Apple's iTunes passes 5 billion tracks sold

Apple's iTunes passes 5 billion tracks sold

Continuing its dominance in the music industry, iTunes has passed yet another milestone in its storied history.

Dueling streaming video services prepare for iPhone launch

Dueling streaming video services prepare for iPhone launch

Yesterday, competing services Flixwagon and Qik both announced that they will be offering their live streaming phone-cam services for Apple's iPhone.

So what is 'OpenCL,' Apple's next enhancement to Mac OS X 10.6?

So what is 'OpenCL,' Apple's next enhancement to Mac OS X 10.6?

On Monday, Apple made mention of a curious new technology it said would help accelerate the development of CPU-to-GPU process sharing, calling it OpenCL. But the lack of information about what it is makes us all the more curious.

Details surface on AT&T, Apple iPhone 3G deal

Details surface on AT&T, Apple iPhone 3G deal

Among the changes in AT&T's updated deal with Apple are the end of revenue sharing and special plans for the iPhone, as well as a new requirement for phones be activated in-store. The data plan will also be $10 more.

Apple details Mac OS X 'Snow Leopard' at WWDC

Apple details Mac OS X 'Snow Leopard' at WWDC

Don't expect the next version of Cupertino's operating system to be anything new. However, it will focus on performance and quality, to "lay the foundation" for the future.

It's official: iPhone goes 3G for $199

It's official: iPhone goes 3G for $199

UPDATED Confirming months of speculation, Apple has announced that it will begin shipping two 3G versions of the iPhone. A 16 GB version will feature your choice of black or white backing, and will sell for $299 through AT&T.

Will Samsung's Omnia rival Apple's 3G iPhone?

Will Samsung's Omnia rival Apple's 3G iPhone?

As some see it, Samsung's forthcoming Windows Mobile 6.1-based Omnia smartphone will act as a retort of sorts to Apple's new 3G iPhone. Although the Omnia isn't slated for full rollout until June 17, Samsung prereleased some details today.

Apple Store aims for the Paris Louvre's glass pyramid

Apple Store aims for the Paris Louvre's glass pyramid

According to French financial daily La Tribune, Apple has received approval to build one of its eponymous stores in Paris. The location? Where else but under the glass pyramid in the Carrousel du Louvre.

AMD pushes USB 3.0

USB will be getting an upgrade in 2009 as we move to the USB 3.0 standard. This will improve the speed up to ten times faster than USB 2.0. That is approximately 4.8 gigabits per second, or about 600 Megabytes per second (USB 2.0 runs up to 480 Mbit/s). It will even surpass current Firewire standards (The Firewire 800 standard can run up to 3.2 Gigabits per second).

Intel has been controlling the specification and so far is not giving the new technology to any competetor. An unofficial AMD source announced they are working on their own USB standard. It will be an "open" specification, but an Nvidia representative says it will also be "productized".

What does this mean? Simply put we might see "Intel USB" and "AMD USB" - and the remote possibility that they won't work with one another. The greatest part about the USB standard was that we could use it on any PC - whether Intel, AMD or other - on an Apple product or any other device that contains the standard.

It's items like this where universal standardization should be implemented. We don't need these standards "segregated but equal". It hurts production - especially for the independent companies that make USB peripherals. Will your Intel USB 3.0 Flash drive work properly on an AMD USB 3.0, or will it corrupt your data?

Opening the USB standard is key if we want to continue using it. No one company should be able to "hoard" the technology. After all, "Open Productization". Is that an Oxymoron, or what?

Source

Microsoft reports security problem with Apple's Safari

Microsoft reports security problem with Apple's Safari

Microsoft, of all companies, has issued a security advisory warning users about a possible security exploit involving Apple's Safari for Windows browser.

Apple releases OS X 10.5.3, users report problems

Apple releases OS X 10.5.3, users report problems

The update to Apple's operating system fixes a multitude of its security vulnerabilities, but some users are reporting issues with graphics and Adobe CS3 after upgrading.

TiVo partners with CinemaNow, gets Disney on demand

TiVo has announced that all broadband connected TiVo Series2 and Series3 users will gain Disney on-demand rentals later this year. This in the wake of a new partnership with online content distributor CinemaNow.

