by Sam Diaz
August 21st, 2008 @ 2:02 am

Finally, Microsoft is responding to the long-running “Mac vs PC” advertising campaign and they’re tapping Jerry Seinfeld to be the pitchman. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft’s $300 million campaign is kicking off with a $10 million bit with Seinfeld.

It’s too early to say whether the ads, set to debut September 4, can effectively counter Apple’s ads featuring the stodgy “PC” guy engaging in friendly, competitive banter with hip “Mac” dude. The campaign is well-established and widely recognized. Microsoft’s campaign, which the WSJ says will use some variation of the slogan “Windows, Not Walls,” appears to take a jab at Apple’s proprietary hardware and software products - namely the iPod and iTunes - and their inability to play nice with other products.

It’s money well spent for Microsoft, which has seen better headlines in its past. Windows Vista has had some technical shortcomings and critics have not been kind. A good campaign will tackle that perception head-on. At the same time, Apple - which is now seeing its own black eyes over iPhone problems - has picked up slices of market share in recent quarters.

And the company’s failed takeover of Yahoo - and subsequent involvement, albeit from the sidelines, in Yahoo’s nasty proxy fight attempt - is the company’s last real public appearance. We’ll be watching, Microsoft. And so will the guys in Cupertino, possibly to learn a thing or two for a makeover campaign they’ll likely be needing soon.

by Steven Musil
August 20, 2008 4:20 PM PDT

Comcast reportedly plans to reduce Internet service to customers it deems to be using too much bandwidth, a move that comes on the heels of federal regulators ruling that the Internet service provider violated the law by throttling BitTorrent transfers.

To keep service flowing to other customers, Comcast plans to impede Internet speeds to its heaviest users for up to 20 minutes, Mitch Bowling, Comcast's senior vice president and general manager of online services, told Bloomberg in an interview Tuesday. Instead of focusing on specific applications that may be hogging traffic, Comcast plans to determine "in nearly real time" whether a heavy user is causing congestion, Bowling said.

"If in fact a person is generating enough packets that they're the ones creating that situation, we will manage that consumer for the overall good of all of our consumers,'' Bowling said. The move follows the Federal Communications Commission's ruling on August 1 that Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent traffic last year was unlawful--the first time any U.S. broadband provider has ever been found to violate Net neutrality rules.

(The FCC released the text of that ruling Wednesday.) The FCC issued a cease-and-desist order and required the company to disclose to subscribers in the future how it plans to manage traffic. Comcast, the largest cable provider in the U.S., has been under fire for months after it was discovered the company had been slowing down peer-to-peer traffic on its network.

By Jacqui Cheng
August 20, 2008 - 08:20PM CT

eBay is making some changes that will further shift its focus from online auctions to fixed price resellers. The company announced Wednesday that it plans to drop the cost of listing an item under "Buy It Now" by 70 percent, extend allowable listing periods for these items, and lift a number of other restrictions in order to attract even more sellers.

Although auctions are about to disappear, the move is an example of eBay's shifting priorities, and not everyone is happy about it. Sellers will now only be charged a flat $0.35 fee for listing fixed-price "auctions," and can list multiple quantities of the same item for that single fee (previously, multiple quantities of a single item meant racking up the listing fees).

Sellers can also now list items for a full 30 days, significantly longer than the standard 7-days. This is all meant to encourage more Buy It Now listings by significantly lowering the cost of entry, and we have no doubt that there will soon be an explosion in fixed price listings as a result. That may be good for consumers who are increasingly turning to the site to buy cheap(er) things right away, but long-time online auctioneers aren't thrilled by the changes.

eBay has made a name for itself as the place to go for online auctions, and now the site's focus will be more about giving resellers another online storefront than engaging in bidding wars. eBay claims that it isn't about to dump the auction format, however. The company said that sellers can still choose to list things as auctions and that it remains the most cost-effective way to offer items for sale.

By Matt Hamblen
August 20, 2008

American Airlines launched in-flight Wi-Fi service on three long-haul routes in the U.S. today, and it will decide in three to six months whether to expand the service to other routes. While there has been a recent surge in interest among airlines in providing in-flight Wi-Fi to passengers, this is the biggest step any carrier has taken toward that goal.

Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines said it will begin rolling out Wi-Fi service on all its planes in the fall, while Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Jet Blue have Wi-Fi tests or limited projects underway. American has created Wi-Fi networks aboard 15 Boeing 767-200 planes serving three routes with nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami, the airline said.

