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November 18, 2009 11:56 AM PST

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1109: In the future we'll all be cats

by Tom Merritt
  • 7 comments

IBM is working on an artificial brain they think they'll have done by 2019. And we figure once that happens, the robots will rise and we will become your pets. And like cats we'll think that we're in charge. In other news, Modern Warfare 2 beats Harry Potter to a pulp, and Verizon and AT&T are a'courting! Actually they're in court. Being sued.

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EPISODE 1109

Modern Warfare 2 tops entertainment industry, not just games
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10400394-235.html

Google-branded phone coming early next year?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/18/google-branded-phone-coming-early-next-year/

Chrome OS demo event tomorrow
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10400012-265.html

Azure goes live in January, paying customers in February.
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/11/microsoft-azure-to-go-live-january-for-pay-february.ars

“Map for That” campaign goes to court today
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2009-11-18-att18_ST_N.htm

Did feds uncover most successful Web scam ever?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10399880-93.html

T-Mobile says workers sold customer data
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10400213-245.html

Microsoft: mobile apps aren’t important
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/11/17/ms.ozzie.claims.mobile.apps.secondary/

Ordnance Survey maps to go online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8366190.stm

No More Yahoo Go for TV
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/18/yahoo_go_gone/

Computing rivaling human brain may be ready by 2019
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10400362-52.html

VOICE MAIL
Tone on MW2

Ben the Canadian gets pushy

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz crew..
Your discussion of social viewing on NBC.com’s Communicator, had me yelling at my Zune HD, yes it looked wierd. Anyway, I was yelling because I do this on CBS.com now. CBS.com has watch and chat rooms on the site, in flash! I have some old college roommates and we are all NCIS, so when NCIS is showing in one of the rooms we make a point to head in to it, and chat about it. We like it!

Last thing, about Rupert and paying for news, does he intend on putting his Cable news sites behind a pay wall? If not then this plan of his won’t effect me since I get most of my news from the website of his cable channels..Although i do pay for the Wall Steet Journal online since it's cheaper than the Kindle edition of it.
Love the Show,
Stephen
Charlotte, Nc

PS
Love my Sprint 4G!

**********

Hey Buzz crew,

Haven’t listened to Ep. 1108 yet, so you may have reported on this already, but the town of Coshocton, Ohio has their Wifi back:

http://consumerist.com/5407138/free-muni-wifi-back-after-mpaa-shut-it-down-for-1-download

Consumerist links to this story:

http://www.coshoctontribune.com/article/20091117/NEWS01/911170301/1002/Downtown-Wi-Fi-connection-back-on

FYI: the town name is pronounced Cah – shock – ton.

Keep on keepin’ on.

Tim
Dublin, OH.

**********

Hi all in Buzzington,
Several days ago you reported on that 60 minutes story about hackers taking down the Brazilian power grid. This report was later proven to be false. Well, maybe they were just telling the truth ahead of time. According to Slashdot, a group of hackers were inspired by the 60minute story and actually did hack into the Brazilian power operator using an SQL injection.

It’s times like these when I wonder if the world wouldn’t be a better place if we all just kept our mouths shut.

Love the show,
JoshuaCaleb

P.S. Don’t know if caught my mention of it in the chat room yesterday Tom, but I finally got Digital City to introduce themselves….halfway through the show. :)

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,

I’m writing regarding episode 1107 where Molly said she would be willing to pay for a great newspaper aggregatation service. I remember hearing about such a thing a couple of months ago at a site called pressdisplay.com . They have newspapers from all over the world including (for Tom) the International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post and hundreds of others. Also, they have different subscription plans ranging from a pay as you read option to a monthly unlimited option. Just wanted to shed some light on this service for those who want to read the newspaper online. Love, the, show!

Miguel in San Francisco.

PS:They have a mobile site to access your subscriptions on your smartphone.

November 11, 2009 11:55 AM PST

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1104: Microsoft hides its hot new TV service

by Tom Merritt
  • 4 comments

Bing has taken over MSN video and it has videos from every network. Why isn't Microsoft trumpeting this? We also get really confused by Verizon's unlimited plan that has a limit of 5GB. Does it? Doesn't it? What the hell? And we debate the way Twitter retweets.

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EPISODE 1104

Microsoft disconnects Xbox gamers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8354166.stm

New Microsoft Project Natal details leak, coming next year for cheap
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/11/new-microsoft-p.php

Google tests skippable ads In YouTube videos
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117200

T-Mobile moves aggressively into HSPA and HSPA+
http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2009/11/t-mobile_moves_aggressively_into_hspa_and_hspa.html

Supremes wrestle with business method, software patents
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/11/supremes-wrestle-with-business-method-software-patents.ars

Google hopes to remake programming with Go
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10393210-264.html

Microsoft moves MSN Video under Bing umbrella
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10394673-56.html

Twitter changes up ReTweet
http://evhead.com/2009/11/why-retweet-works-way-it-does.html

Google Latitude, now with Location History & Alerts
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/11/google-latitude-now-with-location.html

