terrifyingly narcissistic site whose members only let in those they judge attractive. One of the latest start-ups, Ning.com, allows you to build your own social networks around any interest you can envisage.

Also, as Shields points out, many users will have more than one account, hopping from Myspace to Facebook to Bebo depending on their mood. This overlap can only be enhanced by Facebook's recent decision to allow other developers to hook into its network, so that you can now share your Flickr photos on the site or recommend music through the iLike application.

Whatever their technical wizardry, sites will rise and fall on the uses people invent for them and how open they are to innovation. "One of the mistakes many social-networking companies have made is to look at the technology community as where you start things off," says Corrick.
Source :http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Mars rover Opportunity to make risky descent into huge crater

NASA's aging but durable Mars rover Opportunity will make what could be a trip of no return into a deep impact crater in an attempt to peer further back than ever before into the geologic history of the Red Planet.

The descent into Victoria Crater received the go-ahead because the potential scientific returns are worth the risk that the solar-powered, six-wheel rover might not be able to climb back out and would be forced to end its days there, NASA officials and scientists said Thursday.

The rover has been roaming the surface for nearly 3 1/2 Earth years, or some 1,200 Martian days, so scientists and engineers want to send it in while it still appears healthy and before the inevitable breakdown of vital parts that would certainly trap it there.

"This crater, Victoria, is a window back into the ancient environment of Mars," said Alan Stern, the NASA associate administrator who authorized the move.

"Entering this crater does come with some unknowns," Stern added. "We have analyzed the entry point but we can't be certain about the terrains and the footing down in the crater until we go there. We can't guarantee, although we think we are likely to come back out of the crater."

Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, have been exploring opposite sides of Mars since landing on Earth's neighbor in January 2004, discovering geologic evidence of rocks altered by water from a long-ago wetter period of the now-dusty planet.

Blasted open by a meteor impact, Victoria Crater is a half-mile across and about 200 to 230 feet (60 to 70 meters) deep — far deeper than anything else the rovers have explored.

"Because it's deeper it provides us access to just a much longer span of time," said Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover mission from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

He said it is not known just how much time is represented in the crater's layered walls "but if you have a thicker stack of rocks it's covering more of geologic history, so we're going to see more of the history of Mars here than we've seen anywhere else."

Opportunity's first target will be a band of bright material like a bathtub ring about 10 feet (3 meters) below the crater's rim, which will require a drive of more than 60 feet (18 meters) into the crater.

"It is somehow different from everything else around it," Squyres said of the ring.

"That was the original, pre-impact surface so this bright stuff is the stuff that was in contact with the Martian atmosphere at the time Victoria formed, which may have been billions of years ago," he said. "This is a fairly ancient crater. So this material may preserve in its details information about the interaction of these Martian rocks with the ancient Martian environment."

The rover team has named features along the crater's rim as if it was a coastline and have chosen the rover's entry point at a place dubbed Duck Bay, between Cape Verde and Cabo Frio.

First, it will have to safely cross a ripple of wind-formed material at the lip of the crater, a kind of feature that has given the rover trouble before. The team plans to initially drive only far enough to have all six wheels on the slope and then back up to the top, to analyze how it performed.

"We call that a toe dip," said John Callas, the rover project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

The initial entry is expected on July 7 or 9.

Mission officials are keeping an eye on a regional dust storm that has been going on for about a week to the south of Opportunity. The storm could be a risk because dust in the atmosphere can block out sunlight, which the rover relies on to charge its batteries, or cover its solar panels.

But the officials said the rover currently has very clean panels and has power to spare, and that the mission team has gained considerable experience in operating the rovers at very low power levels, such as when the sun is very low in the sky during winters.

Since inception, the twin-rover mission has cost more than $900 million (€668 million) to date. Planned to last 90 days, the mission is in its fourth extension and another proposal would continue operations to the end of October 2008. The mission now costs $20 million (€14.85 million) to $24 million (€17.8 million) annually.
Source :http://www.iht.com

Evidence of ancient farming found in Andes

Anthropologists in northern Peru have found evidence of peanut, cotton and squash farming dating back 5,000 to 9,000 years, researchers said on Thursday, in a finding that helps pin down the start of organized agriculture in the Americas.

Farming marks an important turning point in human history because it signals a change from a nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life to more settled, sedentary society.

"This seems to be a major shift for the development of social structures," said Tom Dillehay, professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, whose findings appear in the journal Science.

"The crops are dependent on people, which ties the latter down," Dillehay said in comments e-mailed to Reuters.

Anthropologists assumed early farming was taking place in the Andes Mountains, but Dillehay and colleagues managed to find proof.

They discovered peanuts, squash and cotton, as well as a primitive grain and various tubers and fruits on the western slopes of the Andes.

"Agriculture played a more important and earlier role in the development of Andean civilization than previously understood," Dillehay and colleagues wrote.

"Our data also show that horticulture and cultural complexity developed in the Americas nearly as early as it did in many parts of the Old World."

They dated the squash from about 9,200 years ago, the peanut from 7,600 years ago and the cotton from 5,500 years ago.
Source :http://www.reuters.com

MySpace Going the YouTube Way?

Talking about sibling rivalry -- in this case between Web sites sporting a social intent, seems MySpace is busy chalking plans to go -- yes -- the YouTube way...

What with plans this week to launch "MySpace TV", a new Web site that would put together content from professionals and amateurs alike...

No doubt the focus will likely be on professionally-created videos rather than those churned out by amateurs.

"MySpace TV" will also include television and movie clips from News Corp-owned NBC Universal and Fox.

