Full FeedMicrosoft to offer family packs of Windows 7?
We all know that Microsoft has a habit of taking some of the ideas that Apple put into Mac OS X and putting them into Windows. Just look at Spotlight and the Search in the start menu. Windows 7 even takes a few cues from the Dock in OS X, even if it merges those ideas with the Windows tradition of the menu bar. The list could go on, and now the list may include OS licensing.
It seems that somewhere within the latest leaked build of Windows 7 there is text in the licensing agreement that alludes to a family pack. It reads, “if you are a ‘Qualified Family Pack User’, you may install one copy of the software marked as ‘Family Pack’ on three computers in your household for use by people who reside there.” Looks pretty definitive there, unless it was added to throw us off. However, it’s doubtful that the text would be added just to throw off those who use the leaked versions.
There’s obviously no word on pricing yet, since there has been no official release or statement about the family packs. It looks like Microsoft might finally be realizing that businesses aren’t the only customers that require more than one license of Windows. Though there’s always the chance that the family packs won’t sell all that well. Microsoft has always had an issue with piracy, and why buy three licenses of Home Premium when you could pirate Ultimate or find a friend who can get you a Professional license? We wouldn’t condone any of those practices, but there’s a good chance they’ll continue with Windows 7.
Read [CNet News]
RelatedArchos bringing Windows 7 tablet to US, actually dates Android device
It won’t be very surprising when we start seeing announcements of netbooks carrying Windows 7 as the release of the OS draws closer. Although, it seemed more likely to see a netbook announced with the OS before a tablet, despite the multi-touch features in Windows 7. However, Archos decided to announce its tablet is coming to the US before anyone could get their netbooks announcements out of the way.
We’ve actually seen the Archos 9 PCtablet before when it was announced several weeks ago. However, now we know that is will actually be coming to the US sometime this fall. The tablet itself is almost fully controlled by touch, though it also has an optical trackpad and some shortcut key along the side of the device. It will run on the standard netbook/small computer Intel Atom chip running at 1.2 GHz which should be able to handle Windows 7 decently well. There’s also included Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, no TV tuner like the European release, and no word on any other hardware components.
That wasn’t the only announcement Archos had, however. With all the talk of non-smartphone Android devices, we have yet to actually hear anything about them, until now. Archos has announced that it will be launching its Android mini-tablet at a special event on September 15th. The device will have 3G phone features, which presumably include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 3G module in addition to 500 GB of storage, 7 hours of battery life, and even built-in flash support. Of course that all sounds nice, but also sounds potentially expensive. We’ll have to wait and see what Archos brings with this mini-tablet, and how it will compare to the HTC Hero and its Sense UI.
Read [Electronista]
RelatedJoost forced to change strategy, again
Three years ago when Joost launched it was only a desktop client that could be used to watch TV shows, mostly older ones. Later, with the huge success of Hulu, Joost decided to switch its model to a flash player similar to that of Hulu. Now it’s being forced to change its model once again since it doesn’t have nearly enough traffic to compete with Hulu and YouTube, and not enough advertising money.
Joost is changing from its current flash-based player that competes with Hulu to a platform provider. It will be licensing out its technology to other companies. Most likely those other companies will be broadcasters that don’t want to put their video on Hulu, or who just want a piece of the $1.1 billion dollars being spent on online video ads this year. The new direction also comes with a new CEO, Matt Zelesko, who is currently senior vice president of engineering, the closing of the Netherlands office, and possibly substantial lay offs.
When Joost launched it was a big deal, not necessarily because of what it did, but because it was from the guys who created Kazaa and Skype. The desktop client wasn’t bad for beta software, and seemed to have a bit of promise. But then Hulu came and sucked in everything it could. While it is sad that Joost is being forced to change for a third time, it’s hard to say it wasn’t eventually going to happen. Even though Joost turned itself into somewhat of a Hulu clone, it just could get traffic. I know at least I only ever see the site when there’s some sort of news about it, which is usually bad news.
Read [NY Times]
RelatedComcast brings WiMAX to Portland, more cities to follow
A lot of the time the name “Comcast” is met with disgust, or just general loathing thanks to its poor customer service and bandwidth caps. This time, however, Comcast is rolling out a new service that might actually raise some opinions. Comcast is the first cable company in the US to offer a wireless broadband connection through WiMAX.