This partnership adds to TiVo's existing content deals with Amazon's Unbox, Music Choice, and Jaman, as well as upcoming support for YouTube and other popular Web video codecs. It looks to be part of a broader move to convert TiVo from a simple DVR into more of a media hub, offering an increased amount of on-demand content, along with access to user's personal media.

Though downloadable content through Amazon Unbox has been available for a while, it has thus far offered no content with HD picture quality or Dolby 5.1 audio. Today's Disney and CinemaNow announcement notes that though most of the releases later this year will be in standard definition, select rentals will be in HD. Like Amazon Unbox rentals, however, the content will only be available for 24 hours.

When weighed against the increasing number of dedicated on-demand set top boxes like those provided by Netflix, Apple, and Vudu. TiVo's claims of content volume are far ahead of competitors.

BetaNews Picks

Perspective: I don't Knol

Google's latest experiment in opening up its massive resources for the latest in knowledge and wisdom, has a familiar ring to it. And perhaps for that reason, the outcome of that experiment can be predicted.

Comcast sues NFL to block slanderous emails

Comcast yesterday filed suit against the National Football League, claiming it was acting in breach of contract for encouraging Comcast subscribers to drop their service.

Is the Linux/Windows interoperability deal paying off for Novell?

The Linux vendor partners with Microsoft in one respect and takes it head-on in another. This time, the results are mixed as Novell suffers a small quarterly loss.

Free remote PC access for iPhone and iPod Touch

Remote PC access software company Orb has announced support for iPhone and iPod Touch, allowing users to stream their music, movies, and TV without being locked into iTunes.

Online movie releases: the new 'straight to video?'

Jackass 2.5 from Paramount is believed to be the first studio-backed feature film to premiere online, and will be streamable for two weeks completely free of charge.

Google marked by Chinese company for trademark violation

A Beijing company has taken Google's Chinese division to court over the search company's Mandarin name.

Microsoft acknowledges Vista kernel elevation vulnerability

What was not supposed to happen in Windows Vista apparently has: Despite a layer of protection that was supposed to prevent against processes elevating their own privileges, Microsoft now says someone found a way to do it.

Netherlands war against Microsoft advances on two fronts

A junior economics minister in the Dutch government has made significant inroads this week in his battle against Microsoft there, both in transitioning his government to ODF and in decoupling bundled software from PCs.

Seductive Russian chat bot tries to steal your private data

A chatroom bot called Cyberlover and designed in Russia claims to be able to secure private information from unsuspecting users by seducing them.

How IBM could lead AMD to 32 nm

At this morning's analyst conference, AMD executives said they may scale back some on R&D. But earlier in the week, partner IBM unveiled a plan that could help fill the gap: a way to rework existing 45 nm parts designs for 32 nm.

The opportunities revealed by Sun's open-source CPU

By releasing the code for its new Niagara 2 processor into the open source community today, Sun is paving the way for its underlying architecture to eventually pop up in wireless and other embedded systems, and maybe even in future game consoles.

Mapping services find themselves today's hot commodity

Two major global information system (GIS) and satellite imagery acquisitions were announced on Wednesday, illustrating the continuing desirability of such services to both hardware and software manufacturers.

Nokia wins one round in Qualcomm IP battle

Just when it appeared Qualcomm finally had a fight on its hands after winning one round last month against Nokia, a judge has invalidated a good chunk of Qualcomm's original injunction request against the handset maker.

Most ReplayTV assets sold to DirecTV

The struggling DVR company has once again changed hands, this time to the nation's largest satellite provider.

Sprint customers get next-gen MySpace Mobile first

With its subscriber base declining, Sprint surely needs a lift in its heated competitive struggle with AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Could a newly unveiled deal with MySpace Mobile help do the job?

Apple iPhone and iPod Touch get their very own Picasa

Google brings its Picasa photo sharing application to Mobile OS X Safari, with an interface designed especially for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Bebo takes a page from Facebook with new API

By adopting its competitor's platform, the site will allow developers to port their applications to its network.

Microsoft releases HD DVD emulator software

In an attempt to further spur development for its chosen next-generation DVD platform, Microsoft is making the tool available for $2,999.