Today's launch was originally intended to take place last month, but "tweaks" had to be made to the system, especially to simplify the setup process for users, an American spokeswoman said today. The Wi-Fi service, called Gogo, is provided by Aircell LLC, which has offices in Broomfield, Colo. and Itasca, Ill. Gogo connects each plane's Wi-Fi hot spot to the ground over a 3-Mhz signal that connects to Aircell's network of 92 cell towers throughout the continental U.S.

Users will be able to launch Internet browsers on Wi-Fi-enabled laptops or other devices once planes reach 10,000 feet. At that point, they will be directed to a Gogo portal to sign up for service with a credit card. The service will cost $12.95 on each flight over three hours. While users will have the ability to surf the Web, check e-mail, hold instant-messaging conversations and access corporate VPNs, they will not be allowed to use voice over IP or any voice cell service while in the air.

By Nebojsa Novakovic
20 August 2008, 5:01 PM

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM is usually THE event for all the Intel-related standard setting groups to announce the major updates to their specs. SATA-IO group, overseeing the now dominant same-named serial storage interface, has toed the line too announcing the new SATA 3.0 spec, to be completed later this year.

The primary improvement is, again, doubling the transfer speed to 6 gigabits per second from the 3 Gb/s of 'SATA 2', giving us in excess of 550 MB/s net top obtainable speeds. Why do that, when even the fastest hard disks barely touch the original SATA 1.5 Gb/s limit? Well, there's something called SSD.

As we saw yesterday, Intel's new SSD drives saturate the SATA 3 Gb/s limit at 250 MB/s net read speed, and other new drives including Super Talent and Samsung ones are close to that too. Ten channels of fast flash can actually reach well over 500 MB/s with new ONFI dies, so a move from SATA 3 Gb/s to SATA 6 Gb/s would surely benefit the flash read speeds.

As for the standard hard disks, well at least the reads from their built-in DRAM cache will end up faster across SATA 3. At the same time, SATA-IO group also launched 'SATA Certified' logo to show full adherence to SATA specs for - supposedly - guaranteed compatibility. That is important as 99 per cent of storage drives in this year's desktops are based on SATA.

by Ed Burnette
August 20th, 2008 @ 3:56 pm

In my last article I described what it feels like to have your house struck by lightning. Luckily there were no injuries or structural damage (thanks for your kind words in the comments), but our gadgets and other electronics inside the house weren’t so lucky. This is their tale.

The first thing I noticed was that my computer wouldn’t come on. I thought that was odd, since it’s a laptop that works on battery power. A catalog of all the files I had neglected to back up flashed before my eyes. Materials for a book, family photographs, personal documents. Some of it I could recover, some I couldn’t. Lesson learned. I glanced over at the wireless router. It was completely dead. Cycling the power didn’t help. What else? I was about to find out…

The kids and I walked around, trying everything else, assessing the damage. See the diagram above for a list. A dead Tivo box (the one with the lifetime service of course). A TV that wouldn’t come on at first, but eventually did. Another Tivo that worked fine. Numerous UPS and Surge protector boxes were no protection against the damage. I noticed it was getting warm upstairs and sure enough, the AC had been knocked out.

Every single GFI circuit in the house had been tripped. The garage door didn’t work, but resetting the circuit breaker fixed that. That gave me an idea about the laptop, so I replaced its battery and it came on. (I’ll get around to backing up those files real soon.) I keep finding things that are broken, like another TV has sound but no picture, and a mattress air pump that won’t.

by Charles Cooper
August 20, 2008 1:54 PM PDT

Intel has invented a way to double the air flow generated by fans used to cool ultrathin notebook computers. Demonstrating a prototype of the technology in public for the first time at its developer forum taking place this week in San Francisco, Intel says the upshot will be cooler computers--and it's not referring to style.

"This will have the same power consumption and noise level of current fans," said Bradley Urban, an engineer inside Intel's thermal technology development unit. As with other engineering advances coming out of its research side, Intel intends to license the proprietary design to computer makers--the idea being that anything which fosters more demand for Intel-based computers will, by definition, add to the company's bottom line.

Call it a product announcement by stealth: you'll find the technology demonstration in a nondescript booth at San Francisco's Moscone Center, a half stone's toss away from the myriad Atom-based notebook PCs Intel is putting on display at its developer forum. In a side-by-side comparison, the Intel fan flow moves a Styrofoam ball around a track significantly faster. "It's a 2x comparison," Urban said.

He added that Intel took less than a year to work out the kinks for a reliably faster fan to fit into ultrathin notebooks. "As soon as we can get it into production, we will," he said. It was unclear how long this next step in the process will take before faster fans wend their way into the commercial market. "Maybe two years," he offered.

