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YouTube for Apple TV uses H.264, not Flash
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Apple (as always) made big news when it become known that Apple TV would be able to play YouTube videos natively. However, there are delays that have consumers scratching their heads. As Mac Rumors found out, it’s due to the fact that video is being encoded to MP4 format, one that Apple TV can use.
According to Moody, not all of the Youtube catalog will be available on day one. Instead, “thousands of videos designed for Apple TV” will be available at launch, but that the remainder will become available by the fall.
Hence the delay. It’s also interesting to note that the iPod also will not utilize flash video, but rather MP4. Is YouTube video on an iPod in Apples plans as well? YouTube is certainly catering themselves to Apple. Re-encoding that much video to a format that the Apple TV can use is a big deal.
Source: Mac Rumors
Gates vs. Jobs, the Complete Videos
If you have been scouring the web in an attempt to find the best spot to watch the entire Gates vs. Jobs discussion at the All Things D conference, Gizmodo has got you covered.
Now that all seven parts of the Gates vs. Jobs videos are available, we thought we’d give you easy one-stop access to them all right here. Above is a highlight reel of the festivities, and after the jump, starting with the first video, watch all seven of the excerpts of Gates and Jobs going at it in the All Things D (otherwise known as D5) conference.
I still have yet to watch it, but plan to later this afternoon. The videos run just over an hour, so set aside some time and get on it.
Source: Gizmodo
No Starcraft 2 In 2007
This will not come as a surprise to most people, but Blizzard has confirmed that Starcraft II will not make a showing this year.
When asked about the game’s release date, Pardo said, “The only thing I can give you [that’s] concrete is it’s not going to be this year. Some people were hoping, because of how advanced the game looks, that we’d have it out by Christmas, but that’s definitely not happening.”
“Definitely not happening” sounds as though we will not see the game until well into 2008. It’s going to be a tough wait, but hopefully a worthwhile one.
Source: Gamespot
Laptops Are a Pain In the Back
One of the biggest drawbacks of using a laptop on your lap is the fact that it can make you feel like an oven. Well, some people claim that there could be health side-effects as well.
London’s Daily Mail claims that “girls as young as 12 are being diagnosed with nerve damage” from slouching over laptop screens. The main problem appears to be bad posture when using the laptop on your, uh, lap — hunching over in this way apparently causes chronic back problems in all sorts of people.
There’s never been a published report regarding this theory, so take it with a grain of salt. Better posture = better health.
Source: Engadget
iTunes 128Kbits vs iTunes Plus 256Kbits
Apple has been in the news all week thanks to their iTunes Plus release, which offers both DRM-free songs and also at a higher bitrate, of 256Kbit. You might believe that double the bitrate means double the clarity, and it was one thing that Maximum PC was set to find out.
So we decided to test a random sample of our colleagues to see if they could detect any audible difference between a song ripped from a CD and encoded in Apple’s lossy AAC format at 128K/s, and the same song ripped and encoded in lossy AAC at 256Kb/s.
In their tests, they found that the $30 earbuds that came with the iPod didn’t show off the subtle differences in the songs, while the majority of their testers did notice a difference with the Shure ($400) earbuds. So, if you want to hear music in better clarity, it may just depend on your headphones.
Source: Maximum PC
50 Politicians Who Take Campaign Money From The RIAA
One of the ways the RIAA operates is by donating money to politicians who then enact favorable legislation on their behalf. Don’t let the optimist in you believe that this doesn’t work. It does. But wait, aren’t these representatives supposed to work for you? Sure. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 50 congresspeople who took campaign contributions from the RIAA in the last election cycle.
This is a comprehensive list, which no doubt took a lot of effort on the Consumerists part. In first place is Robert Wexler, who received $9,000 from the RIAA to date. Lamar Smith rolls in at second wtih $7,500 and Orrin G Hatch in third with $6,000.
Doesn’t that just piss you right off? Wouldn’t it be great if the Consumerist also gave you the contact information to each one of these politicians? You are in luck.
Source: Consumerist
FIFA for Wii to feature Miis?
According to O’Brien, Electronic Arts is backing the Wii in a big way. But beyond simply bringing The Godfather and Tiger Woods to Nintendo’s console, Electronic Arts is making use of one of the Wii’s most popular features. As O’Brien wrote, “its latest FIFA soccer game will use Mii characters.”
