Jennifer Maurina

In an attempt to eliminate and prevent unauthorized distribution of copyrighted video content, Google confirmed Tuesday that it will begin testing video identification software on its YouTube and Google Video sites. The software will identify ... copyrighted videos that have been uploaded by users without the copyright holder's permission. (Source: informationweek.com ) Google will test the video recognition technology along with partners Time Warner Inc. and The Walt Disney Co. Testing will begin next month with hopes of having the technology completely up and running by later this year. (Source ... (view more)

Since last Wednesday, Apple's iTunes store is now selling DRM-free songs from the popular record company, EMI. Popular artists on the EMI label include Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, and John ... Coltrane. (Source: apple.com ) The new iTunes 7.2 (available for download on the iTunes site) will allow music lovers to download an iTunes Plus DRM-free version of a song. What is DRM? For those unfamiliar with the terminology, DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. DRM software prevents people from copying and freely utilizing a digital file across ... (view more)

Recently, Google announced the launch of a new feature for its web users: Web History. The new project offers Google account users the opportunity to access their Web surfing history. A posting on the Official Google Blog touted the new feature as ... making it easy for Google users to "view and search across the pages ... visited. If you remember seeing something online, you'll be able to find it faster and from any computer with Web History. Web History lets you look back in time, revisit the sites you've browsed, and search over the full text of pages you've seen. It's your slice of the web, ... (view more)

Mozilla, the organization behind the popular Firefox Web browser, launched a new version of its free to download Thunderbird 2 email program, challenging Microsoft's Outlook email program. Scott MacGregor, Lead Engineer for Thunderbird at the ... Mozilla Foundation noted in a written statement that the program "has powerful new features and proven security, delivering an improved email experience to users worldwide." (Source: cbc.ca ) The Mozilla Project, which began in 1998, is dedicated to promoting Web innovation and developing open source Internet client software. Like the organization's ... (view more)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios and Apple recently announced that MGM will now offer titles from its catalogue of feature films for purchase and download on the iTunes Store website. This deal will add to iTunes menu of over 500 movie titles ... available for purchase and download. (Source: reuters.com) Beginning Wednesday, MGM, which has the largest modern film library in the world (over 4000 films), launched 25 titles for download on iTunes. An Apple spokesperson noted that more of MGM's films would be added over the next several weeks. (Source: blogs.pcworld.com ) The iTunes online store ... (view more)

Microsoft officially announced the Xbox Dashboard Spring Update this past Monday: a move that is sure to ignite spring fever among the game console's millions of users. Headlining the update is a new Xbox 360 accessory -- a QWERTY text-input device ... will directly connect into the Xbox 360 controller and will support text and instant messaging capabilities. (Source: itwire.com.au ) Scheduled to be launched on May 7, the new add-on will enable Xbox 360 users to access the Windows Live Messenger service through their game console, allowing gamers to identify each other by tags and communicate via ... (view more)

North Carolina officials are willing to offer Google up to $4.7 million in grant money if the company builds a new operation in Caldwell County, an economically struggling area of North Carolina. Google is looking for a new place to put a server ... farm, which is a massive collection of computers used to run Google's services and support the company's expedient growth. Lenoir, North Carolina is on Google's list of sites that it is considering for the future development. If Google decides to land in Lenoir, the region, knocked out by job and industry loss, could see $600 million in new investment ... (view more)

Microsoft announced Wednesday that pirated versions of it's Vista operating system (OS) will be of "limited value" to anyone who has received a copy of the company's newest version of Windows. The new OS is said to have integrated anti-counterfeit ... technology, which disables the pirated versions from being used. (Source: pcworld.com) The software giant's announcement comes as a reaction to earlier reports that the key code to "crack" Vista's activation process was posted on peer-to-peer networks, Usenet groups and BitTorrent download sites. (Source: informationweek.com) Although Microsoft is " ... (view more)

Many iPod users and airline passengers will no longer have to worry about re-charging their iPod before they board the plane, or worry about having enough battery power to last the duration of their trip. Earlier this week, Apple announced a deal ... with six major carriers that would outfit airlines with iPod seat connections. The iPod seat connections will be available to passengers by mid-2007 on Air France, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, KLM, and United Airlines planes. (Source: news.com ) The seat connections will enable passengers to power and charge their iPods while in ... (view more)

Did you miss last night's hockey game? Well you, and me -- and every other hockey fan for that matter -- are in luck! Early last week, NHL Interactive Cyber Enterprises -- the digital division of the National Hockey League -- announced a deal that ... will provide Google Video with fresh NHL video content. In addition to providing select NHL classic games, the NHL will also show the current season's full-length games (on delay) via Google Video. (Source: nhl.com ) If you log on to the web site, you can now view and download dozens of recent hockey games organized by team, as well as a fairly ... (view more)