Another big beta: Microsoft releases Windows Server Virtualization test

After a major delay in the early spring which threw off the development cycle of Windows Server 2008, a public beta -- as opposed to a technology preview -- is being released by Microsoft this morning.

Patent infringement decision against eBay upheld

MercExchange, a tiny Virginia-based company that has taken eBay to all levels of the US court system for patent infringement, has won at the District Court level in Virginia.

Linden Lab CTO leaves the real world of Second Life

In an apparent split at the top, one of Second Life's founding employees has left the company, and his former boss apparently bids him a heartfelt good riddance.

Out of options, Opera files EU antitrust against Microsoft

UPDATED Just when Microsoft thought it had the EU out of its hair, Opera may have brought it back to the bargaining table.

AMD in trouble: Barcelona bug, ATI write-down cast bad shadows

At the opening of an analyst meeting this morning, the president of AMD lowered expectations for his company, saying it no longer needs to produce the best performing CPUs, and hinted at scaling back its R&D.

'PlaysForSure' logo being replaced with 'Certified for Vista'

Without much explanation, Microsoft's PlaysForSure Web page, which had once been the meeting ground for its portable media tech partners, now bears a statement to users that the logo is being dropped.

Analyst: Consumerism to blend with social networks in 2008

Where traditional Web sites provide content to visitors, social networking sites tend to offer sets of tools that allow "the consumers to become the content," a lead Parks Associates analyst told BetaNews this afternoon.

Study: The Internet's spam problem is getting worse

A study finds that only one out of every 20 e-mails is from a legitimate source, and business professionals now rate it the top form of junk advertising.

AT&T to put RFID and GPS in schoolbuses

The San Antonio telco announced today the availability of "black box" type solutions for K-12 school busses, working toward a day when school vehicles can be tracked like aircraft.

Pro sports teams embrace HDTV, but are unsure about wireless

Among professional sports leagues, high definition video is a permanent fixture, both inside the new stadiums where fans congregate and on HDTVs that fans are watching. But there's confusion there today, it seems, over wireless technologies.

Preview patch returns ActiveX to the way it was

More than a decade after Microsoft used an idea for making binary programs work with one click from inside Web pages, the company is testing a patch that restores that functionality in the wake of a settlement with the idea's creator.

Google's Street View expansion brings privacy jitters

Google's expansion of the street view option for its mapping service into another eight US cities has renewed privacy concerns over what it photographs.

The 2007 'Word of the Year' is...w00t!

That's not an interjection from the reporter. The exclamation "w00t" was chosen by Merriam-Webster's online users as 2007's Word of the Year.

Radiohead to bypass record labels, letting its publisher handle rights

Radiohead's album in Rainbows was revolutionary for its "pay what you like" availability. Now the band's plan for licensing that album continues the trend, further eroding the bond between bands and the record industry.

FCC commissioner compares DTV transition to Y2K

After a congressional report last month criticized the FCC and private industry for not working better together to ensure a smoother DTV transition, one commissioner responded by saying the executive branch should get involved.

How much open source software are businesses really using?

Open source vendor OpenLogic is today kicking off a new industry initiative meant to help both users and software companies find out precisely what kinds of open source software is being used -- and who is using it.

Microsoft ends free software for monitoring giveaway

Microsoft pulled the free software offer from its Web site Tuesday, which made free copies of Vista and Office among other applications available in exchange for feedback.

Office for Mac set to ship next month

The long wait for a new version of Microsoft Office for the Mac OS X platform is just about over, with development of the suite completed.

Vista SP1 release candidate goes live

This morning, BetaNews FileForum was alerted to the availability of the latest release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, just released from Microsoft.

Video search engine and indie film festival collaborate

Blinkx, a video search engine featuring over 18 million hours of searchable video with more than 200 media partnerships already, announced a new one yesterday with the Raindance Film Festival.

AT&T: 1 million U-verse subscribers by end of '08

This morning, the head of AT&T said his company expects to have attained one million U-Verse subscribers by the end of 2008, and coverage for 30 million by 2010.

OpenDocument debate resumes in the Netherlands

While Microsoft's Office Open XML format slowly makes inroads towards acceptance as an international format, the Dutch government debates whether the software behind that format must also be open-source.

