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Tuesday, September 30

Playing Iron Man for a day
With the hit movie now out on DVD, the filmmakers show off some of the tech behind the blending of 3D animation and live-action footage.
• Photos: Iron Man in real time
• Video: Morphing into 'Iron Woman'

news analysis Credit crunch isn't just about Wall Street
A lack of credit affects businesses from tech giants to mom-and-pop stores to all manner of consumers.
• How start-ups can survive
• Can "freemium" model continue?

Just in

Real sues studios to keep RealDVD alive
RealNetworks files suit to "protect consumers' fair-use rights" and keep its new RealDVD software available.
(Posted in Crave by John P. Falcone)

FAQ: What to expect from a new IP cabinet position
If signed into law, the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act will create what may amount to an IP "czar."
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Blogger jailing backfires on Malaysian govt.
After country's Internal Security Act is used to imprison a blog editor, a newspaper reporter, and an opposition lawmaker, censorship watchdogs and parliament members cry foul.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Lee Min Keong)

Google releases open-source Mac updater
Search giant uses the open-source framework to keep multiple Mac OS X applications updated--and now anyone else may use it, too.
(Posted in Apple by Stephen Shankland)

Socialtext co-founder: Enterprise Twitter isn't enough
The enterprise social software company has new Twitterish functions, but the real deal is coming later.
(Posted in Webware by Rafe Needleman)

Monday, September 29

Ballmer: Congress must 'stabilize' financial crisis
Speaking in Europe, Microsoft's chief executive says he's hopeful that politicos in the United States can come up with a "resolution" before the end of the week.
• House Web site overwhelmed by e-mails
(Posted in Microsoft by Jonathan Skillings)

Getting philosophical about Facebook's new hub
What's with the map? Here's why I think that the social network decided to redesign the page you see when you haven't yet logged in or signed up for an account.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Group forms to promote mobile broadband
With GSM Association, companies ranging from Vodafone to Microsoft pool resources toward billion-dollar marketing initiative.

Facebook delivers version 2.0 of its iPhone app
Now available in the iTunes store, the updated iPhone app delivers many of the features of the full Facebook site.
(Posted in The Web Services Report by Harrison Hoffman)

AMD says new 'Shanghai' chip is ready to go
Shanghai--targeted at servers--will be AMD's first 45-nanometer processor. Company insists it won't make the same mistakes as it did with the Barcelona processor.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

AT&T, Nokia, Navteq fund local-search site Zvents
Three companies with a stake in mobile Internet development invest $24 million in a site that lets people promote and find local events, restaurants, and deals.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stephen Shankland)

'BusinessWeek' names the Web's top 25
Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg are included in the ranks of the magazine's mostly unsurprising list.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Nokia to sell security hardware unit
Cell phone maker also plans to quit making software for business customers. Moves will enable it to concentrate on "the renewal of its business mobility strategy."
(Posted in Wireless by Anne Dujmovic)

Sunday, September 28

Net radio bill passes House
The legislation, which Web radio stations have said could mean life or death for their services, moves to the Senate. Traditional radio stations drop opposition.
• Pandora to Congress: We're running out of time
• Pandora, Webcasting: Headed for Senate victory?

Do tech start-ups, celebs really mix?
Celebrities are often savvy at business matters, but stepping into the start-up world does not always work out.

Just in

Report: Apple TV could get update Tuesday
The blog TUAW.com says that it has received word from an Apple reseller that suggests something is afoot with the Apple TV device.
(Posted in Crave by Jonathan Skillings)

Adobe hole enables free movie downloads
Flaw, which rests in Adobe's Flash video servers, is giving people free access to record and copy from Amazon.com's Video on Demand service.
(From Reuters)
• Online TV viewing on the rise

Apple selling unlocked iPhone 3G in Hong Kong
The price is steep, but Apple is giving consumers in this tiny Chinese territory the option of choosing any carrier they so desire.
(Posted in Apple by Natalie Weinstein)

Google opposes anti-gay marriage measure
Search giant decides to take a public stand against Proposition 8, which is on the November ballot in California.
(Posted in Digital Media by Natalie Weinstein)

AT&T drops Dish for DirecTV
After five years of co-branding with Dish Networks, AT&T has decided that the grass must be greener on the other side.
(Posted in Wireless by Natalie Weinstein)

Saturday, September 27

updateImages: Top Web news gaffes
 Anyone with access to an online publishing tool can relate to the sinking feeling that the publication button has been clicked too soon. Just this week, two new incidents reared their embarrassing heads.

Long Zune outage coming Monday
In a late Friday e-mail, Microsoft warns customers that the Zune service will be down starting at 12:01 Monday for up to 48 hours. A representative declines to explain why so long.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Jet-winged man crosses English Channel
Adventurist zooms 22 miles over water on a homemade jet-propelled wing set. James Bond is furious.
• Photos: A jet-winged flight over the Alps
(Posted in Negative Approach by Dave Rosenberg)

Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including the Sling Media Slingbox Pro-HD, Apple's iTunes 8, and the 250GB Archos 5.
• Week in review: Google enters cell phone biz

Building show: Smarter homes, water out of air
Technology at the West Coast Green 2008 building show includes a device to deliver water from ambient air, a $14,000 solar table, and energy monitoring systems.
(Posted in Green Tech by Elsa Wenzel)

Google reveals wireless hopes in a patent
The company's definition of a truly open wireless network is in conflict with how wireless operators do business today.
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Congress takes up online threats to children
Even with an economic crisis to deal with, Congress is finding time to address online threats to children like child pornography and prescription drugs.
• Senate OKs RIAA-backed bill
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Andreessen's nuclear winter: Here it comes
The latest round of warnings comes as Internet advertising starts to suffer fallout from the financial meltdown on Wall Street--and it's just the start.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

Friday, September 26

Will Americans ever call on mobile banking?
More and more mobile-banking and payment services are being announced, but so far, U.S. adoption is being dwarfed by that of developing nations, where it's more useful.
• Sprint offers mobile banking app

Universal Music plans Hulu-like site
The new online venture would offer professionally produced music videos as well as other original programming that features the label's artists.

Just in

Election season comes to Twitter
The micro-blogging site, a hub of politics and media banter, has launched an election-specific site with a feed pertaining to all things Obama and McCain.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Ballmer on search: 'I don't like not being No. 1'
In his Silicon Valley chat, the Microsoft chief executive says it's going to be a long haul in the search battle with Google. He also talks phones and Windows.
• Ballmer: Tech showing 'buoyancy' despite economy
• Gates speaks at UN, Ballmer in Silicon Valley
• Antitrust regulators seek more from Microsoft
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Reznor: Help us know what you'll buy
The Nine Inch Nails front man has an intriguing way of figuring out what the group's fans will pay for: ask them.
(Posted in The Open Road by Matt Asay)

Nokia to unveil touch-screen phone
The company plans to unveil its first touch-screen phone next week at an event in London, according to a Reuters report.
(Posted in Wireless by Dawn Kawamoto)

Congress set to move on copyright, Net radio
Bill that would allow government to sue pirates has been watered down and Web radio stations may be close to cutting deal with music industry on royalty rates.
• Group asks senator to intervene in Google-Yahoo deal
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Liberals, conservatives ask for Internet-friendly debates
A coalition of people from across the political spectrum are asking the presidential candidates to commit to more open debates.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

RIM tanks on lower profit for new BlackBerrys
Company reveals during earnings conference call that upcoming BlackBerrys like the Bold are more costly to produce than its current lineup. Investors aren't pleased.
(Posted in Wireless by Tom Krazit)

Q&A: Stuart Cohen of Collaborative Software Initiative
Founded last year, Cohen's initiative continues to push the envelope on what open source can do for the enterprise.
(Posted in The Open Road by Matt Asay)

uTorrent for Mac leaked
A much-rumored but previously unconfirmed alpha version of uTorrent's popular torrent-managing client has appeared in the wild.
(Posted in The Daily Download by Seth Rosenblatt)

China touts space launch success before takeoff
In yet another Web publishing gaffe of late, China's official news agency publishes details on the Shenzhou 7 mission--including in-flight astronaut dialogue--before it had even launched.
• Report: China Mobile wants a slow iPhone
(Posted in Digital Media by Michelle Meyers)

Behind the scenes of online fraud
RSA security expert tells of blogs that review of Trojans, IRC chat room marketplaces for online fraud tools, and new types of Web attacks designed to steal sensitive data.
(Posted in Security by Elinor Mills)

Expanding the Twitter club for the rest of us
In this political season, I have a modest suggestion how to further the flow of Twitter conversation, which right now remains broken up by gated communities.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

Facebook growing fast, MySpace still on top
Traffic firm Hitwise's analysis of the U.S. social-networking market shows MySpace still gets over 65 percent of the market share but it's gradually losing ground to Facebook.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Thursday, September 25

Mundie: The cloud needs killer apps
Microsoft's research and strategy chief has a vision for where computing is headed. But what exactly are the next must-have applications?
• Mundie on computing's future

Tech activist takes on 'copyrighted' laws
The man who prompted the SEC and Patent Office to put their databases online in the '90s has set his sights on liberating all government data.

