February 09, 2006, 3:58 PM PST
RIM reveals details of BlackBerry workaround
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

We were starting to have our doubts, but today, Research in Motion finally unveiled some details about its software workaround to allow the continuation of BlackBerry service, should a court impose an injunction related to the company's legal battle with NTP. In a press release, RIM's chairman and co-CEO Jim Balsillie stated, "RIM's workaround provides a contingency for our customers and partners and a counterbalance to NTP's threats. This will hopefully lead to more reasonable negotiations, since NTP risks losing all future royalties if the workaround is implemented." Without revealing the finite details of the workaround, RIM gave an overview of the software update, which has been dubbed BlackBerry Multi-Mode Edition. The update allows for underlying changes to the message-delivery system so that it can continue to run in Standard mode (in other words, the same manner in which it works now so that you won't experience any changes) and will require users to download and install the update. RIM said it has tested the system with success, and it has also passed legal opinion (read: It doesn't infringe of any of NTP's patents. Phewf!).

We'll of course continue to keep a close eye on the situation, but in the meantime, check out News.com's FAQ on the legal battle between RIM and NTP.

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February 09, 2006, 12:58 PM PST
The Apple iPod orchard is coming alive
Posted by: James Kim

Not a lot had circulated about the iPod in 2006 until just recently. Here's what's happened so far this year:

• No new iPods at Macworld, but new firmware that enables FM radio with an accessory is launched.
• iTunes is updated to 6.0.2 and adds the MiniStore, which offers suggestions based on your music collection. Apple later discloses that the feature does not collect any information from the users.
• Apple's iTunes Music Store starts to bulk up in the video department. Showtime is the latest network to offer shows for download for use on the computer or the 5G iPod.
• Apple quietly announces the $149 1GB iPod Nano yesterday.
• The company also cuts prices for the iPod Shuffle (the 512MB is now $69, and the 1GB is now $99). Today, iPods are accessible by more people than ever.
• The Billion Song Countdown graphic is at 958,234,896 as I type. Apple is giving away a 4GB iPod Nano, plus free songs to the user who downloads every 100,000th song up to 1 billion (that's about 417 Nanos).
• According to Think Secret, the planned mid-Manhattan Apple Store will be the first 24/7 store, and it will feature an iPod "bar."
• Now, hardcore rumors about a 6G iPod that is much more videocentric than the 5G version have begun. According to online buzz, the vPod will feature a larger 3.5-inch screen that's touch sensitive. A virtual Click Wheel will appear onscreen when the user touches it. While Think Secret has miscalculated before, some of us here at CNET believe Apple will launch an iPod with a bigger screen and better battery life (we guess late March/early April). With portable video gaining major momentum (thanks to a growing iTunes catalog, Google Video, Starz, BitTorrent, and others), it doesn't take a wizard to figure out that a screen-heavy iPod that can actually play through a feature-length movie is around the corner--along with the feature-length movies themselves.

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February 09, 2006, 10:53 AM PST
MobiBlu DAH-1500i cube MP3 player goes 2GB
Posted by: Jasmine France

MobiBlu's DAH-1500i, affectionately known as the cube, has enjoyed one of the top spots on the CNET Hit List ever since we reviewed it back in September 2005. Not even the iPod has come close to that kind of buzz on our site, despite the fact that it massively outsells the MobiBlu in the marketplace. Of course, the cube isn't without its limitations--namely, the fact that it maxes out at a 1GB capacity. Or should I say, it did max out at 1GB. Early next week, MobiBlu will release a 2GB version of the DAH-1500i at a very reasonable price of $160. We can't wait for the company to really amaze us with 4GB and 6GB players in the same form factor. Note: MobiBLU has discontinued the red and orange models, leaving just four colors to choose from (black, silver, pink, and blue).

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February 09, 2006, 10:48 AM PST
New DS features: voice chat and downloads
Posted by: Will Greenwald

Nintendo has just announced two long-hoped-for features for the Nintendo DS. At the DICE tech conference in Las Vegas, Nintendo of America's senior vice president, Reggie Fils-Aime, announced that the Nintendo DS will receive downloadable game demos and voice-chat capabilities.

Next month, Nintendo will start offering its DS Download Service, a system by which DS owners can download game demos from special kiosks. These kiosks, planned for retail outlets, will offer downloads through the DS's Download Play ability. Once a game is downloaded to the DS, it can be played until the system is turned off, even if the user walks away from the kiosk. The first game demos Nintendo plans to make available through its download service include Brain Age, Pokemon Troizi, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, and True Swing Golf.

Metroid Prime Hunters, Nintendo's upcoming and much-hyped adventure shooter for the DS, will include voice-enabled Metroid Chat. Players who use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will be able to talk to people on their Friends list before and after games, although not during them. Voice chat has long been speculated by DS users, and currently Metroid Prime Hunters is the only DS game planned to use the feature.

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February 09, 2006, 10:02 AM PST
Bush signs DTV bill; analog cutoff February 17, 2009
Posted by: David Katzmaier

In the final step required to make the phase-out of analog TV broadcasts official, President Bush yesterday signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which contains legislation stating that on February 17, 2009, all TV broadcasters nationwide must switch off their analog broadcasts. After that date, televisions that rely solely on analog over-the-air television--typically delivered via rabbit-ear antennas--will go dark.