Say it ain’t so! While cute, Miis have no place in a soccer game, or am I wrong? I very well could be, but I couldn’t imagine playing a serious game of soccer and seeing Miis in the background or on the field. Regardless of personal feelings, it will be interesting to see exactly what it is they are going to pull off.
Source: Gamespot
Democracy Player Receives $100,000 From Mozilla
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Democracy Player is a conglomeration of utilities mashed into one. It’s a video player first that plays an extremely wide-range of formats. It also allows for video search with the ability to download whatever you watch. Other features include handling of BitTorrent, FTP and even RSS. Mozilla enjoys the project so much, they felt a $100,000 donation was in order.
In our last board meeting, it was decided that Mozilla would give a $100,000 grant to the Participatory Culture Foundation, the makers of the Democracy Player. PCF, like CC, aligns well with Mozilla and its manifesto. Additionally, PCF has projects that are built partly on Mozilla’s technology.
It’s great to see such an amazing project getting support like this. Democracy Player pushes the idea of freedom, so it’s no surprise that it’s available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. More reason for you to give it a try if you haven’t already.
Source: Seth (Mozilla) Blog
LA City Loses $450K Due to Keylogger
Chances are, since you are on our website, you know how to properly protect yourself while on the computer. It seems that some do not, and here is a perfect example of what can happen:
Armed with a spyware program, the thieves tracked Avilla’s moves on her laptop and obtained bank passwords. They wired $90,000 to a “Diego Smith” in North Carolina. One day later, on May 24, the thieves got bolder as they wired $358,000 from the city’s bank account to a bank in Kalamazoo, Mich.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather someone not steal my $450,000. At least not until I finish saving up for a second 8800GTX so I can run SLI.
Source: LA Times
Upcoming RealPlayer Capable of Ripping YouTube Streams
RealPlayer has never been known as the “ultimate” video player, considering it’s support was lacking. This upcoming release has high hopes however, supporting Windows Media and Quicktime files, in addition to having the ability to rip streaming video.
The new version of the player will also allow users to download video streams onto their computers. This means that users will be able to save their own copies of videos from sites like YouTube, MySpace, Soapbox, Revver, and more with a single click instead of relying on more convoluted methods.
There might be the one single reason to get excited over the new player. It’s important to note that you will be unable to rip copy-protected content, but since none of the popular video sharing sites have that protection, you should be good to go. Mac OS X support will be available later this year, with no mention of Linux support.
Source: Ars Technica
iTunes Plus Riddled With Issues
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iTunes Plus was launched on Tuesday to much fanfare. It ushered in the new era of DRM-free songs with the service, although still restricted to EMIs library. Sadly, not everything has been going according to plan.
We’re hearing reports that the new iTunes Plus “Upgrade My Library” feature doesn’t work as expected (when it works at all), that Plus downloads are incredibly slow and frequently time out, and that the preference to always see iTunes Plus tracks when they’re available occasionally resets itself.
There is also word that the DRM-free songs still contain user information, although it appears to be the name and not much else. There isn’t too much to be concerned over, unless you plan on throwing your legal tracks on file-sharing networks.
I’m still a big fan of purchasing my own music, ripping it the way I like, and not having my user information embedded. I guess you could call me old school.
Source: Engadget
CBS Buys Last.fm For $280 Million
While early rumors had Viacom preparing to purchase UK-based internet radio site Last.fm for $450 million, it looks like the CBS corporation has snatched up last.fm for the bargain price of $280 million. (If you’re scratching your head, yes, CBS used to be part of Viacom, but the two split up last year).
Please CBS, do not screw Last.fm up. It’s one of the few web services I actually use on a regular basis. I have discovered so much new music through it, it’s an invaluable tool as far as I am concerned. Congrats to the new millionaires ;-)
Source: Download Squad
Google Maps Street Level View Opens Security Risks
I’m all for mapping, but this feature literally gives me the shakes. I feel like I need to close all my curtains now. I’m going to look into whether it’s possible for a person to have pictures of their home removed from Google Maps. Meanwhile, I’m happy to show bb readers the photo in the interest of illustrating creepy privacy violations. Heck, the whole world can see him anyway.