Just in

Dawn is nigh for '4G broadband'
Intel and Sprint plan to announce WiMax broadband service in Baltimore and products that run off it, CNET News has learned.

Adobe extends Photoshop to mobile phones
Photoshop.com Mobile lets people upload and view photos shot with several Windows phones. The subtext here: Adobe is trying to funnel people to its Photoshop site.

Verizon: Put the brakes on broadband monitoring
The ISP itself does not engage in monitoring its customers to display relevant ads, but nevertheless suggests some guidelines on how it should be done.

Mistrial for RIAA's $222,000 defendant
Federal judge declares a mistrial in the case of Jammie Thomas, who earlier had been ordered to pay the recording industry $222,000 for alleged copyright infringement.
• Bush administration opposes RIAA-based copyright bill

14 celeb-powered start-ups: Where are they now?
Celebrities are often savvy businesspeople, but stepping into the start-up world does not always work out.

'Google Moderator' tool takes on lecture-hall chaos
Created by a Google engineer who wanted to make it easier for panel audiences to ask questions, the internal tool has now been released to the public.

When rap, physics, and fame collide
Kate McAlpine's rap video on the Large Hadron Collider has earned her YouTube acclaim, but to her the highest honor comes from teachers who want to show it in the classroom.

Roku wants to stream everyone's content
Maker of the Netflix Player is working to enable its set-top box to stream video from any content provider to consumers' TVs, Roku's CEO says.

EA hit with class action suit over 'Spore'
Class action lawsuit is filed against Electronic Arts for allegedly failing to inform consumers of a copy protection program that came along with Spore.
• 'Spore' hits a million copies sold since launch

MySpace Music makes its debut
Backed by the four major record labels, the service could pose a real challenge to Apple--but it won't be easy.

Oracle enters hardware market
At OpenWorld, CEO Larry Ellison unveils the company's first ever hardware product--a storage server to ride shotgun with database intelligence.
• Oracle's hardware gambit: Not so crazy
• Oracle CEO launches 'world's fastest database machine'
• Oracle shows off new Exadata storage server
• Video: Can IT get the Web 2.0 lexicon right?

Gates takes U.S. financial crisis in stride
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates expresses confidence in a bright long-term future for the U.S. economy as a guest on NBC Nightly News speaking with Tom Brokaw.
• PDC attendees will get pre-beta Windows 7

T-Mobile caves on 1GB data limit for G1
The carrier had planned to throttle users' data connection if they exceeded 1GB of usage in a month, but is dropping that limit from its marketing materials.
• Android era begins with T-Mobile's G1

Wednesday, September 24

Yahoo makes its pitch to Madison Avenue
Jerry Yang and Sue Decker pull out all the stops in the launch of the "APT by Yahoo" tech, which promises to clean up the display advertising process.
• Report: Yahoo board approves AOL talks
• Video: Yahoo can't sit still

photos Probing Alienware's Area 51 ALX
Get a close encounter with the stellar inner workings of this $8,000 PC designed with gaming enthusiasts in mind.

Just in

HP: Voodoo lives on, but 'not immune' to layoffs
The CTO of Hewlett-Packard's consumer group looks to squelch rumors sparked earlier this week about the fate of its Voodoo PC unit.
(Posted in Crave by Erica Ogg)

PDC attendees will get pre-beta Windows 7
In a blog post, Microsoft confirms that it will have an early version of Windows 7 ready for developers by next month's conference.
(Posted in Microsoft by Ina Fried)

Tesla's 'Bluestar' to be all-electric family car
Tesla aims for mass adoption of electric cars with a "family car" potentially produced with another automaker. Also planned: Electric minivans, coupes.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

In patent case, court sides with Broadcom again
A federal appeals court has affirmed that Qualcomm is infringing on two out of three Broadcom patents, and has upheld an injunction against Qualcomm.
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

What road to greener transportation?
A panel of experts argue that a combination of clean transportation technologies, from biofuels to battery-powered cars, is the most likely path to greener cars.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Digg raises $28.7 million in Series C round
The perpetual Valley darling, long rumored to be up for sale, has instead infused its coffers with capital from Highland Capital Partners and announced an expansion effort.
• Digg funding to go to features, expansion, publisher relations
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Adobe's CS4 gets Google search boost
Using Google Site Search, Adobe Systems is linking customers to relevant content that comes from other Web sites. The feature is built into CS4 applications.
(Posted in Business Tech by Stephen Shankland)

FBI's chief information officer resigns
Nearly five years after inheriting an IT program fraught with disaster and dramatically turning it around, CIO Zalmai Azmi announces his resignation.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

This week in Apple App Store angst
Developers are still wondering what Apple considers improper iPhone applications, and now might not even be able to compare rejection notes in hopes of figuring that out.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

roundup T-Mobile's G1 enters the phone fray
The first Google Android phone sports a lot of nifty mobile Web features, but how will it stack up against the rest of the crowded smartphone market?
• Photos: T-Mobile's G1 debuts
• A speed limit for the G1?
• Google releases final Android programming kit

Firefox update fixes a dozen flaws
Update spans Firefox 2 and Firefox 3 and will be pushed out to current users to take affect the next time the browser relaunches.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

Senator warns of DTV-transition 'crisis'
At the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the DTV transition from analog to digital, a powerful senator warns of a potential crisis.
(Posted in Crave by David Katzmaier)

Tuesday, September 23

full coverage The Android era begins with T-Mobile's G1
Google's Android OS is the driving force behind the new $179 3G phone and a passel of apps designed to go with it.
• First Android phone unveiled
• Android: Not just for phones
• What the G1 packs
• Photos: T-Mobile unveils first Google phone

Has NBC scuttled video piracy?
Buoyed by its recent Olympics and SNL successes, the entertainment company says it has a "template" for defeating copyright infringement.

Just in

Infected U.S. PCs may have attacked Georgia
A security company releases a list of countries with the most bot-infected computers with the United States topping the list.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

What works: Five Web 2.0 products I still use
Even crusty Web reviewers develop long-term relationships with products. Rafe Needleman shares his favorites of late.
(Posted in Webware by Rafe Needleman)

Chrysler gets into electric car race
Watch out Chevy Volt: Chrysler plans two extended-range electric vehicles for release in late 2010, along with an all-electric Dodge EV sports car and electric city car.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Windows Mobile 7 release delayed
Microsoft's new cell phone operating system, aimed at helping the software maker better compete with Apple's iPhone, is now not expected until the second half of 2009.
• E-mail, photo programs stripped from Windows 7
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Second of 11 alleged TJX hackers pleads guilty
A Miami man could face a sentence of up to 22 years behind bars and a fine of up to $1 million for his crimes related to the massive data breach.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

IBM to shun 'rogue' standards bodies
An IBM-convened group of standards experts calls for more transparency in standards-setting processes and intellectual property practices.
(Posted in Business Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Unisys CEO to step down
IT services provider begins search for new chief executive as the company struggles to shore up its declining revenue.
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

Intel putting $20 million in business social-net firm
Already a client of Telligent, Intel is infusing the software company with $20 million to expand its reach and sales team.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Early views of Android phones bubble up
Photos of the T-Mobile's G1 phone--known as HTC's Dream and the first to use Google's Android OS--are emerging shortly before its official debut.
(Posted in Wireless by Stephen Shankland)

Dell launches global charitable initiative
The company unveils its YouthConnect Initiative, in a move to expand its charitable giving overseas to focus on education and digital inclusion.
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

Antitrust status conference on tap for Microsoft
Microsoft and antitrust regulators are meeting this week for a status conference on the company's ongoing compliance with the consent decree.
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

A breakthrough for open source in the UK
The UK just took a historic step by opening up its Software for Educational Institutions Framework to open source.
(Posted in The Open Road by Matt Asay)

AOL announces BidPlace ad exchange
Part of the company's Platform-A suite, the ad exchange will let advertisers bid for space on AOL, as well as on its third-party network. It is set to launch in the first half of next year.
(Posted in Digital Media by Caroline McCarthy)

Monday, September 22

Android: It's not just for phones
One influential partner backing the open-source operating system says it'll show up in consumer electronics and cars, too.
• The Android wars begin Tuesday
• Complete Android coverage

