EXCLUSIVE: Apple to drop sub-$500 Mac bomb at Expo

With iPod-savvy Windows users clearly in its sights, Apple is expected to announce a bare bones, G4-based iMac without a display at Macworld Expo on January 11 that will retail for $499, highly reliable sources have confirmed to Think Secret.

Bosses keep sharp eye on mobile workers

DANBURY, Conn. - Ciro Viento commands a platoon of 110 garbage trucks, so when a caller complained after seeing one of the blue and white trash tanks speeding down Route 22, Viento didn't know which driver to blame. Until he checked his computer.

Peer-to-peer goes legitimate
In most countries, the music industry is taking song-swappers to court. But the sheer demand for downloading is forcing record labels, and now movie companies, to work with online retailers to offer legitimate alternatives.

Games giant EA buys Ubisoft stake
Shares in French game maker Ubisoft were up 24% after the world's leading video game publisher, Electronic Arts, said it was buying 19.9% of the firm.

Podcasting...what is it?

Podcasting is similar to time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want when you want by recording and storing video, except that podcasting is used for audio and is currently free of charge. Note, however, that this technology can be used to pull any kind of file, including software updates, pictures, and videos.
Read more about Podcasting.

Some additional links about Podcasting:
Podcast Alley
Podcast.net
Engadget

Frog Design rethinks thinking

Frog rethinks education through a dynamic hybrid of technology and adaptive interfaces to encourage user-centered learning.

frog believes that the purpose of education is to instantiate a well-rounded cultural knowledge, to develop analytical and creative thinking skills, and to encourage social development and interaction. Go here for more information.

April 17,2004

How Adobe plans to keep beating Microsoft
Adobe Systems is on a roll these days.


Will nanotech save the world or is it mostly hype?
Nanotechnology is often mentioned as the tool that will dramatically alter the future.


Robots May Fight for the Army
Lightweight, super-strong robots will lead human soldiers into battle within 10 years -- at least according to iRobot. Go here to see iRobot's web site.

Wi-Fi on Steroids Heads for U.S.
Residents of Bozeman, Montana, will test a broadband wireless data service called iBurst that blows away existing offerings. If people like it there, the service could expand to other parts of the country.


The current issue of Business Week magazine has a forward-looking Special Report on wireless technologies.

April 13,2004

Google Challenges Microsoft Monopoly

While Linux advocates look to desktop software to challenge Microsoft's desktop championship, a new top-ranked contender is coming from a direction that's both unexpected and obvious: Google.


Gmail likely to clear U.K. privacy hurdles

Google's forthcoming e-mail service probably won't run into legal issues in Britain, as long as the company doesn't deceive customers about how their personal information will be treated.

Info about Gmail can be found here.

April 2,2004


Sun's trip into the 'hair ball'
Sun chief says a licensing deal with Microsoft will not deter the company from pushing for open standards.

March 31,2004


Apple, Adobe drifting apart
They're still partners, but the relationship between the desktop publishing pioneers is showing strains..



Wal-Mart sells PCs with Sun's Linux
Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, has begun selling Microtel PCs that come with Sun Microsystems' version of the Linux operating system.



Search gets sketchy as engines look to get the picture
Think of it as Google meets Etch A Sketch.
Go here to visit the ImgSeek web site.

Gunning for the U.S. in Technology
Once the undisputed leader, America is now under assault from countries worldwide. How did this happen, and will the U.S. be able to fight back?

Finally, 21st Century Phone Service
Internet telephony promises far more sophisticated features and much lower prices. It also promises to upset the telecom power structure

Google takes searching personally
As the search wars intensify, Google hopes that making a personal connection with its visitors will give it an edge.

Google hit with 'geo-location' lawsuit
A Georgia company is suing Google over technology that the search giant uses to target advertising at Web surfers based on their location.

Sun to hand out Web-ready Java tool
The company said on Monday that an early-access program for Java Studio Creator, formerly called Project Rave, will begin April 8. The update includes enhancements that will be included in the final version of Creator, which is slated for release this summer, according to Sun.

What Happens to Java Now?
Sun essentially has open sourced Java already. It still is seeking ways to ensure that it remains relevant -- and not only in terms of quantity of users, developers and applications.

Who are those guys?
RSS readers collect the news that interests you from different sites and puts it all in one place.

More info on RSS here.

Spam Monster Eyes Another Target
Spim is to chat clients what spam is to e-mail -- unsolicited messages from unknown losers pushing products and services.

Yahoo to buy European shopping service
The company agrees to acquire price comparison Web site Kelkoo for about $575 million to expand its range of e-commerce portals. Go to the Kelkoo web site here.

Microsoft Concedes Misstep in Search
When Microsoft Corp. entered the Internet browser war in the 1990s, Netscape Navigator was the early leader and Microsoft's Internet Explorer the late-blooming upstart. Now, Microsoft is gearing up for a similar battle in search technology.

Apple Delays iPod Mini Global Launch
Apple CEO Steve Jobs, shown here holding a mini iPod at Macworld in January 2004. Apple said it would delay the worldwide launch of the mini until July due to stronger-than-expected demand in the US market.

