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To everyone who has ever griped about music locked up in copy-protection software, it appears that the technology is on its way out.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment, one of the top four music labels, is preparing to offer part of its catalogue without Digital Rights Management software, according to a story in BusinessWeek.com, the online publication of BusinessWeek magazine.

According to BusinessWeek, Sony BMG plans to reveal its plans sometime in the first quarter. Citing an unnamed source, the magazine reported that Sony BMG, a joint venture between Sony and Bertelsmann, will participate in a song giveaway as part … Read more

A select few have their mittens on the forthcoming iPhone 1.1.3 firmware update, which packs a quasi-GPS function in Google Maps, the ability to rearrange home screen icons and new bookmarking functionality. Our friends at iPhone Atlas recently posted a hands-on look at the update, noting some previously undocumented features such as redemption of gift cards in the WiFi iTunes store and enhanced Gmail access in the Mail application. Also included in the report are usage notes for the primary new features.

Particularly cool is Google Maps' new "Drop Pin" feature. Tap the small eye-looking icon … Read more

Apple has been on a tear of late, but it's not just a story of iPods.

Web analyst Net Applications now puts the Mac's market share at 8 percent, up from 5.3 percent in early 2007. That is stunning growth by any measure, especially when you consider that this is 18 percent growth in its market share...just since November 2007.

Clearly, there was much Christmas joy for the Mac maker this holiday season.

Vista? It's still languishing, though Windows XP is king of operating systems, with 76 percent of the market. Not too shabby, but not what Microsoft would wish for, either. In fact, Microsoft got coal all year, as its crushing market share continued to crush...but a little less forcibly every day, as the data shows:… Read more

After a holiday spent freezing in the wilds of Connecticut and pondering the mysteries of the chip industry, I felt it was time to take stock of the latest Macworld Expo rumors.

The craziness is just 12 days away and undisturbed this year by that big gathering in the desert taking place the prior week. The predictions are starting to come in, and the early bets have mobility in mind.

For months, the betting odds have favored the introduction of new MacBooks at Macworld. It's been awhile since Apple tweaked the basic hardware design of the MacBook, and with … Read more

Who would have thought? Dell is actually making quality computers these days, and not simply the cheapest boxes it can ship. Or so says Walt Mossberg in a recent review of Dell's XPS One desktop. Mossberg even goes so far as to suggest (gasp!) that Dell's all-in-one desktop actually gives Apple's iMac a run for its money.

Of course, as noted below, the one thing that Dell can't match is, in fact, the iMac experience. Dell may be making better hardware, but it's still stymied by its dependence on Microsoft software. This may well make the XPS a losing proposition.

Something interesting is going on at Dell. The Texas personal-computer behemoth, long associated with boxy, boring machines, has started emphasizing industrial design. And the company, which in recent years seemed to care only about corporate customers, techies and hard-core gamers, appears once again interested in average, mainstream consumers who value simplicity.… Read more

Last night I installed Monolingual on my Mac to free up some hard drive space. For those who have never used it, Monolingual is an open-source program for the Mac that removes hard drive hogging language files and other program files that serve no useful purpose.

Well, that's what I thought. I removed all but English and removed PowerPC-related system files (after all, I'm using Apple's Intel-based MacBook Pro). Bad mistake. I woke up today unable to send email, had a range of icons missing from my program files, and basically my system was stuttering to a … Read more

Forbes is reporting on a patent filed by Apple this month that would save customers the hassle of waiting in line to order coffee at Starbucks or a burger at the nearest fast food joint. It's described as "a wireless system that would allow customers to place an order at a store using a wireless device such as a media player, a wireless personal digital assistant or a cell phone."

Cool, but you can already do that via simple text message.

Read full story at Forbes: "Apple's piping hot innovation."

As we slowly bid adieu to 2007, I'm looking forward to 2008 and what will welcome us in the new year. And while none of us actually know what to expect, the future looks bright for this industry.

Think about it: who would have thought that Facebook would become such a powerhouse, the iPhone would take the world by storm and Dell would have dropped so significantly in just one year?

But in the fast-paced world of technology, we've learned that just about anything can happen and the leaders of today may not necessarily be the leaders of tomorrow. After all, is there any guarantee that Microsoft will still hold on to its dominating position or the iPod will still be the top dog in the PMP business? Not a chance.

But as I look forward to 2008, I truly believe there are some things we can accurately predict for next year. Whether it's the diminished popularity of the Wii or Google's meteoric rise in the cell phone business, the future looks bright and we should get ready to enjoy the ride.… Read more