Archive for April, 2008
UK Crossing Guard Signs to Get Cameras
The British apparently never met a problem that couldn’t be solved with surveillance cameras. Now the most surveilled nation on Earth plans to INSTALL $2,000 CAMERAS (front and back) on those handheld stop signs carried by volunteer crossing guards who help kids cross streets near schools. Local councils hope the cameras will deter growing abuse heaped on “lollipop ladies” by drivers who would prefer to plow through groups of school children rather than having to wait.
Original post by Mike
Brionvega Alpha Retro TV
The Brionvega Alpha retro TV has finally fought its way through from being a concept initially to a fully working model. It boasts a design based on the modernist classics of Le Corbusier and Breuer, bringing together a 19″ LCD display encompassed by a chrome screen, an integrated DVD player with with audio playback option and a pretty bulky die-cast aluminium remote control that complements the retro TV. Too poor that isn’t HD ready – it would be cool whether it could be hooked up to the PS3 or Xbox 360. At the very least you can always opt for a digital tuner integrated into your purchase by forking out some additional pennies. The final product is available in silver, black or orange colors, with prices starting from 1,950 Euros upwards.
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Original post by Top Tech News
Senior PCs on their Way?
Interestingly sufficient, cell phones for the older generation are readily available but when it comes to user-friendly PCs for senior citizens? Well, the reply is virtually zero. Zilch. Nada. Microsoft UK aims to change that though, drawing up a plan to develop a “senior PC” which will boast a simple user interface as well as specially tweaked to handle more complex tasks (relatively speaking, of course) such as managing prescriptions and photos. Charities Age Concern and Help the Aged will be working with Microsoft UK on that “ad-funded PC” that would come preloaded with a step-by-step guide to get online, remain safe and perform “simple computer tasks”. You can be certain there won’t be fast paced games in there – perhaps a digital version of Sudoku and crosswords?
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Original post by Top Tech News
Shoes with Stair Counter
Isn’t that weird – that pair of (extremely) high heels actually come with an integrated stair counter screwed onto the ankle. Obviously, it works on pretty much the same mechanism as those found in gym machines, but it kinda boggles the mind on which woman in her right mind will actually bother climbing stairs while wearing these? Chances are they’d end up with really sore feet whether attempting anything more than a couple of flights of stairs. Still, you can look out for a pair of that geeky shoes when September rolls around.
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Original post by Top Tech News
Sony BRAVIA DAV-F200 System
Sony Europe has rolled out its newest all-in-one home cinema system, the BRAVIA DAV-F200 which is most pleasing to the eyes, thanks to a glass-fronted, wall-mountable control center that boasts a slot-loading DVD, 1080p upscaling, a USB port that works great with flash drives or PMPs containing MP3s as well as Sony’s very own DMPORT expansion slot. You can even throw in an optional Bluetooth or WiFi adapter in the latter, enabling the DAV-F200 to stream music from a wireless device. Audio format compatibility include MP3, DivX, JPEG and WMA. The DAV-F200 takes a capability sharing route, where both stereo speakers and a subwoofer will pump out 405W of potential while producing faux surround sound. No view on how much it costs, but that is a decent entry level speaker system that will roll out that June.
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Original post by Top Tech News
Messenger for Mac 7 Adds Enterprise Audio, Video Support
As Macintosh computers compose some inroads into the enterprise, they are still behind in undoubtful areas of corporate communications. On Tuesday, Microsoft took a step toward closing a bit of that gap by releasing its Messenger for Mac 7 with audio and video support, whether users are connected via Office Communications Server 2007.
With Communications Server 2007 and the newest Messenger for Mac on a corporate system, users can have face-to-face instant messaging, audio/video meetings — and even multi-party conferencing — with others both inside and outside their office. that includes society using Windows PCs and users of the Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger services. It does not support communication with AOL Instant Messenger or humans using .Mac accounts.
Supports Bonjour, Easy Searching
Messenger 7, which now supports the Bonjour service-discovery functionality that is built into the Mac operating system, is available as a free download. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.9, Windows Live ID for personal accounts, or Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 for enterprise users.
The new offering plus makes it easier for enterprise workers to search a corporate address book from within Messenger, or to find internal contacts. A user can see which contacts are connected to a local network and, for example, whether you have two contacts named Sam, you can assign nicknames. Contacts can be located in large buddy lists via a search-as-you-type box. The company additionally said that communications have increased shield within the corporate network.
New “presence” enhancements in Messenger additionally allow users to add a personal report to contact data, so that you can let others know when you’re available for chatting. Mac users with a Windows Live detail can additionally share files and other communications through Messenger 7.
No Audio/Video When Stand-Alone
On officeformac.com, the blog for Microsoft’s Office for Mac team, a team…
Original post by Top Tech News
Court Ruling Could End P2P Music-Download Lawsuits
A federal court has dealt a body blow to the recording industry’s efforts to sue public who use peer-to-peer software to download music from the World Wide Web. In fact, says one copyright lawyer, the P2P decision could mean the end of the Recording Industry organization of America’s litigation strategy.
In Atlantic Records v. Howell, U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake rejected the RIAA’s theory that the defendants distributed music files merely by making them publicly available through the Kazaa P2P application. Contrary to the music industry’s theory, “Merely making an unauthorized copy of a copyrighted work available to the public does not violate a copyright holder’s exclusive right of distribution,” the judge wrote.
The facts of the case are fairly typical. MediaSentry, the private investigator that researches these matters for the RIAA, used Kazaa to identify 4,000 files available from the Howells’ computer, with 54 of them copyrighted music files. MediaSentry took screenshots showing the files available and downloaded 12 of the songs.
‘Gold Standard’
The defendants, Jeffrey and Pamela Howell, say they made valid copies of their CDs for personal use and they didn’t know Kazaa was making them public. Asked in a deposition whether he was sharing music files online, Jeffrey Howell said, “I was not, no. The computer was, but I was not. The computer in some style … made files that I did not know available on the Net.”
“This case harmonizes everything. It sets the gold standard,” said Ray Beckerman, a copyright attorney with the New York firm of Vandenberg & Feliu and author of the Recording Industry v. The citizens blog, in a telephone interview. “Other district courts will follow it. Appeals courts will follow it.”
In the Howell case, the recording industry now has to “show he actually disseminated to members of the public — and that he did…
Original post by Top Tech News
