Internet & Media- Page 1068

RIAA to LimeWire judge: Stand firm on wording

The trade group for the top four record companies is ratcheting up the pressure on a pro-technology attorney who may have offered controversial advice to file sharing service LimeWire.

U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood, in the Southern District of New York, last week ruled in favor of the music industry in its copyright case against the company that operates LimeWire. Wood included in her 59-page decision a reference to Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group for tech companies and Internet users.

In describing testimony from Lime Wire founder Mark Gorton, Wood … Read more

Seesmic launches iPhone app

With software for the Web, Windows, Android, and the BlackBerry already under its belt, Seesmic has unveiled its first app for the iPhone.

The popular social-network aggregator offers you the ability to tap into Twitter and other social networks from one single interface. Its new free app for the iPhone and iPod Touch specifically lets you add your accounts from Twitter, Facebook, and Ping.fm. Ping.fm, which helps you manage different social networks and bookmarking sites, is owned by Seeismic, so its inclusion makes sense.

Each account shows up as a separate space on the app's dashboard screen. … Read more

Inside Google TV beats a unique Intel chip

The silicon powering the Google TV technology is a window on Intel's future and an affirmation of its new credo: integrate, integrate, integrate.

The CE4100 is a system-on-a-chip, or SOC, which essentially means all of the various features of a computing device are packed onto one piece of silicon. Intel historically has not focused on this kind of highly-integrated chip, but rather ultra-fast processors designed for PCs and servers.

But designing Intel chips is now becoming an exercise in how many disparate features can be squeezed onto the proverbial head of a pin. In this case, the CE4100 turns a TV into a versatile computing device. "We are transforming TVs from essentially a dumb display device to smart computing device," Eric B. Kim, senior vice president at Intel, said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Intel is not taking its eye off performance, though. "High performance is needed to deal with large screens, multiple streams of high-definition audio and video. Google could not do what they want on today's SOCs," said Kim. "This is not something that you hold in your hand. This is something you plug into the wall," he said, referring to other chip designs that emphasize power saving features over performance. … Read more

Google I/O: Seeking results (roundup)

More than just a gathering place for developers, Google I/O has become a stage that draws the attention of those who can't code, debug, or predict the future of social media.

Google: A new consumer electronics power broker Google TV could be the solution to a problem that has eluded tech geniuses for years: how to marry the PC and TV. Win or lose, it says much about Google's clout outside of search. (Posted in Relevant Results by Tom Krazit) May 20, 2010 4:29 PM PDT

7 unanswered questions about Google TV CNET takes a look … Read more

Google to take on iTunes with Simplify Media buy

One of the most interesting bits of news to come out of today's Google I/O conference was the company's stealth acquisition of Simplify Media a couple months ago.

Until March of this year, Simplify offered a free software application for PC and Mac that let users stream music from the iTunes or WinAmp libraries on their home computer, over the Internet, to other devices they own. The company also made an iPhone app that let the iPhone or iPod Touch receive these streams.

It was a nifty solution for users with big music libraries at home and … Read more

'Hurt Locker' producer blasts 'moron' pirates

Nicolas Chartier, who produced the Academy Award-winning film "The Hurt Locker," doesn't appear to be backing down from criticism he has received for his plan to sue those who illegally downloaded his movie.

In response to an e-mail he received from someone complaining about his litigation plans, Chartier called the person a "moron" and "stupid," and said "I hope your family and your kids end up in jail one day for stealing, so maybe they can be taught the difference," according to a story in the blog Boing Boing.

So it'… Read more

Google faces probes and lawsuit over Wi-Fi spying

Less than a week after admitting it had inadvertently spied on some Wi-Fi users, Google is the target in several investigations in Europe and at least one lawsuit in the U.S.

On Tuesday, Pacific Northwest residents Vicki Van Valin and Neil Mertz filed a class action lawsuit against Google alleging their privacy was violated when Google's Street View vehicles drove by their homes, detecting and storing data from their open Wi-Fi Internet connections used in their homes. The news of the lawsuit was first reported by TechEye.net.

The case was filed in an Oregon district court. It … Read more

Twitter debuts official iPhone app

The iPhone app formerly known as Tweetie has a new name and a new owner.

Twitter hit the iPhone market Wednesday with its first official app, dubbed simply Twitter for the iPhone. But the new app is actually just the 3.0 update of Tweetie 2.0, which the company got hold of after acquiring Tweetie developer Atebits in April.

Though it's hardly a revolutionary upgrade, the new 3.0 version sports a few small changes over Tweetie 2.0. First off, it's free--Tweetie 2.0 set you back $2.99, even if you upgraded from a previous … Read more

Facebook's privacy crisis must thrill Hollywood

Recent changes to Facebook's privacy controls, as well as a litany of new products that share more user and demographic information with third-party partners, are ticking off a lot of users.

Weblogs and Mahalo founder Jason Calacanis recently joined GDGT founder Peter Rojas and prominent Googler Matt Cutts in the ranks of notable tech industry figures who have announced that they're deleting their profiles altogether. Rumors have been swirling about internal disputes at Facebook over whether the company really did cross the line and whether changes should be in store.

But I'm willing to guess that a … Read more

Cartoon contest leads Pakistan to shutter Facebook

A Seattle cartoonist's satirical suggestion that Thursday be dubbed "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" has led to anything but humor in some quarters, particularly Pakistan, which on Wednesday evening shut down Facebook.

An Islamic lawyers association in Lahore, Pakistan, argued that the contest essentially was blasphemous and won a court injunction against the social-networking site on Wednesday. A Facebook page promoting the idea had drawn more than 81,000 members as of 6:30 a.m. PDT Thursday. The cartoonist, Molly Norris, did not create the Facebook page and is actively opposing it.

Facebook will reportedly be shut down … Read more