Internet & Media

Some of the Internet's most popular domains, such as Facebook and Google, will enable IPv6 on their key services for 24 hours in the late spring, in preparation for the transition to the new Internet protocol, the Internet Society has said.

Facebook, Google, and Yahoo will join with content delivery networks Akamai and Limelight on June 8 to test the services' performance on the companies' main Web sites, the nonprofit organization said yesterday.

Google has offered an IPv6-only version of its site since 2008, but this will be the first time that the company has enabled it for all … Read more

Anyone who's eyeing a 3D PC but doesn't want to wear those glasses may be in luck.

Fujitsu announced yesterday that it will launch an all-in-one desktop PC sporting a 3D display that won't require the familiar but uncomfortable 3D glasses.

Due to launch in Japan on February 25, the Fujitsu Esprimo FH99/CM will offer an 23-inch 1,920x1,080 LCD display and be powered by an Intel i7 processor.

The PC will include 4GB of RAM, up to 2TB of hard-disk space, integrated graphics, and a Blu-ray drive, according to PClaunches.com and other sources. … Read more

Planes will be popping out of screens in Japan this month as Sony is launching the country's first 3D television series, a drama about air traffic controllers dubbed "Tokyo Control."

Sony supplied the 3D technical support for the 10-episode series, which is produced by Fuji TV. It's set to debut on satellite broadcaster SkyPerfecTV's 3D channel on January 19.

Starring Ayako Kawahara and Saburo Tokito, the show will include 3D scenes such as a staffer at the Tokyo Air Traffic Control Center imagining dozens of small planes all around her as she works. … Read more

RIM has granted India access to its BlackBerry network, but not the ability to monitor secure customer e-mails.

The BlackBerry maker confirmed today that the Indian government now has the means to access its Messenger service.

"RIM has now delivered a solution that enables India's wireless carriers to address their lawful access requirements for our consumer messaging services, which includes BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS) e-mail," Research In Motion said in a statement released today and e-mailed to CNET.

But RIM insisted that the access does not include the ability to monitor e-mails on … Read more

News Corp. revealed today that it's exploring the possibility of selling or spinning off MySpace, just a day after the troubled social-networking site announced heavy layoffs.

During an announcement that confirmed many rumors, MySpace CEO Mike Jones briefed employees today on company options during a companywide meeting, spokeswoman Rosabel Tao told Bloomberg.

"News Corp. is assessing a number of possibilities including a sale, a merger, and a spinout [spinoff]," Tao said. "The process has just started."

On Tuesday, Jones announced a "significant organizational restructuring that will result in a 47 percent staff reduction across … Read more

Demand Media is set to go public, according to an amended filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with shares priced from $14 to $16 each.

The online publisher could sell up to 8.625 million shares and, if it prices at the top of the range, it could be worth about $1.3 billion and raise $138 million.

That includes 4.5 million shares from the company, 3 million shares from existing shareholders, and another 1.125 million shares that its underwriters have an option to sell.

Demand will net $58.1 million if the IPO price is $15.… Read more

Sony Corp., the company that brought us the Walkman and parent company of music label Sony Music Entertainment, plans to shut down a CD-manufacturing plant in southern New Jersey in March.

About 300 employees will be laid off once the 50-year-old Sony DADC plant in Pitman, N.J., is closed. Sony said it plans to shift CD-making operations to a facility in Indiana. The company moved DVD manufacturing from the plant about a year ago.

Lisa Gephardt, a Sony spokeswoman said in a statement: "In light of the current economic environment and challenges facing the physical media industry, Sony … Read more

In many communities throughout the country, when a child goes missing you may hear about it on the radio or see a notice on an illuminated highway sign. You might also get a text message if you're signed up to receive one. AOL, Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft also disseminate Amber alerts. Now you can receive them on Facebook.

The Amber alert program, which was established 15 years ago after the abduction and murder of its namesake, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, has so far resulted in the recovery of 525 kids according to Ernie Allen, CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (… Read more

Web sites hawking pirated software and other digital goods are luring in about 53 billion visits each year.

That's according to a report (PDF) released yesterday by MarkMonitor, a company that protects online brands for its corporate customers.

Piracy sites made up the majority of the 53 billion visits, while those selling counterfeit goods such as fake prescription drugs and luxury items accounted for a considerably smaller amount of traffic: about 92 million visits a year.

MarkMonitor identified 43 sites as engaging in digital piracy. Among them, three sites--Rapidshare.com, Megavideo.com, and Megaupload.com--accounted for about 21 billion … Read more