The point worth mentioning here is that the content on the new site will be available even to those who are not registered members of the main MySpace social networking Web site.

The videos thus uploaded will be divided into groups depending on their category. What will also be taken into consideration is videos sponsored by advertisers or jointly developed along with mainstream producers.

Meanwhile, users will have the option to set-up video channels or create their very own video channels.

And for users of MySpace who proceed to upload videos on MySpace TV channels, there will be a link on their MySpace pages that will lead them to the videos on MySpace TV.

Apart from all this, MySpace also plans to introduce tools to allow users edit video clips -- something like what YouTube is currently offering its users.
Source :http://www.techtree.com

Rockstar Releases GTA IV Trailer II

True to its word, Rockstar Games today released the second trailer of its much awaited 'Grand Theft Auto IV' game title.

With an interesting name like 'Looking for that Someone Special', the trailer was released at around 12.00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Xbox.com, the Xbox Live Marketplace, and www.rockstargames.com/IV.

Meanwhile, the first GTA IV trailer that was released in March this year, offered a delicious sneak-peek into the environs and machinations of Rockstar's epic next. Yet, it also left millions of hungry gamers unsatiated and pining for more...

Reportedly, the first trailer was downloaded so many times that it now enjoys the privilege of being one of the 'most downloaded' trailers on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

As regards the newly-released trailer 2, Xbox 360 gamers will now be able to download exclusive GTA IV theme as well as gamer pictures from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Apart from the trailer, Rockstar today also released details on GTA IV's 'special collector's edition'.

Going by the first photographs that have been released, it looks like an interesting package...

The GTA IV special edition will come with goodies such as: a customized safety deposit box, an art book with unreleased GTA IV artwork, a soundtrack CD showing Liberty City's skyscape, an exclusive key chain, and a limited edition duffel bag.

Grand Theft Auto IV the game has not been rated yet, but is slated for release both on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, on October 16th in North America and October 19th in Europe.

According to sources, the regular edition game will sell for about $59.99 (Rs 2,700 approx), while the special edition will cost around $89.99 (Rs 4,050) in North America.

In any case, the special edition is already available on pre-order basis from various retailers and the Rockstar Warehouse.
Source :http://www.techtree.com

Google Eyes Enterprise Search

Ingram Micro Inc. will distribute Google Inc.'s Search Appliance and Google Mini enterprise search devices, a deal intended to accelerate sales of the products, the companies announced Wednesday.

Google, which has sold about 9,000 of the devices to date, expects the distribution deal with Ingram to boost sales in particular among small and medium-size businesses.

Ingram, with its distribution network of more than 165,000 retailers and resellers worldwide, is also expected to help increase sales internationally, as well as in the government and education sectors.

"The only way to meet the growing demand for the products is to go through channels," said Rodrigo Vaca, channel marketing manager of the Google Enterprise unit.

Vaca declined to provide details of the effect Google hopes the deal will have on sales. "We expect this to have a significant impact," he said.

Google already has deals in place with regional distributors in Japan, Australia and parts of Latin America, and expects the Ingram relationship to be complementary to those arrangements, Vaca said.

The Ingram deal will initially focus on the U.S. and will expand to other regions like Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific later this year, he said.

So far, Google has sold the products almost exclusively via its own direct sales staff in the U.S. and Europe. "Our strategy is to have our direct sales force work hand-in-hand with the channel," he said.

As part of the agreement, Ingram will provide sales assistance, marketing resources, credit help and technical support to the resellers that carry the Google products.

The Ingram deal isn't exclusive, Vaca said.

In a news release, Ingram, which distributes hundreds of thousands of IT products from about 1,400 suppliers, said the deal strengthens the menu of wares it can offer to its channel partners.

The Search Appliance and Google Mini are server-side hardware devices loaded with Google's search engine software designed to let companies index and find information stored on corporate servers.

Although Google generates most of its revenue from search engine advertising in the consumer market, company officials have said they are committed to its Enterprise unit, which, in addition to the search devices, also markets business software.

The Google Mini, designed for small and medium size businesses or departments within large organizations, starts at US$1,995 with a capacity to index 50,000 documents. It tops out at 300,000 documents.

The Search Appliance, which is more powerful and has more features, starts at $30,000 with a 500,000-document capacity and tops out at 30 million documents.

The Google products typically cost less than more sophisticated enterprise search products and are designed to be easier to install, manage and use.

However, analysts generally agree that the Google products don't match the feature set of high-end enterprise search products from companies like Autonomy Corp. PLC and Fast Search & Transfer ASA.
Source :http://www.pcworld.com

Cyberbullies target one-third of teenage Internet users

Nearly one in three teenagers who use the Internet say they have been harassed online by "cyberbullies" who spread rumors, post embarrassing pictures, make private conversations public and even send threatening messages.

"Bullying has entered the digital age," the Pew Internet & American Life Project stated this week in a report based on a telephone poll of 935 kids, ages 12 to 17.

Adolescent cruelty has moved from the whispers and shouts of the schoolyard to the online world, where teens often feel insulated from the consequences of their actions, kids reported in focus groups conducted in addition to the poll.

One 15-year-old boy admitted threatening to kill a girl in an electronic message.

"I played a prank on someone but it wasn't serious," the boy told researchers. "I told them I was going to come take them from their house and kill them and throw them in the woods. It's the best prank because it's like 'Oh my God, I'm calling the police,' and I was like 'I'm just kidding, I was just messing with you.' She got so scared though."

Girls reported being bullied online more often than boys, with girls aged 15 to 17 being the most common targets.

