New and Noteworthy: ATI interview; Verizon to debut 30 Mbps broadband; more

ATI interview IT Enquirer has an interview with an ATI representative who addresses some issues with the company's graphics cards and their positioning in the Mac market. Among the issues addressed is that the Radeon 9800 does not deliver hardware rendering from within Maya 6, to which the ATI rep responds "That's correct. ATI has just hired additional staff to work on developer relations with Pro applications like Maya. We're investigating ways to work even better within those applications than we do today." More.

Verizon to debut 30 Mbps broadband Verizon customers in Keller, Texas, soon will be the first to receive high-speed Internet services over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. The new service delivers data speeds of up to 30 megabits-per-second (Mbps) in Keller later this summer and in other markets later this year. Prices start at $34.95 per month. The company also announced additional fiber deployments that are under way in California and Florida. More.

Microsoft looms in digital music downloads The Wall Street Journal reports on Microsoft's expected entry into the digital music purchase market: "One key advantage Apple has had is that songs bought on the iTunes store can be played on the company's hot iPod portable music players, while songs bought on the sites of its major download competitors are in a format the iPod - deliberately - can't handle. This gives the iTunes store a powerful boost. But the sound of giant footsteps can be heard in the distance. Microsoft is coming. The software colossus is preparing its own download store for launch in the fall. Details aren't yet known, but I expect Microsoft to try and best Apple with a bigger selection, more features and other twists. It's also teaming with hardware maker Creative Labs to build a portable player supposedly cooler than the iPod." More.

Macworld Boston -- Andy Hertzfeld resurfaces The Boston Globe reports that Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original Macintosh designers, hadn't surfaced at a Macworld Conference & Expo in 10 years -- mainly, he said, because he's shy. 'But at last week's Macworld in Boston, where he consented to join a panel marking the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh computer, Hertzfeld, 51, wearing the West Coast software jockey's uniform of blue jeans and a black T shirt, was treated like a rock star." More.

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