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Latest by Geoff Duncan

Amazon Drops Kindle 2 Price to $299

Amazon.com has slashed $60 off the price of its newer, larger Kindle 2 eBook reader...although the even newer (and even larger) Kindle DX remains $489.

Nielsen: Young Kids Get Online in a Hurry

A new study from Nielsen Online finds young kids are getting online faster than older kids and their parents...and they're spending more time online, too.

SoundExchange Cuts Royalty Deal with Online Radio

Online music services like Pandora have managed to cut a royalty deal with SoundExchange...one that should ensure the tunes keep streaming.

North Korea Behind Attack on South Korea, U.S. Sites?

South Korea's intelligence agency has hinted that North Korea may be behind a denial-of-service attach on South Korean and U.S. government Web sites.

Sharp Flips the Switch on New LED-Backlit LCD Aquos HDTVs

Sharp's new Aquos LED series features eco-friendly LED backlighting and includes Aquos Net to tap into Web-based content and...customer support.

Open Source Google Chrome OS to Target Netbooks

Google is officially entering the computer operating system market with Google Chrome OS, a lightweight, open source OS specifically meant for netbooks...for now.

Judge Dismisses Some Damage Claims Against YouTube for Int’l Video

A U.S. judge has ruled owners of foreign works that appear on YouTube can't sue Google for infringement unless those works are registered in the U.S., or are live broadcasts.

Beta No More: Google Says Apps are Finally Ready

More than two years after introducing Google Apps - and five years after introducing Gmail - Google is finally taking off the beta tag.

Oppo’s BDP-83 Blu-ray Player Hits the Streets

Oppo Digital's BDP-83 Blu-ray player looks to put high-end components in consumers' hands for a mid-range price.

Microsoft Warns of Zero-Day ActiveX Vulnerability in Windows XP

Microsoft is warning Windows XP users to take immediate action to protect themselves from an ActiveX security flaw that's already being exploited, particularly in Asia.

Sony Enters Netbook Market With Vaio W

After months of avoidance, Sony's Vaio W enters the netbook market...with enough screen real estate to be useful and a $500 price tag.

Magellan Maestro 4700 Touts 4.7-Inch Display and Lane Assist

Magellan's new Maestro 4700 GPS offers a big 4.7-inch display, Bluetooth, voice commands, a "find your car" feature, and highway lane assist.

RIAA Wins Copyright Ruling Against Usenet.com

The Recording Industry Association of America has won a summary judgement against Usenet.com for wanton copyright infringement...and the penalty is still to come.

Mac Security Expert Identifies iPhone SMS Vulnerability

Mac security expert Charlie Miller has identified an SMS exploit on the iPhone that could let attackers take over the phone...and even eavesdrop on owners.

Online Advertisers Pledge Transparency on Tracking

Online advertisers are promising to be more transparent about how they track Internet users and even let people opt out...all in an effort to avoid being regulated.

Battlefield 1943 to Invade Xbox 360 and PS3…For Just $15

EA's Battlefield 1943 WWII multiplayer first-person shooter is set to storm Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, offering "first-class" combat for $15.

Court Lets EchoStar DVRs Cling to Life Pending Appeal

An appeals court has granted a stay on an order to shut down EchoStar DVRs that infringe on TiVo patents...but also moved to end the case sooner rather than later.

Yahoo, Microsoft, and Real Networks Sued Over Copyright

MCS Music America has sued Microsoft, Real Networks, and Yahoo, claiming they've been making tracks available without permission.

HP Packs xw9000 Workstation Full of Six-Core Opterons

Gamers don't always get the big rigs: HP has packed up to two six-core AMD Operton 2400 processors in its new xw9000 workstation...and that's just the start.

PortaBella Offers Users All the Mobile Bandwidth

Mushroom Networks' PortaBella lets users combine up to four cellular data cards for serious high-speed mobile bandwidth...but it sure won't be cheap.

Dell Shrinks Vostro Business Notebook Down to 12 Inches

Dell's new Vostro 1220 Notebook aims at businessfolk wanting ultraportable machines with more oomph - and a bigger display - than a netbook.

StatCounter: Bing Boosts Microsoft Search Share One Percent

According to media metrics firm StatCounter, Bing has lifted Microsoft's share of the U.S. Internet search market one point to 8.24 percent.

Joost Shifts Its Focus to Selling Technology

Once in the limelight of the online video revolution, Joost is shifting its focus away from its Web-based video service to selling its technology to media companies.

eMachines Offers New Budget Mini-Towers and Display

eMachines has introduced a new line of white mini-tower PCs and a matching monitor, giving customers on a budget something to choose besides boring and grey.

Firefox 3.5 Adds Features, Claims to Be Twice as Fast

Firefox 3.5 is out, offering Safari-like private browsing, support for Ogg Vorbis and Ogg Theora audio and video, and claims to be twice as fast as Firefox 3.0.

Comcast Begins Bundling Clearwire WiMax Service

Comcast's new High-Speed 2Go offering bundles WiMax mobile broadband services with its TV, Internet, and voice services...starting in Portland.

Global Gaming Acquires Pirate Bay, Wants to Take It Legit

Sweden software company Global Gaming has acquired controversial torrent-tracker Pirate Bay...and hopes to convert it into an above-board media service.

Go Deep (and Take It To YouTube) with the AgfaPhoto DC-600uw

The Agfaphoto DC-600uw is waterproof down to 10 meters and captures VGA-resolution video ripe for uploading to YouTube - all at a friendly price.

EU Moves Towards a Universal Phone Charger

The European Commission has struck a deal with major phone manufactures to come up with a universal phone charger, eliminating both consumer confusion and needless waste.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal to Block Network DVRs

In a win for cable operators, the Supreme Court has rejected an appeal seeking to block CableVision's Network DVR.

Sony Begins to Ship Green Dam Filtering Software in China

Computer maker Sony has begun shipping the controversial Green Dam Internet filtering software on computers bound for China...but assumes no responsibility for problems or damage.

Pirate Bay Fires Video Bay Across YouTube’s and Hulu’s Bows

The folks behind Pirate Bay have set their sites on mainstream Hollywood, promising high-definition browser based video.

FTC Settles with Scareware Perpetrators

The FTC has decided to settle with two defendants in a scareware scam for just over $100,000, in lieu of trying to wring out the full $1.9 million levied against them.

ICANN Appoints Former Cybersecurity Chief Beckstrom to CEO Role

ICANN has appointed Rob Beckstrom, the former director of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Center, as its new CEO.

Acer Updates Aspire M5, M3, and X3 Consumer Desktop PCs

Acer's revved-up Aspire M5, M3, and X3 systems feature a new industrial design, oodles of ports, HDMI, and tons of storage.

HP Aims for the Suits with New ProBook, HP Mini

HP is aiming for the working professionals and executives with its new HP Mini 5101 Atom-powered network and sexier (and broadly configurable) ProBook 4310S.

HP Builds Web Access into Photosmart Home Printer

HP's new HP Photosmart Premium printer comes with apps that let users directly access and print online content, without using a PC or other device.

ViewSonic Enters PC Business with All-in-One VPC100

Monitor maker ViewSonic has entered the PC business with the ViewSonic VPC100 All-in-One, sporting an 18.5-inch screen, Intel Atom processor, and $599 price tag.