Just in

Microsoft hires social-net scholar Danah Boyd
Best known for her comparisons of MySpace and Facebook users, Boyd is wrapping up her doctorate at UC Berkeley before heading to Microsoft's new Boston-area research facility.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Hotmail update coming this week
Microsoft, which updated its downloadable Windows Live programs last week, plans to upgrade its online tools in the coming weeks, starting with an update to Windows Live Hotmail this week.
(Posted in Microsoft by Ina Fried)

Facebook has the Monday morning blues
The popular social-networking site was down for maintenance for many users for some time Monday morning.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

Palm OS revision now due in first half of 2009
The company once hoped to get the Linux-based Palm OS II out in early 2009, but is now saying to expect it sometime in the first half of 2009, which generally means summer.
(Posted in Wireless by Tom Krazit)

Microsoft announces $40 billion stock buyback
Software maker forms plans to buy back stock through 2013, boost its quarterly dividend by 18 percent. Hewlett-Packard also announces a buyback program, of up to $8 billion.
• Microsoft opens San Antonio data center
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

FBI searches apartment of alleged Palin hacker
Bureau reportedly searches apartment of David Kernell, a 20-year-old University of Tennessee student, as part of its investigation into hacking of Alaska governor's Yahoo e-mail account.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Searching the city for Zune-friendly Wi-Fi
CNET News' Ina Fried traverses San Francisco with one of Microsoft's latest music players--and finds mixed results.
• Photos: Zune's sweet spots
• Video: Wi-Fi scavenger hunt
(Posted in Microsoft by Ina Fried)

Gadget browses full suite of Google blogs
Can't keep up with the profusion of Google blogs? Company offers two new ways: an iGoogle gadget and a directory.
(Posted in Webware by Stephen Shankland)

A new kind of VC makes small bets on young firms
Union Square Ventures focuses on services that use the Web to change a market rather than simply make it more efficient.
(From The New York Times)

Nikon brings better optics to new 50mm lens
The new f/1.4 lens has better optical performance, but it'll cost more. Also: Nikon says it built 5 million lenses in the last year and 45 million over its history.
(Posted in Underexposed by Stephen Shankland)

Microsoft opens San Antonio data center
What they say about bigger things in Texas--it's true. The latest of the company's mega cloud-computing facilities cost $550 million to establish and takes up nearly half a million square feet.
(Posted in Microsoft by Ina Fried)

Sugar Inc. launches OnSugar blogging platform
After creating a network of wildly popular blogs for the Us Weekly crowd, the company is letting its users create their own Sugar-hosted blogs--and import existing ones.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

McAfee offers $465 million for Secure Computing
Cash-and-stock deal expected to close near the end of the fourth quarter, McAfee says, would give it a well-stocked portfolio of network security offerings for a wide range of businesses.
(Posted in Security by Jonathan Skillings)

Sunday, September 21

photos When programming suits you to a T
The T-shirts on display at Yahoo's Open Hack 2008 event had a lot to say about coding prowess, nerd humor, and software tribal affiliations.

Just in

Helium leak forces two-month shutdown at LHC
On the heels of an earlier transformer glitch, world's largest particle collider is closed temporarily on just day nine of its operation.
(Posted in Cutting Edge by Michelle Meyers)

Endeavour put on standby as rescue spacecraft
For the first time since July 2001, two shuttles are on their launch pads at the same time. Endeavour is on standby in case something happens on Atlantis' mission to fix Hubble.
(Posted in Cutting Edge by Michelle Meyers)

Images: Top Web news gaffes
Anyone with access to an online publishing tool can relate to that "I never should have hit the publish button" feeling. We revisit some of those "whoops" moments and their resulting consequences.

Saturday, September 20

Comcast details changes for managing Web traffic
In plans submitted to FCC Friday, company says it will use software to find bandwidth hogs and will temporarily give them a lower priority status.
(From Reuters)

Intel ships first dual-core Atom processor
Intel has begun shipments of the first dual-core version of the Atom processor.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
CNET Reviews rates the 2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS, some new-model Microsoft Zunes, the Alienware Area-51 m17x, and more.

Hole unveils Facebook fan pages
Want to see the fan pages of someone you are not friends with on Facebook? It's pretty easy with a newly discovered vulnerability.
(Posted in Security by Elinor Mills)

Photos: A walk in the park(ing spot)
San Francisco activists converted parking spaces into temporary urban parks as one of 80 cities participating in an annual event aimed at combating concrete domination.

The looming crisis: Personal syndication overload
Four publishing tools, three blogs, six microblogs, and two aggregators. It's enough to drive a guy insane.
(Posted in Webware by Rafe Needleman)

Report: New Yahoo board to meet next week
New directors--Carl Icahn included--will meet Monday and Tuesday with likely topics being opposition to Google and Yahoo's proposed ad deal, The Wall Street Journal says.
(Posted in Digital Media by Elinor Mills)

Apple recalling iPhone 3G power adapters
USB power adapters sold with the iPhone 3G in the U.S. and certain other countries could possibly break and leave the metal prongs behind in an electrical socket.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Economy watchers: Keep calm, carry on
At the Web 2.0 Expo in New York, just a stone's throw from the turmoil on Wall Street, it was hard not to notice the financial industry meltdown.
• Web 2.0 Expo highlights
•  Week in review: Tough times ahead for tech?
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Friday, September 19

New taxes on your cell phone bill?
Debate over whether Congress should override local tax authorities ensnares the Cell Tax Fairness Act, which would ban any "new discriminatory tax" for five years.

Focus testing Gaia's 'zOMG'
Gaia Online is adding a massively multiplayer online game as an adjunct to the social virtual world used by more than 7 million people. This week, some testers put it through its paces.

Just in

Google denies disassembling Vista software
Search giant says it didn't use reverse-engineering method to bring a security feature to its browser on Windows XP. But it defends disassembly as an aid for software compatibility.
(Posted in Business Tech by Stephen Shankland)

Applied Materials touts 'largest' solar setup
The tech equipment maker claims bragging rights in Silicon Valley for its parking-lot installation, which is set to produce 2.1 megawatts of energy.
(Posted in Green Tech by Jonathan Skillings)

Photos: Academy of Sciences rebirth
Long a San Francisco tradition, the California Academy of Sciences, which was badly damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, was closed for major renovations in 2005. On September 27, it is scheduled to re-open, an almost entirely new set of buildings, and one of the world's most innovative green museums.

EA seeks to remedy its 'Spore' DRM mistake
Game maker liberalizes its digital rights music policy for the new evolution game, by Will Wright--but not nearly enough. It has to learn the difference between users and customers.
(Posted in The Open Road by Matt Asay)

Twitter unveils interface redesign
The popular microblogging site launches an interface overhaul, including a new design customizer that allows you to change the colors on your Twitter profile.
(Posted in The Web Services Report by Harrison Hoffman)

eBay looking to unload StumbleUpon?
Online auctioneer reportedly has hired Deutsche Bank to find a buyer for its Web site discovery service, StumbleUpon.
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

Cisco scoops up Jabber
Network equipment giant buys "open standards" messaging company, not mentioning the open-source factor. Terms of the deal, likely a small purchase for Cisco, are undisclosed.
(Posted in The Open Road by Matt Asay)

Large Hadron Collider downed by faulty transformer
Not long after the world's largest particle collider became operational, a transformer that helps cool part it malfunctioned, forcing operations to be suspended.
(Posted in Cutting Edge by Steven Musil)

California bans texting by train operators
After investigators said an engineer in last week's collision was texting on the job, regulators temporarily ban the use of all cellular devices.
(From The New York Times)

Robot to keep ship hulls free of sea debris
Hismar, a hull-cleaning robot developed at the United Kingdom's Newcastle University, could save the shipping industry from excess drag, fuel consumption, and pollution.
(Posted in Planetary Gear by Candace Lombardi)

EFF sues U.S. over NSA surveillance program
Suit names President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in effort to halt what the group called the "massively illegal" warrantless surveillance of Americans' Internet and telephone communications.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Steven Musil)

Movable Type goes virtual with JumpBox
Six Apart's open-source blogging platform is now an easy-to-install virtual appliance, thanks to virtual-appliance vendor JumpBox. It's free for developers and bloggers.
(Posted in The Open Road by Matt Asay)

Thursday, September 18

New Microsoft ads target Apple
Redmond wants to show that Windows is not stuffy and old, but part of a diverse experience that empowers interesting people across the globe.
• Shifting away from Seinfeld
• Ad exec on Microsoft as 'victim'
• Images: Evolution of new ad push

Sony Ericsson readies Nokia music rival
The music service is expected to come from Sony Ericsson within the next week, in concert with British firm Omnifone.

