Microsoft's mysterious device
28 February '06 - 21:08. Category: default
Microsoft's mysterious portable device is becoming less mysterious by the hour; rumors are that this device is indeed a portable multi-function wireless tablet.
Nokia, meanwhile, recently began shipping a handheld wireless Web tablet that runs a full Linux OS. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, which has a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 pixel touch-screen.
an ipod killer
28 February '06 - 20:59. Category: default
Microsoft is cooking up a new digital device that apparently inadvertently appeared on a website last week. The software company acknowledged that a version of a new hand-held PC device was featured in a video on the Web site of a marketing firm
Digital Kitchen.
Microsoft started to generate buzz about the device when the Web site www.origamiproject.com registered to the company touted an unknown product with cryptic messages like "do you know me?" and "do you know what I can do?"
The mystery device may be a multi-media tablet PC that allows users to write with a digital pen to input text on handwriting recognition software. It is rumored to be about the size of a oversized post-card. Based on the speculative specs, it's doubtful that this device is intended or will be capable of competing with the ipod.
the operation of the Internet
28 February '06 - 20:08. Category: default
I hadn't imagined that the operation of the Internet might change hands soon, but, with very little fanfare, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it is beginning a preliminary stage of exploring options for handing over functions for the operation of the Internet domain name and addressing system.
Despite the tentative sounding annoucement, this is pretty interesting and potentially significant news.
At present, the Commerce Department is seeking "market research" from potential sources who may be able to perform administrative functions associated with Internet Protocol root management for the Internet domain name and addressing system (i.e. IANA functions, for those who follow ICANN).
more here.
E-books again?
21 February '06 - 20:30. Category: default
"...a 58-year-old lawyer in California, is halfway through Ken Follett's novel Jackdaws. But he doesn't bother carrying around the book itself. Instead, he has a digital version of Follett he reads on his Palm Treo..." You might say here we go again, but
Business Week seems convinced that e-books will actually take off following this current round of hype... I like the idea of e-books, but the technology and business models have not delivered on the promise or hype so far.
From Podcasting to birdwatching
08 February '06 - 21:16. Category: default
When was the last time a group of Internet users famously proclaimed "We don't steal music and you shouldn't either?"
This time a California company, Pioneers of the Inevitable, is seeking to preserve innovation and choice on the Internet by offering an open source solution for digital music listening. The software is called
Songbird, and Songbird can play all the popular music formats including MPEG Audio (mpga), MPEG Layer 3 (mp3), MP4 Audio (mp4a), Ogg Vorbis, Speex, AAC, and WMA.
Songbird can view Web pages as dynamic playlists that it can play, save, or automatically download.
Songbird has all the features you expect in a desktop media player. Web page authors will be able to publish playlists and transfer MP3s into Songbird to build digital music stores.
Clearing the forest of the Treos
08 February '06 - 20:36. Category: default
The Treo 700w is the first smartphone that combines the ease of use features found in most Palm PDAs with the Microsoft mobile device operating system, Windows Mobile 5.
The 700w offers broadband speed, wireless email, web access, and cell phone capabilities in one device. Although the Treo 700w arrived on store shelves less a couple of weeks ago, already leaks are beginning to dribble out from Palm about the Treo 700p, which is expected to be quite like the 700w except it won't run on Windows WM 5. Instead, the 700p will run on Palm's existing operating system and will probably be a relatively minor upgrade of the Palm-based Treo 650.
Even if the new Treo is minor upgrade, folks will still run out to buy the Treo 700p. The fact that the Treo 700p will carry broadband service provides an easy reason to step up from the Treo 600/650. But, will Palm produce more Treos beyond the 700p? No. I doubt that Palm wants to adopt a business model that would put the company at war with itself. The 700w has already cannibalised sales of the Palm-based Treo, and that trend is likely to continue. While loyal fans of Palm-based PDAs may anticipate a comeback as rumors of the 700p become reality, the life of the Palm Treo is going to be short-lived.