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Music Sales On the Decline
In a dramatic acceleration of the seven-year sales decline that has battered the music industry, compact-disc sales for the first three months of this year plunged 20% from a year earlier, the latest sign of the seismic shift in the way consumers acquire music. The sharp slide in sales of CDs, which still account for more than 85% of music sold, has far eclipsed the growth in sales of digital downloads, which were supposed to have been the industry’s salvation.
Now the RIAA has something to be proud of! They have screwed so many people over, that there is now a noticeable decline in sales.. and 20% is -not- a small deal. It’s not rocket science… they are only hurting themselves. It’s stories like I related the other day that put a solid reason behind the decline.
Source: Wall Street Journal
FFXIII PS3 Exclusivity Under Discussion
One more platform-exclusive title may be going multiplatform, it has been revealed. The latest news appears to be that Square Enix’s latest epic role-playing game, Final Fantasy XIII, may follow other titles–including Saints Row, Assassin’s Creed, and Devil May Cry 4–that have now been announced as appearing on at least one other platform as well.
Please bring this series multi-platform! I didn’t play any FF game on the PS2 simply because I never owned one. I instead owned an Xbox which I had far more fun with. Exclusives can be a good thing, but I’d like to see FF offered elsewhere as well.
Source: Game Spot
News Corp To Create YouTube Clone
As if we need another one…
News Corp. and NBC have announced a deal to create a new video distribution site, dubbed the “YouTube killer” by many. The companies have also formed partnerships with a number of big players, including Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Time Warner/AOL to supply content and provide distribution channels. The service, which currently does not have a name, will launch this summer with a number of TV shows and movie content.
Despite this not sounding too interesting, it could be surprising if done right. It will offer up a lot of popular shows, including 24 and Simpsons and not cost consumers a dime. Instead, it will be ad-supported, so it’s a waiting game to see how intense that scheme will be.
Source: Ars Technica
Surprise, Microsoft Listed as Most Secure OS
Microsoft is frequently dinged for having insecure products, with security holes and vulnerabilities. But Symantec, no friend of Microsoft, said in its latest research report that when it comes to widely-used operating systems, Microsoft is doing better overall than its leading commercial competitors.
All of this information is based on the amount of patches each OS had and the actual patch development time. This does come as a surprise, but not at the same time. It’s Microsofts issues everyone will hear about… not the other OS’ on the market.
Source: Internet News
Oracle Sues SAP
SAP has stolen thousands of proprietary, copyrighted software products and other confidential materials that Oracle developed to service its own support customers. SAP gained repeated and unauthorized access, in many cases by use of pretextual customer log-in credentials, to Oracle’s proprietary, password-protected customer support website.
I don’t understand where the software products come in, but SAP gained access to the support site and took the info. Not a smart move.
Source: Slashdot
The Bots Are In Full Force
The weekly tally of bot-infected PCs tracked by the group rose to nearly 1.2 million this week, up from less than 400,000 infected machines two weeks ago. The surge reversed a sudden drop in infected systems–from 500,000 to less than 400,000–last December.
Over a million! Between December 2006 and March 2007, Security Focus claims that the bot count never rose above 600K. 1.2 million is insane.
Source: Security Focus
CeBit 2007 Coverage – Part 6
The updates for CeBit are still flowing in… but slowly. techPowerUp! has a slew of new content including looks at A-Data, ASUS, CoolIT, Origen AE, In Win, Hiper, eVGA & Innovatec and lastly, the girls! OC Inside and Technic 3D both have huge roundups as well.
Intel Aligns New Technologies To Enhance PC Network Management Capabilities
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 19, 2007 – Intel Corporation will make managing business PC networks less costly and simpler by aligning Intel(R) vPro(TM) technology with the newly released versions of Microsoft* System Center* management solutions and incorporating new PC management standards.
Source: Intel Press Release
Sirius CEO Makes Plea to Senators
So how does a CEO placate a room of hostile senators? If you’re Karmazin, you start by suggesting that all of you are simply neighbors. You also remind them that your combined company creates a lot of jobs. “I should point out that XM has the largest digital radio facility of its kind in the country and is headquartered right here in Washington where the combined company will continue to have a significant presence,” he told the committee at the beginning of his testimony.
