With Nothing Better to Do, EMI Sues MP3Tunes.com

Nowadays, you need to have a strong stomach when creating a new online music service, of any type, because you have no idea how the record industries are going to react. When Michael Robertson launched MP3Tunes.com, he thought he had a bullet-proof idea, and from the looks of things, I would have agreed. The service is essentially a robust music syncing application, allowing you to share music between any computer. It's like a GoToMyPC, but for music exclusively.

The service was made secure by the fact that the user would have to password protect their collection, making it so that only they could access it. Apparently, this isn't enough for EMI, who've decided to sue the small company. Take a moment to realize how ridiculous this case is. It essentially equates to uploading your own music to a personal server so that you can grab it at home... and being sued for it.

EMI must truly have nothing better to do than to pick on a small service supported by legal music buyers, rather than going to take on the bad guys who are actually distributing their music illegally. In a surprising move, MP3Tunes.com has encouraged users to upgrade to their premium packages in order for them to help pay legal fees. It's hard to predict how this one will end, but hopefully it end in MP3Tunes favor. If EMI wins... it will be bad news for owners of any digital content, not only music.

Robertson went on to run MP3tunes.com, a similar service that allows you to synchronize all of your music tracks up to the MP3tunes.com servers and then re-synch them down to your computer and/or stream them via iTunes, Windows Media Player, WinAMP and a bunch of other software players.

Source: CrunchGear

Apple Acquires Low-Power Chip Maker P.A. Semi

In a surprise move, Apple has acquired fabless chip maker P.A. Semi, who specialize in low-powered chips. P.A. Semi's founder, Dan Dobberpuhl, was the lead designer for both the StrongARM and DEC Alpha processors, and the companies current team consists of engineers who worked on AMD's Opteron, Intel's Itanium and also Sun's UltraSPARC.

This move is an interesting one thanks to Apple's strong relationship with Intel. With Atom now rolling out, speculation was that Apple would begin using the new low-powered chips in future iPhone and iPod revisions, but with this acquisition, it's certainly not looking that way. According to Forbes, one of the reasons for the purchase could be due to Atom's popularity, and with Apple's own chip maker, it would help the company to differentiate their product from the hundreds of clones available.

P.A. Semi's processors, "PWRficient", are based on a similar architecture that Apple left behind right before moving in with Intel, that arch being Power. If these chips will indeed be used in future Apple devices, then it may prove difficult for hobbyist developers. It's much easier to code an application for a variety of devices that share the same CPU architecture, so if the iPhone begins using a Power-based chip, it could prove great for Apple, bad for developers. It's still much too early to speculate, however.

The decision to center the iPhone design around a chip that Apple could own marks a significant strategic choice by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, and is aimed at ensuring Apple can continue to differentiate its flagship phone as a raft of competitors flood the market. According to a source affiliated with the chip company, Jobs and Senior Vice President Tony Fadell led the tiny group of executives who spearheaded the acquisition, which included negotiations that took place in Jobs' home.

Source: Forbes

AMD Launch X3 Triple-Core 8xxx Processors

It seems like just seven months ago that AMD was rumored to be releasing three-core processors. Oh wait, it was seven months ago! Of course, we knew for a while that it was much more than a rumor, and AMD proved that today with the unveiling of their X3 8xxx processors.

Our friends at PC Perspective have taken the latest CPU from AMD for a spin and their conclusions overall were mixed. Not surprisingly, the three-cores were put to use in numerous applications, but in others, the scalability was absolutely minimal. But, like a Quad-Core, only certain applications will take advantage of all the available cores, so the X3's will offer similar experiences.

Other than that, it's what you'd expect. It's a Dual-Core... with an extra core thrown into the mix. But with a 2.4GHz chip for just under $200, the 8750 might just be a great choice and a threat to Intel's E8400. While that processor is 3.0GHz, it has two cores, so if put to good use, the 8750 might just prove more beneficial. Of course, the E8400 can overclock to 3.8GHz and higher on air... which is hard to discredit. Without question, it's going to be interesting to see how well these sell and what the initial reaction from consumers will be.

As it stands now from the performance outlook, the AMD Phenom X3 series of parts it pretty intriguing. In most of our tests the performance of the X3 8750 CPU was better than dual-core processors including AMD's own Athlon X2 6000+ and the Intel X6800 2.93 GHz part. There were some mixed results though including in our multimedia tests where only one of the three video encoders put the X3 8750 ahead of the X6800 or E6750 from Intel.