Just in

Large Hadron Collider downed by faulty transformer
Not long after the world's largest particle collider became operational, a transformer that helps cool part it malfunctioned, forcing operations to be suspended.
(Posted in Cutting Edge by Steven Musil)

EFF sues U.S. over NSA surveillance program
Suit names President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in effort to halt what the group called the "massively illegal" warrantless surveillance of Americans' Internet and telephone communications.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Steven Musil)

Nvidia cuts workforce 6.5 percent
Responding to "business realities," the world's largest graphics chip supplier on Thursday said it expects to eliminate approximately 360 positions worldwide.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Social engineering cracked Palin's e-mail account
Criminal hackers exploited known weaknesses in the password recovery feature to gain access.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

A software conference breaks out at Web 2.0 Expo
Call it a sign of maturation. Plenty of action at O'Reilly's New York conference was among software start-ups courting corporate tech buyers.
• Web 2.0 Expo roundup
(Posted in Webware by Jim Kerstetter)

Google leaps, Microsoft drops in brand value
The value of Google's brand soared 43 percent, according to an annual study, and IBM knocked Microsoft down from second to place. Coke is still king.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stephen Shankland)

Sergey Brin starts blog, tells of Parkinson's risk
Genetic tests show that the Google co-founder has a rare genetic mutation that increases his chances of getting Parkinson's. Despite the bad news, he's optimistic.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stephen Shankland)

As Android debut nears, Google's Miner stays mum
Google Android czar Rich Miner runs through the company's standard pitch (it's open!) for its mobile operating system at the Mobilize conference.
(Posted in Wireless by Tom Krazit)

Oracle posts improved first quarter
Company reports improvement in both revenue and net income, getting some help from sales of its Fusion middleware.
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

Zuckerberg: 'Change can be difficult,' but the redesign stays
In a post on the company blog, the young CEO says even though some members have protested its new user interface, Facebook will stick with it.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

T-Mobile expands its 3G network
Company plans to offer 3G coverage in more than 20 markets when it starts selling the Google Android phone in October, but will that be enough to beat out the competition?
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Holidays 'uncertain' after poor back-to-school sales
The end-of-summer period is typically a boon for consumer electronics retailers, but this year, it doesn't deliver big revenue growth. Will the holiday shopping season help them catch up?
(Posted in Business Tech by Erica Ogg)

Will Toshiba save SanDisk, parry Samsung?
Samsung is laying a lot of money on the line to acquire SanDisk, but it faces a potential trump card in Toshiba's links to the flash memory maker.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Wednesday, September 17

Critics: DHS not ready for cyberthreats
Some Washingtonians are calling into question the Department of Homeland Security, saying it has proven to be inefficient, bureaucratic, and unable even to monitor federal networks well.

One big thing Zune did right
Microsoft may have catching up to do when it comes to digital music, but company deserves plaudits for making new features work with every Zune ever made.
• Video: What's new with Zune

Just in

Report: Google to buy Valve Software
Why buy video game maker Valve Software? Probably for Steam Powered, an online hub and software distribution network with 1.2 million active users during peak hours.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Stephen Shankland)

Mozilla: Firefox license in Ubuntu was 'giant error'
License agreement has the wrong content, Mozilla's chief exec says. The code is actually under a free and open-source license.
(Posted in Business Tech by Tom Espiner)

Bill Gates invests in algae fuel
Sapphire Energy, a company that plans to make auto fuel from algae, has raised over $100 million, including a contribution from Gates' Cascade Investments.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

SanDisk on Samsung buyout offer: Not so fast
Is a bidding war in the offing? Shares soar after hours as Toshiba hints it may be interested in buying the flash maker.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

EU seeks overhaul of global IT trade pact
European Commission says the 1996 language of the Information Technology Agreement, which keeps many IT products duty-free, needs to be updated "for the 21st century."
(Posted in Business Tech by David Meyer)

NASA: Arctic sea ice at second-lowest level on record
Satellite microwave data confirms drastic reduction in the amount of permanent ice covering the Arctic.
(Posted in Planetary Gear by Candace Lombardi)

VMware demo reveals ESX 4.0 features
In Las Vegas, virtualization software maker says hypervisor update enables users to change RAM allocated to virtual machines sans reboot, configure them with up to eight virtual CPUs.
(Posted in Business Tech by Roger Howorth)

iLike launches developer platform: Playlists rock!
Social music site lets partners and other developers embed collaborative playlists on their sites for everything from movie soundtrack tracking to party music planning.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Nortel slashes outlook, looks for asset buyers
Telecommunications equipment maker warns that its business is slowing down due to the weak economy. It also says it is looking to sell off its metro Ethernet equipment business.
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Android handset demo at Google Developer Day
In London, Google demonstrates a device running what looks to be the final version of the Android OS. Could that be the HTC Dream?
• Hype builds for Android phone launch
(Posted in Crave by Nicole Lee)

Tesla to open plant for Model S electric sedan
Tesla's Model S--a five-passenger, all-electric luxury sedan priced at about $60,00--will be manufactured in San Jose, Calif., site of Tesla's future headquarters.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Video: Debunking digital stereotypes
CNET's Kara Tsuboi sits down with author John Palfrey to discuss his new book, Born Digital, and the challenging crossroads at which our society has found itself.
• Harvard prof sees answers to nagging Web-youth issues
(Posted in Digital Media by Kara Tsuboi)

Will that Dell solid-state drive be regular or ultra?
Dell's new E4200 ultraportable notebook comes with two flavors of solid-state drives. Consumers will now have at least a couple of performance options.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Tuesday, September 16

Meraki teams with SF for free Wi-Fi
Free wireless project in the city hits a major milestone, as the company announces plans to target low-income housing projects in San Francisco.
Read full story

photos When programming suits you to a T
The T-shirts on display at Yahoo's Open Hack 2008 event had a lot to say about coding prowess, nerd humor, and software tribal affiliations.
Read full story

Just in

Will that Dell solid state drive be regular or ultra?

 Podcast: Chrome 101

 Zune users get free Wi-Fi access at McDonald's

 iLike launches developer platform: Playlists rock!

 Tesla to open plant for Model S electric sedan

 NFL player fumbles playbook on his blog

 Chromium via Wine lacks polish and more

SanDisk on Samsung buyout offer: Not so fast
Is a bidding war in the offing? Shares soar after hours as Toshiba hints it may be interested in buying the flash maker.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

iLike launches developer platform: Playlists rock!
Social music site lets partners and other developers embed collaborative playlists on their sites for everything from movie soundtrack tracking to party music planning.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Tesla to open plant for Model S electric sedan
Tesla's Model S--a five-passenger, all-electric luxury sedan priced at about $60,00--will be manufactured in San Jose, Calif., site of Tesla's future headquarters.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Video: Debunking digital stereotypes
CNET's Kara Tsuboi sits down with author John Palfrey to discuss his new book, Born Digital, and the challenging crossroads at which our society has found itself.
(Posted in Digital Media by Kara Tsuboi)

Will that Dell solid state drive be regular or ultra?
Dell's new E4200 ultraportable comes with two flavors of solid state drives, regular or ultra.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Blu-ray and digital downloads: Best frenemies
Once thought to cancel each other out, HD video industry leaders now say the two are essential and complementary to each other.
(Posted in Crave by Erica Ogg)

NFL player fumbles playbook on his blog
Washington Redskins tight end reportedly posts a portion of the team's playbook against the New Orleans Saints on his blog, raising the ire of his coach.
(Posted in Digital Media by Steven Musil)

HDTV makers turn to budget stores, larger screens
TV makers' next best opportunity to increase their business is to go big, according to industry leaders at HDTV conference in Los Angeles.
(Posted in Business Tech by Erica Ogg)

Khosla on clean tech: Let's get real
Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla says the clean-tech industry needs to focus on "real stuff, not fashion."
(Posted in Green Tech by Stefanie Olsen)

Google rebuts study predicting higher ad costs
Search giant's chief economist attacks a "flawed" but widely cited study that predicted the Google-Yahoo search-ad deal will raise advertisers' prices.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stephen Shankland)

Peekaboo! Facebook fills photo security hole
Popular social network fixes latest security vulnerability that allowed strangers to view members' photos through mobile version of the site.
(Posted in Security by Elinor Mills)

Hype builds for Android phone launch
T-Mobile USA will be the first carrier to launch the new Google Android phone, which is expected next month. But will the much-hyped phone live up to expectations?
• Android handset demo at Google Developer Day
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Teradata jumps on SAP acquisition speculation
Shares rise nearly 7 percent, fueled by an analyst report that SAP is considering another acquisition and the data warehouse company may make a good fit.
(Posted in Business Tech by Dawn Kawamoto)

Monday, September 15

Sunday, September 14

MySpace Music to play with McDonalds, Toyota
Here comes MySpace Music. Execs say some advertisers paid eight-figure sums to ally with service expected to launch this week. Can the service challenge iTunes?