Google Latitude gets snoopier: Adds location history and alerts
http://www.pcworld.com/article/181907/google_latitude_gets_snoopier_adds_location_history_and_alerts.html

VOICE MAIL
Brannon from Lake Elsinore on Gizmo

Jeremy in Virginia about the cookie law in Europe

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew,

It was funny how you guys talked about hackers blacking out Brazil in previous years and just yesterday (Tuesday) we have suffered another one. A report says that it affected 18 states (4 totally, 14 partially) and also Paraguay (about 90%). The blackout is believed to have been caused by weather conditions and it has shut down 3 power transmission lines, some hydroelectric power plants and two nuclear power plants. The power was totally restored by 3:15 AM (Brazilian DST). More information can be found in the following link (in Portuguese, sorry): http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/ult95u650831.shtml

Please stop talking about blackouts here… It appears to have and immediate effect! LOL

Love the show!

Gus, the IT Auditor from Curitiba, Brazil.

*********

Hey buzz crew love the show! Have heard you guy mention that “unlimited
data” on wireless isn’t really unlimited. I did some checking as I am a
heavy data user and can’t find anyplace on Verizon, ATT or Sprints
website that says theres actually a 5gb limit (and yes I read as much of
the fine print as I could find). I did see that there was a 5gb limit on
there data card plans and tethering but it says that right up front. So
my question is what are you talking about? Oh and when I said I was a
heavy data user I meant that I am a truck driver who uses my Sprint data
card which I luckily got when they had the unlimited plan which I get to
keep. My average usage is… 25gb a month with an all time high of 52gb.
I also have almost no trouble getting 3G service in all the places I go.
Again Love The Show!

James

*********

Hello Buzz Crew,

Referring to yesterdays episode, you mentioned the Milestone going to
Europe and how you would want to get a phone sent to you from Europe.
Well surprise surprise, you can go on a field trip to your friendly
neighbours up north. Telus is announcing that it will have it
exclusively (unlocking anyone? :) ). It’s supposed to come out “early
2010″.

Here is a link to engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/10/motorola-milestone-headed-to-telus-in-early-2010/

Love.The.Show

Carl from BC,Canada

November 4, 2009 11:55 AM PST

BOL 1099: Secret ACTA treaty could break the Internet

by Tom Merritt
  • 7 comments

Leaks from the secret negotiations of the ACTA treaty allege that ISPs worldwide would be required to lose safe-harbor protections, implement three-strike antipiracy policies, and worse. We think this is outrageous. AT&T thinks Verizon is outrageous because of its commercials and so is taking Verizon to court. Also, EMI finally got around to suing BlueBeat.com for selling Beatles tracks online. But you can buy a Beatles USB stick for $280. So, you've got that going for you.

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EPISODE 1099

AT&T vs. Verizon: There’s a lawyer for that
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10389960-266.html

AT&T sues Verizon over ‘there’s a map for that’ ads
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/atandt-sues-verizon-over-theres-a-map-for-that-ads/

T-Mobile USA says it has fixed voice, data outages
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091104-710151.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10390097-56.html

Leaked ACTA Internet provisions: Three strikes and a global DMCA
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/leaked-acta-internet-provisions-three-strikes-and-
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/03/secret-copyright-tre.html

EMI sues Beatles-download Web site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8342277.stm

The Beatles catalog being released on limited-edition USB stick
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/the-beatles-catalog-being-released-on-limited-edition-usb-stick/

Nvidia confirms Intel chipsets won’t support USB 3.0 until 2011
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/04/nvidia-confirms-intel-chipsets-wont-support-usb-3-0-until-2011/

…So, will Nvidia go rogue with its own x86 chipset?
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/11/nvidia-x86-cpu-rumors-resurfaceis-it-a-plausible-scenario.ars

UPDATE: Personal Droid data will cost $30
http://www.gearlog.com/2009/11/personal_droid_data_will_cost.php

Verizon looking to bump early termination fee to $350 on ‘advanced’ devices
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/04/verizon-looking-to-bump-early-termination-fee-to-350-on-advanc/

Another Verizon Droid commercial, Stealth, and it's awesome
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/11/03/another-verizon-droid-commercial-stealth-and-its-awesome/

PayPal unveils plans to open payment service
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221600183

In test, Windows 7 vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/11/03/2123258/In-Test-Windows-7-Vulnerable-To-8-Out-of-10-Viruses

E-MAIL
Hi BOL crew!
I love the show but it can be hard to sit and listen to somebody for 5 minutes going on about a software licensing system that should be put into place, when it’s been around for 15 years or so.
It’s called Microsoft Open Licensing with Software Assurance. http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/software-assurance/default.aspx
Small and large corporations can purchase from this programme to license their applications and OS from Microsoft. They can opt in for Software Assurance which means they get any and all paid upgrades at no extra charge during the license period (Usually 3 years)
They also get support and other benefits. Media is sent out when required.
Some versions of the MS OLP allow companies to pay annually over the 3 years rather than up front if that helps their books. It does give you predictable IT expenditures.

