Apple Inc. has pushed out an updated version of its popular iTunes multimedia software ahead of the iPhone 4 launch next week. Top of the list of changes is compatibility with iOS 4 and syncing with iPhone 4. It also introduces book syncing and reading with an iPhone or iPod Touch running iBooks 1.1.

iTunes 9.2 also supports organizing and syncing PDF documents as books and supports the new "Folders" feature of iOS 4 that lets users organize their applications into groups. The update version also promises some improvements such as much faster backups while syncing with an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4, and quicker display of album artwork in the iTunes library.

Changes between iTunes v9.1.1 and iTunes v9.2

• Sync with iPhone 4 to enjoy your favorite music, movies, TV shows, books and more on-the-go
• Sync and read books with iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4 and iBooks 1.1
• Organize and sync PDF documents as books. Read PDFs with iBooks 1.1 on iPad and any iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
• Organize your apps on your iOS 4 home screens into folders using iTunes
• Faster back-ups while syncing an iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
• Album artwork improvements make artwork appear more quickly when exploring your library

Download iTunes 9.2 for Windows from:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/media_management/itunes.cfm

Download iTunes 9.2 for Windows (64bit) from:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/media_players/itunes_64bit.cfm

Download iTunes 9.2 for Mac OS X from:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/media_management/itunes_for_macosx.cfm

Permalink | Comments

---

Think back a few months to a fight that took place between Redbox and the major Hollywood studios. Hollywood execs were all hot and bothered about how Redbox kiosk's cheap $1 movie rentals were cannibalizing new DVD and Blu-ray sales, and decided to order their wholesale distributors not to sell to Redbox for a month or more after the initial release.

Redbox launched some legal action in response and decided to buy directly from retailers to stock kiosks as a workaround. However, that came crashing down for Redbox when Wal-Mart and other retailers imposed limits on the number of units of the same film a single customer can buy from them. Long story short, Redbox ended signing deals with Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. that required a 28-day window before Redbox kiosks could offer new titles for rental.

Paramount however decided to actually test whether or not the availability of new titles from rent from Redbox kiosks affects the sales of new DVD or Blu-ray releases. It signed a deal with Redbox in August 2009 which would allow it to stock new releases on the same day as the title comes out on Blu-ray and DVD. Redbox agreed at the time to share rental data with Paramount so that it could evaluate the potential benefits of a longer-term contract.

Following the 10-month analysis of DVD sell-through and renal performance, Paramount and Redbox announced on Tuesday that Paramount had extended its revenue sharing license agreement, providing Redbox access to Paramount DVD and Blu-ray titles to rent on the same day they are released in the sell-through market.

"After analyzing the data from our test period we have concluded that Redbox day-and-date rental activity has had minimal impact on our DVD sales," said Dennis Maguire, Worldwide President of Paramount Home Entertainment.

"By granting redbox day-and-date availability we are allowing the consumer a choice of how to consume our movies while maximizing the profitability of our releases in the home entertainment window. We are looking forward to continuing a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with Redbox."

"We are delighted to continue our relationship with Paramount to provide consumers with convenient, timely and affordable access to their favorite movies," said Mitch Lowe, President, Redbox. "We look forward to supporting Paramount movie releases through joint marketing programs. This arrangement is a win, win and win - for consumers, Paramount and Redbox."

Permalink | Comments

---

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is inviting everyone who is opposed to the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA), or to provisions of ACTA (or how it is being negotiated) to support a "firm, simple declaration against ACTA." People can sign the declaration which includes 11 demands about ACTA if it is to be implemented, or provides an alternative of abandoning ACTA entirely.

The FSF does not want to seem opposed to the Wellington Declaration however, but a post from Richard Stallman of FSF does point out some details about it that he "cannot put his name to." New Zealand citizens held a public meeting dubbed PublicACTA to criticize a secret meeting of government representatives. The attendees published the Wellington Declaration (which you can sign), calling on the negotiators to reject several injustices suspected to appear in the controversial treaty.

Stallman however points out that while the Wellington Declaration condemns the plan for ACTA to prohibit devices that can break digital restrictions (DRM, digital handcuffs etc.), it goes ahead to suggest instead that a limited prohibition, along the lines of Article 11 of the WIPO Internet Treaty. This would result in government backing being given to certain kinds of digital handcuffs, according to Stallman, and he is concerned that to accept that much without a fight would tempt ACTA negotiators to try for "more."