Fifteen percent of teenagers who use the Internet said their private e-mail, instant messages or text messages have been forwarded to others or posted to public sites without their permission. Thirteen percent said rumors have been spread about them online, and another 13 percent have received threatening or aggressive e-mails, IMs or text messages. Six percent said cyberbullies have posted embarrassing pictures of them online.

Overall, 32 percent of teens online said they have been targeted by at least one of these annoying and potentially menacing forms of bullying. Still, teens reported that bullying was more common in real-world interactions than on the Internet.

In focus groups with Pew researchers, teens said they have to be increasingly careful about what they say because it could be posted on a blog or Web site. One middle school girl said, "I was in a fight with a girl and she printed out our conversation, [changed] some things that I said, and brought it into school, so I looked like a terrible person."

One girl reported an attack targeted at a gay male.

"I have this one friend, and he's gay and his account got hacked," the girl told Pew researchers. "Someone put all these really homophobic stuff on there and posted like a mass bulletin of like some guy with his head smashed open like run over by a car. It was really gruesome and disgusting."

Though bullying appears to be most common offline, Pew researcher Amanda Lenhart concluded that the effects of bullying are magnified by the distributed nature of the Internet. Ninety-three percent of the teens polled said they use the Web.

"The impulses behind it are the same, but the effect is magnified," Lenhart writes. "In the past, the materials of bullying would have been whispered, shouted or passed around. Now, with a few clicks, a photo, video or a conversation can be shared with hundreds via e-mail or millions through a Web site, online profile or blog posting."

The Pew Internet & American Life Project is a nonprofit research center that examines the social impact of the Internet.
Source :http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au

Now, We All Can Wii

Nintendo Co. has opened its blockbuster Wii game system to independent video-game developers, the company announced Wednesday.

Nintendo (other-otc: NTDOY.PK - news - people ) said it will let hobbyists and game studios create and sell downloadable Wii games with a tool called WiiWare. Gamers will be able to purchase the games through the console's Wii Shop channel starting in early 2008.

"Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, in a statement.

Nintendo may be taking a page from Microsoft Corp. (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people )'s play book. The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker's XNA Game Studio tools let developers design video games for its Xbox 360 console.

WiiWare and XNA help lower the risk for developers of niche games that could appeal to nontraditional gamers, but wouldn't move off the shelves fast enough to entice retailers, said Anita Frazier, an industry analyst for NPD Group.

"There is recognition in a very broad sense that the industry has to continue to bring new people into the gaming audience, because the hardcore group is already gaming so much (that there is) not much room for expansion," Frazier said.

By encouraging independent game developers to get creative with smaller titles, Nintendo can offer a broader range of games to hook new customers, Frazier said.
Source :http://www.forbes.com

DNA shows domestic cats have origins in Near East

Housecats around the world can now trace their ancestry back to the Near Eastern wildcat, which today lives in the remote deserts of Israel, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

Scientists have discovered that early farmers in this region were probably the first to domesticate wild cats. When people from this region migrated to new areas, such as Europe and the Americas, they probably brought the cats with them.

These findings will be published on the June 29 issue of the journal Science.

Until now, researchers have not known very much about the genetic differences among different types of cats. In fact, many wild and domestic cats look so much alike, that it is hard to tell which is which, just from looking at them.

Although all cats belong to the same species, there are several subspecies of wildcats, including the European wildcat, the Near Eastern wildcat, the Central Asian wildcat, the southern African wildcat, and the Chinese desert cat.

Carlos Driscoll of the National Cancer Institute and the University of Oxford and his colleagues used DNA samples from almost 1,000 wild and domestic cats to learn more about how different types of cats are related to each other.

The researchers compared the DNA sequences to determine which subspecies were most closely related. They found that each of the subspecies as well as domestic cats fell into a group, or "clade," that was genetically distinct.

One of the clades included domestic cats and some wildcats from the Middle East. This suggests that wildcats from this region became the first domesticated cats.

Some scientists think that cat domestication occurred once humans settled into villages and began farming. The villages and the grains that the farmers were storing might have attracted mice, which then would have attracted cats. Once people saw how useful the cats were, they might have tried to tame them in order to keep them around to catch mice.
Source :http://english.people.com.cn

Scientists Report DNA Transplant

Scientists said yesterday they had transplanted a microbe's entire, tangled mass of DNA into a closely related organism, a delicate operation that cleanly transformed the recipient from one species into the other.

After the operations, the "patients" -- single-celled organisms resembling bacteria -- dutifully obeyed their new genomes and by every measure exhibited the biological personas of the donors.

"This is equivalent to changing a Macintosh computer into a PC by inserting a new piece of [PC] software," said study leader J. Craig Venter, chief executive of Synthetic Genomics, a Rockville company racing to be the first to create fully synthetic, replicating cells.

The success confirms that chromosomes can survive transplantation intact and literally rewrite the identity and occupation of the cells they move into. That is a crucial finding for scientists who hope to make novel life forms by packing synthetic chromosomes into hollow, laboratory-grown cells.

Venter's goal is to create hand-crafted chromosomes with genes that will instruct cells to secrete biofuels that are cheaper and cleaner than oil or coal. But until now, he said, it has not been clear if chromosomes could spur the machinery of life into action after landing in the innards of an unfamiliar cell.

"This proves we can boot up a cell with another chromosome," Venter said.

The total identity makeover, described in yesterday's online edition of the journal Science, is a modern version of work done in the 1940s, when Rockefeller University scientists moved DNA from one strain of a bacterial species to another, causing a change that was passed to its offspring. That work is enshrined in history books as the first proof that DNA is the chemical carrier of genetic information.

