http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/links Latest links, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18481 Earlier this year, electronics giant Sony had forecast sales of some 5 million Blu-ray disc players by the end of 2008, and while the company still expects Blu-ray devices to be top sellers during the end-of-year holiday season, the company now expects to miss that mark by as much as 10 percent. In comments to Reuters, the head of Sony's U.S. electronics unit Stan Glasgow also indicated that, despite a global economic slowdown, Blu-ray players were doing well.Industry watchers have generally blamed lackluster sales of Blu-ray gear on both the high cost of players (some of which were over $1,000 whenRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/look/255 Batteries can only take you so far. Three hours of talk time. Five hundred photos. Ten hours of music. No matter what the cap on your portable device, when you’re done, you’re done. And if you’re nowhere near an outlet, there’s not a whole lot you can do.Callpod’s new Fueltank changes that scenario by offering charging, without the outlet. Just tap the mini USB port on its side with the right adapter for your device, and the sweet electro-crude begins flowing. Top it off, and you’re good to go again, whether it’s with a cell phone, headset, nav unit, PDA, MP3 player, or portable gaming system. ...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13739_3-10084046-46.html?part=ecoustics-cnet President-elect Barack Obama's selection of a lobbyist and DC insider to head FCC transition team could be bad news for the tech community. Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:01:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18269 Hewlett Packard has expanded its line of Atom-powered netbook offerings with the new Mini 1000, a sleek new nettop that weights less than two pounds, is less than an inch thick, and should appeal both to folks who can't bear to be offline as well as fashion-conscious women."Staying connected to your world—however you define it—is increasingly important to people on the go," said senior VP and general manager for HP's global notebook unit Ted Clark, in a statement. That's why HP is excited to address this new high-growth market with a portfolio of head-turning mini companion PCs that are fun and easy to use."Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13505_3-10064197-16.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Unix got the headline, but the opportunity lies in Linux. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:07:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/519761.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:51:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/519581.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:02:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/519567.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:40:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13860_3-10033669-56.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Windows business unit head Bill Veghte send a memo to troops late Thursday promising that the debut Seinfeld/Bill Gates ad was just an "icebreaker." Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:58:46 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/510727.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:33:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17582 While other U.S. industries have been hit by hard times and falling numbers recently, last month’s figures from NPD Group show that the video games industry has largely been immune, continuing to surge ahead. Industry sales jumped 28 percent from June, and 17 percent from July of last year.The position of the respective consoles hasn’t changed much from last month. The Wii reigned supreme by selling 608,400 units, the PlayStation 3 lagged behind as a distant second with 224,000 systems sold, and barely edged out the older Microsoft Xbox 360, which hit 204,000 systems sold.As for Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:25:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17571 Apple head Steve Jobs has claimed that the 3G iPhone sold one million units in its first weekend. That’s impressive, but he’ll be rubbing his hands with glee if the chips at banking giant HSBC fall the right way.In an interview with ZDNet, HSBC's Australia and New Zealand chief information officer Brenton Hush said:"We are actually reviewing iPhones from a HSBC Group perspective... and when I say that, I mean globally."That would, in turn, be a major blow to BlackBerry, currently HSBC&rs Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17394 Have you, like so many others, simply been sitting at home, twiddling your thumbs and waiting for the new Microsoft operating system? If so, you can relax a little. On Thursday Windows unit head Bill Veghte told a group of Microsoft financial analysts that the company is “on track” to meet the January 2010 release date, according to Vnunet."We are committed and looking good, relative to our commitment [of shipping Windows 7] three years from general availability of Windows Vista," Veghte said.However, the company wasn’t about to offer any details, even when pressed. All that’s really known is that i Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-1023_3-9998825-93.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The software company's search unit head says that Microsoft will deliver an API that Facebook can use to integrate Web search and the company's paid search results into its social network. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:53:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13577_3-9994148-36.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Effective immediately, longtime Wikipedia community member Michael Snow will take over as chairman of the board from previous head Florence Devouard. