[WEB2] Politicos to revisit crackdown on U.S. firms in 'Internet-restricting' countries
[WEB2] Dell and the end of religion
Dell 1.0 was a religious company. I suppose you could refer to it instead as merely an intense focus on low costs in all matters of its operations, but it really went deeper than that. Low cost was an article of faith that was the deep guiding principle underlying essentially everything that the company did. Dell didn't merely tilt toward a streamlined supply chain and lean R&D, they were a fundamental part of what it was as a company. This is not a pedantic distinction. Focus can be adjuste...
[WEB2] Hands-on review: Rhapsody on TiVo
(Credit: CNET Networks) A few weeks ago, TiVo announced that the subscription music service Rhapsody is now available on Series2, Series3, and TiVo HD boxes. As a Rhapsody subscriber and owner of a TiVo Series2 box, this was pretty exciting. For me, being able to browse Rhapsody's entire music library (million of tracks) from my living room is, in many ways, more exciting than being able to access purchased songs from iTunes, which is one of the main features of the much-hyped Apple TV. (Sono...
[WEB2] Thumbplay: Unlimited storage now, Facebook apps coming soon
Thumbplay, a sales hub for mobile ringtones, videos, and games, will announce tomorrow at the CTIA conference in San Francisco, California, that it has also become a free database for user-generated content. Account-holders can upload and store media from either their cell phone or computer to their Thumbplay "locker." From there, they can send images and clips to friends via SMS or e-mail. Users can also download content from fellow Thumplay members for free, and grab code to affix the ...
[WEB2] Hot deal: National Geographic National Park topo CD-ROMs for $2 each
National Parks topo mapping(Credit: National Geographic TrailSmart) You're a dedicated digital professional of some kind, shackled to your desk all week. But you're a fearless explorer of the natural world on your days off. When you get ready for your next overland adventure, you can plan your route down the Shenandoah River or up Mount Everest with pens, highlighters and a large collection of topographical maps unfolded over every available surface--or you can use one little CD-ROM from Na...
[WEB2] NBC Universal confirms end of YouTube deal
The shaky relationship between NBC Universal and YouTube has collapsed once again, as an NBC representative confirmed on Monday that the network has decided to stop posting promotional clips on the video-sharing site. According to the representative, NBC Universal pulled out of the deal on Friday to support the upcoming launch of Hulu.com, the Internet video service founded by NBC and News Corp. that could compete for eyeballs with Google's YouTube. A test version of Hulu, which will stream...
[WEB2] Does new iPhone ad pass the sniff test?
Life is good at Apple these days. Around 1.39 million iPhones sold. Soaring earnings. A new OS on the way. The Mac is gaining ground on the rest of the PC industry. The company can do no wrong. But that hasn't stopped a handful of critics from getting upset over one of the new iPhone ads currently running on a TV screen near you. The ad in question is "Delay," which depicts an alleged airline pilot, Bryce, talking about how he used his iPhone's weather.com app to help avoid a major delay. The...
[WEB2] Griffin's Evolve: Wireless iPod speakers that are... actually wireless
Could it be: wireless speakers that live up to the name?(Credit: Griffin Technology)There are a lot of dubious claims in the world of consumer electronics. Some of my favorites are "DVD-quality video" and "CD-quality sound" (for digital media that is often anything but) and the always classic "installs in just minutes." But one of the biggest truth-benders in recent years has been "wireless speakers." As resident blogger Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg recently pointed out, many so-called wi...
[WEB2] More to Mac sales than a halo
It's very easy to take a look at Apple's stellar fourth quarter and conclude that the long-awaited iPod "halo effect" is in full swing and move onto something more pressing, like handicapping the World Series. Are Mac sales really soaring simply because people like iPods?(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks) For years as the iPod took over the digital music player market, we all wondered whether it was a one-hit wonder, whether Apple could translate that success into increased Mac market sh...
[WEB2] Microsoft's phone talk is all business
Well, It doesn't appear that Microsoft will be taking direct aim at the iPhone on Tuesday. Rather, the software maker is playing to its strengths, announcing a new piece of server software to help businesses manage a company's worth of smartphones. That doesn't mean Microsoft isn't interested in say, adding a full Web browser into Windows Mobile, according to Scott Horn, a general manager in Microsoft's mobile device unit. "Do I see a path where we are going to have a phenomenal brows...
