Thursday, July 31, 2003
Top Stories
Pictures And Sound
With the iTunes Music Store a proven success, Apple should consider going Hollywood.
News
UK Outlaws iPod FM Device
Use of Griffin Technology's iTrip device has been prohibited by the UK authorities, reports AM Micro.
Best-Kept Secret Dept.
There is nothing secret about ZeroConf (for Zero Configuration), an initiative begun in 1999. But few Windows users are aware that Apple has initiated its use, with a scheme called Rendezvous.
Free Marble Blast Game Offered To .Mac Members
"Race marbles along moving platforms, dodging hazards while collecting sparkling treasures and power-up enhancements to cut seconds off your racing time."
The Musical Tempest In A Digital Teapot
Analysts are starting to throw up flags of caution about how fast the legitimate music download space will grow. For starters, the economy isn't that great, they say, so discretionary spending is muted.
MPEG Standard Addresses Rights
The Moving Pictures Experts Group has completed an effort on two digital rights management technologies intended to increase the MPEG standard's appeal to the recording industry and Hollywood.
Opinion
Big-Screen Laptops: Who Really Needs Them?
If you plan to use it in a confined space, probably. But if your notebook never lands on anything smaller than an office desk or your lap — comfortably seated in a giant Barcalounger at home — bigger is almost always better.
Discussion: AppleCare For PowerBooks — Worth It Or Wasted?
"What types of experiences have you had with PowerBook failures and replacements?"
Review
Logitech MX500
The MX500 is a great buy if you're in the market for a new high-end mouse, or if you're an extreme gamer looking to up your odds.
Want To Switch To Mac? You Won't Die
As much as Apple tries to drive them into the mainstream, Macs are really specialty machines.
Works, Office Or Something Else?
AppleWorks does fine for basic word processing and spreadsheets, though it's nowhere near as pretty or as powerful as Microsoft's Office vX for the Mac. It's also nowhere near as expensive.
Tame That Unruly Digital Hub Collection With Readerware
Though it has some annoying 'features', we think you'll find that Readerware, together with a barcode reader, is a big help in taming your book, music, or video collection.
Sidetrack
RETURN WINDOWS, or how to get a Windows refund in California Small Claims Court.
Wintel
Microsoft Research Preps Usenet Analysis Tool
Researchers at Microsoft are working on technology that makes it easier to navigate Usenet news groups and could eventually help clear clutter in e-mail inboxes, a Microsoft researcher said Tuesday.
Gates Foreshadows 'Longhorn' Advances
Without calling out its next-generation Windows desktop operating system by name, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates foreshadowed some of the forthcoming advances that the company is promising for its "Longhorn" wave of products.
The Microsoft-Linux War Is Over: Linux Won
It will take a long time, perhaps decades, but the tipping-point has come.
Meet Microsoft's 'Joe Friday'
Martin Taylor, Redmond's new point man on Linux, says he plans to change Microsoft's open-source competitive strategy by focusing on 'just the facts.'
It's All About Longhorn At Microsoft
Integration, .Net feeding forthcoming OS.