Online ad twist: Mind your own data
Start-up BlueKai is taking a novel approach in a crowded market for Internet ad tech. The privacy pitch: Consumers can tweak the data held about them.

Just in

EA drops $2 billion bid to acquire Take-Two
The announcement ends an seven-month takeover effort that turned hostile before the two companies entered private talks last month.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Steven Musil)

Did 'Spore' copy protections backfire on EA?
Angered by DRM limitations imposed on Spore, people are downloading illegal copies of the evolution game en masse. Will the negative response change EA's stance?
• 'Spore' doing well in first week
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Jennifer Guevin)

Should Apple join new video ecosystem?
Microsoft, Cisco and Toshiba are part of consortium eager to see DRM interoperability in digital music sector, but is this good for Apple or consumers?
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Saturday, September 13

Report: HP trying for 'end-run' around Windows
Business Week cites anonymous sources that say the PC maker is developing its own operating system to bypass Vista.
by Erica Ogg)

Firefox 3.1 to gain modicum of privacy
On the heels of IE 8's InPrivate and Google Chrome's Incognito, Mozilla now promises that a long-discussed privacy feature will be rolled into the pending Firefox update.
(Posted in The Daily Download by Seth Rosenblatt)

Online ad twist: Mind your own data
Start-up BlueKai is taking a novel approach in a crowded market for Internet ad tech. The privacy pitch: Consumers can tweak the data held about them.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stefanie Olsen)

Fifty years later, IBM's inventors celebrate the 'Stretch'
Judged a failure at the time, Big Blue's 7030 supercomputer left a rich, albeit indirect legacy for the rest of the computer industry.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

Homeland Security lacking 'open source' intelligence
Report by a House committee says the Department of Homeland Security is not providing sufficient publicly available information for state and local law enforcement.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Porn on a plane: Flight attendants want filters
Flight attendants ask American Airlines to use filtering technology to block porn from in-flight Internet access.
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Anatomy of a botnet
A researcher examines how the Storm worm botnet has remained resilient when others simply fail over time.
(Posted in Defense in Depth by Robert Vamosi)

Friday, September 12

Online ad twist: Mind your own data
Start-up BlueKai is taking a novel approach in a crowded market for Internet ad tech. The privacy pitch: Consumers can tweak the data held about them.

A dogged trustbuster in pursuit of Google
If the Justice Dept. goes after the Internet giant on antitrust grounds, it'll turn to veteran Sandy Litvack to build the case.

Report: HP trying for 'end-run' around Windows
Business Week cites anonymous sources that say the PC maker is developing its own operating system to bypass Vista.
(Posted in Business Tech by Erica Ogg)

Firefox 3.1 to gain modicum of privacy
On the heels of IE 8's InPrivate and Google Chrome's Incognito, Mozilla now promises that a long-discussed privacy feature will be rolled into the pending Firefox update.
(Posted in The Daily Download by Seth Rosenblatt)

Fifty years later, IBM's inventors celebrate the 'Stretch'
Judged a failure at the time, Big Blue's 7030 supercomputer left a rich, albeit indirect legacy for the rest of the computer industry.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

'Spore' doing well in first week
The evolution game from Electronic Arts and The Sims creator Will Wright is selling well across the country, though not like massive hits such as Grand Theft Auto IV.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

Homeland Security lacking 'open source' intelligence
Report by a House committee says the Department of Homeland Security is not providing sufficient publicly available information for state and local law enforcement.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Porn on a plane: Flight attendants want filters
Flight attendants ask American Airlines to use filtering technology to block porn from in-flight Internet access.
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Anatomy of a botnet
A researcher examines how the Storm worm botnet has remained resilient when others simply fail over time.
(Posted in Defense in Depth by Robert Vamosi)

Tech experts see a 'cloudy' horizon in Washington
Tech experts say policy makers have a lot to learn about cloud computing before creating legislation to address public concerns, so they don't "screw up things."
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Amazon.com removes, reinstates reviews for 'Spore'
After users of the new Electronic Arts evolution game revolted against what they felt was oppressive DRM by leaving bad reviews, Amazon has removed them all.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

Apple stomps bugs with iPhone 2.1 release
Company says the software update extends battery life "significantly," improves e-mail reliability, speeds text messaging, and means fewer crashes with third-party applications.
(Posted in Apple by Stephen Shankland)

iTunes update for Vista addresses crashes
Apple releases a new media player version and recommends that Windows users replace outdated drivers for Webcam products, scanners, and some media card readers.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

Yahoo Music stops selling and starts pointing
Company wants to direct users to music available on multiple Web sites, but with many of these sites already offering a full range of services, will anyone need Yahoo?
Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Thursday, September 11

q&aZune exec on phone future, new iPods
 Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore talks about where Microsoft is headed with the Zune and what he makes of Apple's new crop of iPods.

Trustbusters divided on next move on Google
Sources say there's sentiment inside the DOJ to file broader charges related to Google's dominance in search advertising. But that would be a tough slog with an uncertain finish.

Just in

RIAA, MPAA resume push to expand copyright law
Politicians are back from their summer holidays, and major copyright holders are renewing their lobbying efforts for two bills that enjoy bipartisan support.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Declan McCullagh)

Microsoft, Novell partner on virtualization
As part of the companies' nearly 2-year-old alliance, the two say they are working together to support Novell's Suse Linux operating system running on Microsoft's hypervisor.
(Posted in Microsoft by Ina Fried)

iTunes 8 causes Windows Vista problems
Apparent incompatibility issues of Apple's latest music player cause "blue screen of death" on some Windows Vista machines. Short-term solution: detach non-Apple USB products.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

Like 'The Real World,' with more computers
The MTVU channel and Hewlett-Packard will air Engine Room, a series that will follow contestants as they produce digital art using products sold by HP.
(From The New York Times)

Google shares hit new 52-week low
Search giant's stock falls below $412.11, where it hit in mid-March, to a level at which it was trading two years ago. The company's share price has been taking a beating since mid-August.
(Posted in Digital Media by Dawn Kawamoto)

Best of Shows: Top 10 from DemoFall, TechCrunch50
CNET editors and reporters pick their top products from a week of more than 120 launches.
• Full coverage: Demo + TechCrunch = Launch Week
• E-books: The flexible future
(Posted in Webware by Rafe Needleman)

Source: Microsoft, RIM to announce search deal
An agreement, expected Thursday, should put Microsoft's Live Search engine in front of more BlackBerry users.
• TiVo control coming to BlackBerry
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Live Nation to sell venue operator SMG's tickets
In anticipation of its ticketing service, due to launch in several months, the concert promotion company says it'll handle event ticket sales for SMG's North American venues through 2011.
(Posted in Digital Media by Caroline McCarthy)

'Cutting edge' MacBook Air silicon getting old
MacBook Air still offers the same Intel processors and solid state drive that it was offering nine months ago.
• New MacBooks could arrive in October
• Study: Low-cost laptops to drive PC market growth
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Review: Apple iPod Nano, 4th generation
CNET Reviews The new Nano is easy on the eyes and the wallet, and you can't beat its hardware and user interface design. Just be sure to give iTunes 8 a spin before committing.
•  Apple rocks out with iTunes, iPod updates
•  iTunes 9 to take on Pandora, subscription services?