When it comes to home users, most IT experts will agree that it’s usually best to use the OS that came with your computer and ignore major OS updates. Wait until you buy a new computer that comes with the new OS. Small updates like Snow Leopard on new computers like my March 2009 iMac make sense, especially at $30!
However, I like Tom, do not want to pay monthly or annually for my software. If it was an option it might be ok, but not the only one I hope.

I repeat, LTS!
Cheers,

Jay Rymal
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

**********

Re: Nook v. Alex. I am not sure what trade secrets were taken from
Spring Design. Judging from the documents filed, Spring Design didn’t
even have a working prototype in the Feb 09 meeting, so the only thing
they exchanged were probably concepts. If B&N did not have a dual
screen e-book reader in the final development phase already, i.e., they
came up with it only after seeing the drawings in Feb 2009, B&N must
have one crack hardware engineering team (or ODM)/Android programmers to
get to a final product in 9 months.

Also, what’s the big deal about dual screens–Nintendo DS (hence the
name) has been around for a long time with split screen functionality.
Expanding it to a tablet size seems like an obvious expansion. Nintendo
lawyers: start your engines.

Dickson

**********

Hey Buzz crew! Bryan the Insurance IT guy here in Springfield, Missouri. I've been listening to the show for several years without writing or calling in, but I was listening to the Verizon/Exchange discussion in episode 1098 on the way to work this morning and thought I'd finally chime in with a couple of tidbits!

First, I administer Exchange and mobile devices for my office, and I can tell you there's no simple way for Verizon or any other carrier to detect and block Exchange ActiveSync traffic. ActiveSync encapsulates all device-server communications in HTTPS packets for security, so the only port that needs to be allowed for ActiveSync to work is port 443 - and you can bet all hell would break loose if any carrier tried to block port 443, as that's the port used for ALL SECURE WEBSITES! One thing they might try is to profile traffic patterns for ActiveSync and block based on that, but I'm guessing that's harder than it sounds and would get very messy, very quickly. Good luck to any carrier trying to pull THAT one off.

Second, I've now been involved in setting up half a dozen users with iPhones in my office, some on personal plans, and some on our recently-established corporate account. NONE OF US is paying the 45 bucks for "Enterprise" data service on the iPhone. For the users who set it up on their personal accounts, that didn't surprise me. I DID expect to get some pushback on the iPhone data plans for the corporate accounts, but in every case, we looked the AT&T rep in the eye and said, "Yes, it's a corporate account, but I'm only going to check personal email", and in every case, they didn't even blink. Maybe this attitude varies by region, but here in Southwest Missouri, at least, I've never heard of a case of AT&T forcing the $15 premium on iPhone users, even on business accounts. Incidentally, there's only one time we've been required to pony up the $45 for the enterprise data plan - AND IT WAS TO SUPPORT OUR LONE BLACKBERRY USER.

Maybe next time I'll call in, but I like to take serious relationships slowly. For now I'm still listening to other shows, but BOL holds a special place in my heart, and maybe one day I'll be able to commit.

October 26, 2009 11:59 AM PDT

BOL 1092: The slippery Slate

by Tom Merritt
  • 7 comments

Bill Keller from the New York Times let slip he's been working on a version of the New York Times for the Apple Slate. Great! What the hell is the Apple Slate? well obviously it's a much-rumored Apple Tablet. We also discuss T-Mobile's unlimited plans and hope against all hopes that they are truly unlimited.

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EPISODE 1092

Bill Keller: Apple Tablet ‘Impending’
http://gawker.com/5389636/bill-keller-apple-tablet-impending

T-Mobile Adds ‘Even More Plus’ Plans
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354721,00.asp

Netflix Movies Stream to Sony's PlayStation 3
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/netflix-movies-stream-to-sonys-playstation-3/

Hollywood wants share of Netflix’s windfall
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10382717-261.html

Microsoft Offers Windows 7 on USB Drives for Netbooks
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Microsoft-Offers-Windows-7-on-USB-Drives-for-Netbooks-225258/

$180 BlackBerry Storm2 hits the shelves on Wednesday
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139892/_180_BlackBerry_Storm2_hits_the_shelves_on_Wednesday

Sprint Announces Nov. Launch Date for Palm Pixi
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354726,00.asp

Mobile net ‘heading for data jam’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8325634.stm

Verizon profit dips, but wireless stays strong
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10382841-266.html
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-earnings-verizon-profit-down-wireless-unit-revenues-jump/

Has AT&T Wireless data congestion been self-inflicted?
http://blogs.broughturner.com/2009/10/is-att-wireless-data-congestion-selfinflicted.html

Surgeon Performs World’s First 4X HD Surgery
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/10/25/2010236/Surgeon-Performs-Worlds-First-4X-HD-Surgery

VOICEMAIL
Ted from Berkeley on hacking the Pre

Ralph on Windows 7 problems

EMAIL
Hey Buzz Out-louders,

Was on my way to class this morning when I saw this article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1846104,CST-FIN-apple26.article

Apparently Apple may pay to upgrade a station at the North and Clybourn red line L stop. They are set to open a new retail location close to the stop. I live near it and I can say with full confidence that that stop is pretty nasty and run down (like most of the CTA's L stations.) I guess Apple thinks it's not very becoming to have your flashy products available via a not so flashy station stop and is willing to fork over the cash to fix that.