By Jacqui Cheng
August 20, 2008 - 12:30PM CT

Microsoft believes that focusing on search intent will help it pull ahead in the race of the search engines, or at least give it a little boost. The company discussed some of its ideas for improving Live Search during a panel at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose this week, and revealed that it has been looking at user behavior to see how it can better tune its search engine to people's individual needs.

Microsoft's senior VP of search Satya Nadella said that a full half of search queries performed on Live Search are part of an average 30-minute searching session. Apparently, Microsoft's users are spending quite a bit of time researching information online, and aren't using the search site to just perform quick lookups. Nadella said that by taking a closer look at people's search patterns over the period of time they're using the site, Microsoft could refine its results to better serve that specific user.

"I believe this notion of understanding user intent—being able to analyze (search queries) and come up with search patterns and use them to shape the search experience—is one of the most important areas for us," Nadella said, according to CNet. Microsoft's plans seem to go hand-in-hand with its acquisition of PowerSet last month.

The natural language search company appealed to Microsoft because the two seemed to share the same vision of gaining further understanding of the intent behind users' search terms. In absorbing Powerset, Microsoft plans to transform its search from the typical user experience of getting back pages of results based on keywords to something that clearly shows a more tailored approach.

by Erica Ogg
August 19, 2008 2:58 PM PDT

Two of the biggest names in tech are teaming up on a cloud computing project that they plan to announce at a special event next week.

Facebook amasses billions of photos, friend connections, and status updates and stores them up in "the cloud," and Dell is working on being one of the main providers of the infrastructure--servers--that makes the cloud possible.

So what, exactly, are they doing together? Well, we already know Dell provides servers for Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook, but what other plans the two have hatched together beyond that is unclear. The event is scheduled for next Tuesday, but other than sending out a nicely worded invitation, the only thing the companies are saying about the partnership is that it involves "the next generation of cloud computing."

Surely more than a few people snickered when they learned earlier this month that Dell has attempted to trademark the term "cloud computing." The United States Patent and Trademark Office basically rejected the company's application this week unless Dell can come up with some evidence that it's not a generic phrase. It's highly unlikely the guys down in Round Rock, Texas can prove otherwise, but it does show that they're serious about the next wave of computing.

By Brian Nadel
August 19, 2008

One thing you can depend on these days is that the claims made for wireless routers, like 300Mbit/sec. throughput and 1,000-foot range, are nothing more than digital pipe dreams. The plain and simple truth is that these speeds and distances just aren't going to happen in your home, office or any place on this planet.

If you're disappointed by the speed and reach of your wireless network -- and who isn't? -- there's a lot you can do to grab every last bit of data and foot of range. I spent a few hours optimizing my network and more than doubled its indoor range from 90 to over 200 feet (with an additional 150-foot extension into my backyard) while increasing performance fifteenfold -- all with a two-year-old 802.11g router.

Some of the techniques I used are basic, like where and how to set up the router. Others are more involved and require special equipment, but they can make a world of difference. Plus, for those who don't know what to do when the data connection goes south, I've also included a troubleshooting checklist that can help get your network back into the fast lane.

The beauty of modern Wi-Fi equipment is that it all works together, so you can build a network with best-of-breed gear. For instance, my network has a router from one maker, antennas from another, a print server from a third and client radios from several different companies. Think of it as the U.N. of wireless: the world cooperates to make your online life a little easier.

by Sam Diaz
August 19th, 2008 @ 10:17 am

Intel chairman Craig Barrett, introduced as the company’s chief ambassador, delivered the opening keynote speech at the Intel Developer Forum this morning, highlighting technological innovation and its impact on the globe - just as you’d expect him to do. But Barrett - with a quick apology for briefly jumping into politics - also had a subtle message for Washington.

The U.S. is lagging behind the rest of the world. No big secret there. We’ve known for some time that other countries are kicking our butts when it comes to advanced technology. But technology wasn’t what he was talking about. It was education. “Nations are as strong as their educational systems,” he said, noting that in his travels to emerging countries around the globe, technology and education seem to go hand-in-hand.

There are countries, he said, that are just coming out of the dark ages but recognize that a quality education and the influence of technology are the keys to building a solid future. There’s only one country on the globe that doesn’t think that way, he said. And it’s the United States. “We don’t focus as much as we should on education,” he said.

