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>> I'm back on the job, well rested from my vacation. It's good to see you again. We've got news about Google's new browser, unlimited music downloads in the UK, and a new wireless protocol that may make your mobile life a whole lot easier. It's Tuesday, September 2. I'm Natali Del Conte, and it's time to get Loaded.
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Google is launching its own web browser called "Chrome" today in over 100 countries. This is an open source browser project that Google hopes will drive innovation on the web. The project was leaked, so Google went ahead and launched for Windows only, but a Mac and Linux version should follow shortly. The browser is supposed to be fast, of course, and have technology built into it so that your tabs won't compete with one another for speed. I should learn to never be surprised when it comes to Google, but this move still surprises me. Google's so chummy with Mozilla, and has always touted Firefox as the game-changing open source project. Why would they compete?
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Sony has said that it will launch the new version of the PlayStation Portable in Japan on October 16. This is right around the time that gaming system launches here in the US and in Europe. The new PSP 3000 is meant to compete with the Nintendo DS. It comes with a built in microphone and an advanced LCD panel that's suited for outdoor use.
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The IEEE recently certified a new wireless protocol, 802.11R. The IEEE, or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers gave the stamp of approval to the new R-level Wi-Fi, which is supposed to allow devices to move from one access point to another with less downtime. This means that you could be on a VOIP call and switch to another network without dropping the call, very good for mobile voice and streaming video applications. 802.11N has been caught up in bureaucratic tape for years now. It may never get fully certified, so maybe we'll just skip right past it and stick with R. Be on the lookout for products that run on this protocol. Of course, we'll have reviews for you right here on CNET.
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Nokia's free music service is about to launch in Britain. "Comes with Music" is Nokia's unlimited music service, where you get a year of free downloads when you purchase certain phones. Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive distributor of this service, and this model is different because users can then keep all the music that they download during that free year. Remember, "Comes with Music" is distributing from all the big three labels, Universal, Sony, and Warner. We'll get more details about the UK version of this service in early October.
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Do you have an artist who you'll still go out of your way to buy their physical CD, you know, just to have the lyrics and fancy pictures of the artist or band? Don't tell anyone, but I still do that for Shakira. Well now, I won't have to if reports are true about a new iPhone application that's supposed to launch next month. The application will give users digital versions of all the extras that come with a CD, lyrics, behind the scene images, artwork, etcetera. This application would pair with your iTunes library and give you all of these bells and whistles digitally when you purchase an album online. The application is unnamed, but supposed to be released on October 27, around the new Snow Patrol album. We're not sure how much it will cost yet, but I really can't see it ringing in at higher than $5.00.
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Russia's third largest mobile carrier, MegaPhone, has said that it will carry the iPhone sometime this year. The company has confirmed that it signed a distribution deal with Apple that details about pricing; service plans, and a release date have not yet been disclosed.
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Target's website is about to get a makeover. It has to. The company has reached a settlement with the National Federation of the Blind, or the NFB, where they have agreed to make their site more accessible to the visually impaired. Target has until next February to do this, and it will cost them 6 million dollars. The plaintiff who started this lawsuit, a Mr. Bruce Sexton, Jr., says that he hopes that this will mark a new chapter in making the web more accessible to the blind. While I agree Target's website is hard to navigate, even for someone like me with 20/20 vision, I think the visually impaired community needs a better browser for the entire web, not just a better way to shop at Target. Browser plugins for the blind haven't really been great at reading sites that are heavily created with Flash or Ajax. A new browser for all visually impaired users would seem to solve this problem across the board. I hope someone gets to work on that. Maybe Google should add this to things it can do with Chrome.
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I want to take a minute to send my thoughts to any victims of this weekend's terrible Hurricane Gustav. Those of us who are watching and have not been affected can help out pretty easily, though. AT&T is helping to facilitate this. If you're a customer of the carrier, send a text to 24357, which is T nine for "too help." If you do this, AT&T will donate $5.00 towards the Red Cross disaster relief fund, which you'll see on next month's bill. If you are not an AT&T customer, you can still donate though. Head on over to redcross.org.
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Those are all your headlines for today, but I will be back tomorrow with more. Thank you for watching. I'm Natali Del Conte with CNET TV and you've just been Loaded.
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