Similarly, scientists at Harvard University earlier this month reported they had performed "whole genome" transplants from mouse cells into fertilized mouse eggs, a move that reprogrammed those eggs to behave differently.

But the new work is the first in which the entire genetic load from one species has been transferred to another species "naked" -- without the cumbersome protein coatings that usually envelop DNA and can get in scientists' way.

Moreover, the size of the transplanted genome, about 1 million genetic letters, or "bases," is large. That offers hope that complicated genetic programs requiring lots of DNA code will be transplantable.

The largest artificial chromosomes made so far are about half a million bases long, but bigger ones are expected soon. Most genetic engineering done today involves the splicing of just a single gene -- perhaps a few thousand bases -- into a cell's own DNA.

Venter said the first transplant of a synthetic chromosome into a cell could happen within a few months. He emphasized that his team has had its plans approved by ethics boards, in part because of the potential to create agents of bioterrorism.

The organisms he is working with do not cause disease, he said, and could be modified so they cannot survive outside the laboratory.

The DNA transplants involve chemical washes that gently clean the donor DNA, and other washes that make the recipient's outer membrane porous, so the new DNA can enter.

It usually fails. But in about one of every 150,000 tries, the new DNA moves in, turns on, and, for reasons that remain unclear, the old DNA disappears.

Barbara Jasny, a senior editor at Science, called the work "a landmark in biological engineering."

Kevin Eggan, of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, offered a more tempered assessment. He said the very simple cells Venter chose to work with, called mycoplasmas, are not representative of the kinds of cells most biologists believe will be useful in synthetic biology.

And, he said, although Venter's team has had some success, "They don't really understand how it works" -- a criticism that Venter acknowledged as true.

George Church, a Harvard professor of genetics and founder of a competing synthetic biology company, Codon Devices of Cambridge, Mass., said he was impressed by the mega-base size of the transplant. But he said a lot needs to be learned about why most transplants do not work and how the recipient's DNA is shut down.

"There are a lot of missing dot-dot-dots," he said.
Source :http://www.washingtonpost.com

Bald eagles soaring to escape extinction

The bald eagle, America's national symbol, is to be removed from its list of endangered species, 40 years after it was on the brink of extinction, officials said yesterday.

The majestic sea bird, which was almost wiped out by hunters and insecticide poisoning, has not only survived but is now thriving.

The interior department's announcement that it is to remove the species from the protection of the Endangered Species Act signalled a major victory for tough federal conservation laws, said naturalists.

In 1963, there were only 417 mating pairs of bald eagles known to exist. Government biologists, however, have now counted nearly 10,000 mating pairs, including at least one pair in each of the 48 contiguous states.

The Continental Congress put the bird on the country's official seal in 1782, although Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey and called the eagle a "bird of bad moral character". The eagle was long viewed as a nuisance and dangerous predator. It was hunted for its feathers, the subject of a 50-cent bounty in Alaska and poisoned in some states.

President Bush said its resurgence should be credited to cooperation between landowners and federal and state governments. "This great conservation achievement means more and more Americans across the nation will enjoy the thrill of seeing bald eagles soar," he said.
Source :http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Nintendo Tops Sony's Market Value as Wii Outsells PS3

Nintendo Co., the world's largest maker of handheld game players, surpassed Sony Corp. in market value as its Wii home console outsells the rival PlayStation 3.

Shares of Nintendo, based in Kyoto, western Japan, rose 1.8 percent to 46,250 yen as of 10:33 a.m. on the Osaka Securities Exchange, valuing the company at 6.55 trillion yen ($53 billion). Sony stock fell 0.8 percent to 6,500 yen, giving the Tokyo-based company a value of 6.51 trillion yen.



Sony, which overtook Nintendo as the world's biggest console maker after PlayStation 2's introduction in 2000, suffered production delays with the release of its latest player. Wii's lower price, simple games and a wand-like controller that players swing like a sword or tennis racquet have helped Nintendo outsell the PlayStation 3 by five to one since the debut in November.

Sony last month sold 81,600 PlayStation 3 units in the U.S., the world's largest video-game market, while Nintendo sold 338,000, according to data compiled by NPD Group Inc. Microsoft Corp. sold 154,900 of its Xbox 360 machines.

Nintendo, also the maker of DS handheld player, may exceed Sony in sales this year. Nintendo posted revenue of 966.5 billion yen in the year ended March 2007, and forecast 1.14 trillion yen this business year.

Sony reported 1.02 trillion yen in sales at the game business in the past fiscal year. The company didn't disclose a sales forecast for the unit. Sony plans to more than double its software lineup to more than 200 titles worldwide and increase the number of downloadable games this fiscal year to boost sales.
Source :http://www.bloomberg.com

Adults only rating may kill sales of video game

Rockstar Games has come under fire. Again.

First, there was "Grand Theft Auto," whose graphic portrayal of drugs, sex and violence put it squarely in the cross hairs of Congress.

Next came "Bully" about a slingshot-wielding 15-year-old at a boarding school.

Now, the company's latest video game has just been banned in England and Ireland and is facing a ratings controversy in the United States.

Players of "Manhunt 2" assume the role of an escaped mental institution patient who goes on a killing spree as he fights his way to freedom. It includes special death moves players can perform by moving the Wii's wireless, motion-sensitive controller at just the right moment.

British Board of Film Classification director David Cooke said the board was unable to approve the game because it "constantly encourages visceral killing."