The program, called “Comcact High Speed 2go,” starts today in Portland, Oregon. It covers the entire city in 4G wireless WiMAX, and will soon be bringing it to other cites, specifically Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia by the end of the year. The service will cost $50 per month for those who want use it only within those cities, or $70 to use the WiMAX in the cities, and Sprint’s 3G network elsewhere in the country. However, it looks to be that the nationwide plan will not allow you to access Sprint’s 4G networks already in some cities, which seems a bit counter intuitive. For $70 a month it would be nice to be able to use the Sprint WiMAX network in Baltimore and other cities.
While Comcast isn’t the first cable company to offer a wireless connection outside the home, it does seem to be the first to use WiMAX rather than Wi-Fi access points. Although, as Time Warner Cable gets into the same space elsewhere in the country it might not be all that great. If users of one WiMAX service can’t access the WiMAX in other cities, it might be better to wait until the other cell phone companies roll out their LTE networks. Nationwide 4G connection would be nice without having to worry about which company is providing it, though it’s probably just a pipe dream right now.
Read [Reuters]
RelatedFennec alpha 2 released to all Windows Mobile 6 devices
Being stuck on Windows Mobile right now isn’t exactly the most exciting part about owning a cell phone. The OS is clunky, old, and just not as good as some of the others out there, for most people at least. Not to mention the fact that the web browser that comes packed inside is Internet Explorer. There’s always Opera and Skyfire as well, but now there’s a chance to try the same browser you likely use on your computer on your Windows Mobile device, Firefox.
Previously, mobile Firefox, code named Fennec, has only been available in alpha release for the HTC Touch Pro, leaving other users out of luck. Not so anymore. Fennec is still in alpha, alpha 2 to be exact, but it is no longer limited to one device. Any device that runs Windows Mobile 6.1 can now use try the alpha 2 version of Fennec. There’s even an option to download it to your computer to test out, build add-ons for it, or even help with the localization.
Since Fennec is still in alpha, there’s a number of features that have yet to be implemented. Most notably are bookmarks and the smart URL bar, or “awesome bar” as Mozilla calls it. Right now it functions just as well as you would expect it to run, at least when running on Mac OS X. It looks to function about as well as Mobile Safari for the iPhone, but with other features such as easier tabs (just swipe to the left). While it does work fairly well, if you’re looking for it to replace your current browser Mozilla would most likely ask you to wait a bit. Maybe try Skyfire, or just tough it out with the alpha 2 release if you really need it right now.
Read [Mozilla]
Read [Boy Genius Report]
iJector projects 50 inch video from your iPod
The iPod and iPhone are great devices for watching video on the go, that’s never really been much of a secret. But, what about when you want to watch that episode of “30 Rock” on a large screen rather than the max 3.5 inch screen on the touch and iPhone? Sure, you could just watch it on your computer, or stream it to tv, but that would be boring, and make for a decent picture. Wouldn’t you much rather project that video with a size of 50 inches?
The iJector, due out in Japan on July 17th will do just that. It will project a 50 inch video with a resolution of 557x234, which most likely will not look very good at all. It will also play back the sound in amplified stereo, so there’s no need for extra speakers. It will work with just about every iPod that supports video from the fifth generation iPod up to the iPod touch and iPhone, so there should be few compatibility problems. It will even come with composite cables to show video from other sources in low resolution.
The iJector just doesn’t seem like a great idea. There might be an audience that wants to project video from their iPod for others to see, but it would just make a lot more sense to get an tv and to stream all that media to a projector or HDTV. Especially considering that the iJector will ship at the US equivalent of $670, it seems like even more of a bad idea.
Read [ipodnn]
RelatedTexting while driving worse than drunk driving?
Chances are most of us have probably experienced being in the car while the driver is texting or responding to an email. If you have yet to experience it, let me tell you it can lead to some scary moments. Now there’s a study that can help cement those fears and maybe convince some people to stop texting or emailing while they’re driving.
The study comes out of Car and Driver magazine, who tested the theory by taking two drivers and gave them each a cell phone with full QWERTY keyboards (iPhone and Samsung Alias). They tested by making them travel at two speeds, 35 and 70 mph, and making them brake when a red light inside the car turned on. They were testing a control, a BAC of .08, and a texting scenario to determine how many extra feet they required to stop while drunk and texting. Turns out it required each driver 35 and 46 extra feet while drunk, compared to 9 and 70 feet while texting.
