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From BusinessWeek: Could 2006 be the year that personal computers once again dominate the technology news? PC innovation has been in short supply, and the last really big events came in 2001 when Apple released its OS X operating system and Microsoft followed with Windows XP. Next year promises to bring major changes in both …
From the New York Times: In the latest move in the battle between publishers and search engines, HarperCollins Publishers said yesterday it would create its own digital library of all of its book and audio content and make it searchable by consumers on the Internet. Web users will be able to search the HarperCollins archive …
From the New York Times: If the Walt Disney Company has its way, McDonald’s Happy Meal toys could be replaced with portable media players that hold Disney movies, music, games or photos, according to a pending patent application. Users could add files to the devices by earning points with food purchases.
From Wired News: Potential computer users in the developing world will not want a basic $100 hand-cranked laptop due to be rolled out to millions, according to Craig Barrett, ECO of Intel. Schoolchildren in Brazil, Thailand, Egypt and Nigeria will begin receiving the first few million textbook style computers from the MIT Media Lab run …
From Redmond Magazine: All of the noise and attention surrounding the release last month of Firefox 1.5 appears to have helped the alternative Web browser’s market share, even if those gains are still only in fractions of percentage points. “November 2005 browser numbers indicate that Firefox continues to gain market share, reaching 8.84 percent,” says …
From TechRepublic: A survey of home PC users found 81 percent lacked at least one of three critical types of security, but the number of consumers using firewalls and updated antivirus software is improving, according to a report released Wednesday. The vast majority of consumers surveyed were found to lack at least one of three …
From TechRepublic: Too few consumers are buying into the notion that a “digital home” can improve their lives and the electronics industry has only itself to blame, say executives from electronics firms who spoke at the Digital Living Room conference here on Monday. Americans have been slow to adopt technologies designed to create a home …
From the New York Times: Fatal1ty and Vo0 stood on opposite sides of a darkened theater while an announcer boomed their introductions to an appreciative crowd. Their faces magnified on giant overhead monitors, the two stared straight ahead while artificial smoke swirled around them. They met at center stage and shook hands before starting what …
From TechRepublic: It’s six hours before a performance of the new Cirque du Soleil show, “Corteo,” and backstage, computers are controlling a series of dollies hanging from two giant arched tracks bridging the stage. Hanging from the dollies are three massive chandeliers from which acrobats are practicing gyrations and twists. The dollies are the kind …
From Vnunet: Nearly a fifth of the US online buying population accounts for nearly half of total US online spending, research published today has revealed. Research firm Nielsen//NetRatings said that these buyers, dubbed ‘Most Valuable Purchasers’ (MVPs) spend more dollars online and make more purchases on the internet than the rest of the online buying …