Thoughts?

I've been listening to your podcast for about three years now. Love the show!

-Casey the performing arts management student in Chicago

**********

Hey buzz crew, I don’t if you saw this BBC news item about twitter and other social networking sites costing UK companies 1.4 billion pounds a year. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8325865.stm. The assumption is that because their survey of 1460 office workers indicated that people spent an average of 40 minutes a week on these sites that “such online behaviour clearly had a “productivity strain” on firms.” I call shenanigans, and I wish I could get my hands on the actually study so that I could fully debunk the it, but no such luck. My worry is that I read this at 8 am ET and I am sure by this afternoon mainstream media is just going to run with it with no thought or insight.

Love the show.
Marlon “the guyfromtrinidad”

**********

“Net Neutrality,” not allowing ISP to charge extra for special serves,
will kill the internet. If we don’t allow ISP to make profit from
investing in infrastructure, they will not invest money in
infrastructure. Unlike broadcast television, the internet does not
travel through a common good. Every inch of the internet in America is
built, owned, and maintained by private actors. In order to continue to
have good internet service, we have to allow those actors to make profits.

If you want better service, kill the government interference that
currently exists. Primarily this interference is cable monopolies that
are granted by localities. Since most broadband access comes in via
cable connections this directly hurts the quality of internet access in
America.

Kevin

October 13, 2009 11:48 AM PDT

BOL 1083: MP3 is a lie

by Tom Merritt
  • 1 comment

Yes, Nokia launched a new Netbook, and yes, Twitter fought the law and won. But it wasn't until the end of today's show that we finally get to the bottom of a long-running controversy: MP3s don't do what they promise. Jason and Brian explain why.

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EPISODE 1083

Nokia launches a Netbook
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10373747-1.html

Power of Twitter overturns court injunction
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8304908.stm

Latest on Sidekick outage — will some data actually return?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10373500-56.html

T-Mobile Danger data loss follow up…sabotage?
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/12/microsofts_sidekick_pink_problems_blamed_on_dogfooding_and_sabotage.html

Apple acknowledges Snow Leopard data loss issue
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10373064-260.html

First GSM Palm Pre now on sale in Germany, with new Euro-specific apps in tow
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/13/first-gsm-palm-pre-now-on-sale-in-germany-with-new-euro-specifi/

Firefox 3.6 will work with accelerometers
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10373677-264.html

Control your car with your iPhone, leave the keyfob at home
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-10373014-248.html

Sir Tim Berners-Lee looks back: the “//” in Web addresses was unnecessary
http://www.beet.tv/2009/10/webs-inventor-sir-tim-bernerslee-double-backslashes-were-unnecessary.html

Electroscalpel detects and removes cancer
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=23655

VOICE MAIL
Anonymous on good news from yesterday
http://www.crn.com/mobile/220600287;jsessionid=FSBZCA2NWGLAHQE1GHOSKHWATMY32JVN

E-MAIL
Just listened to 1082 and wanted to comment on the lack of love for the Sony PSP. Don’t get me wrong, Sony has made some crucial errors in the PSP department, but getting rid of the UMD I don’t think is one of them. My albums won’t play in my CD player, so I had to re-buy lots of them, and Apple has thrown out its optical drive every chance it gets. Plus Sony didn’t stop selling the 3000, so if you want a PSP with the UMD you can still purchase one.

Love the show,
Gavin – the TV tech from West Chester PA

P.S. I listen to BOL on my Blackberry 8330 because I can download it OTA at anytime while I check email, surf the web, check facebook, and tweet… All at the same time. So glad my phone can multi-task :)

**********

Hey Buzz Crew!

I thought you might find it intresting that U2.com is selling both Mp3 and FLAC versions of U2 albums, the only problem is that the FLAC versions are $11.99 for an album while the MP3 version is $9.99.

Just thoguht you might find that cool a mainstream artist is selling their stuff in lossless download form.

The show is pretty cool, and I guess I kind of love it.

-Jack in TN

October 12, 2009 11:45 AM PDT

BOL 1082: Just another outage Monday

by Molly Wood
  • 1 comment

First, apologies for the song that will be stuck in your head for at least a week. Blame the chat room. In the news today, the T-Mobile Sidekick outage, the ongoing Facebook outage, the IBM outage that briefly crippled Air New Zealand, and the unbelievable failure that is the PSP Go launch. It's a fun show.