In the United States, the video game industry's self-regulated ratings board has given a preliminary version of "Manhunt 2" an "adults only" rating instead of the more lenient, and far more popular, "mature" rating for ages 17 and up.

Slapping "Manhunt 2" with the Entertainment Software Rating Board's most stringent rating would likely doom sales. Large retailers including Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart won't stock AO-rated games.

At the same time, Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. said their policies bar any AO-rated content on their systems.

Microsoft has a similar policy, but "Manhunt 2" wasn't planned for the Xbox 360.

Still, the game's publisher, Take-Two Interactive Software — Rockstar's parent company — said it was determined to bring the title to market.

Rockstar spokesman Rodney Walker said "Manhunt 2" was meant to be a horror game, something akin to gory films like "Saw."

He called Britain's decision a form of censorship because the public would never get to decide for itself.

"People think of video games as a kids' medium but the fans are so diverse and the games are diverse," he said. "When you ban a game, you're putting a limit on what sort of creative choices people can make."

But Cooke insisted that the game would "involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks to both adults and minors."

Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive Software have six weeks to appeal.

In the United States, meanwhile, a national coalition of educators and child advocacy groups sent a letter to the video game industry's self-governed ratings board this week hoping to slap "Manhunt 2" with the strictest rating possible.

In a letter to ESRB President Patricia Vance, the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood urged the stricter, "AO" rating.

No one at the group has seen or played the game, though. Campaign spokesman Josh Golin said the view was based on comments from a video game critic and various studies on video games and violence.

"If ever there was a time for the ESRB's strongest and most unambiguous rating, it is now," wrote Susan Linn, co-founder of the CCFC. "An adults-only rating is the only way to limit children's exposure to this unique combination of horrific violence and interactivity."

The group said the Wii version was particularly troublesome because players would be able to act out the violence with the console's controller.

"It is reasonable to expect that being able to go through the motions of violence while playing Manhunt 2 will exacerbate its negative effects," the letter said. "Given what is already known about the impact of violent games played on standard game controllers, it is irresponsible to make this game available to children and teens on a potentially more dangerous platform."

Defending the less-restrictive "M" rating, Walker said people shouldn't treat video games like toys.

"Video games are a very sophisticated medium," Walker said. "Ratings systems and classifications boards have to adapt to the audience and the audience has already voted. We keep having the same arguments over and over again."
Source :http://www.news-record.com

Space Engineers to Begin Prepping Shuttle for Return to Florida

Now that the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis has landed safely in California, officials with the U.S. space agency NASA must begin days of work to get the shuttle back to its home base in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida.

The shuttle touched down at an alternate landing site, Edwards Air Force Base, on Friday after bad weather thwarted several attempts to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the shuttle fleet is housed.

With the shuttle's seven-member crew returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in the southwestern United States engineers are preparing the shuttle Atlantis for a flight across the country, piggybacked on top of a jumbo jet. The entire process - preparation and delivery - takes between seven and 10 days and costs nearly $2 million.

During their two-week mission, the Atlantis crew docked at the International Space Station and conducted four spacewalks, to do construction and repairs on both the station and the shuttle.

NASA engineers cleared the shuttle to return to Earth after determining that a repaired thermal blanket on the shuttle's exterior could withstand the intense heat of re-entering the atmosphere. The blanket was damaged on takeoff. Also during the shuttle visit, Russian computers on the International Space Station crashed and were not restored for several days. The computers help control the space station's orientation.

The next shuttle scheduled for launch is Endeavor, on August 9.
Source :http://www.voanews.com

PREVIEW: Final countdown begins to iPhone launch

In a buzz-worthy launch worthy of Apollo 11's blast off to the moon, Apple's iPhone hits US stores on Friday, hoping to eliminate world poverty, eradicate disease, and put a kabosh to war.

OK, that's a slight exaggeration. The new-fangled must-have gadget is only a cell-phone, albeit a really cool one, but judging from the amount of hype it has generated you could easily be forgiven for thinking it's the best invention since sliced bread.

Some of the excitement is due to the RDF (that's short for reality distortion field) so famously created by Apple CEO Steve Jobs whenever he launches a product. But that's only part of the explanation.

The rest of the buzz is down to a combination of the frustration millions of people experience when using their phones and the eternal Apple promise to make machines that are both intuitive and sophisticated.

There can be little doubt that the Silicon Valley company is set to introduce the most comprehensive cell-phone in history, with all due respect to the Nokias, Sony-Ericcson, Palms and Blackberry's of the world.

Featuring a powerful web browser, music player, video capabilities and wi-fi receiver, the only question is whether you will ever have the time, or battery power, to make a phone call.

Concerns about the strength of the iPhone battery prompted Apple to issue updated specifications just a few days before launch. Apple says the phone now offers up to 8 hours of talk time, seven hours of video watching, six hours of web browsing, 24 hours of music listening and a standby time of 10 days.

The phone offers a touch-screen interface that is meant to replace the fiddly buttons that were standard on most other smartphones. A smoothly integrated software suite makes you think that Apple designers were the first ones to ever really think how real people actually use their phones.

You just need to tap your finger to dial a number brought up from the phone book or web browser, another touch makes it a conference call. You can view your voice messages on the screen instead of having to listen to them all in order, and you can resize text and photos by pinching your fingers together and apart.

Apple says the touch-screen keyboard has predictive software that completes words for you and helps prevent errors. But power email addicts of the Blackberry and other smartphones are likely to find that a poor substitute for the tactile feedback they get from pressing the admittedly tiny buttons on their current machines.

