Tech News Today 62

Tech News Today Episode 62

Tech News Today 62: Batteries not infectious

Wireless iTunes syncing, H.264 royalty-free forever, and drunken server shooting

Hosts

• Tom Merritt (@acedtect)
  • TomMerritt.com
• Kirsten Sanford (@drkiki)
  • KirstenSanford.com
• Scott Johnson (@extralife)
  • frogpants.com
• Erik Lanigan (@eriklanigan)

Top Stories

• RIM extends olive branch to Indian government
• iTunes may be more social starting next week
• Alleged next-gen iPod touch, nano cases show major revisions

Other Stories

• MPEG LA counters Google WebM with permanent royalty moratorium
• Google gives real-time search its own page
• Samsung Galaxy Tab gets video preview in Korea
• Cell phone bills fell 50% in last ten years
• Intel's mind reading computer could bring thought controlled interfaces to a whole new, frightening level

News Fuse

• iPhone users can now stream movies from Netflix. The long-awaited iPhone Netflix app launched today. USers can access their instant queue or browse the Netflix catalog and watch instantly.
• Adobe updated their online version of Photshop known as Photoshop Express. As of Wednesday, you no longer need an account on Photoshop.com to use the online editor. Other tweaks aim to make the online experience more like the desktop experience of Photoshop Elements.
• In a presentation at Stanford's Hot Chips conference, ARMdiscussed making chips for the server market. The upcoming architecture is codenamed "Eagle". One feature of the architectiure is virtualization which could lead to allowing customers to choose which operating system they want on their mobile phone. Would you like your DROID 5 with Android, Meego, or WebOS sir?
• Elliptic labs is set to debut Touchless Gesture User Interface technology that uses ultrasound to recognise the motion of the users hands. They call the tech "Mimesign" seriously, and plan to showcase it at IFA in Berlin starting September 3rd.
• According to PandaLabs, 25 percent of new worms in 2010 have been specifically designed to spread through USB storage. They surveyed 10,470 companies across 20 countries. Approximately 48 percent of small to medium businesses admitted being infected by some type of malware over the last year. 27 percent confirmed the vector was a USB device.
• LG's display developing subsidiary will begin mass-producing 9.7in colour e-paper panels and 19in monochrome but flexible e-paper screens by the end of the year. Would you like color or bendy?
• Target has started rolling out a new electronics trade-in program designed for mobile devices and video games. In participating stores, customers can trade in their iPhone, iPod Touch, any cell phone, or a video game. Customers will receive a gift card for as little as "a few dollars up to more than $200 per item depending on the product and its condition."
• Google Voice is apparently quite popular. Google posted to Twitter today that one million calls were placed in the first 24 hours of the google voice being available from Gmail.
• The Ninth Circuit court has declared that attaching a GPS tracker to your car, as it sits in your driveway, or on a public street, is totally legal, and can be performed by the police without needing a warrant. Other courts have come to a different conclusion, including the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Looks like this one will be decided by Diana Ross's friends.

Kickers and Weird Science

• Idle: Drunken Employee Shoots Server on 6:40 Thursday 26 August 2010
• Viruses Tapped To Create Spray-On Batteries

Voicemail

Patrick D: First caller has a question for cable TV companies

Anonymous: A tip for life and femtocells

Email

Email from Barry:

For the sake of discussion, I want to take the other side on the Medal of Honor question. If I understand correctly, I have the option of playing as a member of the Taliban and hunting and killing American troops at a time and place where this is actually happening. And this is okay, because of EAs commitment to artistic expression. My question is how far are you willing to extend this rationalization? EA has all of that great face mapping software from the Madden games. Why not create likenesses of actual American troops? Name tags an d all? That would really bring the cost of war home to the gamers? How about adding Al Qaeda, even bin Laden as playable characters? In the end you have no choice but to let the market decide, but it seems kind of facile to just write off legitimate concerns about appropriateness with the old "just don't but the game." - Barry

Email from Dr. Mom:

Dear TNT Team,

It's not just PayPal accounts that are being hit, I just got a call from my bank stating that there were multiple out of the country charges on the credit card I have linked to my iTunes account. Fortunately they voided all the charges so it's not costing me anything but I know that I didn't fall for any phishing schemes since I NEVER open those kinds of e-mail or click on links in e-mail. When I talked to the person at the bank they said that they are getting hundreds of these bogus charges coming through in the past few days. Something is going on & it's got to be with iTunes.

Dr. Mom

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Production Information

• Edited by: Erik
• Notes: Mediafly publish: 5:25

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