The CEO vows to not raise prices after a merger, but it’s hard to have that much confidence. However, I believe a merger could actually be a good thing, since both sets of customers would be able to listen to more content. It’s still a tough issue regardless.
Source: Ars Technica
RIAA In Lose/Lose Situation
The case of Elektra v. Santangelo has been one of the more closely followed cases in the RIAA’s crusade against suspected file sharers, due in no small part to the aggressiveness of Patti Santangelo’s defense. Ray Beckerman is reporting that Judge Colleen McMahon has denied the RIAA’s motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, ruling that the case must either proceed to trial or be dismissed with prejudice.
I was close to spraining my face by smiling too hard when I read this. It’s about time, and I hope this type of thing continues. No doubt the courts are even tired of handling these foolish cases.
Source: Ars Technica
How I Became A Music Pirate
A little later that evening, I tried to move the .WMA files into iTunes, when I received an error message telling me that iTunes could not import them because they were copy protected. I downloaded the files again (which took another 12 minutes) and again, the same message.
You can see where this story is going, and it’s a perfect example of how the music industry is pushing people towards illegal downloading. I don’t use an iPod like player, and certainly never purchase music online, so I never run into this problem. Buying the CD and ripping it yourself beats any other solution out there. But, for the millions of people unlike me, legally purchasing music is becoming more of a job than a joy.
Source: Consumerist
Microsoft probes possible Xbox Live fraud
The investigation comes after gamers reported having their Xbox Live accounts hijacked and their credit cards used to buy “Microsoft Points,” the virtual currency on Xbox Live, which has more than 6 million users. “Recently, there have been reports of fraudulent activity and account theft taking place on the Xbox Live network,” a Microsoft representative said in a statement provided to CNET News.com. “Security is a top priority for Xbox Live, and we are actively investigating all reports of fraudulent behavior and theft.”
This is something that should be taken seriously by all players, despite Microsoft being on the case. It appears that the hackings have occurred after these players met disgruntled beings online, who threatened to hack their account. If you find yourself in that situation, it’s probably best to get the heck out of there, quick.
Source: News.com
Top 7 PR Disasters In Gaming
In the videogame industry, few jobs outside of the actual production of games are as vital as those of public-relations personnel. Standing between the public and busy developers, it’s their job to make sure that information trickles out to the press and that a game’s intended audience is good and hyped for it by the time it hits stores. But things don’t always go as planned, and whether it’s the fault of bad marketing, overzealous developers or just piss-poor self-representation, things sometimes spiral out of their control.
Some of the disasters you will remember right away, but others you may not have even heard of. Who doesn’t remember Daikatana, or Acclaims cheap PR ploys?
Source: Games Radar
KDE 4.0 Release Schedule Finalized
The KDE Community and the release team have put together a release plan for the long anticipated version 4.0, which is planned to be released in October 2007. KDE 4.0 will be a major milestone for the Free Desktop, as it offers a new foundation and set of frameworks that will shape the desktop user experience for years to come.
We posted last week about the schedule, but now everything is finalized, with the freeze happening on April 1. The first beta will hit on June 25, with subsequent betas each month up until final release in October.
Source: KDE Dot
MemJet Printer Capable of One Picture Per Second
New inkjet printer technology that analysts believe will revolutionize the imaging industry was unveiled today by secretive Silverbrook Research. The company has released astounding videos of desktop, photo and wide-format printers that print pages and photos 5 to 10 times faster than products from current printer market leaders HP, Canon, Epson and Lexmark.
It’s hard to watch the accompanying video without being completely skeptical. The printer spits out photolab quality pictures at a rate of one per second, and is set to retail for $200? Insane if it happens.
Source: Texyt
Inside the Windows Vista Kernel: Part 3
This series has so far covered Windows Vista kernel enhancements related to processes, I/O, memory management, system startup, shutdown, and power management. In this third and final installment, I take a look at features and improvements in the areas of reliability, recovery, and security.
If you are a Windows developer and have been following Mark Russinovich up to now, then don’t miss the final installment. By the sounds of things, he has more articles up his sleeve for the future.
Source: Microsoft Technet
Intel Releases Energy Star Implementation Guidelines
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 19, 2007 – Intel Corporation announced today that it has released a new implementation guide, developed in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that helps PC manufacturers and system integrators deliver ENERGY STAR*-qualified PCs based on Intel microprocessors and other system components.
