July 18, 2005, 4:22 PM PDT
Video iPods around the corner?
Posted by: James Kim

More speculation about a video-enabled iPod hit the wires today. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has been in talks with major record labels about selling music videos via the iTunes Music Store, and the top rumor running is that new iPods with video playback (possibly powered by a Broadcom video chip) will be announced in September--just in time for the back-to-school holiday season.

Our POV: If you've been using iTunes 4.9 with any gumption of late, you've been watching QuickTime videos (either downloaded from the iTunes Music Store or imported from your personal collection) within the audio jukebox's interface. Apple is obviously setting up users for the video iPod, since it's going to want users with healthy, sync-ready video libraries ready for launch. With all the news about Apple's financial success and reliance on the iPod, Apple will continue to innovate (or borrow from others, tweak, and remarket) with iTunes 5.0, a subscription-based service, cell-phone compatibility, and of course, video-enabled iPods--and who knows, an iPod Coldplay Special Edition?

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July 18, 2005, 3:27 PM PDT
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Vulnerability
Posted by: Robert Vamosi

Over the weekend, Microsoft issued a new advisory concerning the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) found in Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP (both Home and Professional editions). Only computers with RDP services enabled are affected; these include Terminal Services in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 and Remote Desktop Sharing and Remote Desktop Assistance in Windows XP. The reported vulnerability in RDP could lead to a denial of service attack, effectively crashing your computer. There is no patch currently available. Instead, Microsoft recommends using a firewall, specifically to block port 3389, which is used by RDP services, as well as disabling Terminal Services in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 and disabling Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional. Remote sessions should be carried out using secure Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) or Virtual Private Network (VPN) instead.

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July 18, 2005, 12:32 PM PDT
PVR Ads Strike Back
Posted by: Dan Ackerman

Yet another reason to ditch that subscription TiVo box for a PC-based Media Center solution for your TV recording needs. TiVo has always had an unhealthy obsession with how consumers use their product, mostly centered on discouraging us from ignoring commercials (and tracking how many people rewind celebrity wardrobe malfunctions).

Now the company wants to both insert company logos while you fast-forward through ads, and try to divert you to special "long-format" advertising content. While not endorsing any particular package, just remember that PC-based DVR setups like MythTV, SageTV, and even Windows Media Center Edition don't care if you skip the commercials (for that matter, neither did the classic VHS video cassette recorder, if you're willing to admit to being old enough to remember it in its heyday).

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