Other iPhone drawbacks: It's limited to only the AT&T network, it doesn't work on the relatively fast 3G networks, and third party developers are limited.

That's unlikely to deter the hordes of gadget junkies who simply must have the hippest cell phone out there, even if costs 500 dollars. That's the price of the least expensive version available. But customers will also have to sign a two-year contract commitment for an as yet undisclosed monthly rate plan that could add significantly to the overall cost.

But for true Apple fans it's easy to circumvent such economic rationale.

'A new phone would cost me 200 dollars anyway, and a good iPod costs 300 dollars so I might as well just get an iPhone if I can get my hands on one,' says Paul Renn, a self-confessed Apple 'fan-boy'.

Renn is planning to line up early outside an Apple store in San Francisco when the phone goes on sale on Friday at 6 pm. The phone will be available only in Apple's 162 retail stores and in the 1,800 stores owned by AT&T which has hired 2,000 extra staff to deal with the launch.

Because of its high price, limited corporate appeal and entrenched competitors analysts don't expect the iPhone to dominate the cellphone market, thought it is already inspiring companies like Nokia, LG and Samsung to roll out phones with similar features.

'The demand for the iPhone is partly generated by Apple's marketing machine, but it's also perceived to be a very usable and user-friendly phone,' said Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence.

'The frenzy illustrates that there is pent-up demand for mobile devices that are easy to use and really work. People are struggling with small screens and awkward triple-tapping. It's had an impact already, even if it doesn't penetrate as deeply as some expect.'
Source :http://tech.monstersandcritics.com

U.S.proposes tighter ozone standards

As the standards made in 1997 are too weak to protect people, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed tighter standards for ozone pollution, accoreding to the agency Thursday.

 "Ozone's impacts are more significant than we previously thought," EPA administrator Stephen Johnson said during a conference call with reporters.

The environment agency proposed the new rules for ground-level ozone (damaging pollution also known as smog that is spawned by motor vehicle exhaust, power plants, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents) by suggesting an acceptable range of 70 to 75 parts per billion over any eight-hour period.

It's the agency's first new recommendation since 1997 for ground-level ozone. If finalized, the new standards would roughly triple the number of U.S. counties out of compliance with federal air pollution regulations, though business groups have said meeting the new limits could cost tens of billions of dollars.

Johnson answered the agency will formally take comments from business and industry groups that strongly believed the current standards should not be changed.

However, the Union of Concerned Scientists said the new standards fall short of the standards recommended by the EPA's own scientific experts and should be lowered even farther, while the National Association of Manufacturers called for maintaining the current rules.

The union said the proposed standards could allow the agency to avoid tightening the rules altogether, despite unanimous agreement from its own scientists and science advisers that the current standards are not safe.
Source :http://news.xinhuanet.com

Atlantis crew welcomed at Ellington

NASA astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams received a rousing welcome to Houston on Saturday, 24 hours after returning aboard the shuttle Atlantis from a record-setting mission to the international space station.

Several hundred well-wishers, many of them family, friends and co-workers from NASA's Johnson Space Center, gathered at Ellington Field to greet Williams and the six Atlantis astronauts.

"I'm not sure what I should say. There are so many to thank," said Williams, who logged 195 days in space, a record for women.

A little wobbly after months of weightlessness, Williams was interrupted several times by applause as she addressed the gathering in a voice that broke with emotion.

"I'm a girl, so I'm allowed to do this," she said with a grin and a tear. She finally found inspiration in the words of Tony Dungy, who became the first black coach to win the Super Bowl as the leader of the Indianapolis Colts.

"He said something like, 'It's just the time and the place. There were many before me and many after me who can do this. It's just the time and place.' "

Atlantis touched down at Edwards Air Force Base., Calif., on Friday afternoon, after stormy weather in Florida prevented a return to the Kennedy Space Center.

In a two-week mission to the space station, the Atlantis astronauts delivered and installed a 35,000-pound solar power module.

They also dropped off NASA astronaut Clay Anderson for a five-month stay, exchanging him for Williams.

"We are so happy to be back and have had a successful mission," said Frederick "Rick" Sturckow, the shuttle's commander.

"It feels great to have all of that behind us."

He and crewmates Lee Archambault, Steven Swanson, Patrick Forrester, James Reilly and Danny Olivas overcame damage to heat-shielding on the shuttle's tail section as well as the crash of Russian computers aboard the space station responsible for steering and life support.

The setbacks added two days to their flight and increased the number of spacewalks.

"This was an incredibly complicated mission," said Michael Coats, the Johnson Space Center director. "This crew handled everything thrown at them and more and made it look easy."

Williams was joined at Ellington by her husband, Michael, her mother and sister, and Gorby, her Jack Russell Terrier.

With her return to Earth, Williams began a 45-day physical rehabilitation program to regain strength in her bones and muscles.
Source :http://www.chron.com

Game suspension could boost interest

The decision by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. to suspend distribution of the violent video game "Manhunt 2" could actually end up boosting demand from curious gamers, industry analysts said Friday.

Analysts do not believe the move will harm the company's long-term bottom line. And if the game ever sees the light of day, the current controversy could give the title "a lot more exposure that would actually benefit game sales in the long run," said Colin Sebastian, senior research analyst at Lazard Capital Markets.

"Manhunt 2," initially slated for a July release on Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2, depicts the escape of an amnesiac scientist and a psychotic killer from an asylum and their subsequent epic killing spree.

Following bans by Britain and Ireland, as well as a ratings flap in the United States, Take-Two said late Thursday it was reviewing its options.

"We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment," the company said.

