UnBox Calls Home, A Lot

It turns out that to use UnBox, the user has to download software from Amazon that contains a Windows service (ADVWindowsClientService.exe). Tom Merritt over at C|Net reports that the service tries to connect to the internet quite frequently. Even tweaking msconfig could not prevent it." From the article: So, in summary, to be allowed the privilege of purchasing a video that I can't burn to DVD and can't watch on my iPod, I have to allow a program to hijack my start-up and force me to login to uninstall it? No way. Sorry, Amazon. I love a lot of what you do, but I will absolutely not recommend this service. Try again.

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Unbox Too Restricted and Too Expensive?

Businessweek takes a first look at Amazon's new video service and walks away unimpressed. Between the high cost of downloads, the sometimes-poor video quality and the restrictions required by movie studios, they're not predicting a huge hit. From the article: 'Amazon finally launched its long-awaited online video service on Sept. 7. But it's no sure thing that it will catch on with the masses. The service, called Amazon Unbox, offers downloads of movies and television shows, as well as digital movie rentals. But like all its rivals, it's shackled by a raft of viewing limitations imposed by movie studios.

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Live Documents is Powerful Stuff

A new service called Live Documents allows Windows PC users with Office already installed on their computer to syncronize documents across multiple users over the Internet. The service works currently with Word and Excel documents (other office applications are coming soon, they say) via a toolbar. While in beta, the service is free.

The creator of a document sets permissions of other users (read only, read-write, print permission, etc.) and emails out the file to them as they normally would. When the other users open the document all instances of the document across all users are syncronized regularly when users are online.

This is a powerful application that addresses one of the primary benefit of wikis and online Word clones like Zoho Writer and Writely - collaboration via the Internet. The functionality from the user perspective is very similar to Microsoft Sharepoint Portal Server, which allows business users to collaborate on documents via a centralized Windows server. Unlike Sharepoint, Live Documents doesn’t store any documents on a server, and therefore doesn’t require you to have your own (very expensive) Windows server.

We’ve tested Live Documents on two PCs in our office and it worked flawlessly. We’re looking forward to a Mac version, as well as extended functionality for at least PowerPoint as well.

The next step for Live Documents should be to look for a partner amongst the online office players to make their service work across applications as well. When that happens, a Word user will be able to collaborate on a document real-time with a Zoho Writer user, for example, over the Internet.

Live Documents

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Interlink Electronics unveils Bluetooth ExpressCard Media Remote

If your fresh new laptop has an ExpressCard slot that's not already preoccupied with a TV tuner, external SATA adapter, or EV-DO card, you might be interested in a little something that maximizes your ability to become the ultimate couch potato. Interlink Electronics has released its Bluetooth-enabled Media Remote that just so happens to fit snuggly inside your machine's ExpressCard slot for storage and recharging. The device works with pretty much every media suite out there, including Windows Media Center, Dell Media Experience, Windows Media Player, iTunes, RealPlayer and presumably anything else with track / volume controls. Sporting a 30 foot range, a full week of battery life, and weighing only 1.1 ounces, this $49.95 media controller should make good use of that open ExpressCard slot -- unless, of course, it's reserved for more critical tasks.

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Hybrio batteries bridge gap between disposables and rechargables

We're resigned to the fact that the constantly increasing power demands of modern gadgets will always outstrip slow increases in the energy density of batteries: however, high energy density is not the only factor that goes into making a good battery. Other factors that matter include the length of time that a battery can hold its power, how often it can be recharged, its price, how easily they can be recycled, and, of course, how often they explode. Disposable batteries come dead last in pretty much all the aforementioned categories, which is why we're happy to see that Uniross, a company that develops and manufactures rechargable batteries, has released its range of "hybrid" Hybrio batteries in North America. The Hybrio batteries mix the best of disposables batteries (fully-charged out of the box) with the best of rechargable batteries (can be reused / recharged) whilst keeping the price down, which is the main reason that people continue to buy environmentally damaging one-use batteries. A four-pack of fully charged Hybrios with a charger comes in at around £15, and each battery keeps 70% of its charge after a year, can cope with up to 500 charge cycles, and is protected by a three year limited warranty. We've heard this whole song and dance before, but apparently Hybrios are such an improvement over regular one-use batteries that the Worldwide Wildlife Fund recently let the company stick its logo on the packets -- and if there's anything that motivates us to buy things, it's a giant, environmentally-friendly panda.

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Medion's Akoya RIM 2550: 22-inches of all-in-one Media Center - Engadget

Medion is one of those low-end, consumer electronics manufactures whose products sell in the likes of Aldi, Woolworths, and Toys 'R Us around Europe. Still, they bring some design cred as demonstrated in this Akoya RIM 2550. This unspecified "Dual Core" all-in-oner brings Windows Media Center to that big 22-inch display and features 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, a DVD-burner, ExpressCard slot and suite of USB and Firewire jacks, Gigabit Ethernet, an integrated webcam in the bezel, and a dual analog/digital TV-tuner for good PVR'in fun. Yeah, the keyboard is wireless, but if you're a lefty just forget about using the touchpad, unless of course you bat from both sides of the plate. No drop date but expect the 2550 to pull €1,399 / $1,785 sometime before the sun burns itself out.

