Month: August 2004

French Consumer Group Takes Action Against Copy-protected CDs

Consumers in France have taken legal action against EMI and retailer Fnac, accusing them of deception, because of copy-protection techniques used on CDs. They are unhappy because the copy protection scheme employed by EMI prevents the discs being played on some car stereos, home CD players and PCs – and also stops owners from making personal copies. This contravenes legislation passed in France 1985, stating that consumers can make copies of CDs for personal use.

UFC-Que Choisir is seeking damages for consumers through the legal action, and consequently Fnac and EMI face a fine of up to €188,000 (UK£126,350), if the group is successful. They may also have to remove all copy-protected CDs from sale.

Fnac say that they are confident that they will not be fined, as they claim to have taken adequate steps to inform customers of the potential problems with copy-protected CDs.

UFC-Que Choisir have another copy-protection case going through the courts at the moment, this time concerned with consumers prevented from transferring tracks from CD to portable players.

Que Choisir

Bluewin to Trial Microsoft Broadband TV

Bluewin, a subsidiary of Swisscom, will be the first operator in Europe to trial a pay-TV service with Microsoft over broadband internet connections. Using set-top boxes, the 600 home trial will feature up to 25 television channels, a pay-per-view service and PVR functions. Beginning in September, he trial will run for four months, before the the true launch of the service in Switzerland.

Tim Fritzley of Microsoft TV said: “As the first operator in Europe to trial pay-TV services powered by the Microsoft TV IPTV platform, Bluewin is now able to offer its DSL customers competitive, next-generation TV services, both broadcast and on-demand, combined with innovative communications and information services. The huge advantage of this technology is that it is interactive and has made delivery of television programmes possible on-demand”.

Testers will have to pay for the service: €15.50 (UK£10.41) for the 25 channels, with pay-per-view films costing between €1.95 and €6.50 (UK£1.31 to UK£4.37).

The bandwidth required for the service will be around 1.2 and 1.4 megabits. Switzerland has around 700,000 broadband customers, Bluewin serving the majority of them with 390,000 subscribers.

Bluewin

Nokia and Vodafone to lead mobile Java standards

There is a lot of effort being applied by the mobile phone industry to unification and the current round is the attempt to unify Java on mobiles. The two currently largest players, Nokia and Vodafone, today announced the formation of a “mobile service architecture initiative” that will bring “open unified mobile Java services architecture”.

Software developers currently have major headaches when trying to develop software that will run on the handsets of different manufacturers, leading to many version of the same programme having to be written.

The central tenet of the Vodafone/Nokia idea is to actually bring the once-touted but soon forgotten ideal of Java, Write Once Run Anywhere – the ability to write an application and for it to work on any Java-enabled devices. The announcement puts it much less succinctly; “This will enable application compatibility across multi-vendor mobile devices.” Their phrasing also gives them the get out clause of “multi-vendor”, not meaning Anywhere.

It’s not just the two biggest names involved in this, as Orange, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and T-Mobile International have given their support to the idea. As you would expect with anything involving Java, Sun Microsystems are also heavily involved.

One of the areas that is being highlighted are the Security enhancements, which interestingly include the ability to management software components to mobile over-the-air – great for updating functionality, or heaven forbid, fixing bugs.

Alan Harper, Group Strategy Director at Vodafone, said: “It will build upon the JTWI (Java Technology for Wireless Industry) vision, and output from other industry groups, to create an open and evolving platform roadmap to enable consistent and predictable implementation on a wide range of mobile devices.”

Having a near-unified platform to write for can only be good for developers of software applications for mobile phones, and therefore the advancement of the mobile handset as means to access services.

The participants of the initiative have committed to deploy the platform, and the first reference implementations are scheduled for next year.

The continued strength of Java as a development platform for mobile phones is of paramount importance in the mobile industry, providing continued resistance of Windows dominating mobiles as well as computers. To date Microsoft’s attempts at this haven’t been a resounding success.

Microsoft Launch “Plays For Sure” Campaign

Microsoft are keen to emphasise the range of support for Windows Media is in the market, from music stores to hardware players, though the freedom of choice can paradoxically confuse consumers.

Consequently, they’re planning a campaign to bring its forthcoming music store, Windows Media and the wide selection of compatible music players out there together. The “Plays For Sure” campaign is intended to inform consumers about Windows Media compatibility, so they know what tunes will play where and on what.

