New & Noteworthy: Blizzard Diablo II; retail store news; Pro audio seminars from Apple; Microsoft news; more
New & Noteworthy: Blizzard Diablo II; retail store news; Pro audio seminars from Apple; Microsoft news; more
Holiday schedule revealed, new retail stores set to open Friday Apple has posted special holiday hours for most of its retail stores. Noteworthy is the inclusion of three stores that have not opened yet. As we noted earlier this week and according to the holiday hours page, the stores in Miami, Buffalo, and Santa Clara will be open this Friday at 8 am. There is no listing on the holiday hours page for the upcoming store in San Diego, however it will be open as well.
The Videographers Road to Pro Audio Apple is hosting a series of seminars on professional audio for videographers. Topics include mics, mixers, and how the PowerBook G4 combined with Final Cut Pro 2, BIAS Peak VST, and Deck VST can speed the process of editing, sweetening, and creating soundtracks and music for video.
Microsoft moves on weakened rivals From the Wall Street Journal/MSNBC: "All over the high-tech industries, a looming recession and a collapse in stock prices have forced companies to cut spending, lay off workers and slow product development and sales efforts. For Microsoft Corp., that means it is time to wrest important new markets from its weakened rivals. At the top of its target list: software for hand-held computers, online services and servers." More.
The Apple of Mister Softee's Eye From TheStreet.com: "Microsoft wants to help America's impoverished schoolchildren -- and maybe help itself at the same time. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it had reached a proposed agreement to settle more than 100 private class action lawsuits alleging that it gouged consumers for its software. Under the terms of that settlement, which needs to be approved by the U.S. District Court in Maryland, Microsoft would donate more than $1 billion in cash, software and support to the nation's poorest school districts. Critics say the settlement is little more than a thinly veiled grab by Microsoft to gain more of a presence in one of the last consumer-oriented software sectors where others still have a significant share of the market." More. Also see Reuters and the New York Times.
Exhibitors Lining Up for Macworld Conference This press release from IDG lists some of the participants scheduled to exhibit at Macworld in January.
Thanksgiving discount on CatDV 2.0 Square Box Systems Ltd is offering its media asset database and clip logging utility CatDV 2.0 for $34.95 over the Thanksgiving weekend. Orders must be placed between 22 Nov and 26 Nov.
FBI software cracks encryption wall From MSNBC: "The FBI is developing software capable of inserting a computer virus onto a suspect’s machine and obtaining encryption keys, a source familiar with the project told MSNBC.com. The software, known as “Magic Lantern,” enables agents to read data that had been scrambled, a tactic often employed by criminals to hide information and evade law enforcement. The best snooping technology that the FBI currently uses, the controversial software called Carnivore, has been useless against suspects clever enough to encrypt their files." More.
This weekend at the QuickTime movie trailers If your thoughts this holiday turn to dark rooms filled with strangers, take your pick: "Dark Blue World," "The Affair of the Necklace," "The Time Machine," "The Man Who Wasn't There," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Monsters, Inc.," "K-PAX," "Vanilla Sky," and "Behind Enemy Lines."