He also takes issue with the declaration's praise of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as a "public, inclusive and transparent" forum for negotiation agreements about copyrights and other related issued. "I don't recall seeing WIPO become a force for good in the world," Stallman comments.

He especially takes issue with WIPO's use of the term "intellectual property," which he views largely as propaganda. "WIPO treaties about copyright in recent decades have specifically targeted the freedom of people who use published works," he writes. "To transfer the ACTA negotiations to WIPO would perhaps make the result less bad, but would hardly ensure it is good. Let us not ask to be taken out of the fire and put back into the frying pan."

So what does the firm, simple declaration against ACTA contain? Here it is in its entirety.

Support a firm, simple declaration against ACTA

• ACTA must respect sharing and cooperation: it must do nothing that would hinder the unremunerated noncommercial making, copying, giving, lending, owning, using, transporting, importing or exporting of any objects or works.
• ACTA must not weasel about what is commercial: no labeling of any noncommercial activities as somehow commercial-like or treating them as if they were commercial.
• ACTA must not tighten digital handcuffs: it must not hinder any activity in regard to any product on account of its capacity to circumvent technical measures that restrict use of copies of works of authorship.
• ACTA must not interfere with individuals' noncommercial use of the Internet (whether or not carried out using commmercial Internet services) or undermine individuals' right or ability to connect to the Internet.
• ACTA must not require anyone to collect or release any data about individuals' use of the Internet. It must not harm privacy rights or other human rights.
• ACTA must not hold the companies that implement the Internet responsible for the substance of their customers' communications. (For example, no punishment by disconnection, neither explicitly required or indirectly compelled.)
• ACTA must not require copyright or patents, or any law similar to one of those, to attach to any particular sort of thing or idea.
• ACTA must not make any requirements about what acts constitute civil infringement, or what acts constitute criminal infringement, of copyright law, or patent law, or any law similar to one of those.
• ACTA must not use the propaganda term "intellectual property" or try to treat copyright law and patent law as a single issue.
• ACTA must not stretch the term "counterfeiting" to apply to copyright or patent infringement.
• If ACTA includes a mechanism for amendment, it must apply these requirements to all future amendments of ACTA.

Or, as a simpler alternative...

• Cancel ACTA entirely. Although parts of it are not objectionable, they are secondary to ACTA's threat to our freedom. Unless we are sure that the repressive aspects of ACTA are blocked, the main significance of ACTA is as a threat to society. Killing ACTA would be a fine way to get rid of this threat.

This declaration does not conflict with the Wellington Declaration. If you agree with both, you can sign both.

To sign: http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/acta/acta-declaration

Permalink | Comments

---

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., has introduced a new high-speed 512GB solid state drive, utilizing high-performance toggle-mode DDR NAND. "The highly advanced features and characteristics of our new SSD were obtained as a direct result of an aggressive push for further development of our NAND flash technology, our SSD controller and our supportive SSD firmware," said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics.

"Early introduction of this state-of-the-art toggle DDR solution will enable Samsung to play a major role in securing faster market acceptance of the new wave of high-end SSD technology." The 512GB SSD uses 30 nanometer-class 32-gigabit chips that the company began producing just last November. Combining the toggle-mode DDR structure with the SATA 3.0Gbps interface generates a maximum read speed of 250 MB/s and a 220 MB/s write speed.

Samsung claims this provides three-fold the performance of a traditional hard disk drive, with two 4GB DVD movies being stored in just a minute. The SSD is also developed to be energy-efficient, using a low power controller specifically for toggle-mode DDR and a low-power mode that is activated after the controller analyzes the users' activities that can extend the batter life of a notebook significantly.

The 512GB SSD ensures higher security with the use of reinforced 256bit AES encryption to protect personal data. The drive also provides streamlined boot time and application access, showing an approximately nine-fold improvement in random performance over normal HDDs.

The 512GB SSD will begin volume production next month.

Permalink | Comments

---

Sony Ericsson has launched its latest Android device, the Xperia X8, a mid-level entry to the smartphone market.

The device will have a 3-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 600 MHz processor,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, a 3.2MP camera, a microSD slot, a 3.5mm headset jack, and will run the aging Android 1.6.