The campaign will also include a certification programme for hardware manufacturers and, once passed, their devices will be able to carry a “Plays For Sure” logo. Music stores selling tracks in Windows Media format will also be eligible to carry the logo.

Microsoft will be sure to play up the contrast between the amount of software and hardware support for its own technologies, contrasted with limited support for Apple’s iPod and Sony’s own Network Walkman offerings. Indeed, the move will contrast sharply with Apple’s own attempts to limit the iPod’s compatibility with other platforms.

A Plays For Sure website is coming soon, and the timing for the campaign is set to coincide with the range of new players will be appearing later this year that have enhanced Windows Media 10 compatibility through Microsoft’s Janus technology.

Microsoft’s Windows Media

Gizmondo News

Tiger Telematics, the manufacturers of the Gizmondo, a handheld games console not unlike a super-powerful N-Gage with GPS, has announced that the unit will feature a new type of Flash chip.

The new chip, the snappy mDiskOnChip G3 from M-Systems is the smallest Flash memory chip on the market – it must be very small indeed as neither M-Systems or Tiger Telematics seem to have published the physical dimensions of it anywhere.

The Gizmondo is shaping up to be a potentially exciting console – it will feature a 400MHz ARM9 processor, 2.8 inch colour screen and a 64 bit graphics accelerator, a camera, MP3 player and GPRS phone. Location-based gaming will be enabled through the device’s GPS unit, and Bluetooth will let you fight with your friends. Oh, and in there somewhere is the new 64mb Flash memory chip.

“I am sure that customers will appreciate the overall user experience achieved through the impressive combination of the latest technologies that is found within Gizmondo,” said Francois Kaplan, general manager of M-Systems Europe. “I am pleased to see our new mDiskOnChip G3 product contribute to the high-performance, small size and long battery life of this exciting multi-entertainer.”

The Gizmondo will be based on Windows CE.NET and cost between US$300 and US$400 (UK£166 to UK£222) when it launches later this year – and it will appear in the UK first, no less.

Can the PSP, Nintendo DS, Gizmondo, Series 60 games phones and the N-Gage QD all survive in this market? We’ll have to wait until Christmas 2005 to find out.

Gizmondo

BBC Weather Revamps with Weatherscape XT

BBC Weather are revamping their reports with a new application from Metra that will allow them to make accurate 3D depictions of current weather conditions.

Weatherscape XT is also capable of automatically repurposing 3D weather information to other platforms – like 3G phones for example.This would make weather information in interactive services far more localised and perhaps even customised to each user – and 3D weather reports on mobile phones could be a potential revenue stream.

The BBC is hoping that 3D flythroughs and zooming into topographical areas will improve understanding and retention of what the weather is actually doing. “We hope that by showing the weather that will actually go over your head, you will know whether it is going to be sunny or cloudy where you are” said Colin Tregear, project director at the BBC’s Weather Centre. Well, if someone still can’t work it out from that, perhaps it’s in everyone’s interest just to stay at home.

Weatherscape takes data from the Met Office and can generate the required graphical tour in real time, whereas the current graphics take around four hours per broadcast on the existing six year old system.

The system is PC based and requires a couple of dual Xeon servers for the database. Broadcasters’ terminals are simply PCs with high-end, though off the shelf, graphics cards in them. The BBC has described the shift to the new system as rather like the leap from Super Nintendo to the XBox. I’m sure that’ll make a lot of sense to my mother.

Metra, a New Zealand company, have already licensed the system to CNBC, TVNZ and Australia’s Nine Network.

I, predictably, miss the days of magnetic clouds stuck onto metal boards, kipper ties and outrageous facial hair.

Weatherscape XT

US Top of the Spam League, Canada’s Unwanted Email Output Apparently Falls

A new survey from Sophos reveals that the US is the top spam sending nation in the world, followed in distant second place by South Korea. The US sends 42.53% of all spam, South Korea 15.42%.

The UK, France, Spain and Germany all send under 1.5% of the world’s total of spam each.

South Korea’s spam output has tripled in the last year, but Canada has managed to half the amount of spam originating from its borders – though this could simply be a fact that everyone else’s has risen. Spam now accounts for more than 65% of all emails sent. Somebody, somewhere, must be buying things from these people to make this a viable business.