I’ll be the first to admit that this is a great feature that has serious drawbacks. In the image provided by the Boing Boing visitor, you can clearly see in his window and even see what kind of cat he has.
While Street View could prove to be an undeniably useful tool, these security risks outweigh the benefits. Street View will no doubt be useful to dishonest people, as the detail is incredible. You are essentially walking down a virtual street without people looking over your shoulders. Great way to conjure up an evil plan without attracting attention.
Source: Boing Boing
Guitar Hero III Hands-on
IGN takes a first-hand look at the upcoming Guitar Hero game (yes there is one already on the horizon) and it looks good. It utilizes a new guitar peripheral as well.
Neversoft’s driving philosophy behind Guitar Hero III is a simple one: Give the fans what they want. That means the development team won’t rock the boat too hard, staying true to the gameplay first laid out by Harmonix. But it also means that more of the songs and features we’ve all been clamoring for will finally make it in.
I admit it, I have never touched a Guitar Hero game, but my interest is becoming increasingly piqued.
Source: IGN PS3
iPhone To Get Third Party Apps
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There has been recent speculation surfacing around the iPhone in regards to third party apps, and Steve Jobs made a very interesting comment regarding it.
“This is an important tradeoff between security and openness. We want both. … we’ll find a way to let 3rd parties write apps and still preserve security on the iPhone. But until we find that way we can’t compromise the security of the phone. … I’ve used 3rd party apps… the more you add, the more your phone crashes.”
So it looks as though that once third-party apps can be produced without compromising security, then we will see them surface. The iPhone is looking ever better, but I still gripe about the forced provider.
Source: Engadget
Firefox Updated to 2.0.0.4
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The expected 2.0.0.4 release hits today, and if you are a Firefox user, you likely already received a prompt if you have the auto-updater enabled. This release adds no major features, but fixes many security bugs and also adds better Windows Vista support. Afrikaans and Belarusian languages have also been added.
There are still many known bugs that have not been ironed out yet, as you can read in the release notes.
Source: Mozilla.com
Why Every Good Domain Name Is Taken
Think of a name, any name, and it’s probably already registered as a .com domain. Most sites blocking your path to a memorable and descriptive names are owned by domain squatters, businesses buying domain names in bulk and running targeted advertisements from Google and Yahoo!
Ahh, Kevin Ham. So many people hate him, and it’s no surprise why. He squats thousands of domains, taking them from those who want to actually develop a website, and makes thousands off each one per year. Kevin Ham is certainly not the only one to do this, but he’s the most successful.
Source: Niall Kennedy Blog
Hackers Release Firmware To Bypass Xbox 360 Ban Checks
The latest shots in the Microsoft vs. Xbox 360 console hacker war have been fired, and this time it’s Microsoft who took one in the chest. After banning a bunch of Xbox 360s with modded firmware DVD drives earlier this month, the company’s ban checks have just been defeated by a new version of the DVD firmware.
This is one hack I’d rather not see. Burned games is one thing, but cheaters in online games is depressing to all those legit players. Nothing sucks the fun out of a game quicker than getting killed repeatedly by an obvious cheater.
Source: Gizmodo
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates At D 2007
We kind of never thought we’d see the day where Mac and PC voluntarily shared the stage on neutral ground, but that day is today. Very soon Bill Gates and Steve Jobs — both pioneering execs that need absolutely no introduction — will sit up in front of the audience here at D and discuss god knows what. Don’t miss this, people, who knows if this will happen again in any of our lifetimes. You’ll know when we get started.
For those of you who were anticipating this live discussion, you will be happy to know that Engadget has written a large article discussing everything that happened, as well as providing a video. What a milestone!
Source: Engadget
eBay Pays $75 Million for StumbleUpon
According to the press release, the acquisition gives eBay exposure to StumbleUpon’s growing community of over 2 million users. Still seems like an awkward match to us. In recent years, eBay purchased PayPal, but that was a no-brainer, and Skype, which has an obvious commercial aspect.
What new networking site isn’t bound to get picked up by a large company? $75 million is a lot of money and regardless of what eBay plans to do with the site, the previous owners are likely pretty pleased.