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DimDim launches FOSS challenge to WebEx

Indian open source startup DimDim has released an alpha version of their new browser based web conferencing software. Users download the open source free code and install it on their own servers. The current version supports IE on Windows only for presenters, which is really unfortunate, but attendees can be in conference via Firefox on Mac. Future versions will fully support Firefox on Mac, Linux and Windows. If the software ends up solid then DimDim could pose an interesting challenge to the current list of paid, hosted web conferencing solutions.

I tested a version hosted on the DimDim servers early this week and it worked well. Presenters can share their whole desktop or just a single application at a time with attendees. Audio and video transmission is one way from presenter to attendees, from a Flash box in the sidebar. Attendees chat chat with each other and the presenter.

Resolution on the shared screen isn’t all I wish it was but lag time was very low. There are any number of features that could be added and a hosted alpha will be launched late this year or early next year.

DimDim says that just like Hotmail made free email common and Skype created the expectation that VOIP should be free - they want to make web conferencing freely accessible. The company says that this version is for technically adept early adopters, so if that’s you then now may be a good time to check out DimDim.

Typical of open source companies, DimDim’s business model is based on providing paid support and custom installations for business users. This is a very ambitious project, and even this alpha launch has seen several delays so far - but if it works well then I expect DimDim to be widely appreciated.

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BlackBerry Pearl review roundup - Engadget

Well that was quick. Looks like our own Boy Genius wasn't the only kid on the block to get his hands on the BlackBerry Pearl a few weeks early. Reviews aplenty are already extolling the virtues of the much anticipated phone, and while it's not all roses, the Pearl sure seems to do a lot of things right. What's getting the most love seems to be the utterly small -- for a QWERTY-ish smartphone, at least -- form factor, but the bright screen and bevy of software features get a lot of love too. Not everybody is stoked about the execution of the video and music players, but the reviewers at least didn't seem to be overwhelmed by any extra complexity introduced by the new stuff. CNET astutely notes that the phone lacks WiFi, which isn't much of a departure for RIM, but misses the mark set by some of the Pearl's smartphone compatriots. The SureType keyboard has just as many perks and annoyances as ever, but that's to be expected, and there's no arguing over the size savings the Pearl manages because of it. Overall, we're seeing good things for the Pearl and proud parent RIM, and as their media feature sets and design chops improve they might just have a shot at the consumer market yet

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Amazon "Unbox" download service due to launch today?

The word is out on Amazon's movie download service. After plenty of rumorings, it doesn't look like Amazon will be able to keep mum on the subject for long, since they're expected to launch "Unbox" today. The word on prices isn't exactly wonderful: rentals should go for about 4 bucks, while permanent downloads are hovering at $15. TV shows are matching the $2 iTunes pricepoint, and should be available the day after they air. As for studios, Amazon is purported to have Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony and Universal all signed up, but Disney is said to be holding out for iTunes at this point. Picture quality is supposed to be DVD-ish, and videos will be playable in Amazon's Windows-only Unbox player (pictured), or on your TV or portable device. So far the amazon.com/unbox URL is redirecting to a plain-vanilla DVD page, but if all this word on the street proves true we should be seeing it up in the next few hours.

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Hardware Hacking a Voting Machine in 4 Minutes

Bev Harris of BlackBoxVoting.org has acquired an actual Diebold Acu-vote ballot scanner. Rummaging through King County's trash, she managed to get her hands on some of their tags and seals. She has since demonstrated a successful penetration of the seals without breaking them ... all in under 4 minutes with no training or technical skills required. There's a nice how-to with photos over at Verified Voting New Mexico.

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Another 150,000 Years of CO2 Data

An anonymous reader writes, "We've known since 2004 that the past 440,000 years have shown atmospheric carbon dioxide levels varying between about 200 and 300 ppmv, the difference in extremes being the difference between advancing ice sheets and our current clime. In 2005 the data were analyzed back to 650,000 years and were found to be much the same — Al Gore was proud to be able to show that then-new analysis in his 2006 movie An Inconvenient Truth. Now all 800,000 years of the ice column have been analyzed, and the data show much the same pattern, according to the researcher: 'When carbon dioxide changed there was always an accompanying climate change. Over the last 200 years human activity has increased carbon dioxide to well outside the natural range' — to 380 ppmv.