Ask.com debuts erasable searches, with stipulations

Oakland-based search engine Ask.com debuted "AskEraser" today, a feature which can mark all of a user's queries in the company's servers for deletion.

Microsoft continues legal push against software fraud

Microsoft announced the filing of 52 lawsuits against sellers of pirated and fraudulent copies of its software, as well as referring another 22 cases to law enforcement.

NBC Universal content now for SanDisk video service

The entertainment group continues to move on from its breakup with Apple and iTunes, this time signing a deal with SanDisk to provide content for "Fanfare."

Canadian ISP flouts net neutrality principles again

Rogers Yahoo, which has repeatedly come under fire for traffic shaping, has now ventured even further away from neutral ground, by inserting usage messages into its users' unencrypted data streams.

Microsoft bug deletes files instead of sharing them

The company's FolderShare application is intended to allow customers to synchronize files across multiple machines, but a bug has ended up deleting them.

IDC: Fewer desktop PCs to be sold from now on

Emphasizing the declining role of the desktop PC form factor in worldwide sales, the analysts of IDC's Quarterly PC Tracker now predict portable PCs will constitute 65% of US PC sales by 2011.

New high-def owners may shake up format war

While Blu-ray has certainly won the opening salvos, new data suggests those new to HD seemed to have a preference for HD DVD.

Sony CEO replaces gloomy predictions with rosier outlook

Buoyed by Black Friday sales plus an investment in Sony last month, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer said this morning he believes a financially stressed-out US population will stay at home this winter and use CE products...like Sony's own.

Office 2007 SP1 goes live, Windows XP SP3 RC1 follows along

As anticipated and without much fanfare, Microsoft this morning made active links for downloads of Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 1, as well as the complete Office 2007 Service Pack 1.

VoIP calls on iPod Touch now closer to reality

Developers are claiming that they are close to allowing users to place VoIP calls over the iPod Touch, with initial tests proving successful.

New Bourne released in streaming HD day-and-date with DVD

IPTV service Vudu has announced that The Bourne Ultimatum will be available as a 1080i high-def download today -- the same day as it is released on DVD.

Debate over telco immunity rages on between DNI, Senate

Setting up a fiery public showdown between the justice and intelligence communities and the Congress, the country's highest-ranking intelligence official argued publicly in favor of immunity for telcos that turned over private data.

Samsung at center of 'Korean Watergate' bribery probe

In South Korea, Samsung Electronics' politically powerful parent company stands accused by a whistleblower of creating a $220 million slush fund for paying off government officials. The investigation keeps intensifying.

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MSN - Messenger and eXtra
Mess.Be
For getting info on all the versions of MSN n some extra features

Quotations
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People With Different Taste
Yahooka.Com
For People with a DIFFERENT taste

FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona.Com
Need I say more

Pakistani Fashion Scene
Pak-Fashion.Com
For people interested in local fashion scene

Local Fashion Scene
Vision East.Com
For local fashion info

Torrent Source
SuprNova.Org
One of the major torrent sources

SMS
SMS.AC

Designing the web of tomorrow
Alaska Flash.Com

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By registering there u can save all these Favorite URLS in that website then u can access them from anywhere. You dont have to b on your computer to get your favorites

Online Dictionary
WebSter.Com
Online Dictionary Merriam Webster

Planet Football
Planet Football.Com
Scores and other info related to Football

Live Score - Football
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Scores and other info related to Football

Important news resources
Jang.Com.PK
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Geo.TV
Reuters.Com
BBCWorld.Com
CNN.Com

cs maps and way points. for cs lovers actually, saifi esp u
CS-Maps Jolt Co UK

Canadian Shop
Canada Computers.Com
canandian shop for comp prices, dont know if they update but lets hope they do

Online Dictionary
Dictionary.Com
To look up meanings of English words

Acronym meanings
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Online Translating Service
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for the official Spider site if u dont have the magazine

somthin 4 fun
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for some of the best comedy and fun around. do check out the flash files section.
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hehe t3h funny shyte

Latest + Upcoming movie trailers,teasers and a whole lot more
Apple

Apple.Com
Although you do not need the latest version of quicktime to view these trailers... but anything above 6.0 would be advised

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Photography-related, camera reviews:
D Preview
DCRP
Imaging - Resource

