December 01, 2005, 8:28 PM PST
Need a scorecard for BlackBerry
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

Yesterday, we talked about trouble for RIM, the company that makes BlackBerrys. Today, RIM got good news: one of the claims of patent infringement was rejected by the patent office.

The ruling is not final, though, so hold onto your hat--and your device.

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December 01, 2005, 8:23 PM PST
How far will you go for your employees?
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

How committed are you to the employees in your business? How far will you go for them?

I was reading this story yesterday, and it refers to magazines as small businesses. Its lessons, I think, may apply to any small business: Will you stand by the work of your people, even if they are being questioned by the outside world?

When you're small enough that everything you or anyone in your company does represents the brand, how far will everyone go to protect everyone else? In a nutshell, as a quote from the piece states: "You are responsible for your employees. They in return are responsible for you."

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December 01, 2005, 3:44 PM PST
TiVo online services: will it save them?
Posted by: Molly Wood

TiVo's online services are live now, including integration with Yahoo photos, weather, and traffic, as well as the ability to buy Fandango movie tickets and listen to Live365 radio. Wow. It takes a lot to make TiVo seem even cooler than usual, but that about does it.

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December 01, 2005, 3:40 PM PST
Dead return to the living by allowing concert downloads
Posted by: Molly Wood

You know music piracy paranoia has gotten bad when even the Grateful Dead are stirred from their mellow slumber enough to ban their fans from trading concert recordings online. The fan response quickly killed that buzz, however, and the Dead reversed course and gave the go-ahead.

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December 01, 2005, 2:49 PM PST
Xbox 360 and iRiver H10, sitting in a tree...
Posted by: Jasmine France

Yesterday, iRiver announced that the H10 will be the first MP3 player to seamlessly integrate with the Xbox 360. This relationship will allow owners of an H10 and an Xbox 360 to access the MP3 player through the game console interface and listen to all the music on the player--including subscription tracks transfered from on-the-go services such as Napster To Go and Rhapsody To Go. Users can then create custom playlists on the Xbox 360 that they can listen to instead of the default soundtrack of the games. iRiver H10 owners must update the firmware in order for this relationship to work.

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December 01, 2005, 11:22 AM PST
More from Viiv
Posted by: Dan Ackerman

Here's some more info, but not much more, from Intel and its partners on the new Viiv (rhymes with five) platform. It's basically a combination of hardware and software for living-room PCs--a Media Center version of the Centrino, if you will.

Intel already has more than 40 partners lined up to provide products and services that will work easily with Viiv-tagged computers, from TiVo to subscription music services. Products, applications, and services will carry the tagline: "Enjoy with Intel Viiv technology."

"This is about Intel Viiv technology-based PCs not only connecting to the TV, but also delivering the latest movies at home, creating 'music DJs,' playing games, and showcasing home photos and videos--it's a 'one-stop-shop' for entertainment," said Kevin Corbett, vice president and general manager, Content Services Group, Intel Digital Home Group in a press release. Look for more Viiv details to emerge at this year's CES show in Las Vegas and for Viiv systems to be available in the first quarter of 2006.

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December 01, 2005, 10:06 AM PST
Did Portland Best Buy bait and switch?
Posted by: Tom Merritt

A Portland TV station is reporting that a local Best Buy advertised the Xbox 360 at $399, but on the day of the console's release, upped the price. According to the story, managers printed up flyers that went to all the folks standing in line, informing them that the previous advertisements were wrong, and they could get an Xbox 360 only if they paid for a high-priced bundle. The TV station's story includes the requisite tear-jerking tale of the kid who saved up $400 only to be turned away. Makings of a comic-book evil genius there, if you ask me. Thanks to John G. for the e-mail tip-off

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December 01, 2005, 9:22 AM PST
Skype adds video chat
Posted by: Allen Fear

As reported on News.com earlier this morning, Skype has released a beta version of its popular VoIP and instant-messaging software that includes video chat capabilities. Other instant-messaging services with VoIP, such as AOL's AIM and Microsoft's MSN Messenger service, already offer video chat but lack some of Skype's other popular features such as conference calling and secure messaging and VoIP calls. The Skype 2 beta also allows you to personalize your presence on the network with a "mood indicator," which lets you tell others whether you are happy, sad, listening to music, available, or busy.

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