Source: Intel Press Release
Adobe Says No Way To Vista
Adobe says you’ll have to upgrade to new versions of popular (and really expensive) software like Photoshop, InDesign and DreamWeaver if you want them to run well under Windows Vista. Current versions of many Adobe products won’t run flawlessly under Windows Vista, this announcement only confirms that they never will.
I’ve used Photoshop CS3 (beta) for a while under Vista and was not entirely impressed with it’s performance. I’m hoping that the retail version will at least have fixes to improve overall performance, or else people are not going to be pleased. With tools like Photoshop and InDesign, computers can get bogged down enough as is. This is one more reason to not upgrade to Vista, unless you are willing to take your chances.
Source: Download Squad
Sirius and XM Slapped With Patent Infringement Suit
This week, Austin, Texas-based company Keystone Autonics filed a patent infringement suit against both Sirius and XM, claiming that technology used by both companies is being taken directly from patents that belong to Keystone Autonics. The patent in question was awarded to George Hindman of Keystone Autonics just back in January of this year.
Things are not fun for either company at the moment. I don’t understand how this patent was just filed in January though. Both XM and Sirius have been around for a while… why didn’t one of them own a patent similar to this already? Not surprisingly, the RIAA are down their necks for obvious reasons as well.
Source: Daily Tech
Will It Blend? – Novell Edition
Most are probably familiar with the Will It Blend? website, where Tom Dickson takes ordinary objects and puts them to the test. He’s blended iPods, dolls, glow sticks, pens and even golf balls. But here is a new one. Novell brought in Tom to help demonstrate their benefits of their BrainShare conference.
So what goes into the blender? Figurines, red bull, SUSE Linux lizard plush toy, thumb drive and more. Even if you don’t care what BrainShare is, it’s a good watch.
Source: Reverend Ted
Black Xbox 360 with HDMI coming?
The April issue of Game Informer, by way of Kotaku, adds further backing to such speculation with an image of a black Xbox 360 said to include a 120GB HDD, matching black accessories, HDMI output and HDMI cable for approximately $479.
I admit.. I want one. I just need a TV that supports HDMI first. I love the black look, but I am not sure I am completely gung ho on the fact that the rom drive slot cover is still silver. The picture included is not that flattering though, so maybe seeing it in person I’d change my mind.
Source: Daily Tech
Big Mistake: Wiping Out Data Worth $38B
Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing information for an account worth $38 billion (€29 billion). That is what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account.
If that wasn’t enough, even the backup drive was formatted! Then bad luck persisted, as their backup tape drives were also unreadable. Even still, most would at least verify that their backups are in good order before relying on them.
Source: Herald Tribune
Upgrading to Vista: The Gotchas and the Good News
Things are very different with Windows Vista. Microsoft deserves praise for the work it has done on Vista’s installation program. It works much better than any of its predecessors, and for several reasons. That change brings about a whole different set of good news and gotchas when considering your Windows Vista upgrade strategy.
This article discusses a lot of the facts that people already know, but the author highly stresses checking with the Upgrade Adviser from Microsoft before upgrading, to make sure you won’t be regretting it later.
Source: Computer World
Why Games Cost $60
That beefed-up price tag–which also applies to games for Microsoft’s Xbox 360–is a 20% increase over games for earlier consoles. That’s because the game business increasingly parallels Hollywood: Each new game is a costly bet–many now cost north of $20 million to produce–that can pay off big or cost a company its quarterly earnings goal.
I might be in the minority, but I haven’t really found games to be getting more expensive. I remember clearly paying $70 Canadian for Super Mario Brothers 3 on the NES. With that in mind… there are obvious new production costs with newer games, so $60 doesn’t seem that insane to me. Of course, the real value would depend on whether or not the game is actually any good…
Source: Forbes
CeBit 2007 Coverage – Part 5
The CeBit content continues to pour in. techPowerUp has exploded with new articles including looks at Soundgraph, Razer, Zotac, Point of View, Zalman, Forsa, Biostar, Sharkoon and 3R System.
Legit Reviews has a look at something you’d never expect to come out of OCZ… a neural impulse actuator. I am not sure what’s more impressive, the product or the model showing it off.
Madshrimps has a huge article taking a look at their CeBit adventures thus far. They take a look at abits insane cooling setup, Albatrons line-up, Antecs new offerings, CoolITs products and much, much more.