'Obama sex video' is just spyware in your e-mail
Don't open that "Obama sex video" link or you may have sensitive data stolen from your computer, Sophos says.
(Posted in Security by Elinor Mills)

Mobile carriers see opportunity in 'tween' market
About 46 percent of kids too young to watch a PG-13 movie use cell phones, opening a whole new demographic of young consumers to the mobile industry.
• U.S. text usage hits record despite price increases
• Mobile carrier CEOs still want network control
• Full coverage of CTIA
(Posted in CTIA show by Marguerite Reardon)

Apple refutes NBC's pricing-policy claims
NBC suggested that Apple has allowed movie studios, TV broadcasters more control over pricing in the since the media conglomerate pulled its shows off iTunes. Apple execs say now that's not true.
• Apple settles backdating lawsuit for $14 million
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Wednesday, September 10

Mobile carrier CEOs still want control
Sure, they say, opening up networks to new devices and software is essential. But they're not ready to let go entirely.
• Full CTIA Fall coverage
• BlackBerry Pearl gets flip
• Yahoo's social-networking app for iPhone

special coverageDemo + TechCrunch = Launch Week
 Between the dueling events, there are well over 100 new products and companies launching this week. Keep track of them here.
• Video: In the TechCrunch Demo Pit
• Video: Swype's new keyboard tech
• Final thoughts on a packed DemoFall

Just in

Source: Microsoft, RIM to announce search deal
An agreement, expected Thursday, should put Microsoft's Live Search engine in front of more BlackBerry users.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

New MacBooks could arrive in October
Apple watchers have expected new MacBooks for quite a while, and now that Apple has new iPods out the door, the notebook lineup could be the next product upgrade.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Amazon.com to uncork wine sales
Napa vintners group that represents 315 wineries says it is collaborating with the Web retailer to launch wine sales on the site by as early as this month.
(Posted in Digital Media by Steven Musil)

Why Apple gave in to NBC over pricing on iTunes
Apple has allowed movie studios, TV broadcasters more control over pricing than the music industry has ever had--and it appears that will continue.
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

'Virtual' border fence ends up, well, nonexistent
Government auditors tell Congress that the virtual fence along the U.S.-Mexico border is inoperable, and the Department of Homeland Security is abandoning its original plans for it.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Apple settles backdating lawsuit for $14 million
Stock-option backdating troubles at Apple appear to be history following the settlement of a shareholder suit filed against company executives.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Facebook applies a redesign
Revamped site, launched earlier in beta to some users, is now being rolled out to all users over the next few weeks--whether they're fans of the new look or not.
(Posted in Digital Media by Dawn Kawamoto)

MTV's next step in social networking: Backchannel
Debuting in conjunction with the hit show The Hills, the new site lets fans earn points for commenting on what they're watching in real time.
(Posted in The Social by Caroline McCarthy)

Report: $100 billion would foster 2 million green jobs
With $100 billion from Washington, workforce would expand with 2 million green-collar jobs within two years, according to report backed by the Center for American Progress.
(Posted in Green Tech by Elsa Wenzel)

Lawsuit alleges Nvidia hid chip defects
Investor complaint claims Nvidia's worth was reduced by $3 billion because of misrepresentations about failure rates of graphics chips.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Flickr revamp spotlights photos, social features
Yahoo is trying to improve how people can use its Flickr photo-sharing site with a home page revamp. Next up: better photo pages, too.
(Posted in Underexposed by Stephen Shankland)

iPod Touch 2.1 software update is live
The new software is supposed to fix the many bugs that arrived along with the 2.0 software released in July.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Study: Low-cost laptops to drive PC market growth
Despite economic sluggishness, research firm IDC sees potential growth for the low-cost portable market.
• Are you buying ultra-low-cost notebooks yet? Well, someone is
(Posted in Business Tech by Erica Ogg)

Tuesday, September 09

How Google became the hunted
Once it was Microsoft that stirred antitrust action. Now Redmond and others are looking to the political process to hamstring Google.
• Report: DOJ eyeing Google
• Google cuts data retention time in half

roundup Apple rocks out with iTunes, iPod updates
Steve Jobs unveils "the thinnest Nano we've ever made," plus an updated iPod Touch. Also: iTunes gets a Genius button for building playlists, and HD TV shows at $2.99 apiece.
• Where do new iPods leave Zune?
• Video: Apple's newest iPod Touch
• Photos: Apple's fall crop
• Video: iTunes 8 with Genius

Just in

special coverage Demo + TechCrunch = Launch Week
Between the dueling events, there are well over 100 new products and companies launching this week. Keep track of them here.
• Video: TechCrunch50: Stars, social networking
• Video: DemoFall08 Day 1 highlights
• iPhone apps a major trend at DemoFall
• Video: Swype's new keyboard technology

Apple yields to NBC Universal on price, packaging
A year after NBC Universal pulled its shows from iTunes, the media conglomerate is back. To make that happen, Apple gave in on some pricing and packaging demands.
• NBC Universal returning to iTunes

Digital TV test offers some real-world lessons
Wilmington, N.C., became the first market to make the switch to digital TV broadcast, but the transition wasn't all smooth sailing, which officials say helps prepare them for the nationwide switch in six months.


Execs want green data centers
Business leaders from Cisco Systems, IBM, and Cadence say at a tech conference that they're examining ways to make data centers more energy efficiency. Can they cool down those hot rooms?


Congress questions high cost of texting
Sen. Herb Kohl sends a letter to the four major wireless carriers asking them to explain the high cost of text messaging.

Google-backed project aims to give 3 billion more people Net access
Google, Liberty Global, and HSBC, are working to build a satellite system to help bring Internet access to those lacking first-world network infrastructure.


Binary Bits: London Stock Exchange meltdown and more
A look at other Microsoft headlines from across the Web, including Mesh Apps speculation and whether Microsoft is to blame for Monday's outage on the London bourse.

Microsoft fixes eight critical flaws with four patches
Patch Tuesday's security bulletins affect Microsoft Windows GDI+, Windows Media Player, and Office OneNote. Vulnerabilities include an attacker taking complete control of a system.

Captured Chevy Volt photos show updated look
Production versions of the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt, showing a different design than the concept car, are picked up from the GM Web site but then are pulled by GM.


Opera joins Symbian Foundation
Browser developer joins the Nokia-led consortium, set up in June to turn the mobile operating system into an open-source platform. It also teams up with Nvidia.


iPhone apps a major trend at DemoFall
Each year at the new-products showcase, one trend emerges. This year, it may well be the use by a large number of companies of Apple's smartphone for rich applications.


CTIA show to highlight mobile Web
Semiannual conference, this week in San Francisco, to take a closer look at how handset makers, access providers, and media companies are driving the adoption of wireless browsing.


Don't panic: Large Hadron Collider won't spawn voracious black holes
Scientists have presented some evidence the Large Hadron Collider, a massive physics experiment, won't produce mini black holes that could gobble up the Earth.

Monday, September 08

special coverage Demo + TechCrunch = Launch Week
Between the dueling events, there are well over 100 new products and companies launching this week. Keep track of them here.
• TechCrunch50: Ten to watch
• DemoFall preview: 10 to watch

Walking a fine line to search success
Everyone wants their site to show up high in Google's results. How they get there isn't always on the up and up--or is it?

Just in

 Live coverage: Monday's Google announcement

 TechCrunch50: New ways to read and react to news

 Demo + TechCrunch = Launch Week

 Google raising newspaper morgues from the dead

 Demo: MixMatchMusic makes it easy for musicians to collaborate, get paid

Sun learns from failures, sets out to shake up storage industry

 Digital pens write the next chapter

Google fixes Chrome flaws--but won't say which
The company has begun distributing an upgrade to its Chrome browser to fix security problems, but isn't saying yet which ones. Also included: JavaScript bug fixes.
(Posted in Security by Stephen Shankland)

Microsoft confirms Zune details
Amid a host of leaks, company spills the beans on its new music players, which are due out next week.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Google raising newspaper morgues from the dead
Search giant has begun a project to bring a searchable archive of old newspapers to the Web, in partnership with publishers.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stephen Shankland)

Digital pens write the next chapter
At DemoFall, Adapx announces products that tie a digital pen to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Meanwhile, Livescribe is getting a push for its product at Target.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Google files patent for floating data center
A recently unearthed Google patent applications sketches a comprehensive system for a floating data center powered by wave motions and cooled by the sea's water.
(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Microsoft sets Hyper-V free
The software maker says within 30 days, customers will be able to download its server virtualization software for free. It also plans to demo a Live Migration feature
that will be part of the next version of the product.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

YouTube, Pulitzer Center seek best video journalists
News videographers can win a $10,000 grant by submitting a three-minute video story. YouTube viewers will eventually choose the winner.
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Windows Embedded learning to take direction
At a trade show in Hungary, Microsoft shows off one of the first portable navigation systems based on its Windows Embedded NavReady 2009 software, which was completed in June.
(Posted in Microsoft by Ina Fried)

PGP, IBM help Bletchley Park raise funds
Campaign to help save the deteriorating buildings that host historical World War II cryptography machines travels to the United States, garnering attention from tech companies.
(Posted in Security by Tom Espiner)

Zillow, newspaper consortium launch ad network
Real-estate site Zillow.com and a newspaper consortium expand their 2007 partnership, giving local advertisers exposure on Zillow and national advertisers exposure on newspaper sites.
(Posted in Digital Media by Dawn Kawamoto)

McAfee brings nearly instant malware updates
Using a built-in communication channel, the security software maker's Artemis Technology can detect and remove suspicious new malicious software as it pops up.
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

September soundings from Apple
Tuesday's "Let's Rock" event has the tech world buzzing about the expected advent of revamped iPods that should allow Apple to move past the iPhone 3G launch.
• Did Brit inventor father the iPod?
• Disservice to partners may bite Apple
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

DVD ripping goes legit with RealDVD
Real's RealDVD software lets you rip DVDs to your PC hard drive--legally--and watch them on up to 4 other PCs.
(Posted in Crave by John P. Falcone)

Sunday, September 07

'Spore': Behind the prototyping
Many of the components of Will Wright's highly anticipated evolution game started out as small concept projects that are now available to the public.
• GameSpot's 'Spore' review
• Why EA is smiling today
• Images: The art of 'Spore' prototypes

10 things we'd like to see in Chrome
Google's Chrome is pretty good, but it could be a whole lot better. We've rounded up 10 ways to tweak it to make it an all-around better browser.
• Full Chrome coverage

Just in

Creating a 'Facebook for spies'
The CIA, FBI, and National Security Agency are reportedly testing a social-networking site designed for use by analysts within the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.