Source: PC Perspective

Yet Another Downside of DRM: Microsoft to Nuke MSN Music DRM Keys

Is there such thing as a "good" DRM? As far as I'm concerned, there isn't. As I've mentioned in the past (one hundred times, at least), DRM and other forms of copy protection hurt the legal consumer only. Why would someone purchase music legally and then turn around to distribute it? Very few would. Those who do want illegal music... will just go download it. It's simple.

But I digress. Ars Technica has posted about the upcoming death of MSN Music's DRM service, meaning all music purchased through the service (when it existed) will no longer be able to be licensed after August 10, 2008. Up until that point, you are able to make regular use of your music, including transferring to another PC. But when the date hits, you will have to listen to the music on whatever PC it's currently on... or tough luck.

I think it goes without saying that this is a clear reason why DRM should die, right now. Companies who sell DRM music have the ability to turn off their service at any time, and when that happens, you are have the equivalent of a digital paperweight. You will either have to purchase the music again elsewhere or go without. Though on a positive note, more and more online music stores are indeed moving towards offering DRM-free files for the bulk of their collections, so we are on the right track. The progress just can't happen fast enough.

This doesn't just apply to the five different computers that PlaysForSure allows users to authorize, it also applies to operating systems on the same machine (users need to reauthorize a machine after they upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, for example). Once September rolls around, users are committed to whatever five machines they may have authorized—along with whatever OS they are running.

Source: Ars Technica

Super Talent Releases Ultra-Fast DDR3-1800 4GB Kit

When it comes to performance memory, what's the company to first pop into your mind? OCZ? Corsair? Mushkin? Well today, Super Talent can officially say that they offer the best DDR3 kit currently available. At DDR3-1800, it's not the fastest kit out there, but what makes this one special is the fact that it's 4GB... no other 4GB kit available reaches that height.

The kit is made even sweeter with the rather tight latencies of 8-8-8-24 at 1.9v. Given the sheer speed and density of these, those timings are rather impressive and a good sign of what's to come. DDR3 hasn't even been commercially available for a year, and the differences between today's kits and what was available at launch are totally night and day.

So what will it take to own this blazing-fast kit? Why, only $499! Sure, it's high, but the humorous thing is that $500 just 10 months ago would have scored you a 2GB DDR3 kit with very embarrassing specs. By years-end, the prices could even be half of what they are now, spec for spec. As for purchase, Super Talent is only offering this particular kit at eWiz.com for now, but it's currently not in stock.

Super Talent's Project X memory is widely regarded as the world's most advanced DDR3. "This represents another major first-to-market milestone for Super Talent", commented Super Talent Marketing Director, Joe James. "While competitors are only able to produce 4GB kits up to DDR3-1600, we've engineered a kit that performs at elevated clock speeds while still supporting aggressive latencies."

Source: Super Talent

April 23rd Tech Roundup

Motherboards & Processors
• AMD Phenom X4 9850 - T-Break
• ASUS M3N-HT 780a SLi - Overclockers Club

Displays & Video Cards
• ASUS Radeon HD 3850X2 1 GB - InsideHW
• Diamond Radeon HD 3870 1GB - Legit Reviews

Memory & Storage
• HP Media Vault mv2120 - Computer Shopper
• SimpleTech 250GB Signature Mini Portable Drive - Techware Labs
• Tagan Icy Box JBOD Hard Drive Enclosure - Hardware Canucks

Peripherals & Gadgets
• LiveWires T1 Custom IEMs - techPowerUp!
• Logitech MX Air Cordless Mouse - TweakTown
• Steelseries Siberia Neckband - TweakPC

Cooling
• CoolIT Eliminator - Technic3D

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Cooler Master Centurion 590 Case - Ninja Lane
• Nesteq EECS 700 Watt Ultra Quiet Power Supply - Big Bruin
• Silverstone MS05 External 2.5inch SATA HDD Enclosure - Madshrimps
• Tagan Black Pearl - Hardware Logic
• Tuniq Ensemble 1200W Power Supply - Think Computers

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Lenovo ThinkPad X300 - Digital Trends