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EPISODE 1082

T-Mobile: We probably lost all your Sidekick data
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/t-mobile-we-probably-lost-all-your-sidekick-data/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10372521-1.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10372525-56.htm
http://www.hiptop3.com/archives/what-caused-the-sidekick-fail/
http://samj.net/2009/10/if-its-dangerous-its-not-cloud.html

Downed Facebook accounts still haven’t returned
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10372417-36.html

Amateur’ IBM brings down Air New Zealand
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/12/ibm_new_zealand/

PSP Go launch has become a nightmare for gamers, Sony
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/10/psp-go-launch-has-become-a-nightmare-for-gamers-sony.ars

FCC to investigate Google Voice call blocking
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904385.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10372521-1.html

Study: 54 percent of companies ban Facebook, Twitter at work
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/study-54-of-companies-ban-facebook-twitter-at-work/

BSA: 41 percent of software on personal computers is pirated
http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=8325

LG’s new twist on e-readers: Solar power!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10372744-1.html

Hadron Collider physicist arrested on terrorism charges
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10372398-71.html

VOICE MAIL
Anonymous Linux dude: how about a streamlined OS? #nerdsnort

E-MAIL
Hi Guys and Girls

This new Lightpeek standard sounds awesome but when you’re heads down, bum up in a dark corner because one cable is too short and the network, monitor, mouse and keyboard cables all look the same I think I’ll want to strangle someone. There’s a certain elegance in having a network cable that looks completely different to a DVI cable because my monitor doesn’t understand TCP/IP and my switch won’t go 1080p.

Cheers
Craig

**********

Hello Buzzies!

First: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, and Happy American Columbus Day!

On another note however I would like to say why the Amazon Kindle
sucks overseas. Don’t get me wrong I love the idea of the Kindle,
built in 3G, buy books as you go and it works everywhere! However if I
would like one in the Netherlands (and Europe for that matter) I have
to buy it from Amazon.com and I have to pay in American Dollars. Which
isn’t to bad, heck the Euro/Dollar exchange rate is awesome at the
moment. But here come the terrible parts:

Although Amazon says it works overseas you have to keep this in mind:

- Ships with American Plug/adapter
- 20$ Shipping
- 60$ import costs
- Works through ATT Roaming partners, but you don’t have any roaming
costs (that is what Amazon says, they say US customers overseas pay
1.99$, but say other countries are free). In reality though, the books
(which you also have to pay in American $) are more expensive in the
European Kindle store than in the US kindle store.
- Newspapers are full price, but don’t get delivered with Images and
charts (saving bandwidth)
- The blogs feature is disabled (couldn’t care less)
- The experimental browser is disabled (yes this does suck)

The part that hurts most is the ‘premium’ on books even though Amazon
says no roaming fees (and don’t give the ‘tax’ excuse, because if that
is the case, there would be a Kindle store for every country, instead
of just for Europe. And the part that if I want a newspaper I don’t
get the pretty images and graphs. What’s the point of a newspaper if
they can’t show me any Pie charts?

Amazon did a lousy job, and wants to be easy by making a deal with ATT
Worldwide instead of making deals with carriers in every country. What
they probably should have done was introduce a Wi-Fi Kindle. And
release Kindles with 3G when they had deals in those countries.

I also came across another artist that is spreading his music through the Radiohead model, 'pay what you want $0 is good too'. The artist name is 'Yellowgold' never heard anything about him, but his new album 'The Mellower' is awesome! You can find it here: http://www.yellowgoldmusic.com/ . Good stuff!

Just my 2 cents!

Alex

**********

Barnes and Noble creating an android based e-book reader? More like Barnes and Noble creating the first Android based tablet. Google not only gets it’s hand into the e-book market after they have digitized books, but they also get the ability to test and review their android software on non-phone hardware. You can almost guarantee this device will not only read books but allow users to listen to mp3s, browse the Internet via wifi/chrome, and download all apps from the android marketplace. Knowing Google, they will also include you-tube functions as well as the ability to post on blogs and subscribe to rss feeds.

Ccarline

September 14, 2009 11:47 AM PDT

BOL 1062: Three-way 4G

by Tom Merritt
  • 4 comments

T-Mobile's parent company is considering buying Sprint Nextel, meaning we'd have only three big cell phone companies in the US. But in a weird way that could be good for competition? We're not sure ourselves, actually. Also, a rogue ad hits the New York Times and we discover Pirates only see in 2D. Eye-patch FTW!

Listen now: Download today's podcast



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EPISODE 1062

Rogue ad hits New York Times site
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10351460-83.html
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/what-to-do-if-you-saw-an-antivirus-pop-up-ad/
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090913/home-delivery-the-new-york-times-serves-up-some-malware/

T-Mobile owner eyes multibillion dollar bid for Sprint
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/6180195/T-Mobile-owner-eyes-multi-billion-dollar-bid-for-Sprint.html

Intuit to acquire Mint for $170 million
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/13/intuit-to-acquire-former-techcrunch50-winner-mint-for-170-million/

Japan’s cell phones may get DRM, at music industry behest
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/09/14/0137225/Japans-Cell-Phones-May-Get-DRM-At-Music-Industry-Behest

Twitter officially makes ads an option
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-twitter-officially-makes-ads-an-option/

MMS For iPhone rollout begins, two weeks early
http://consumerist.com/5358089/mms-for-iphone-rollout-begins-2-weeks-early

As it nears obsolescence, 802.11n approved
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8254085.stm

Microsoft: Windows 7 upgrade can take nearly a day
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/09/microsoft-upgrade-to-windows-7-can-take-up-to-a-day.ars

Valve co-opts L4D2 boycott by giving leaders free trip to HQ
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/09/valve-co-opts-l4d2-boycott-by-giving-leaders-free-trip-to-hq.ars

Last.fm to take over CBS HD broadcast stations in four markets
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-last.fm-to-take-over-cbs-hd-broadcast-stations-in-four-markets/

VOICE MAIL
Alex on micropayments

Daniel on Palm’s brilliant PR move

E-MAIL
I work as a tech for a movie exhibitor and wanted to share some technical details about your ongoing discussion of 3D.