An update to 2.1 is expected "soon," however, says Sony. On top of the Android OS, the device will use Sony Ericsson's "four corners" UI layer.

Additionally, the X8 will run the Timescape app, which manages calls, texts, emails, and social networking.

As with all SE devices, the phone will come with strong video and audio playback players.

Price and release date were not revealed.

Permalink | Comments

---

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has sued Oracle today, claiming that the software giant overcharged the federal government by tens of millions of dollars after not disclosing discounts given to other corporate customers.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the DOJ says Oracle did not provide a discount that is normally given to "most favored customers." The government should have that discount through a deal with the General Services Administration (GSA).

GSA's "multiple award schedule" lets the government negotiate contracts with companies so that government employees can make purchases at a discounted price.

Due to regulations, the GSA must obtain the best price a contractor provides, and the contractor must disclose that price.

The new suit says Oracle, starting in 2007, did not disclose their lowest prices to the GSA.

Permalink | Comments

---

For consumers hoping to get their Apple iPhone 4 early, watch out, you may be in for a multiple week wait.

Apple's official store is now showing that iPhone 4 pre-orders will ship by July 14th, a big-time delay from the expected July 2nd ship date.

Yesterday the company said they sold 600,000 of the device on June 15th, the first day of pre-orders, with the demand so high that the AT&T web site had to take down the pre-order form and call in specialists.

Apple apologized for the lack of supply yesterday: "Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration. We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again or visit an Apple or carrier store once the iPhone 4 is in stock."

If you want your device closer to launch date on June 24th, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy should have a limited number of devices in-store.

Permalink | Comments

---

While it is expected to become a huge market in just a few small years, 3D HDTVs are having a modest early adopter period in Europe, says retail analyst GfK.

Consumers in Europe have purchased 25,000 3D-capable TVs as of May 31st 2010, with sales expect to grow significantly with the release of a number of new devices this month.

Overall, 252 million TVs are expected to be sold, globally, in 2010.

GfK says "every notable manufacturer" either currently offers, or will offer within months, a 3D-capable HDTV, and that interest is growing from the consuming public.

A recent study has shown that the majority of consumers interested in buying a 3D TV are avid gamers, with 27 percent saying they plan to purchase one within the next year.

Sony recently revealed the first 3D games available for the PS3, the console which has had the capability to playback 3D content for a few months.

Permalink | Comments

---

Nokia has revealed that all smartphones it releases from 2011 on will feature near-field communication (NFC) technology, a welcomed announced as NFC-backers feared Nokia was backing off on its long-term support plans for NFC. Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's executive VP for markets, made today's announcement at the Mobey Forum's 10th anniversary meeting in Helsinki.

Vanjoki was unable to give specific details about the new smartphone models, but delegates were informed that information would be made available "in due course." Vanjoki said that the handsets will support "all open business models," suggesting that they will support both the Single Wire Protocol (SWP) and other secure element formats such as MicroSD cards, or possibly an embedded security element.

Using NFC technology, users can avail of a proximity payment system to carry out transactions, such as paying for public transport. Besides having the NFC to facilitate wireless communications, the handset would also need a lot of various elements to be stored safely that control the system securely. Operators have lobbied for the SWP standard which would store all of this important data in the SIM and facilitate such features.

However, Nokia has never believed in locking users to an operator, which has hurt its business in the United States, and would seemingly instead opt for keeping security and other sensitive information in the handset to that users aren't locked by proxy to an operator because of NFC features.

Permalink | Comments

---

On Monday, Microsoft officially launched Kinect, the motion control system that had been formerly dubbed "Project Natal."

The software giant, however, would not set an official price for the product at E3 this year.

On Tuesday, GameStop put the system on sale for $150 USD while also offering up a bundle with an Arcade console and Kinect for $299.99 and an Elite console with Kinect for $399.99.

Today, more retailers have followed suit, with Amazon, Best Buy and Wal-Mart all offering the system for $150, as well.

With four major retailers now offering the device for the same price, it seems the pre-order price is Microsoft's MSRP on the system.

The Kinect is compatible with all current Xbox 360 models as well as the unreleased Slim console.

At E3, Sony also unveiled its Move motion control system, pricing the two-part controller at $80 USD.