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:25:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17319 For months, the Nintendo Wii has outsold its competitors by a landslide, consistently capturing top sales honors every time the NPD numbers came in. The Xbox 360, though, remained the king of total sales, with more sold units in players’ hands than any of its competitors. Until now.Nintendo overcame the Xbox’s considerable head start to eclipse it this month on total sales, with a reported 10.9 million units sold in the United States. That’s with 20 months of sales behind it, as compared to the Xbox, which has been on shelves for 38 months. Moving 666,000 systems in June helped push the W Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:15:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17192 It’s been a year of change at VoIP company Skype. First they appointed a new president, Josh Silverman, in March. Then they announced the beta of their Skype 4.0 upgrade. And now they’ve got a new chief operating officer in Scott Durschlag, who arrives after spending five years as part of Motorola’s Mobile Devices management team."I believe in Skype not only because I've been a user since the early days, but because I'm convinced the opportunities ahead for Skype are tremendous given how the world is changing," said Durchslag."Skype combines superior multimedia communications technology with making the Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/ah/reviews/televisions/flat-panels/samsung-ln52a750 Rarely do I come across a display that performs as well as the Samsung LN52A750. At the $3500 asking price, it should perform well. But even a cursory search of the Internet will show you that this unit can be had for a significant discount (as low as $2700 as of the time of publication). The styling cues are dead on - that "Touch of Color" is just enough to make it stand out without being gaudy. The panel is thin enough to be ahead of the curve. But the picture? out of the box I was very impressed. Feature-rich, performance trendsetting, the LN52A750 is an LCD you could spend the rest of your life with. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:55:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17122 Sony Computer Entertainment president Kazuo Hirai, speaking at a press event at Sony headquarters in Tokyo, has said the company plans to launch a movie download service for its PlayStation 3 video game console. The service will launch in the United States this summer, to be followed by launched in Europe and Japan at a later date. Hirai revealed no specific information about the service, save to note that additional details will be available next month.A PS3-based movie download service has been the subject of speculation since even before Sony launched the PS3 console over a year and a half ago. It seems a natural fit: Sony is, after all, also one of the major film studios, and controls a good deal of video content. Th Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:15:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17060 The Wall Street Journal has reported (and other sources confirm) tech giant Hewlett-Packard is planning to reorganize its printer business, downsizing from five units to three in an effort to achieve more operational efficiency. The changes will consolidate the company's laser printer and commercial printer units, merge the inkjet printer unit with consumer supplies, and install a new head for its graphics unit.HP told employees the changes will not involve any large-scale layoffs, but the company has already cut hundreds of printing-related positions in its Idaho, Washington, an Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:45:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17006 Microsoft has announced executive changes in its gaming business, including the departure of once-lauded head of marketing for its Interactive Entertainment Business, Jeff Bell, who is leaving the company after just two years to "pursue other opportunities."Microsoft is promoting two executives to new positions in its gaming business: Shane Kim will become VP of strategy and business development, while six-year Microsoft gaming vet Phil Spencer will take over as the general manager for Microsoft Game Studios. Spencer has been managing Microsoft Game Studios in Europe; the promotion will see him pick up from the UK and move to Redmond.Jeff Bell came to Microsoft in 200 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16998 Not too long ago Robert Michael Bentley of Panama City, Florida, was the head of a hacking team controlling a large botnet of hijacked PCs. They were paid for every machine on which they installed ad-serving software and reportedly made thousands from their exploits.However, now Bentley is set to begin a 41-month jail sentence, and has to pay a $65,000 fine, as well as facing three years of supervision when he’s finally released.His downfall began after he took over computers belonging to the Newell Rubbermaid company. They informed the Computer Crime Unit of London’s Metropolitan Police about the intrusion. Th Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/ah/reviews/receivers/harman-kardon-avr-347 The Harman/Kardon AVR-347 is one of the lower-priced 1080p HDMI receivers available on the market today for those looking to get updated to the newest technologies. The receiver delivers plenty of power along with 1080p compatibility and upconversion over HDMI. The Harman/Kardon AVR-347 appears to be a no-compromise head unit capable of driving a fully-equipped home theater. With a host of features and a unique visual appeal, this receiver will also fit right in among the most elegant of home decors. But don?t let its good looks deceive you, because this receiver is more than capable of driving most speaker systems made to extremely high levels. The AVR-347 has more about it than a pretty face. Thu, 22 May 2008 04:38:26 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16732 If you’ve ever had a GPS unit or online mapping service tell you that an appointment was 20 minutes away by car, only to show up late for it after a 40-minute drive, Navteq’s latest update to its traffic data may help you plan ahead with a little more accuracy. The company, which provides map data to everyone from Google and Yahoo to Garmin, released Traffic Patterns North America v3.0 on Monday, which significantly refines the data these companies use to estimate drive times. Mon, 19 May 2008 09:50:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/484775.html Thu, 15 May 2008 17:55:00 -0400