Anticipating mass hysteria that would arise from millions of Americans losing their free TV, the Act allocates $1.5 billion toward a subsidy for new DTV converter boxes. A converter box would allow televisions that lack a DTV tuner--still the majority of those sold in the United States--to display the new digital broadcasts. When the amount set aside for the subsidy was debated in Congress, many Democrats raised concerns that it wasn't enough to account for the estimated 45 million televisions among 20 million households that rely on analog broadcasts. Details regarding the subsidy still remain vague, such as who would be eligible and how much of the estimated $50 cost for the boxes it would actually cover.

The analog cutoff will likely not affect televisions that rely on cable or satellite programming. All satellite transmissions from DirecTV and Dish Network are digital to begin with and require a set-top box anyway, and cable operators Comcast and Time Warner have announced that they will continue to carry analog and digital feeds of the major networks. According to Multichannel News, cable providers will likely negotiate further measures that will allow customers to continue using their analog TVs after the deadline.

Consumer confusion still reigns regarding the transition to digital. According to a survey of 500 people conducted in December 2005 by Points North Group and Horowitz Associates, just 13 percent of respondents knew that U.S. analog broadcasts would end in three years, and just 23 percent of those surveyed knew that analog TVs would go dark unless connected to a converter box. It's also worth noting that the segment of the population likely to be most affected by the cutoff--the poor and the elderly who don't subscribe to pay TV services--will be the least informed about it. If the government doesn't start educating Americans about the impending switch to digital, it may face serious backlash, and everyone knows that elections are won and lost on TV.

Source: Multichannel News, UPI, EE Times via Mark Schubin

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February 09, 2006, 10:01 AM PST
New movies on Blu-ray DVD: $23.45
Posted by: Molly Wood

Sony Pictures has become the first retailer to brave the wrath of confused consumers, announcing pricing for its Blu-ray DVDs. Catalog titles: $17.95. New releases: $23.45. Think that's not so bad? Yeah, it's wholesale. Feel like kicking down $30 for a new DVD just because it looks kinda better? Yeah, me neither.

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February 09, 2006, 9:49 AM PST
XM signs Oprah
Posted by: John P. Falcone

XM Satellite Radio has signed Oprah Winfrey to a three-year, $55 million deal. Oprah and Friends will debut on XM in September. In addition to being a perfect counter-programming vehicle to the Howard Stern Show on rival satcaster Sirius, XM was able to snag Oprah for a fraction of Stern's massive five-year, $500 million contract.

Related products and features:

Top XM satellite radios

The next big XM radio: Pioneer Inno

Top Sirius satellite radios

Latest Sirius-ready MP3 portable: Sirius S50

CNET's quick guide to satellite radio

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February 09, 2006, 9:49 AM PST
Take 2 shows 3
Posted by: David Rudden

We recently got to visit with some of Take 2's PR peeps, who were agog to show off their early '06 wares. The lion's share of the demonstration time was dedicated to Prey, the PC- and 360-bound first-person shooter. The game brings some very interesting concepts to the FPS table, such as the gravity-changing stage layout, and a "living ship" environment, which brings a new dimension to an FPS staple--shooting aimlessly at the wall. Perhaps the most welcome change brought about in Prey is wall walking, the zero-gravity alternative to ladder climbing, a task that has never been fun in an FPS. The weapon set was unique, combining odd alien technology with standard shooter munitions. The multiplayer looked intriguing, though the guys running the demo had to assure us that the Escher-esque stage didn't play as confusingly as it looked. The release date? "When it's done."

Firmer release dates are in store for 24: The Game and Top Spin 2. The PS2-exclusive 24 is in development by Sony's Cambridge studios, and it's quite obvious that the game is heavily influenced by the team's Getaway franchise. Average gameplay and graphics aside, the game should sell like gangbusters as it releases at the end of the month, at the height of the TV show's nonstop season. Top Spin 2 promises a more realistic career mode and a wider shot selection than the original, while maintaining the usual stellar cast of tennis pros. The shot drops in early April for the Xbox 360.

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February 09, 2006, 8:50 AM PST
NBC's HD winter Olympics go live
Posted by: David Katzmaier

The people over at the Peacock got the cold shoulder from many observers for not airing the HD version of their Summer Olympics 2004 coverage until 24 hours after the events took place. I remember having to decide on more than one evening whether to watch the live, standard-definition telecast--with its real-time updates, first-string announcers such as Bob Costas, and universal coverage of different venues--or the high-def version, with its tape delay, amateurish graphics, no-name announcers, and seemingly endless coverage of gymnastics. More often than not, I would choose SD, reserving the HD version for times when I just wanted to fill the screen with a nice-looking picture.

For the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, the network is simulcasting its coverage in HD, meaning that the HD broadcasts are as live as the standard-def broadcasts and will use the same cameras, graphics, and announcers (the SD coverage will actually be downconverted from HD cameras). NBC specified that it plans a total of 416 hours of coverage, much of which will be available in HD, including hockey, figure skating, and speed skating, as well as most skiing events, such as ski jumping. Events that won't receive the HD treatment, due to lack of HD cameras and production equipment at the event facilities, include some skiing events, curling, and luge (too bad--the luge helmet cam in HD would be sweet).

According to the Los Angeles Times, the east coast will receive most of the coverage live, while the west coast will have to deal with the standard three-hour time delay for NBC's prime-time coverage. Per a release on broadcastbuyer.tv by way of Phil Swann's new blog, the HD broadcasts will be available in Dolby Digital 5.1 on NBC's local high-def affiliate stations and also on UniversalHD, NBC's sister network that's available from satcasters DirecTV and Dish Network as well as from select cable providers. The opening ceremony will be broadcast in high-def on NBC at 8 p.m., Friday, February 10.

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