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Dell Latitude D820 with Core 2 Duo reviewed

Somehow those good ol' boys down in Texas got sneaky on us -- while we were busy getting ready for Labor Day, Dell went and updated the Latitude, Inspiron, and XPS series with Core 2 Duo chips. Laptop took the new bumped Dell Latitude D820 for a spin and wasn't dissappointed. This spiffy new laptop topped the charts on the magazine's MobileMark 2005 test with an all-time high score of 308. Further tests showed that the Core 2 Duo scored high marks when processing more information at a time, such as running a virus scan while ripping a CD: the Core 2 Duo machine scanned 15,446 items and ripped the CD in 8 minutes 32 seconds while the Core Duo scanned 2,579 items and ripped the same CD in 6 minutes 36 seconds. We're still waiting to see if Apple will follow Dell's lead -- maybe that's what's happening next week in San Francisco?

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Silicon Valley to become one ginormous WiFi hotspot - Engadget

Silicon Valley can't be shown up by, say, Singapore, now can it? That's why the Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force has selected the Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a tech consortium that includes IBM and Cisco to build a giant WiFi network for the region. When built, this massive WiFi hotspot will span 1500 square miles (nearly 3900 sq. km), from the city of South San Francisco to Santa Cruz, a distance of over 60 linear miles (96 km). The plan, for now is to have free access for local residents via advertising, but higher bandwidth applications like VoIP or streaming video would cost extra, reports The Associated Press. No word on how GoogleFi fits into all of this, given that Mountain View is part of this territory. Perhaps Google will use its other stronghold in San Francisco to make a power play for the rest of the Peninsula -- creating one giant battleground of free wireless internet access. Still, WiFi for the SiVi is superfly.

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CodeWeavers CrossOver Mac

Welcome to the CrossOver Mac Beta center. We are providing a free time limited beta version of CrossOver Mac to anyone that is willing to test CrossOver.

CrossOver Mac will be the very best way to run your Windows applications on your Intel based Mac. It will let you install and run Windows programs as though they were native, all without having to buy or run a copy of Windows itself.

This beta version will give you a taste of the promise of CrossOver, but should be considered an early test release - we intend to make substantial further improvements before we ship a production version.

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Google Archives 200 Years of News

Google News has broken free from its temporal chains; no longer content to display search results from a measly month of prior news, the service has signed with a number of partners to offer news search extending back into early last century. According to PaidContent’s summary of the NYT coverage, sources include the Wall Street Journal, New York Times (to 1981), Washington Post, Time (full archives to 1923), Guardian Unlimited, Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, HighBeam Research and Thomson Gale. Some of the results will require payment to the source for access and there are no Google ads on the results pages. Regular search and timeline display options are available.

The results displayed so far seem limited and timelines are hard. A search for Iran Contra, for example shows results only from 1987 through 1992, thus excluding coverage of the alleged deal between Reagan and Iran in 1980 that unseated Carter from the presidency. It’s only a question of history, though, there’s no need to get political. Almost every result for that search requires payment for access anyway.

The official announcement should come on Wednesday, at which point the archive search option should be available from other pages on Google. For now though you can access it directly at news.google.com/archivesearch.

For another look at archival news search, see our recent coverage of Topix.net, which offers less history but more sources and a more usable timeline.

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Apple spec bumps iMacs, minis, adds 24-inch iMac - Engadget

Well done, Steve, you've surprised us yet again. While we were sitting around bracing for another day filled with Apple rumors (e.g. "OMG! What's he gonna announce on the 12th? iPhone!!!!), Cupertino has gone and released some actual products today, including upgrades to the entire lineup of iMacs and minis. Most exciting, perhaps, is the all-new 24-inch iMac (we were all looking out for a 23-incher), complete with a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 1GB of RAM, 250GB HDD capacity, FireWire 800, and some of that sweet nVIDIA GeForce action in the form of a 128MB 7300GT graphics chipset. Besides the 24-incher, both the 17-inch and 20-inch models now come with Core 2 Duo standard (ranging from 1.83GHz to 2.16GHz), 160GB or 250GB worth of hard drive space, 512MB or 1GB of RAM, 8x dual-layer SuperDrive, and ATI Radeon X1600 graphics (except for the low-end 17-incher, which sports integrated graphics and just a 24x Combo drive, plus no bundled remote or Bluetooth 2.0). As for the minis, they're all part of the dual core family now as well, featuring 1.66GHz or 1.83GHz Core Duo CPUs, 512MB of RAM (2GB max), up to 160GB of hard drive capacity, either a Combo drive or a SuperDrive, but still just integrated graphics. Available immediately from Apple online or retail, pricing on the new models is as follows: $999 for the 1.83GHz 17-inch iMac, $1,199 for the 2.0GHz 17-incher, $1,499 for 20 inches of iMac goodness, and $1,999 for the 24-inch monster, while the minis start at $599 and $799, respectively, depending on the processor. So now the big question is: what IS going to be announced at the "It's Showtime" event? Damn, guess we're in for another week of rumors after all...

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