The game received a preliminary "Adults Only" rating in the United States from the industry's self-governed ratings body, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, restricting sales to customers 18 and older.

More importantly, such titles aren't stocked by large retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and all three console makers — Microsoft Corp., Nintendo and Sony — do not allow "AO" games on their systems.

Take-Two still could appeal the rating or craft a toned-down version that meets the less-stringent "Mature" rating for players 17 and older.

It's a move anticipated by analysts, but no indication was given on the fate of the title as of Friday. Telephone messages left with a Take-Two company spokesman were not returned, and a spokesman for its Rockstar Games division, which created "Manhunt 2," declined comment.

"It's free publicity," Sebastian said. "Consumer backlash is a risk but at the end of the day if it's rated `M' the retailers will take it."

Added Rick Munarriz, a senior analyst with The Motely Fool: "If anything, with this suspension there's going to be a demand for it because of the controversy."

Investors also seemed unfazed as Take-Two shares rose 21 cents, or 1 percent, to $20.82 in trading Friday.

Take-Two and Rockstar still have a marquee franchise on tap for a fall release.

"Grand Theft Auto IV," the latest in a series of urban crime games, should prove to be the real money maker when it is released on the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in October.

Previous versions have been top-sellers, and Sebastian said any financial hit from "Manhunt 2" would be more than offset by the new "GTA" game.

"Relative to Grand Theft Auto it's a lot less significant," Sebastian said of "Manhunt 2." "Grand Theft Auto is the key driver. This is a second-tier title."

The previous game in the series, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," was at the center of a ratings controversy two years ago that sparked a Congressional inquiry.

Rockstar was forced to replace its first edition of "San Andreas" after a hacker discovered a password-protected game inside it that involved a sexual encounter.

This year has already been a turbulent one for Take-Two, which recently underwent a shareholder coup that ousted its chief executive and nearly all of its board.

The company said earlier this month that layoffs were likely as part of a restructuring effort designed to cut costs by about $25 million a year by 2008. Specific numbers haven't been released. Take-Two has about 2,100 employees.

It's not clear what effect the "San Andreas" controversy had on sales, as the title had already been available for months by the time the hack was discovered. In 2004, the year it was released, "San Andreas" was the top seller with more than 5.1 million copies sold in the U.S., according to market analyst NPD Group.

Controversies like "Manhunt 2" are to be expected for a company with a reputation for publishing edgy content, said Munarriz, the analyst.

"You have a company that's always lived in the gray area," he said. "These games are controversial and that's part of the allure."
Source :http://www.chron.com

Hawaii's Kilauea Oozes Lava at New Spot

Lava oozed from a new location on Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, scientists said Tuesday.

Researchers on the Big Island had been looking for a new lava breakout point after hundreds of small earthquakes were recorded Sunday, suggesting magma, or underground lava, was shifting beneath the surface.

The small outbreak oozed about 150 feet from a 600-foot-long fissure in a forest about eight miles southeast of Kilauea's summit, the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said on its Web site.

When a field crew arrived, lava was moving sluggishly and the fissure was emitting heavy smoke and steam. By the time the crew left four hours later, the lava had stopped flowing and the smoke and steam had decreased significantly.

Part of the park on the Big Island remained closed to protect public safety while researchers examined the latest lava breakout.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced the closure of Pu'u 'O'o Trail. It will remain closed until further notice.

Kilauea has been erupting continuously since Jan. 3, 1983, sending lava from the Pu'u 'O'o cone through a system of tubes to the ocean where it forms new land over time.

In Hawaiian tradition, Kilauea is home to Pele, the volcano goddess. Lava is said to be her physical representation.
Source :http://www.abcnews.go.com

Touchdown! Atlantis Lands Flawlessly At Edwards AFB

ouchdown! Moments ago, the space shuttle Atlantis came to a stop on runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, bringing to close a successful 13 day, 20 hour, and roughly 11-minute flight... with the textbook definition of a perfect landing

Residents in Southern California were treated to beautiful views of the shuttle passing high overhead, as it travelled north to Edwards. Pilot Lee Archambault then flew a traffic pattern slightly wider (grin) than you'll see at your local GA field, to align the orbiter with the runway.

In the coming days, Atlantis will be defueled, purged of hazardous substances and fitted with a drag reducing tail cone. The orbiter will then be loaded atop the modified 747 NASA uses to transport the shuttles back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Welcome back, everybody!
Source :http://www.aero-news.net/

U.S.proposes tighter ozone standards

As the standards made in 1997 are too weak to protect people, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed tighter standards for ozone pollution, accoreding to the agency Thursday.

 "Ozone's impacts are more significant than we previously thought," EPA administrator Stephen Johnson said during a conference call with reporters.



The environment agency proposed the new rules for ground-level ozone (damaging pollution also known as smog that is spawned by motor vehicle exhaust, power plants, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents) by suggesting an acceptable range of 70 to 75 parts per billion over any eight-hour period.

It's the agency's first new recommendation since 1997 for ground-level ozone. If finalized, the new standards would roughly triple the number of U.S. counties out of compliance with federal air pollution regulations, though business groups have said meeting the new limits could cost tens of billions of dollars.

Johnson answered the agency will formally take comments from business and industry groups that strongly believed the current standards should not be changed.

However, the Union of Concerned Scientists said the new standards fall short of the standards recommended by the EPA's own scientific experts and should be lowered even farther, while the National Association of Manufacturers called for maintaining the current rules.