Tom, the reason you may have experienced flicker or strobing in the past is the rate at which you are presented frames. The old active glasses that came with computer video cards often were limited to 60Hz, giving only 30 frames/sec to each eye. Our modern Digital Cinema 3D uses what’s called ‘tripple flash’ alternating EVERY frame to each eye three times. In other words it’s operating at 144 frames/sec from film’s standard 24 fps times 6 (3 flashes of the same image * 2 eyes). This is easily fast enough that ‘persistance of vision’ eliminates the strobing.

At our chain we actually have many rooms setup with two projectors, one for each eye. This completely eliminates strobing as the screen never goes dark.

As for camming a 3D film, you’d simply scrap the 3D aspect and hold one lens of the glasses over the camera and just record one eye’s worth. Makes it 2D, but you still have something. You can even try this in the studio right now, cover one eye. Congratulations your world is now in stunning 2D!

And for the show notes… Even traditional 35mm film is shown as ‘double flash’. The slow 24 fps you’d get if you only showed each frame once nearly everyone would say is flickering. But just by blanking and flashing the same image a second time (48 flashes/sec) you see that familiar film effect to the light level. BTW, when the shutter does block the light for the 1/96th of a second over and over for 2 hours it is actually near dark in the room. i.e. You’re sitting in the dark for half the movie! :)

Perhaps to long and off-topic now, but I hope you share this around the crew.

LTS! (and thank you)

Dustin Hollon

**********

Hey Ballers
I cant believe you guys haven’t covered CEDIA, awesome developement in cablecard, they announce cablecard tuners will be available for your current machine! None of this “Certified PC crap! Ceton had a couple of tuners that should ship in the 1Q of 2010. 4 HD streams at once, sign me up!
love the show
Jon the electrician, Tacoma

**********

Watching Episode 1061, about the iPhone at Microsoft event. Coca-Cola will fire you for bringing/eating Lays Chips because they are owned by Pepsico. Even if you bring them from home for lunch/dinner. Drinking a Pepsi product is also forbidden….”Even Off The Clock.” If you are caught outside of work with these items can also lead to termination.

Thanks guys. Love the show
Ross

September 8, 2009 12:10 PM PDT

BOL 1058: Windows 7: Set it and forget it

by Tom Merritt
  • 3 comments

We realize the problem with an operating system installation party is there's nothing to do. We also warn you about the great iPod camera shortage of 2009..if it's real. And we all like the Asus Eee-reader. Too bad that and the glasses-free 3D TV aren't real...yet.

Listen now: Download today's podcast



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Episode 1057

Technical issues could delay iPod camera upgrade
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/07/technical_issues_could_delay_ipod_camera_upgrade.html

AOL hires Yahoo’s “Peanut Butter” guy to make it relevant again
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/technology/internet/08aol.html?hpw

T-Mobile and Orange in U.K. merger
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8243226.stm
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10346417-94.html

Not quite a patent troll, TiVo’s profitability seems increasingly based on lawsuit victories
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/dish-network-told-to-fork-over-another-200-million-to-tivo.ars
http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/financials/financials.asp?ric=TIVO.O&dataset=incomeStatement&period=A&currency=US%20Dollar

iPhone C64 emulator approved by Apple, removed again for hHiding banned feature
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/iphone-c64-emulator-approved-by-apple-removed-again-for-hiding-banned-feature/

Asus Eee-reader to open like a book
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10346194-1.html

Copyright troubles for Sony
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/09/07/2148227/Copyright-Troubles-For-Sony

“Anonymized” data really isn’t--and here’s why not
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/your-secrets-live-online-in-databases-of-ruin.ars

Facebook ‘enhances intelligence’ but Twitter ‘diminishes it’, claims psychologist
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/6147668/Facebook-enhances-intelligence-but-Twitter-diminishes-it-claims-psychologist.html

Underwater laser pops in navy ops
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8243503.stm

Voice mail
Mike about 3D TV

Remy liked the show

E-mail
I called all my friends who might be interested, but they ALL wanted to be hosts to get the free Windows 7 Ultimate Edition.

Thinking about it, it is obvious that Microsoft wasn’t thinking. All of us who might get excited about this program would ALL want to be hosts! Those not interested in hosting would probably not be excited about Windows 7 let alone an installation party.

Love the show.

Tom in Huntsville, AL

**********

Google front page patent – Please do not call this a patent, I know you all love to poke fun at us but be a bit fair. Design patents are more like a trademark then a standard patent. Design patents only protect the appearance and not any of the tech behind it, they are used for anything from packaging to buildings. The design patent only provide very limited coverage as they only protect against near exact copies. Still love the show.

