Tuesday, July 20

Hayes back from dead. GIF at 11:00.

Zoom has begun shipping Hayes products through its national distribution channel, and has a new VAR program for selling the Hayes line. The new Hayes products include current V.90 firmware. Zoom has also established a new web presence for the Hayes brand at www.hayesmicro.com. The service and support page is currently empty, but provides hope for continuing product upgrades for current Hayes owners.

CableLabs has certified new cable modem headend equipment from Arris Interactive and Motorola as being compatible with the DOCSIS cable modem standard.

A new FCC study suggests that the Internet has prospered in part because of a lack of regulation, and recommends minimal regulations in the future.

Les wants a cell phone with a built-in PDA so he can stop carrying a cell phone and a Palm III.

3Com has released the Palm IIIe, a low-cost version of the IIIx with less memory. Suggested retail is just $229, the lowest introductory price of any Palm product.

The current print edition of PC Magazine is a must read for mobile infoworkers interested in cell phones, PDAs, HPCs and laptops. It should be online soon.

David Essex of PC World looks at the wireless future of PDAs.

NeoPoint

My current cell phone (a Qualcomm 2700 dual band) has a 99-number phone book and text messaging, and uses Sony's thumbwheel for fast navigation. Cost: a modest $129. Weight: a not-so modest 7.6 ounces. The TouchPoint has a 7-line display, basic PDA functionality (25 schedule alarms and 300 phone numbers under 98 names), text messaging, plus PC synchronization. Navigation is through a mouse cursor. It's available now, and a dual-band version will be shipping in a few weeks. Cost: $179 for the single band version. Weight: 5.2 ounces. The waifish Motorola StarTac has only a basic phone book, but the StarTac Mobile Organizer can be clipped onto a StarTac phone for a complete PDA solution that uses Starfish's highly regarded TrueSynch software to synchronize with popular desktop organizers. The organizer integrates with the phone and can dial numbers directly, or it can be unclipped and used separately. A dual band StarTac is expected this fall. Cost: $299 for the StarTac ($100 rebate currently available, but will not apply to the dual band version) and $250 for the organizer. Weight: 4.2 ounces for the StarTac, 2.3 ounces for the organizer. The yet-to-be-released NeoPoint has a large 11-line display, PDA functionality, text messaging, and PC synchronization. There's also an email program and web browser, though I remain to be convinced that either is practical. Other gee-whiz features include voice commands, faxing, and Intuitive Text Entry (possibly based on the heuristic guessing of the T9 onscreen keyboard for the Palm Pilot). If it works, this could be the phone to have this fall. Cost: The NeoPoint is expected to sell for around $300. Weight: 5.5 ounces.

CERT security advisories

CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) has issued two new advisories.

The Array Services daemon on IRIX and UNICOS platforms has a vulnerability that allows a remote user to execute commands as root.

A similar problem exists in the Calendar Services Manager daemon, rpc.cmsd, on various UNIX platforms.

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Friday, July 23

GTE is lowering the monthly price for its Bronze DSL service from $60 to $49.95.

Australia's Telestra is being forced to open its telephone networks to competitors, following a judge's ruling. Competitors will be able to install their phone equipment in facilities owned by Telestra, which controls 99% of Australia's phone service.

Meanwhile, U.S. FCC chairman William Kennard said in a speech Wednesday that he is opposed to regulations requiring cable companies to open their networks to other ISPs.

They can take away my cell phone when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers department. A British judge sentenced Neil Whitehouse to a year in prison for refusing a flight attendant's request to turn off his mobile phone during a flight at 31,000 feet.

Apple has released the iBook, an iMac-style PowerBook, with a 56K modem, USB ports, Ethernet and CD-ROM for $1599. Besides the built-in handle and retractable power cord, the coolest feature is the optional AirPort wireless transmitter, codeveloped with Lucent. The AirPort has its own 56K modem for untethered Internet access up to 150 feet for as many as ten iBooks. The only drawbacks to the fruity new laptop appear to be the diminutive 3.2 gigabyte hard drive and the passé 800 x 600 resolution of the active matrix screen.

Domain names, eBay

Network Solutions will begin requiring pre-payment for domain names. Currently, it can take months for the invoice to arrive. So-called "cyber squatters" have sometimes taken advantage of this to register domain names for resale. Companies that purchase large blocks of domains and meet certain other criteria will still be able to buy domains on credit.

Many of those squatted domains go up for sale on eBay. Here's the play: register a domain with InterNIC, auction it off on eBay before the bill arrives, then have the buyer pay the $70 registration fee and the $50 transfer fee. It's nice work if you can get it, but some of the domains are not necessarily hot items.

eBay's new Auction Tracker web browser makes it easier to keep track of bid items. The customized version of Microsoft Internet Explorer will sell for $19.95. Having their own browser apparently isn't enough: eBay is also launching its own print collectibles magazine.

Friday's wacky web site

APB Online follows crime news: "Cockatoo Swiped from Owner in Drive-thru", "Doctor Convicted of Faking Art Theft." My favorite that's-news-to-me story: "Gary Coleman Arrested on Warrant." And if you like Gary Coleman, you have to watch Norm McDonald's movie, Dirty Work.

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