Tech news as it happens

Archive for June, 2005

Apple iPod phone?

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005

Saying it doesn’t know if the photos are genuine, MacDailyNews has printed pictures of what appears to be a prototype of a Motorola iPod Phone.
Hey, I don’t know if it’s real either. But I do know I want one.

Microsoft is missing the podcasting bandwagon

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005

Again, Microsoft and the Windows world is out-of-touch with state of the art. In this
Support of podcasts in iTunes can spoil you ZDNet piece, the authors are so right-on about how behind-the-times Redmond is when it comes to this podcasting boom, writing:
… if Microsoft really wants to make life easier for podcast lovers that use […]

Podcasting: Radio reborn

Tuesday, June 28th, 2005

That’s Apple’s new mantra with the today-announced podcasting capabilities built into iTunes.
I just downloaded iTunes 4.9 with the podcasting enhacements and installed it on my desktop and iPod.
As we’ve come to expect with all things iPod from Apple, the interface is elegant, intuitive and painless in all respects. I subscribed to several technology shows, set […]

Apple’s iTunes moves podcasting to mainstream

Tuesday, June 28th, 2005

Apple has made its iTunes software more friendly with podcasting and moves what was once a niche Internet activity to the mainstream. A new iTunes Podcast Directory features over 3,000 free podcasts that users can subscribe to. Once subscribed, the directory automatically checks for updated shows and downloads new episodes to your computer. This podcasting […]

Supreme Court cases show tech’s increasing role in American life

Monday, June 27th, 2005

The tech industry is all hot and bothered over today’s two Supreme Counrt rulings on Grokster and cable TV.
I’m not overly suprised on either decision.
But together they show how technology is a driving influence of 21st century America.
There’s no doubt the Grokster decision worries the tech industry. But come on now, did anyone really […]

eBay Live lineups

Friday, June 24th, 2005

These eBay users are also big customers. There’s an eBay Shop set up in the convention center here in downtown San Jose that sells T-shirts, coffee mugs and souvenirs. The demand is so huge you have to stand in line for up to a half hour just to get in. And then, like Disneyland, they […]

eBay Live

Thursday, June 23rd, 2005

I’m out in San Jose, CA covering eBay Live!, the 10th anniversary celebration and gathering of eBay sellers. It’s a cultural happening of it’s own sort but also a serious educational conference that teaches people how to sell more items at higher prices more effectively.
There are few things that have had such a revolutionary effect […]

Wireless iPod headphones

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005

I NEED one of these. We hate wires.. Logitech, even at $150, will have a hit on its hands.

Apple polishing

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005

Paid a visit to Apple Computer headquarters in Cupertino, CA while on a west coast reporting trip this week. Ate in the company cafeteria with some Apple contacts, talked shop, new products and the very high morale these days on Infinite Loop, the private drive that houses the main Apple campus here in the heart […]

Wi-fi isn’t as popular as some would have us think

Tuesday, June 21st, 2005

This tends to confirm a trend I first saw and reported on in Michigan a few months back: The public as a whole doesn’t seem to be as excited about wi-fi as the tech industry would like them to be. Orlando Pulls Plug On Free Internet Service
Just the other day, I visited a local […]

GPS Tech to help the blind

Monday, June 20th, 2005

At the Leader Dogs for the Blind headquarters in Rochester, MI, technology is about to become a major player in helping those who can’t see get around, allowing them to tap into sophisticated mapping and navigation techniques that tells them where they are or how to get where they want to go. GPS devices […]

SunRocket not looking so good

Saturday, June 18th, 2005

I wrote a couple of months ago about my decision to try the SunRocket VoIP phone service. With a pre-pay deal that works out to less than $17 a month I figured it was worth the try.
I’ve since been getting e-mail every day from people who want to know my experience.
Alas, it’s not nearly as […]

MasterCard and Visa hit with biggest hack ever

Friday, June 17th, 2005

The credit card numbers of 40 million Americans have been hacked. The number is staggering.
But what’s worse is that it happened late last year and is only now being confirmed. There’s no evidence of fraudulent charges from the electronic break in.
Yet.
It apparently involved the secret implantation of zombie code on the computers used by a […]

The Silicon Valley Shakes

Friday, June 17th, 2005

Oh great. Just as I get ready to head out to the Silicon Valley for a week of reporting on various high tech outfits, California seems to be bracing for the Big One after a cluster of quakes in recent days.
Californians rattled by week of quakes.

Online a haven for sports fantasy leagues

Friday, June 17th, 2005

The folks at the Pew Internet & American Life Project have found that some eight percent of adult American Internet users say they participate in sports fantasy leagues online. That represents roughly 11 million people. And on a typical day, about 2 million internet users are going online to oversee and check on their fantasy […]