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Latest by Geoff Duncan

Firefly’s Browncoats Get Their Own MMORPG?

Multiverse network has announced plans for a MMORPG based on the universe of Joss Whedon's short-lived but much-loved sci-fi television series Firefly.

Palm Buys Perpetual License for Palm OS

In an ironic move, Palm Inc. is paying $44 million for a perpetual license to the Palm Garnet operating system...which it used to own.

HP Settles Pretexting Charges for $14.5 Mln

Hewlett-Packaged has agreed to a $14.5 million settlement over civil charges the company used false pretenses to obtain phone records of board members and journalists.

Nintendo Urges Wii Players to Hold On Tight

Even as Nintendo trumpets strong sales of its Wii gaming console, it's warning gamers about the dangers of flinging Wii remotes at expensive, breakable gear.

Survey: Parents OK with Kids’ Video Gaming

A new survey from the Harrison Group finds nearly three quarters of parents are comfortable with video games as part of their family life.

Firefox Flicks Coming to TV

Fans of Mozilla's Firefox Web browser are underwriting 30-second television spots to be shown on prime-time television in major markets.

Intel to Compete with OLPC in Brazil

Intel says it plans to donate hundreds of its $400 Classmate PCs for testing in Brazilian schools, going up against the One Laptop Per Child project.

EMI Tests Selling Unprotected MP3s

Britain's EMI Music is conducting a tiny test of selling music in unencumbered MP3 format, using singles from songstress Nora Jones and Christian rockers Reliant K.

Panasonic Debuts HD Consumer Camcorders

Panasonic's new HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 offer consumer high-definition video capture to either SDHC memory cards or DVD discs.

Onkyo TX-SR804 Receiver Offers THX, HDMI

Onkyo's new TX-SR804 home theater receiver offers 7.1 THX surround audio, 1080p-savvy HDMI capability, and 105 watt audio channels.

ATI Market Share Slipping After AMD Merger

New figures from Jon Peddie Research show ATI losing ground in every major graphics product category after its merger with AMD.

Oz Bringing Social Sites to Mobile Phones

Oz Communications has announced a new platform which will let cell phone companies make sites like MySpace and YouTube accessible via mobile phones.

Yahoo COO Departs Amid Restructuring

Yahoo has announced it is reorganizing into three primary units, amid a substantial shake-up which will see COO Dan Rosenweig depart the company.

MediaReady Announces MC Media Center

Media Center PCs are for movie buffs and big home theaters, right? Not according to MediaReady, whose budget-friendly media centers put media and the Internet at your fingertips.

Oppo Scales Up With DV-981HD DVD Player

Oppo Digital's new DV-981HD DVD player will upscale standard DVDs to high-definition output, boasts HDMI connectivity, and costs just $229.

Comcast Opens Up GameInvasion.net

Comcast has teamed up with the Major Gaming League to open the doors to GameInvasion.net, offering video and exclusive content for hardcore gamers.

Portable Players Drive Digital Music Use

JupiterResearch finds that adoption of iPods and other portable music players has driven awareness and usage of digital music products and services.

Spyware Vendor to Pay $1 Mln in Settlement

Secure Computer, which marketed its "Spyware Cleaner" via spam and pop-ups, has settled with Washington State's attorney general for $1 million in fees and penalties.

Toshiba Takes 1.8-Inch HDDs to 100 GB

Toshiba has introduced a product sure to find their way into iPods and other portable media players: 1.8-inch hard disks offering 100 GB of storage capacity.

AMD Shrinks Athlon CPUs to 65nm

Chip maker AMD has announced Athlon 64 X2 dual-core CPUs built with 65nm process technology, promising greatly reduced power consumption at aggressive prices.

eMage-N Media Center Gets Voice Commands

HiPePC's eMage-N home theater PCs let you ditch the remote and control your media using voice commands.

Belkin to Offer Wireless 4-Port USB Hub

Belkin has announced a four-port USB 2.0 hub with a twist: it doesn't need a cable to connect to your PC or notebook.

Ceiva Revamps Digital Photo Frames

Ceiva has revved its digital photo frames, now handling updates via W-Fi or home networks - and the 8-inch model sports interchangeable bezels.

AOL Launches Latino Portal

AOL is targeting the U.S. Hispanic market with AOL Latino, a portal offering original programming, AOL services, and - not making this up - English lessons.

CNBC Parts Ways with MSN

CNBC is reasserting itself as its own online entity, relaunching its own Web site and severing ties with Microsoft's MSN network.

Yahoo and Reuters Team for Eyewitness Pics

Yahoo and Reuters are inviting the public to contribute eyewitness photos and videos of breaking news events.

wiDock Frees Your iPod from Your Computer

Silex Technology's new wiDock lets you dock your iPod wirelessly, so it can connect to home entertainment while synching wirelessly with your computer.

iVillage Moving to NBC’s Small Screen

Can a Web site make for a good TV show? NBC Universal says it plans to launch a television show based on its female-centered iVillage online community.

Microsoft to Tease Halo 3 Beta

Microsoft will tease its forthcoming Halo 3 game with a 60-second live action and CGI TV commercial...and invite gamers to sign up for the multiplayer beta.

Video Game Industry Report Card Improves

The 11th Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card is out, and after a disastrous 2005, the report finds some industry-wide improvement.

Klegg Schedules Genesis Launch

Boutique electronics maker Klegg will start targeting the mass market January 8, 2007, with the launch of its Genesis line of media players, speakers,and flat-panel TVs.

DOJ Subpoenas AMD, Nvidia in Graphics Probe

The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas for both AMD and Nvidia as it investigates possible antitrust violations in the graphics processing market.

Yahoo Hooks Up with the Beeb

Yahoo has inked a deal to carry approximately 30 BBC News video clips on its site every day.

Cingular Dives In with BlackBerry Pearl

Cingular has begun carrying the BlackBerry Pearl, a sleek GPS-enabled smartphone aimed at consumers, not executives.

Broadband Homes Averaging Fewer Gadgets

The Diffusion Group has found that the average number of consumer electronics devices per household is declining as the number of U.S. households with broadband Internet goes up.

LaCie Huby Gets a Little Crazy

No, it's not a plastic disembodied Medusa head: it's LaCie's latest USB and FireWire hub, designed by Ora-Ito!

NFL Takes Short Run at Webcasting

The National Football League has announced live Web broadcasts of Thursday and Saturday games to Verizon FiOS and DirecTV broadband subscribers.

Britain Approves In-Car FM Transmitters

Britain has lifted a ban on those tiny FM transmitters designed to let portable music players send music to car stereos.