Permalink | Comments

---

Lenovo announced its first 3D laptop on Thursday. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d features the TriDef 3D technology solution which includes a 3D screen, 3D glasses and of course software. "Fun is a notebook that brings multimedia to life—and the IdeaPad Y560d does this in a dramatic fashion with a truly unique 3D viewing experience," said Dion Weisler, vice president, business operations, Lenovo.

"While 3D technology has been around for ages, it has not been readily accessible to consumers within the home. Lenovo is helping bridge this gap by delivering consumers a 3D experience on a familiar PC platform that can be viewed and enjoyed when and where they want."

The Y560d features a 15.6-inch 16:9 high-definition screen. The TriDef 3D technology (TriDef Media Player) software can transform a standard movie into a 3D experience (the software does not support transforming Blu-ray or HD DVD content though), while TriDef Photo Transformer can turn standard photos into 3D as well.

The Y560d also features Lenovo's new innovative Enhanced Experience RapidDrive technology which combined traditional HDD and SSD storage solutions to deliver a fast boot of the installed Windows 7 operating system (this functionality is optional). The RapidDrive technology can boost Windows 7 boot by 66 percent and open applications twice as fast.

It also speeds up the copying of data. The Y560d can be configured with up to 8GB DDR3 memory and up to 750GB HDD storage so users don't have to worry about running out of hard drive capacity when saving their favorite movies, music and games.

The IdeaPad Y560d is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor featuring Intel Turbo Boost Technology, and features a high-performance ATI Radeon HD5730 1GB graphics card. It will be available with JBL-designed speakers and Dolby Home Theater surround sound – perfect for enjoying music and movies.

With Switchable Graphics, users can toggle between performance and energy-saving modes for extended battery life. A Blu-ray drive is optional, while the laptop also features a HDMI output for connecting to a television.

The Y560d also features a "SlideNav" which is a touch-sensitive slide bar application for easy desktop navigation, OneKey Theater II which optimizes video playback and an Ambient Light Sensor that automatically adjusts the screen brightness based on the user's distance from the display. Optional high-speed 802.11n wireless capabilities are also available.

The laptop will be available by the end of June, starting at approximately $1,199.99.

Permalink | Comments

---

Toshiba Corp. announced on Thursday that it will launch a 128-gigabyte embedded NAND flash memory module designed for application in a wide range of digital consumer products, including smartphones, tablet PCs and digital video cameras.

The new 128GB embedded device integrates sixteen 64Gbit (8GB) NAND chips manufactured with Toshiba's 32-nanometer process technology. Along with the dedicated controller, the product measures just 17 x 22 x 1.4mm. The module is fully compatible with the latest eMMC standard.

It makes Toshiba the first company to successfully combine 16 64Gbit chips, using applied advanced chip thinning and layering technologies to produce individual chips just 30 micrometers thick.

Toshiba offers a line-up of NAND flash memory packages in densities now ranging from 2GB to 128GB. They integrate a controller to manage basic control functions for NAND applications, and are compatible with JEDEC eMMC Version 4.4 and its features.

Samples of the product will be available in September and mass production is set to start in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Permalink | Comments

---

Indonesian communications minister Tifatul Sembiring, chief of the Islamic Prosperous Justice Party, is calling for an Internet blacklist to be enforced in the country to "save the young." Sembiring highlights the recent shockwaves through Indonesia caused by the distribution of homemade sex videos involving three popular celebrities in the country.

Sembiring has vowed to draft a new decree with lawmakers after an earlier proposal of a blacklist was shelved due to opposition. "The porn video 'allegedly' consisting of three artists ... has insulted the nation's constitution and Pancasila," he said, referring to the founding national philosophy that enshrines belief in the "one and only God."

"Our teachings have been tainted by the release of these videos," he added. The minister cited a survey conducted in 2007 which claimed 97 percent of Indonesian high school students had watched pornographic content online.

Now Sembiring wants a special task force to maintain a blacklist for the electronic filtering of the web of offensive material. "There will be a team to observe whether a website contains points from the blacklist. The team will assess whether such websites truly contain pornographic material," Sembiring said. "If it does, we'll ask the website to delete the points included in the list, but we won't ban the whole website."

Sembiring apparently also implied a link between HIV/AIDS and Internet pornography, before questioning whether the $19.6 million the country spends fighting the deadly illness could be "better spent" elsewhere.

Permalink | Comments

---