In NFL deal, an extra point for Adobe's Flash
Football fans will get to see live streaming of NBC's Sunday night games via Flash--not NBC's Olympic teammate, Silverlight.

Google-focused satellite enters orbit
The search titan has exclusive rights among online mapping sites to images from the new GeoEye-1 satellite, which launched Saturday.

Saturday, September 06

Facebook botnet risk revealed
Researchers created a demo "Photo of the Day" app that turned Facebook users' machines into a botnet. Social networks, they warn, are ideal for attack platforms.

At the TechCrunch50, an unfair advantage?
Inside baseball: How Webware and other blogs can compete with TechCrunch in covering the TechCrunch50 event.
• A user guide to following DemoFall and TechCrunch50
• Are Demo and TechCrunch50 fragmenting their audiences?
• Chris Shipley 1, Internet lynch mob 0

Chrome's JavaScript challenge to Silverlight
The advent of Google's Chrome browser, software pros say, should spur a big speedup for JavaScript, which would raise its standing against Microsoft's Silverlight technology.
• Full Chrome coverage

Apple watchers spot 'iPod Nano' pix, iTunes hints
The rumor mill has long been predicting a longer, leaner new version of the iPod Nano, and now it's conjuring up some pictures.

Security firm spots Chrome 'SaveAs' flaw
Bach Khoa Internet Security of Vietnam reports that the new Google browser is susceptible to a critical buffer-overflow flaw.
• Security Bites podcast: The security of Chrome

At 10 years old, whither Google?
Daniel Sieberg of CBS News looks at how the company grew exponentially from start-up to superstar and part of our culture, but what's ahead?
• Why I'm passing on Google's 10th anniversary

Mozilla releases second Firefox 3.1 alpha
Added features include support for a new video tag element introduced with the HTML 5 standard, along with some speed enhancements.

About time: Joost to launch browser-based player
Company's desktop client failed to catch on with the public, so the Web video service is retooling, but is it too late to catch up to Hulu and YouTube?
• Hands-on with the new Joost: Software still required

Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including the TiVo HD XL, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50, and the Dish Network's newest digital TV converter box.

NetSuite boasts of Google Chrome support
All NetSuite's customers will be able to use Google's browser by mid-October. What are the odds any are actually clamoring for it?

Friday, September 05

Microsoft reworks Windows' image
After letting Apple's attack ads go unanswered, Redmond embarks on a tough journey to wrest back control of what Windows stands for.
• Windows chief on Seinfeld ads
• Reisinger: Seinfeld ad was superb

A fragmented audience for start-ups?
With both DemoFall and the TechCrunch50 kicking into action Monday, venture capitalists and other start-up watchers find themselves in a pinch.
•  User's guide to the events

Just in

About time: Joost to launch browser-based player
Company's desktop client failed to catch on with the public, so the Web video service is retooling, but is it too late to catch up to Hulu and YouTube?

Microsoft adding to its Labs collection
Startup Labs will be an effort under Ray Ozzie, joining others including Live Labs, adCenter Labs, and Office Labs.

At ESPN, play-by-play goes virtual
ESPN is debuting technology with Electronic Arts that enables sports commentators to interact with 3D virtual players.
(From The New York Times)

Behind the prototyping of 'Spore'
Many of the components of Will Wright's highly anticipated evolution game started out as small concept projects that are now available to the public.
• GameSpot's 'Spore' review
• Why EA is smiling today
• Will Wright on the origins of 'Spore'

Samsung contemplating SanDisk acquisition
South Korean consumer electronics giant is considering a buyout of the chipmaker to reduce its NAND flash memory costs, according to PaidContent.

What's McCain doing in front of my junior high?
Speculation has it that it was a goof-up that had the Republican nominee standing in front of Walter Reed Middle School during his acceptance speech. In any case, the image brings back memories for CNET News' Ina Fried.

Is EarthLink's failed muni Wi-Fi a blessing?
Wireless Philadelphia, the nonprofit charged with providing broadband bundles to low-income families in Philadelphia, may be better off in the long run without EarthLink.

iPhone to ingest EA's 'Spore Origins'
The game that lets players design creatures and see them through a digital evolution is coming to Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch.

10 things we'd like to see in Chrome
Google's Chrome is pretty good, but it could be a whole lot better. We've rounded up 10 ways to tweak it to make it an all-around better browser.
• Full Chrome coverage

Nokia market share to take a hit
The No.1 mobile handset maker in the world says a weakening global economy and price cuts from competitors will affect its market share standing for the third quarter.

Assessing the value of small wind-turbines
Interest in roof-mounted wind turbines is spreading, even though their installation is hardly ever recouped in electricity savings.
(From The New York Times)

Comcast appeals FCC traffic-blocking ruling
Broadband provider challenges ruling that Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent traffic was unlawful.

Thursday, September 04

Chrome's inner workings, and Easter egg
Google's new browser shows a wealth of detail for programmers building Web sites or the open-source browser itself. Plus: an eggy mystery.
• Full Chrome coverage

EA's balancing act with 'Spore'
GameSpot review Take multiple run-of-the-mill building blocks and put them all together, and you've got yourself a big, entertaining game.
•  Why everyone should embrace gaming
• Video: Ins and outs of 'Spore'

Just in

Comcast appeals FCC traffic-blocking ruling
Broadband provider challenges ruling that Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent traffic was unlawful.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Steven Musil)

120GB Zune coming to a store near you
The device, which was just recently confirmed to be in the works by Microsoft, has popped up on a store shelf in Atlanta.
(Posted in Crave by Erica Ogg)

Microsoft Research gives photo help, for a price
Redmond's research arm has a new tool for creating photo collages, but unlike past products from the labs, consumers have to pay for AutoCollage.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Police, advocates monitor Web sex ads during political conventions
Law enforcement agencies and nonprofits turn to Craigslist and other classified ad sites during political conventions to hunt prostitution or human sex trafficking.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

Apple to developer: No, you pull MY finger
Another rejected iPhone application raises the question of just how Apple decides which applications are useful, if juvenile, and which aren't.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Docstoc offers simple sync with your hard drive
Ever wanted to put your documents in the cloud without having to do all the heavy lifting? Docstoc now offers a way to sync your local docs with what's online.
(Posted in Webware by Josh Lowensohn)

Google: 10 ways the cloud is good for business
At Office 2.0 conference, Matthew Glotzbach of Google tells us why the company's direction is the way of the future for business.
(Posted in Webware by Rafe Needleman)

Cablevision completes first phase of Wi-Fi build
Cable television provider says it is on track to complete a build-out of a wireless-access network spanning New York and the city's suburbs in the next couple years.
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

OLPC revives Give One, Get One program with Amazon.com
In addition, the touch-screen version of the XO, as well as a Linux and Windows XP dual-booting model, will be out soon.
(Posted in Crave by Erica Ogg)

Dell plays defense with Mini 9 Netbook
The long-awaited Dell ultraportable arrives, but it's unclear what the long-term benefit is.
• Hands-on with the Dell Inspiron Mini 9
• Buy a Dell notebook, get a Dell Mini for $99
(Posted in Crave by Erica Ogg)

Clean-tech group forms to support Obama
"Clean Tech and Green Business for Obama" aims to raise $1 million for the Democratic presidential nominee while elevating issues of climate change and alternative energy.
• Republican VP candidate pushes oil over clean tech
• Full RNC coverage
(Posted in Green Tech by Stefanie Olsen)

Apple patent application blends touch, voice, face
If it ever comes to pass, new Apple technology could let you manipulate an object onscreen using a combination of multitouch, voice recognition, and 'gaze vector' commands.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Protesters decry NASA hacker's extradition
Supporters of Gary McKinnon protest his upcoming extradition to the U.S., where he will face trial for his self-confessed hacks into defense computer systems.
(Posted in Security by Tom Espiner)