Tim the Patent examiner.

August 14, 2009 1:26 PM PDT

BOL 1042: Attack of the BelBots

by Tom Merritt
  • 4 comments

We learn that not only is a botnet using Twitter to store some of its data but that botnet follow Veronica. Who is a bot herself. We also ponder why leaked pictures of the Dell smartphone are so blurry. And bad news folks. Looks like no tablet for the Apple announcement, but it sounds like it will be in September.

Listen now: Download today's podcast



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EPISODE 1042

Dell’s first phone spied on web
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/08/14/dell_smartphone_pictures/

Apple planning September event?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10309110-37.html

Sources confirm no Apple tablet at Sept. event, coming in 2010
http://www.loopinsight.com/2009/08/13/sources-confirm-no-apple-tablet-at-sept-event-coming-in-2010/

http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090813/here-it-comes-but-what-is-it-exactly-apple-plans-keynote-event-for-september/

Apple and AT&T targeted by iPhone MMS lawsuit
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10309783-233.html

New games at used prices: Best Buy’s Utah plan starts a feud
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/08/best-buys-new-games-at-used-prices-promotion-starts-feud.ars
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/08/nintendo-hardware-slips-software-dominates-in-july-sales.ars

Google Books partners with Creative Commons
http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2009/08/bringing-power-of-creative-commons-to.html

Open Textbooks Win Over Publishers In CA
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/13/1450220/Open-Textbooks-Win-Over-Publishers-In-CA?from=rss

Twitter-based Botnet Command Channel
http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2009/08/twitter-based-botnet-command-channel/

AP to create landing pages to aggregate news like Wikipedia
http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/08/how-the-associated-press-will-try-to-rival-wikipedia-in-search-results/

US Tests System To Evade Foreign Web Censorship
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/14/0426247/US-Tests-System-To-Evade-Foreign-Web-Censorship?from=rss

Take Back the Beep: AT&T promises to make some changes, T-Mobile and Verizon slow on the uptake
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/14/take-back-the-beep-atandt-promises-to-make-some-changes-t-mobile/

YouTube to show Sony’s “Ghostbusters” this week for film’s 25th anniversary
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/08/youtube-to-show-ghostbusters-tonight-for-films-25th-anniversary.html

VOICEMAIL

Bill from Ohio about Linux netbooks

EMAIL
Hey BuzzCrew,
This story popped up on Thursday, and I was really surprised you didn’t talk about it, but given the hatred for Entourage, I think it’s a decent story that Mac users are finally getting a native version of Outlook.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/08/next-office-for-mac-coming-in-late-2010-with-outlook-for-mac.ars

Love the show!

Dave,
Melbourne, Australia
aka DaveBinM

**********

Hi Guys,
I just wanted to show you guys my Buzz Out Loud OS X Dashboard Widget. It’s simple, but it’s great for listening to BOL streaming without opening [another] tab or iTunes. It’s called BOL Dash (Buzz Out Loud For OS X Dashboard… obvious). It comes in two versions, BOL Dash and my personal favorite, BOL Dash Mini which is the same as BOL Dash but it takes up less space on your dashboard. You can find them here: http://dashbol.weebly.com/ I know it’s not a great site but I made it fast to host the widgets. They are completely free so I’d love it if you would mention them on your show or better yet, put it on the BOL blog page.
Thanks,
Alex aka alexthekid from the chat, although I’m not in it as often anymore:-(

**********

Hey JaMoTo and company,

You’re probably (and hopefully) getting multiple emails with this link, but I figured I’d do my part to help make sure this makes it onto tomorrow’s show:

http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joins-the-dark-side-uses-your-pc-to-make-money

Now I know exactly why Trend Micro has been freaking out every time I’ve started Digsby in the past several weeks. I’m glad I gave the beta of Trillian Astra a try — I’ll be staying with it.

Mike

**********

Dear Buzz crew:
This is Siavash from Iran, remember my updates from Iran? Here is a new one and a very hot one.
Yesterday, my cousins phone rang and there was a private number, she picked it up and a man said, you have been updating your Facebook and sending emails about what was going on inside Iran, mentioning her name, her husband and her children, he said if you don't stop sending emails and Facebook updates and pictures about Iran's political and election issues we will arrest you and your husband and your child.

So I searched so much to find out what is going one, and it seems they have been able to access passwords of those using Gmail, hotmail and Yahoo mail, so they could check their mails and ... , but they could not find any Facebook passwords and any other personal host and domain names like the mail address I use.

So, my question is, why? Why Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail are giving out passwords to Iran's government and department of security? They are not supposed to, passwords are very confidential information and they should not betray people who trust these services. There is nothing mentioned in terms of agreement when you want to open an email account on any of these site and they promise you to keep it safe and protected? Ouh REALLY?

PS: I'm a security geek and I'm sure they can not track my emails , so be sure, I'm safe.