The union said the proposed standards could allow the agency to avoid tightening the rules altogether, despite unanimous agreement from its own scientists and science advisers that the current standards are not safe.
Source :http://news.xinhuanet.com

Ubuntu, Red Hat ‘Just say NO’ to Microsoft

First Novell, then Xandros and finally Linspire have all done deals with Microsoft to extend the interoperability between Linux and Windows, and to ensure that Microsoft doesn’t sue Novell, Xandros or Linspire users over the alleged 235 patent infringements contained in Linux and open source software.

Speculation was rife on the Internet that two of the Linux world’s stalwarts, Red Hat and Ubuntu, were soon to go down the same path of being embraced and extended out of existence by the forces of Microsoft and their not-so-open Windows, but to the delight of open source and Linux advocates, both companies say ‘no deal’.

Ubuntu, owned by Canonical and headed up by the South African space tourist and billionaire Mark Shuttleworth, has clearly stated in his blog that there are “No negotiations with Microsoft in progress”.

Shuttleworth says that: “We have declined to discuss any agreement with Microsoft under the threat of unspecified patent infringements”, and that “Allegations of ‘infringement of unspecified patents’ carry no weight whatsoever”.

He continues that: “We don’t think they have any legal merit, and they are no incentive for us to work with Microsoft on any of the wonderful things we could do together. A promise by Microsoft not to sue for infringement of unspecified patents has no value at all and is not worth paying for. It does not protect users from the real risk of a patent suit from a pure-IP-holder (Microsoft itself is regularly found to violate such patents and regularly settles such suits). People who pay protection money for that promise are likely living in a false sense of security”.

Shuttleworth does however believe that Microsoft’s ‘stated commitment’ to interoperability between Linux and Windows is a good thing, and says that: “I have no objections to working with Microsoft in ways that further the cause of free software, and I don’t rule out any collaboration with them, in the event that they adopt a position of constructive engagement with the free software community”.

But in regards to the deals done with Novell and the rest, Shuttleworth says that: “I don’t believe that the intent of the current round of agreements is supportive of free software, and in fact I don’t think it’s particularly in Microsoft’s interests to pursue this agenda either. In time, perhaps, they will come to see things that way too”.

Shuttleworth also makes reference to Microsoft Open XML document format, saying it’s just not as good as the ODF format used in Open Office, and implores Microsoft to consider using the ODF standard instead of their own.

In the end, Shuttleworth concludes by saying that: “My goal is to carry free software forward as far as I can, and then to help others take the baton to carry it further”, with his final sentence being that “All the deals announced so far strike me as ‘trinkets in exchange for air kisses’. Mua mua. No thanks”.

Red Hat is likewise unwilling to play Microsoft’s game. In statements provided to CNET, Red Hat said there would be no deal, and that their “standpoint has not changed".

CNET quoted Red Hat’s director of corporate communications Leigh Day as saying that: "We continue to believe that open source and the innovation it represents should not be subject to an unsubstantiated tax that lacks transparency."

So, despite the deals with Novell, Xandros and Linspire, which are now hated by OSS and Linux purists the world over, Linux appears safe thanks to Ubuntu and Red Hat who, at least for now, are more committed than ever to firmly answer ‘untainted Linux’ whenever they are asked ‘Where do you want to go today?’.
Source :http://www.itwire.com.au

Microsoft displays at telecom show

The nation's biggest telecommunications trade show opens at McCormick Place on Monday, but it might as well be a computer or cable TV confab.

There was a time when telecom folks gathered to check out the latest in optical fiber, network switches and digital cross-connect boxes. That stuff is still on hand, but it is overshadowed by new software aimed at video and entertainment.

A big presence at this year's Chicago show will be Microsoft Corp., which is unveiling its latest advances in Internet protocol TV that enable consumers to search for video content quickly rather than browsing. It also lets people move photos and music from their computers to their television sets.

"With IPTV, you can do things you cannot do with any other platform," said Ed Graczyk, Microsoft TV marketing director. "Instant channel zapping, for instance. You change channels in a fraction of a second instead of the two seconds it takes for cable or satellite."

This isn't your grandfather's telephone trade show.

In North America, Microsoft's main IPTV customers are AT&T Inc. and BellCanada, two telecom carriers looking to compete with cable-television operators. The software giant will be attending NXTcomm to show off its latest applications, but it is also coming to Chicago to meet privately with customers and potential customers.

"It's an opportunity to engage one on one with customers and partners," said Graczyk. "A big part of our strategy is to build an ecosystem of partners, from set-top box suppliers to video encoders. For us, the best activity is what goes on in meeting rooms around the convention center."

And even though NXTcomm is aimed at the telecom industry, the major cable TV operators also will be there, checking out the competition.

"The lines are blurred," said Wayne Crawford, NXTcomm executive director. "Companies that make equipment for telecom carriers are the same companies that make stuff for cable TV operators. Everyone is moving toward Internet protocol networks."

This will be the first NXTcomm trade show under that name. For many years, the telecom industry held gatherings under the name SuperComm, but that ended in 2005 because of disagreements between SuperComm's two owners, the US Telecom Association, made up of carriers, and the Telecommunications Industry Association, made up of equipment vendors.

Last year, the equipment vendors staged a trade show in Chicago and the carriers held a rival show in Las Vegas, but people in the industry complained about having two separate events to attend and pressured the trade groups to reunite under a single banner again. "We need to keep expanding the diversity of buyers who attend the show," Crawford said.

And converging technology helps them do that, attracting firms such as Yahoo, Google and Microsoft that in years past might have barely paid attention to a telecom trade show.
Source :http://www.chicagotribune.com