Wednesday, September 03

Republicans register delegates on the cloud
Convention organizers turn to cloud computing and other technologies to communicate with party delegates more effectively.
• Full RNC coverage
• Drilling down on candidates' energy plans

Chrome's Omnibox could be Pandora's box
If you're not careful with your privacy settings, Google has the right to log every keystroke you type into the browser's address/search bar.
• Full Chrome coverage
• Google backtracks on terms
• Google Chrome extensions: Not yet
• EFF: We're concerned about Google's Omnibox

Chrome suffers first security flaw
Researcher Rishi Narang discloses a malicious link that can crash the new browser. In Google-speak, "Whoa!"
• Full Google Chrome coverage
• Reviewing the reviews of Google's Chrome
(Posted in Security by Robert Vamosi)

Just in

iTunes 8 coming at next week's Apple event?
A new version of iTunes could accompany new iPods next week and give lazy mixtape creators a way to put together playlists from their libraries.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Xbox 360 to be lowest-priced next-gen video game console
Microsoft plans to drop the price of its entry-level console to $199, lower than Nintendo's Wii and the first next-gen machine to break $200.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

AOL targets ads to the iPhone
The Internet media company says an update to its Platform-A advertising system will enable it to serve as many as 75 million ads to the Apple smartphones every month.
(Posted in Digital Media by Stefanie Olsen)

AT&T fixes wireless-data issue
iPhone and other AT&T smartphone users should be able to surf the Web on their phones now that a routing problem has been fixed, according to a report.
Apple, AT&T sued again over iPhone 3G
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

Redmond's virtualization shift continues
More product and pricing policy changes as Microsoft aims to adapt to a world in which software moves freely from one physical machine to another.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Verizon and Yahoo extend portal deal
Companies extend agreement to provide Verizon Internet users with Yahoo's Web portal, but will Yahoo be able to get a piece of Verizon's mobile action?
(Posted in Wireless by Marguerite Reardon)

'MythBusters' co-host backpedals on RFID kerfuffle
Adam Savage now says that he had his facts wrong when he spoke to an audience at the Last Hope conference in July.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

Multiverse touts extensible virtual-world effort
Built around a single virtual world that developers can expand how they see fit, Places will tie in social networks and 3D entertainment options.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

Google Apps tops 1 million businesses
More than a million businesses are using some parts of the Google Apps office suite, but the company still has a steep uphill climb to unseat Microsoft Office.
(Posted in Outside the Lines by Dan Farber)

Estrin: U.S. research now 'eroded,' 'unstable'
Q&A She is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the history of Silicon Valley. But in a new book, Judy Estrin warns of severe threats to the nation's innovation ecosystem.
(Posted in Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper)

Should app developers fear Facebook, Apple?
Harvard law professor says that controlling third-party platforms may put companies in a gate-keeping position that could stifle innovation and creativity.
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Tuesday, September 02

roundup Why Google Chrome? Fast browsing = $$$
Google is betting that its Chrome browser will speed up Web search, Web advertising, and Web applications.
• Browser wars back in full swing
• What Chrome means for Microsoft
• Be sure to read Chrome's fine print
• Images: How Google's Chrome browser shines

special report Living green: It's easier than you might think
You don't have to eat mashed yeast or wear itchy shirts to cut down on carbon. Dive into CNET's videos, how-tos, and features to find out just how tech can help you go greener.
Read full story

Just in

Speed test: Google Chrome beats Firefox, IE, Safari
Google's Chrome trounces Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari on speed tests for JavaScript, a key foundation for rich Web apps. But Google picked the benchmarks.
(Posted in Business Tech by Stephen Shankland)

Hulu to host NBC shows before they hit broadcast
Web video portal will stream season premieres of Chuck and 30 Rock before the shows are available on network TV.
(Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Robot helicopter toys with own tricks
Computer scientists at Stanford University develop artificial intelligence software for a helicopter so that it can learn and perform its own aerobatic maneuvers.
(Posted in Cutting Edge by Stefanie Olsen)

Did lawyers put kibosh on 'Mythbusters' RFID episode?
According to co-host Adam Savage, legal counsel from the largest credit card companies told Discovery Channel not to air an episode on RFID hackability.
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

British rower finishes first leg of Pacific trek
Roz Savage crosses an ocean--or at least part of one--and arrives in Hawaii after about 100 days of rowing solo from San Francisco.
(Posted in Cutting Edge by Anne Dujmovic)

Broadband price war brews
The nation's two largest phone companies offer more aggressive promotional pricing on DSL service as they try to compete head-to-head with cable operators.
(Posted in Digital Media by Marguerite Reardon)

China Mobile: iPhone talks ongoing with Apple
The on-again, off-again talks between the two companies over bringing the iPhone 3G to the world's largest cell network are apparently on again.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Microsoft's coming-out party for virtualization
The software giant's virtualization launch on September 8 is one big shindig that no one but Redmond could pull off.
(Posted in Microsoft by Jon Oltsik)

Apple makes September 9 iPod event official
Company plans to rock the Yerba Buena Center in downtown San Francisco next Tuesday, according to an invitation that was just released.
(Posted in Apple by Tom Krazit)

Another tour of duty for iRobot
U.S. Army to re-up $200 million contract for general robots, services, and training, as well as PackBots.
(Posted in Planetary Gear by Candace Lombardi)

Celebrities get their chance to make 'Spore' creatures
EA's latest bid to build anticipation for its evolution game, which launches Sunday, puts the Creature Creator in the hand of dozens of "creative celebrities."
(Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

Republicans wire up convention center
The GOP turned to Qwest to completely rewire the St. Paul venue for the party's national convention this week.
• RNC coverage: Republicans try for four more years
(Posted in Politics and Law by Stephanie Condon)

$34.5 million spent on Facebook virtual goods?
At a rapid pace, Facebook is making money from those $1 virtual gifts, which may account for a shockingly high 10 percent of revenue. Maybe one day, goods will outshine advertising.
(Posted in Negative Approach by Dave Rosenberg)

Monday, September 01

special coverage Republicans try for four more years
We bring you all the latest news from the Republican National Convention as the party takes its bid for the presidency to Minneapolis.

Crowdsourcing for car design
photos With population growth and the environment in mind, French automaker Peugeot gets designers to propose far-out ideas for future city driving.

Just in

Sony Ericsson: Microsoft phone launch on track
Company combats rumors that rollout delays will force the Xperia 1 to miss key holiday sales period.
(From Reuters)

Intel lists new low-cost processors
The Q8200 is priced at $224, making it one of the least expensive quad-core chips that the company now offers.
(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

Microsoft readying apps store for Windows Mobile?
According to a job posting, the software giant expects to launch an applications store called "Skymarket" this fall for its Windows Mobile platform.
(Posted in Wireless by Steven Musil)

Russia Web site owner killed after arrest
Owner of opposition Internet news site in Russia's volatile Ingushetia region shot and killed after being detained by police.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Steven Musil)

Sarah Palin Wikipedia edits--fast and furious
There's nothing like the vice presidential nomination of a relatively unknown (and female) governor to push the Wikipedia edit machine into high gear.
• Few tech tracks for McCain's VP pick
(Posted in Politics and Law by Natalie Weinstein)

Facebook's Live Feed challenges FriendFeed, Twitter
Facebook's recently launched Live Feed provides real-time updates on everything that your friends are doing.
(Posted in The Web Services Report by Harrison Hoffman)

Internet traffic begins to bypass the U.S.
The increasing flow of data around the United States may have intelligence, and possibly military, consequences.
(The New York Times)

Telecom carriers brace for Gustav
With the powerful hurricane on a path toward New Orleans, emergency workers and telecom carriers are rushing to prevent a repeat of Katrina.
(Posted in Wireless by Natalie Weinstein)

Hyundai booth raided at German tech fair
Customs police seize flat-screen TVs from the company's booth at the IFA consumer electronics show.
(Posted in Business Tech by Natalie Weinstein)

Adobe gets an e-earful, and listens
Dear Adobe, a site where people can carp about problems with products and pass judgment on others' gripes, has caught the company's attention.
(Posted in Underexposed by Stephen Shankland)

How to get thrown into a Chinese prison
James Powderly planned to use a green laser to project a pro-Tibet message on the Bird's Nest Stadium during the Olympics. Before he could make the attempt, Chinese authorities locked him up for nearly a week.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Elsa Wenzel)

Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including BlueAnt M1 Stereo Bluetooth Speaker, Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, and the unlocked Palm Treo Pro.
• Week in review: Taming the wild Web

Intel acquires Linux mobile developers for Atom
The chip giant has acquired open-source mobile specialist Opened Hand, which will now focus on developing a Linux software stack for Atom processors.
(Posted in Business Tech by Tom Espiner)