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Tuesday, July 18
ZDNet
has more information about V.92 modems. One factoid: the
time to establish a connection is now about 10 seconds, as
opposed to 20 seconds for V.90 modems. Earlier reports from
months ago had pegged the number at just five seconds, but
that was perhaps overly optimistic. I've added a V.92
Special Report to collect information.
Advent Networks is developing a
system for extracting 20 to 50 times current bandwidth from
cable modem networks. The system divides the cable into
multiple channels: one for each user.
June
is partnering with Hughes Electronics to provide satellite
service. Hughes operates the DirecPC and DirecTV
satellite dish networks.
IAM.COM
is suing web design firm RazorFish for poor web design.
Among the complaints in IAM.COM's suit are incompatibilities
with AOL's 4.0 browser, poor site navigation, late delivery
and "generally poor craftsmanship." RazorFish contends that
IAM.COM approved each phase of the project and should have
raised concerns before the project was complete.
The co-founder of Napster is starting a new company to do
legally what Napster users often do illegally. AppleSoup
will distribute licensed content through a peer-to-peer
network, just like Napster, but with a licensing system
to prevent illegal copying.
Internet toasters
Netpliance is quadrupling
the price of the I-opener, calling the original $99
price "promotional."
The
Global PC is a $299 Internet appliance with retro specs:
instead of a Pentium, PowerPC or Crusoe processor, it uses a
lowly 486. You also won't find Linux, Palm OS or Jupiter.
The Global PC uses the GEOS operating system, an early
Windows competitor.
Computer security and privacy
The
American Civil Liberties Union has filed a Freedom of
Information Act request with the FBI, seeking
information about the Carnivore email-wiretapping system.
The
White House has further relaxed export restrictions on
encryption software. US products with encryption can now
be export to any user - civilian or government - to any
country in the European Union, as well as Australia, Norway,
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Japan, New Zealand and
Switzerland.
Friday, July 21
NetworkWorldFusion covers V.92 in "New
modem standard boosts dial-up access options."
Excite@Home
may re-position its non-US assets in a partnership with
Chello Broadband, resulting in a 50-50 merger of the two
companies in a new firm to be known as Excite Chello.
CNET
is buying ZDNet for US$1.4 billion.
Steve Jobs announced new Apple products at Macworld Expo
this week, including the G4
Cube, dual
processor G4, new
iMacs and new mice and keyboards. The
new Apple Pro mouse has no ball and no buttons, either,
just like the rumors said. The entire mousing surface pivots
to register a mouse click. Unlike the rumors, though, the
new mouse and keyboard aren't wireless.
Cell phone safety
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association is
going to require
manufacturers to include radiation data with cell
phones, so that buys can find out how much radiation the
phone emits before they buy it. The changes should go into
effect in three to six months.
The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration held hearings
this week to examine the effects that cell phones,
on-board navigation systems and other high tech gadgets have
on driving safety.
A study under review finds that older
drivers have more accidents than younger drivers when using
high tech devices - such as navigation and communication
systems - while driving.
A Massachusetts company says its Megawave
device can alert pilots when passengers are using
electronics during takeoff and landing, but that they
FAA won't fund development due to a lack of funds.
Other links:
Cell
Phone Antennas and Health FAQ
OnHealth:
Cellular Phones and Car Accidents
A
15 year old girl in Britain walked in front of a moving
car while talking on her cell phone.
ISP rise and fall
Analysts
are disputing MSN's membership figures, claiming that
MSN added just 500,000 subscribers and not the 800,000 the
company touted.
Freewwweb,
a free ISP service, is out of business. Competing
service Juno will buy Freewwweb's customers, but with strict
terms: Juno will only pay a premium for customers who
transition to June and remain active for three months.
Earlier this month Juno also bought out failed free ISP
Worldspy.
Computer security and privacy
British
Telecom's Chris Gibbs claims that DSL is "fundamentally
insecure."
EarthLink
will provide DSL users with personal firewall software.
PC users will receive Norton Personal Firewall 2000, while
Mac users will get OpenDoor's DoorStop Personal Edition.
Upcoming
Internet Explorer cookie features make a distinction between
first party and third party cookies, a distinction that
can prevent unwanted information sharing.
The
first AutoCAD virus was discovered by a Russian
anti-virus company. AutoCAD is a popular design tool for
architects and engineers.
Thirty-nine
states have filed suit against bankrupt e-tailer
Toysmart to prevent the company from selling its
customer database. The company's own privacy policy vowed
not to divulge the information.
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