Source: Download Squad
Better Than Google? This Creator Thinks So
A Melbourne man has high-hopes with his latest venture, which he claims could take on the likes of Google. It’s called “MyLiveSearch”, where the “Live” is a key word.
MyLiveSearch is fundamentally different. It works through a small browser plug-in. The search terms are put through Google, or other indexed search databases, but those results are treated as “starting points” alongside the user’s bookmarks and other popular web hubs.
Thanks to this technology, your search results should show potential updates from the current day, not the day prior. It sounds good, but it will be difficult to pull off thanks to the fact that it relies on browser plugins. It would not be surprising to see security issues arise as well, thanks to that plug-in functionality. I’m always up for seeing a “Google-killer” though. We won’t be seeing MyLiveSearch for a few more weeks, however.
Apple Launches iTunes Plus and iTunes U
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Apple has just launched their upgraded iTunes store with DRM-free music. As expected, each DRM-free song will cost $1.29 per, which makes the premium a $0.30 charge.
CUPERTINO, Calif., May 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today launched iTunes(R) Plus — DRM-free music tracks featuring high quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the
original recordings — for just $1.29 per song.
For those of you who feel left out because you already bought DRM ridden songs, you are in luck. One of the new built-in features is the ability to upgrade all of the songs you’ve purchased before, with DRM-free versions. Apple notes that this feature will cost $0.30 per song and up to $3.00 for most full albums.
I want to like iTunes, but the fact that you cannot download 320Kbps versions of the songs makes me cringe. While this doesn’t matter to most people, I am meticulous with music and rip everything I own to FLAC. For $15+ for a DRM-free album, the highest possible bitrate would have been nice, at least as an option.
In addition to iTunes Plus, Apple also launched iTunes U, which features free content for those looking for educational content, especially college goers.
CUPERTINO, Calif., May 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today announced the launch of iTunes(R) U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.
The biggest announcement is the DRM-free songs however, although it is currently focused on just EMI’s catalog. This is an amazing start though.
Source: Apple Press Releases
Microsoft Surface Revealed
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Just when people were beginning to wonder whether or not Microsoft had any creativity left, they introduce an amazing new touch surface, appropriately called Surface.
The launch of Microsoft Surface marks the beginning of a new technology category and a user-interface revolution. Surface, Microsoft’s first surface computer, provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural hand gestures, touch and physical objects. Surface computing breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology, changing the way people interact with all kinds of everyday information — from photos to maps to menus.
In order to fully understand what Surface is capable of, you need to watch the videos on the official site. Some of the demos were just difficult to wrap my head around. One of the more interesting examples was where two Zunes were sitting on the table, and each owner was dragging and dropping music to each others player.
Another took place in a restaurant setting, where two patrons split the bill by dragging and dropping the various items they ordered to the respective credit cards. There were other examples as well, but those two I found to be of most interest.
This is as science fiction has a new product can get, and it’s almost difficult to believe some of the examples they gave. It will probably be a while before we see all of the examples become a reality, but this is definitely one of the coolest products to come out of Redmond for a while. Of course no mention of price yet, so don’t jump for joy just yet.
Source: Microsoft Surface Press Pass
Prince of Persia Classic Hands-On
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What do you mean you’ve never played the original Prince of Persia? Are you crazy? All of the PoP releases have been great, but the original was simply amazing.
In June, Ubisoft releases Prince of Persia Classic, which follows the level design of the original Apple II POP exactly, but updates the graphics to be on par with Sands of Time.
Do yourself a favor and check out the videos posted here. 2D fun with great graphics, what more could you want? Kudos to Ubisoft for not only bringing the game to XBL, but also for making it look so freaking pretty.
Source: IGN Xbox 360
The Secrets of Firefox and About:Config
The closest analogy to how Firefox manages its internal settings is the Windows Registry. Each setting, or preference, is given a name and stored as a string (text), integer (number) or Boolean (true/false) value. However, Firefox doesn’t keep its settings in the registry, but in a file called prefs.js. You can edit prefs.js directly, but it’s often easier to change the settings through the browser window.
If you’ve never edited your Firefox via about:config, then you have no idea what you are missing out on. Not that there is anything life-changing in there, but some of the most simple option changes can make a big difference in your surfing experience.
Source: Computer World