EU cracks down on Microsoft
Regulators hit the software giant with record fine and order unbundling of Media Player.

Opera Sings with IBM's Speech Technology: New version of Opera Embeds ViaVoice from IBM
At AVIOS, SpeechTEK 2004, Opera Software announced the upcoming release of a multimodal desktop browser that incorporates IBM's Embedded ViaVoice speech technology. By leveraging IBM's voice libraries in this version of Opera, users can navigate, request information and even fill in Web forms using speech and other forms of input in the same interaction.

eBay: Buy It Now?
Yes, it's pricey, and the e-commerce giant's growth goals are ambitious -- but they're reachable, and that could give the stock still more upside.

BREW to pipe Hotmail into cell phones
Microsoft is tapping Qualcomm's BREW download software to deliver its MSN Internet applications to the cell phone masses.

The Coming RSS Revolution Watch a few of your favorite Web sites these days, and you may have noticed some orange-colored icons showing up.
Need more information regarding RSS? Look here, or at Yahoo.

Adobe Systems Reports Record Revenue and Profit
43 Percent Revenue Growth Driven by Strong Adobe Creative Suite Adoption and Continued Adobe Acrobat Success!

Sun makes server for online gaming
Sun Microsystems is expected to announce today that it has created a prototype for a computer server that will be sold to online game companies.

Sending several photos via e-mail. How does one do it? Find out here.

Search toolbars from HotBot, Dogpile make their debut
This week, we get two new toolbars that aim to push the search envelope a little farther.

Where "Think Different" Is Taking Apple
Rather than accept being a niche PC maker, Steve Jobs is transforming his baby into a high-end consumer-electronics and services company

Like It or Not, RFID Is Coming
Scott McGregor of Philips Semiconductor, the leader in radio frequency ID chips, says they'll change the world -- and not threaten privacy


The Next Big Thing For Wireless?
WiMax is a lot faster than Wi-Fi and has a bigger range -- but success isn't assured

The Perfect iPod
Admiring the iPod mini, Leander Kahney writes in Wired News, “The previous three generations of the iPod, each smaller and silkier than the last, were merely prototypes for the mini. The mini is the perfect iPod: sleek, easy to use and easy to carry around. And it plays music — beautiful, beautiful music — what could be better?”

Check out the ultimate guide to mobile and wireless applications.

Intel Joins Liberty Alliance
The Liberty Alliance Project said chipmaker Intel Corp. has joined the industry coalition building specifications for web authentication.

Web Access at 75 Percent
Three quarters of the American population now have Internet access, with women slightly more likely than men to spend time surfing, a new survey says.

Nokia Edges Toward Phone Blogging
Nokia unveils Lifeblog, software designed to integrate and organize words, audio, pictures and even video from your mobile phone. Uploading your life to a weblog may be the next step.

Microsoft prepares 'iPod killer' for Europe
The gadgets will run Microsoft's yet-to-be-unveiled Portable Media Center software and represent a direct assault on Apple’s hot-selling digital music player.

Decoding humanity, down to the last atom
Glyn Moody's "Digital Code of Life" tells the story of the bioinformatic revolution: The merging of computers and molecular biology.

Burning Backup DVDs Ruled Illegal
Commentary: Judge's ruling against DVD-copying software is another erosion of consumers' rights.

New software tames Web searches
Onfolio allows collection, editing and annotation of various type of documents. For additional information go to Onfolio's web site.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) --
Gathering for the world's biggest high-tech fair, computer and
telecommunications executives can sniff something new in the air:
significant economic growth.

Starbucks Corp on Tuesday unveiled a new kind of coffee shop serving up custom music CDs along with foamy coffee drinks.

Sun reluctant to make Java open source
During a press briefing here Tuesday, Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's executive vice president of software, indicated that the company is not inclined to take up IBM's offer to work with Sun to make Java technology open source because of concerns over compatibility.

Catch the latest information on Webloggers, Tob Weblogs, etc. at O'Reilly Developer Weblogs.

Microsoft Corp is about to stir the speech recognition market with the launch of its Speech Server products next week. The vendor promises speech recognition for the masses, but analysts warn that speech-enabling applications is not easy.

XML guru Tim Bray has joined Sun Microsystems' software group to work on XML-based syndication technologies and advanced search. Here is some additional information on Tim Bray.

Sun's Not-So-Secret Weapon Sun Microsystems is about to begin a beta program for perhaps its most important development tool release in years. Java Studio Creator -- formerly Project Rave -- is Sun's attempt at corralling departmental-level developers who are looking for alternatives to Microsoft's .NET framework.

Introducing MSNBC Wireless Traveler
MSNBC Wireless Traveler makes the benefits of wireless even better. Designed with the “Unwired” mobile professional in mind, MSNBC Wireless Traveler provides the latest breaking news and top story coverage “on the go” while you are between Wireless LAN (WLAN) hotspots.

From cell phones to automobiles, movie making to music sharing, a new digitial revolution is upon us.

And they're off!
The first of 15 driverless robots began trundling across the Mojave Desert on Saturday in an unprecedented race for $1 million in government-funded prize money.