Published by Jeff August 30th, 2007
in Tech News.
Apple Inc shares rose more than 5 percent on Wednesday on growing expectations that the company will announce a revamped line of iPods next week. Technology news Web sites have speculated that Apple could launch a new video iPod with a large touch screen similar to the iPhone, and a redesigned iPod nano in time for the end-of-year holiday shopping season.
Others also suggested that Apple may announce a deal for its iTunes online music store to sell albums from the Beatles, the last and biggest digital music hold-out. Apple has also distributed invitations to a September 5 event in San Francisco, but did not say what it would be about.
“The product announcement is likely to include a full line-up of revamped iPods with significantly greater functionality at current price points, including the much-anticipated full-screen video iPod,” Goldman Sachs said in a note, urging investors to buy Apple shares. Goldman said September 5 would bring “the almost certain launch of a new family of iPods” ahead of the holiday season, which accounts for the biggest chunk of sales for that part of Apple’s business.
News source: Reuters
Published by Jeff July 10th, 2007
in Tech News.
O2 is on the verge of wrapping up a deal to exclusively sell the Apple iPhone in the UK with a view to launching the iPod-based handset by Christmas. A number of Europe’s largest operators have been linked with a deal to sell the iPhone in Europe over recent weeks. It is understood that formal deals are now imminent and that O2 is about to sign a contract to sell the handset in the UK. Rumor has it that T-Mobile, Germany’s largest operator, will sell the iPhone exclusively in Germany, while Orange, France’s largest mobile phone company, has won the race in France.
The iPhone is due to launch across those territories in November. There has yet to be official confirmation of any deals and a spokesman for the UK’s largest mobile operator said: “O2 has not signed a deal with Apple.” None of the mobile phone operators would comment on the process given the complexity of negotiations with Apple.
Competition among mobile phone operators for a deal with Apple has been fierce, with the iPod maker understood to have driven a hard bargain. One source said that securing the most talked about handset of all time on an exclusive basis and making the economics work had proved a tough balancing act.
News source: Independant
Published by Jeff July 10th, 2007
in Tech News.
After being acquired by Google a month ago, RSS provider FeedBurner plans to make its premium news feed management services available to publishers at no extra charge (manual activation will be necessary).
FeedBurner’s Stats PRO and MyBrand services were previously available for an additional monthly fee of $5. Stats PRO includes tools to allow users to more effectively track stats on feeds, such as ad metrics and a list of sites publishing the feed. MyBrand allows users to attach their own URL to a feed which is being served by FeedBurner. The original charge for the service ranged from $3 to $14, depending on the number of feeds.
Like its parent company, FeedBurner will now rely on ad sales for revenue. Increasing ad sales had been a constant theme for both companies when the acquisition was announced. Susan Wojcicki, vice president of product management at Google, said at the time of the acquisition that the search giant “constantly aims to give AdWords advertisers broader distribution to an even wider audience of users”.
News Source: Vnunet
Published by Jeff July 10th, 2007
in Tech News.
A group of scientists working together with the Institute of Optics and Optical Technologies at the Technical University of Berlin claim to have discovered a way to store 500GB worth of data on DVD-sized discs. The scientists are members of the Microholas Project, coordinated by Dr. Susanna Orlic, which plans to double the storage capacity to 1TB by 2010.
The Project aims to implement a microholographic recording techniques which record data to nanostructures in the recording process. By combining multilayer storage and holographic multiplexing, “microholography” allows data to be stored in three dimensions. The technology works by replacing the two-dimensional pit-land structures currently found on CDs and DVDs with microgratings, which are “holographically induced” using two laser beams. In other words, instead of recording to a series of bumps and pits like standard CDs, the new technology creates three-dimensional holographic grids that can be used for reading and writing data throughout the physical structure of the disc.
News Source: Ars Technica
Published by Jeff June 12th, 2007
in Tech News.
When OS X 10.5: Leopard debuts in October, it will feature a redesigned Desktop and new Finder. Those new features were among the changes Steve Jobs introduced during a preview of the forthcoming OS X update code-named Leopard during his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote speech Tuesday.
Originally slated for a spring 2007 release, OS X 10.5 is now slated for release in October. It will cost $129, Jobs told WWDC attendees. The finished version of Leopard includes 300 new and enhanced features; Jobs previewed 10 during his Tuesday keynote.
The redesigned Desktop does away with the blue background familiar to OS X 10.4 users. Instead, Jobs said, the Desktop has been redesigned to better accommodate the digital photos that most Mac users employ as the background image on their Desktops. With Leopard, the Menu Bar will be transparent and the Dock will be more three-dimensional. But more significantly, the redesigned Desktop in Leopard introduces Stacks—a collection of folders that reside in the desktop. Apple sees Stacks as a way to clean up Desktop clutter. Files are collected in the Stacks for rapid access; click on the Stacks icon and the Dock and the files and folders fan out or appear in a grid. Clicking on one of those icons instantly launches the relevant app.
News Source: PC World