The US’s spam output has risen despite the Can-spam Act coming into force this year in January, allowing ISPs and government agencies to prosecute spammers – even jailing them. The Can-spam Act also requires that unsolicited emails must have an way of opting out of future emails, but everyone knows that spammers just use this to verify if your email address is active and send even more unwanted emails.

Interestingly, 40% of the world spam total is sent through zombie PCs – computers that have had their security compromised and are being used as spam relays without the owner’s knowledge or consent.

Sophos’ Dirty Dozen

Dualdisc – Yet Another Disc Format

The big four record labels have decided that the way to sell more is to launch a new format – and here it comes, DualDisc. EMI, Song BMG, Universal Music and Warner Music have been quietly scheming away to produce the new format, which, as its name suggests, is a CD – DVD hybrid.

Playable on just about any drive that can play either CDs or DVDs, the DVD partition of the disk can contain extras like videos, interviews and photo galleries. How does it work? It’s really not that sophisticated – it’s just a double-sided disc with a CD substrate on one side and a DVD substrate on the other. As the format has been approved by the DVD forum, it will be allowed to carry the DVD logo.

DVD-Audio and SACD have not been very successful, and this is an attempt to recapture a lost market.

CDs are about 1.2mm thick – the new format can be about 1.5mm thick, which may cause it to jam in some players, though it is still within the upper limit for the CD standard.

The key advantage for audiophiles is that music quality is preserved. Extras on CDs tend to eat into the amount of space available for storing music, so bit rates can suffer on longer discs. Better still, listeners can enjoy DVD-A quality encoding on the DVD side at home whilst using the CD side in their cars and personal stereos. Perhaps it’s not so evil after all.

The first titles will include albums from Five for Fighting, Audioslave and Dave Brubeck. Sorry, who are these things aimed at again?

“We are delighted to be offering the first in a series of DualDisc titles,” stated Doug Morris, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group. “By combining music, video, interactivity and portability in a single disc, DualDisc will add an exciting new dimension to the consumer’s musical experience.”

“Dual Disc opens a new, exciting creative dimension for artists to express themselves and connect with fans. It’s an entertainment-packed product and is a big step in our effort to give fans music whenever, however and wherever they want it,” said David Munns, Chairman and CEO EMI Music North America.

DVD Plus International, a German company, is claiming ownership of a patent relating to a dual-format DVD, called, predictably, DVD Plus. Since Dualdisc is set for an October launch, they had better sort that one out pretty sharpish.

DualDisc – coming soon

Wanadoo Launch Cheap 1 Megabit Service

Wanadoo have have cut the cost of their 1 megabit Broadband service to UK£17.99 (€26.76). This compares rather favourably with the 512k service from BT that costs around UK£29.99 (€44.61).

This new phase in the broadband price war is sure to provoke a rapid response form BT, who will most likely double bandwidth and cut subscription costs – though they will find it hard to match Wanadoo’s offering.

However, the service is capped at 2 gigabytes per month – a move that ISPs are resorting to more commonly. Wanadoo will provide wireless kit for home use for an additional UK£79 (€117).

Pricing like this is a brave move from Wanadoo, as they are currently appealing against a €10.3 million fine (UK£6.9) levied on them last year for predatory pricing.

Price cuts and competition between BT, Wanadoo, NTL and Bulldog have brought Britain forward to one of the fastest growing broadband markets in Europe.

Wanadoo Broadband

SpyWare That Actually Spies On You

Amid groans of “I wonder why it took so long?” a new worm has been discovered that can access a webcam and microphone attached to an infected PC.

Rbot-GR installs itself in the usual spyware fashion, and also includes the traditional payload of key logger and hard drive spy, plus it can launch denial of service attacks against websites. This one is a veritable Swiss Army knife of an infection. It’s yet another variant of the W32/Rbot worm, though this is the first to be able to access a camera to take grabs and capture video.

A Trojan of this sophistication could have any number of uses – from industrial espionage to voyeurism.

Sophos, the anti-virus company, say it’s not spreading very successfully yet, but users should be aware of the possibility of infection.

“More and more hackers are interested in spying on the people they manage to infect with their worms and Trojan horses. In the workplace, this worm opens up the possibilities of industrial espionage. At home it is equivalent to a Peeping Tom who invades your privacy by peering through your curtains,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. “If your computer is infected and you have a webcam plugged in, then everything you do in front of the computer can be seen, and everything you say can be recorded.”

If your webcam has an activity light, keep an eye on it – and get a spyware removal tool.

Sophos