And when we do, we push standardized tests instead of extracurricular activities that - as proven by on-stage guests - spark innovative products and services that benefit real people and real business. Barrett welcomed Brian McCarthy, a teenager from Hillsboro, Ore. and finalist in Intel’s 2008 Science Talent Search, to the stage to talk about his project.

by Steven Musil
August 19, 2008 11:00 PM PDT

eBay will reduce the fees it charges to sellers to list fixed-price items, the online auctioneer is expected to announce Wednesday. The move, which will take effect September 16, is intended to help eBay compete better with online retail rivals such as Amazon.com, as well as reduce its dependency on auctions.

Under the new pricing plan, sellers who offer fixed-price items in eBay's "Buy It Now" format will pay only 35 cents to list an item for 30 days, a 70 percent reduction in upfront fees. The online auctioneer is also expected to announce that most customers will no longer be allowed to pay by check or cash--only a credit card or eBay's PayPal payment service will be accepted to complete transactions, according to The New York Times.

eBay also plans to launch a revamped search engine to give buyers looking for a specific item options to buy at a fixed price or via auction, according to Reuters. "I'd say this is the most fundamental change we've made, ever, to the marketplace," Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay marketplace operations, told Reuters. "It's a huge shift from where we've been."

San Jose, Calif.-based eBay reported in July that second-quarter net earnings grew to $460.3 million, or 35 cents a share, up from $375.8 million a year ago. But the boost came largely from sales growth in the company's PayPal division; transactions at eBay's Marketplace grew only 8 percent, compared with double-digit growth in previous quarters.

By Dave Girard
August 19, 2008 - 11:30PM CT

Adobe steps up - Adobe Lightroom 2 box About a year and a half ago, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 launched to a fairly positive reception, especially given the shortcomings in its main competitor, Apple's Aperture.

But now that Apple has addressed many of the major problems with Aperture, Lightroom now faces some stiff competition in the RAW workflow arena. The recent release of Lightroom 2.0 is Adobe's attempt to strike back at Aperture 2.0, and we've taken a close look at the new release to see just much it advances Adobe's game.

While some of the new things in 2.0 are tweaks that you'd expect in a second-revision product, Lightroom also supports some significant additions that aim to raise the feature bar for RAW image processing. The much-touted localized adjustments feature, which attempts to bring some Photoshop-level control to RAW image processing, is headlining this release's feature set.

Lossless RAW image editing is a bit of a holy grail for digital image processing, so the more granular control we're given over RAW images, the closer we'll be to that digital imaging grail. But Lightroom 2.0 isn't just about localized edits—there are a lot of other additions that warrant a closer look.

By Dan Nystedt
August 19, 2008

Two new search engines that have garnered attention in the press as possible Google slayers continue to trail the world's most popular search engine by a long shot.

Wikia Search, a highly anticipated search engine from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales that debuted officially in January, held a 0.000079% share of the search market in the U.S. at the end of last week, according to Internet researcher Hitwise.

Cuil.com, which launched just a few weeks ago, has fared better with a 0.0070% share of the search market in the U.S. at the end of last week, but Hitwise attributes a portion of that share to the sharp rise in searches on the Web site that came from fanfare from its launch. Cuil's search share is trending down now, according to Hitwise. Cuil hit the spotlight in news reports in part because some of its top people are former Google search engineers.

Google, by contrast, accounted for 70.77% of all online search engine queries in the U.S. for the four weeks ending July 26, according to Hitwise. The figure is Google's 10th consecutive record high in monthly search share, and up from the 64.35% share it took in July of last year. Despite lagging in the distance, Wikia Search at least continues to move forward.

By Dean Pullen
19 August 2008, 3:47 PM

EMERGENT HAS announced plans to further partner with Nvidia on the company's Gamebryo development platform. In an announcement which can be seen as a sizeable win for Nvidia, Emergent will integrate Physx technology into all upcoming versions of the 'industry-leading' Gamebryo.

The next release of Emergent's Gamebryo, is scheduled for this Autumn and thus will ship with the Nvidia Physx engine directly integrated into the platform. Gamebryo has been optimised for development on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC . It was most recently selected as the development platform for the console titles Civilization Revolution by Firaxis and Splatterhouse by BottleRocket.

Gamebryo is also being used by EA-Mythic for its upcoming game, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning as well as Divinity 2: Ego Draconis from Larian Studios. Emergent has stated that to date, Gamebryo has been used in more than 200 shipped games titles ranging from massively multiplayer online games, high-end retail games across multiple genres, and casual games.

It makes sense for Gamebryo to use Physx as an underpinning technology - Physx can work across all major gaming platforms, including the above consoles, and the PC, and can be accelerated by both the CPU and any CUDA general purpose parallel computing processor - and obviously Nvidia's own Geforce GPUs.