Best Regards

Siavash

June 26, 2009 11:59 AM PDT

Buzz Out Loud 1006: Butt-nibbling robots

by Tom Merritt
  • 1 comment

Artists are developing robots that can consume flies and rodents. That means they'll get a taste for flesh. What could go wrong? They come for your butt, that's what. We also take NASA to task, and discuss the effect of Michael Jackson's death on the Internet and what it might mean for future emergencies. All that and some ageism.


Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)

EPISODE 1006

News sites swamped following Michael Jackson’s death
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10273325-93.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10273277-93.html

Sony encouraging nongaming apps on the PSP Go
http://kotaku.com/5302722/sony-encouraging-non+gaming-apps-on-the-pspgo

HTC: Hero UI upgrade for existing phones possible, but not on T-mobile USA versions
http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=7352

Google Voice invites on the way
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/google-voice-invites-on-their-way.html

Thumbing Windows 7 onto Netbooks
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10273188-56.html

Iran tries to pacify protesters with "Lord Of The Rings" marathon
http://idle.slashdot.org/story/09/06/25/1535219/Iran-Tries-to-Pacify-Protesters-With-emLord-Of-The-Ringsem-Marathon

Iran Not Blocking Online Games
http://kotaku.com/5302711/iran-not-blocking-online-games

Nielsen recommends not masking passwords
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/06/25/1856214/Nielsen-Recommends-Not-Masking-Passwords

Buzz Aldrin’s radical plan for NASA
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4322647.html?page=1

Gallery: Domestic robots with a taste for flesh
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17372-gallery-domestic-robots-with-a-taste-for-flesh.html

VOICEMAIL
Garrick on kids wanting stuff on demand

E-MAIL
Hi buzz crew. after watching episode 1005 i was wondering since i am looking to buy a new laptop in the summer. if i get the eligibility to get the free upgrade to windows 7, is it possible to not install the upgrade on my new laptop instead install windows 7 to my desktop which is around a year old and is running windows vista ultimate? – Jonathan

**********

Hey buzz crew, Jim Gooch, buzz town Computer Forensics guy here…
Just a quick note concerning the free windows 7 upgrade program.
I’ve put off purchasing 6 computers so that I could get the upgrade today. Much to my
dismay, I was told that I was not eligible for the upgrade program because I was Downgrading
to XP and this was a Microsoft decision. so, defeated, I purchased the computers with
Vista Business and promptly called Microsoft. I was a bit miffed that Microsoft had the
gall to use all the purchases that I have made over the two last years to pad their Vista
“Sales” numbers, then turn around and tell me I had no right to the benefits of purchasing
vista if I didn’t RUN it!?! so, once I was speaking to Microsoft I was informed that Dell was
in fact wrong and that I was entitled to the free upgrade!

Armed with the website:

https://windows7upgradeoption.com/ProgramInformation.aspx

which states:

PCs that are licensed for a Program-eligible Windows Vista edition which have been down-
graded to Windows XP are also eligible for this Program. However, a clean installation of
the upgrade media will be required unless you used recovery media to install the original
Windows Vista edition pre-installed on the PC, in which case you can directly upgrade to
Windows 7.

I was able to reorder the machines with XP and got the free windows 7 upgrade.
props go to “Paul” at Microsoft Pre-Sales support for his help in this.
I thought your listeners might benefit from my plight.

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,

In episode 1004 you reported how NASA will not convert to metric units because of “the cost”. I actually worked on the Constellation program for a few months shortly after graduating college. Almost immediately, I was horrified at what I saw from within NASA’s walls. Logisitically, engineers at NASA and most of their contractors live in the 50’s. There *are* computers present, but they’re in terrible shape and locked down to a point of being almost unusable. To install Linux on a project box I had to wait 3 months for approval from Washington (I worked at the cape), and I quit before I heard anything. In order to pull up engineering specs, you can’t simply view them as a PDF from a database. You need to look up the part number, which is truncated because the system was built the year I was born (literally), make a PHONE CALL down to the document center, put in an order for a printout, and a couple hours later pick up your printout or request them to physically scan it and then send you a PDF. Not only that, but there are major buildings in horrific disrepair, such as the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Sorry for this depressing e-mail, but people need to know about the state of what was once our nation’s crown jewel. NASA needs a major reset. It has a culture that oppressively resists change and technological investment at every opportunity to a point where I believe it actually costs them more money and potentially more lives. If Obama shut NASA’s doors (I hear Brian Cooley cheering) in favor of privatized space flight, such as Space-X, I wouldn’t be surprised nor disappointed.

Love the show!

Mike the surfing chip designer in FL.

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About Buzz Out Loud Podcast

Buzz Out Loud features Tom Merritt, producer Jason Howell, and a rotating roundtable of CNET's top tech experts reviewing the day's tech news. Each episode, five times a week, the crew analyzes, interprets, and argues about what all this technology means and what it's doing to us. Fans can join in the show by calling 1-800-616-2638, e-mailing at buzz@cnet.com, or commenting on the blog.


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Tom Merritt Tom Merritt appears on CNET TV, specializing in help and how-to and the ever popular Top 5 lists. He also co-hosts CNET's The Real Deal podcast. See profile
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