Granted the first (younger, in their 20s) didn’t need nearly as much distance as the older (30s) subject, but it’s still a significant measurement. Taking the average of the two drunk driving would be worse, but only by one foot, which is a bit scary.
While you might be able to scoff at the study or only having two subjects, even in those two there was a significant effect shown. Perhaps a larger study would be a good idea just to prove the theory, but as it stands it’s not the brightest idea to text while driving.
Read [InformationWeek]
RelatedHP debuts new professional netbook, the Mini 5101
With new netbook announcements slowing down a bit, it’s a lot easier now to stand out as a new netbook than it was a few months ago. With these slower releases we’re starting to see more specialized netbooks targeted at particular markets. The new HP Mini 5101 is a great of example of this.
The 5101 is HP’s new netbook targeted at professionals who want to carry around a small, durable computer. To make the device more durable the 5101 is made of anodized aluminum with a black brushed finish. The bottom and palm rest are finished with magnesium alloy with a rubberized feel that keeps it from slipping out of your hands which can happen on the plastic of other netbooks. The 95 percent sized chiclet-style keyboard is even spill resistant with HP Durakeys to keep them from showing too much wear.
Boxee coming to all Windows users, soon into beta
Boxee has long been the up and coming media center for Linux computers and Macs, with its support of almost any major file type and Internet apps. It’s been stuck in alpha for a while and was limited to invite-only status. In one meeting last night not only did Boxee announce some new apps, it also solved those major issues that some people had, namely its Windows availability.
While Boxee has been available to Windows users previously, it was an invite-only alpha. The alpha is still hanging around for now, but now anyone can sign up and download Boxee. In downloading the media center software everyone gets to benefit from the four major new app partnerships Boxee announced.
Among the approximately 120 apps in the Boxee App Box are apps from MLB.tv, Current, Digg, and Tumblr. Digg will allow users to view all the videos that pass through the site. Tumblr can stream music and show photos shared on the service. Current is offering streaming of some of it’s programming like “SuperNews” and “Vanguard Journalism.”
MLB.tv is one of the more interesting apps, in that it has the full features of MLB.tv. Members of the service will be able to watch live streaming baseball games through Boxee either on their computer or on their TV (provided the set up is there), which for premium members could be full HD games from anywhere in the country on their TV, which is quite nice.
That nasty “alpha” modifier is also due for an update. In September “alpha” will change to much more accepted and familiar “beta.” While Boxee currently looks to work great either way, the upgrade to beta will mean it is a bit more stable, so maybe it won’t freeze for a moment when quitting. Either way, Boxee is a very good media center that should be considered for the apps and sheer format compatibility alone.
Read [Gizmodo]
Read [TechCrunch]
Flash coming to smartphones, just not the popular ones
Anyone who has used a smartphone recently knows just how frustrating some websites can be without the availability of Flash. How else would we be able to watch YouTube or see obnoxious Flash ads? Presumably there are useful applications for the Flash Player outside of Hulu even if we haven’t found them yet. Now all those uses are coming soon to your smartphone, provided you use a mobile OS not from two major players.
Starting in October, Flash Player 10 for smartphones will be released to developers by Adobe thanks to its “Open Screen” project. It will be available for Android, WebOS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian S60. Major chip manufacturers like Intel, Qualcomm, ARM and the like will be optimizing builds for their chipsets.
The iPhone and BlackBerry lines are the two glaring omissions there. It’s not entirely surprising for either platform given that Flash tends to drain resources which RIM and Apple probably don’t like. It may, however, sway some people away from either platform, or more likely add some benefits to the competitors. Taking attention away from the iPhone and BlackBerry will be very hard for something as big as even Flash.
Of course, a big question is why do we need Flash on our smartphones? True, there are some websites that require it, but not too many that would be visited on a smartphone many times. Websites like YouTube and Hulu can easily be solved with an app as we’ve already seen (in the terms of YouTube, at least). There is always the benefit of maybe eventually getting Adobe AIR on smartphones, making it truly a cross-platform—err, platform. That would be a nice addition, but most uses for Flash seem like things that we’d want to get rid of on the web anyway, like those silly interactive ads.
Read [MobileCrunch]
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Palm Pre Information & Updates
Palm just introduced their next-gen smartphone, the Palm Pre, and next-gen operating system, Palm webOS. Gadgetell's got the latest Pre and webOS information and news for you right here.