Islam Online
Islam Online
anything u wanna know bout islam

Naat, Hamd & eTc
TV Minhaj
naat, hamd n lot ov stuff a very good web site for islam

for newzz around :D
Jang
Geo
BBCWorld

Hack A Day
Hack A Day
About hack a day
welcome citizen engineers. hack a day (beta) is a web magazine devoted to cataloging all the best hacks, mods and diy (do it yourself) projects from around web. each day we’ll post one hack we like, have seen or tried and once a week a special how-to. we’ll also be posting ’’links’’ and ’’lazy afternoon’’ specials.
hackaday is a spot on the web with all the things you can do with ipods, digital cameras, consoles, portables, locks, macs, pcs, anything that can be modd’ed or hacked. the goal is for anyone who—has an old pda, a tivo, an atari, an ipod, xbox, or any device just sitting around, then hits hackaday.com, bang, sees all the things folks can do with it to void the already expired warranty or get more out of it.

WinAmp Control
Winamp control with serial interface

Quotations
Words Forever

for any news about HTPC (Home theater PC)
HTPC News - Forums

For HIFI and HTPC enthusiast
AVS Forum

Astala Vista
Astala Vista

SMS World
The SMS World - where sms is a way of life
An sms portal - send free web2sms worldwide with a great collection of sms messages to your friends, family and loved once and show them how much you care with funny, love, miss you, friendship, poetry, motivated, decent,punjabi messages.

For the mother of all application Adobe Photoshop in 2d programming
Devaintart - where world meets application

Hu Ha Hi
HuHaHi.com

A nice site to guide you in choosing an AMD solution
AMD Compare

Symbian Softwares for Mobiles
Get Jar

Friends Networking
Fun Doz

The largest and fast file sharing host.
RapidShare: 1-Click Webhosting

Aik Minute
http://u-dbwlnxtnq.smilinglinks.com

Broadband Pakistan
Broadband Pakistan

Pakistan Online Computer Shops
Tech Channel PK
Galaxy PK
Hafeez Centre PK
Nofal Computers

Chowk

FTP Crawler
404 Not Found

CD Media World.com

My Web Tiscali Co UK / Dennisberry / Backup / Main
E-Lunatic.Org
Guru 3D.Com
HardOCP.Com
NVNews.Net

www.elibs.com

BetaNews Picks

SourceForge launches commercial 'marketplace' for open source software

Upon posting a loss for its most recent financial quarter, open source foundry SourceForge has launched an auction-based service that charges commissions to developers. Coincidentally or not, SourceForge got hacked this week.

Dell throws an Armani bash for the XPS One

At a customer event at an Armani store in New York last night, the company officially launched the XPS One, a PC/high-def TV which is Dell's answer to the Gateway One and Apple's iMac.

EchoStar becomes DISH, spins off most non-sat TV holdings

The company, whose primary holding its the satellite television service, will change its name and spin-off non-core businesses, an SEC filing indicates.

Ohio politician proposes sex offender tracking device

An Ohio lawmaker is proposing his state help its citizens track the locations of registered sex offenders by using RFID technology.

Macrovision seeks to own digital TV gateway with Gemstar purchase

A company known more for its digital rights management technology, and which just last month purchased not only the BD+ DRM scheme outright but also a larger stake in set-top boxes, is about to become the publisher of TV Guide.

FiOS routers at center of latest GPL lawsuit

UPDATED The Software Freedom Law Center has sued Verizon on behalf of the developers of BusyBox, saying the routers for its high-speed service infringe on the General Public License.

CNBC: Apple preps sub-notebook for Macworld

With just a little over one month before the yearly meeting of the Mac faithful, the rumors of an Apple sub-notebook have started to appear.

Microsoft ties high-level code to Web development with Volta

The long effort to make it technically feasible for already skilled developers to produce Web applications using high-level languages like C++, may at last be paying off.

Three critical patches on tap from Microsoft

Next Tuesday's regular monthly distribution of security patches will include three for DirectX, Windows Media, and Internet Explorer.

Opera ships Mini for BREW-based phones

The company that boasts of having the first Web browser for mobile phones has finally ported its engine to Qualcomm's BREW mobile application platform.