[WEB2] San Francisco's Wi-Fi dream lives on
Citywide Wi-Fi is not dead in San Francisco. At least that's what the city's chief information officer Chris Vein said Monday at a panel at the MuniWireless conference in Santa Clara, Calif. Vein told attendees at the conference that the city is simply "taking a deep breath" while it figures out its next step. "Nothing has changed in terms of our strategy," he said. "A lot has happened in the last three years, so we are at the stage now where we're listening and learning to figure out...
[WEB2] TasteBook kicks homemade recipe books up a notch
Kristina Nielsen has a growing collection of recipes, culled from friends, family members, magazines, books, Web sites and the occasional food package label. She keeps some of them in a binder and some loosely shoved in a drawer; some are neatly printed, some hastily scribbled on notes. Others live online in her recipe boxes on various sites. Together they represent the culmination of the 10 years she's spent learning how to cook new dishes. Now, a company called TasteBook wants to take Kristina...
[WEB2] StumbleUpon gets into Google (and Wikipedia and Yahoo and Flickr...)
StumbleUpon, a fun Web discovery service, is getting a new feature, SearchReviews, that will take it beyond its historic role of hyperefficient time-waster. It could make it an integral part of the day-to-day browsing experience. SearchReviews pushes StumbleUpon ratings and other information into the search results pages on major search engines and content sites like Wikipedia, Google Reader, Flickr, and YouTube. Users who run the StumbleUpon toolbar will now see little icons after...
[WEB2] Making safety invisible
Maker Faire safety officer Joseph Pred talking to Star Wheel creator Paul daPlumber about any safety issues that might come up with the bicycle-technology-powered carnival ride.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks) AUSTIN, TEXAS--Joseph Pred is carefully eyeing the giant rolling ferris-wheel-like carnival ride as it begins to head down the first hill it has encountered since being built three years ago. Known as the Star Wheel, the bicycle-technology-powered ride is glorious fun. But sin...
[WEB2] The undead take Manhattan at Zombiecon '07
What is a zombie, anyway? Is it a childhood nightmare, a modernized niche of folklore, a box-office-tested horror film staple, an ironic riff on American consumerism, or simply an undead corpse hungry for fresh human brains? Maybe it's all of the above. On Saturday at noon, somewhere around 200 zombies assembled at a bar in midtown Manhattan and proceeded to terrorize the city well into the night. This was Zombiecon 2007, the third annual edition of the pre-Halloween flash mob, and the...
[WEB2] Airstream trailer serves eco-nomads
The Eco-Earth Yacht displays wind turbines and solar panels. This classic Airstream trailer outfitted with off-the-grid features got people thinking back to the future at the 18th Bioneers conference this weekend. The sustainability convention in San Rafael, Cal., brings together "bio-pioneers" including scientists, artists, clean tech investors and nonprofit activists. The 22-foot Safari model, circa 1958, incorporates a composting toilet, wind turbine and solar panels. It has bamboo floo...
[WEB2] MySpace original series 'Roommates' debuts Monday
MySpace.com is testing out the director's chair with a new Web-based series, Roommates, which debuts Monday at 1 p.m. PDT. Through December 21, a new three-minute episode of the show will be available each weekday on the MySpaceTV portal and through the Roommates profile page. When college ends, the real party begins? Can somebody make sure my boss knows that?The series, co-created by MySpace and new-media production studio Iron Sink Productions, marks the first time that the News Corp.-owne...
[WEB2] HelioVolt raises more cash
HelioVolt, which specializes in copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells, has raised $24 million more, bringing the total injected into the company to over $100 million. The latest investors include Sequel Venture Partners, Noventi Ventures, and Passport Capital. CIGS solar cells are not as efficient as crystalline silicon solar cells, the dominant type of cell on the market. HelioVolt's first cells will likely have an efficiency rating of 10 percent to 12 percent, meaning that they...
[WEB2] More than 100 times faster than WiFi?
Radio scientists at IBM Research and MediaTek are teaming up to develop a wireless transmission protocol that will deliver files more than 100 times faster than WiFi. The idea is to take advantage of the 60GHz spectrum, according to Mehmet Soyuer, the lead researcher on the project, whose based in IBM's TJ Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. These chips will be able to transfer files at around 2.5 gigabits per second, compared to the 11 to 54 megabits of WiFi. Hence the 100x...
[WEB2] Pleo will change the toy game
AUSTIN, Texas--Every so often, a product comes along that just changes the game. The iPhone. The Segway. The Roomba. Get ready to add the Pleo to that list. A row of five prototype Pleos at the Maker Faire in Austin, Texas on October 19, 2007. These Pleos are not final production models, though they are very close.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks) The animatronic dinosaur Pleo is hotly anticipated to hit the market next year and it's already possible to pre-order one for $349. W...