Rapid Fire: 1/22/07
On Rapid Fire the retired circus monkeys and I take a shot at all the news from the past week that we just didn’t get to. So, without further ado, let’s take aim and fire at will:
- Two weeks ago we mentioned that Cisco was suing Apple over iPhone trademark violations. Gizmodo now has word that Cisco created their version of the iPhone from GPL licensed without correctly following those rules. Lawyers everywhere are nursing blistered hands from all the hi-fiving they’ve been doing.
- Tech commentators and talking heads alike declare Sony’s Blu-Ray next gen video media dead. The reason? Sony has mandated that pr0n is too red light for the blue light technology. The best title from all coverage goes to Gizmodo and their post “Blu-ray Porn Update: Not Getting It On“
- Slamdance’s Guerrilla Games Competition is all but dead. The organizers pulled Super Columbine Massacre RPG! from competing which caused an avalanche of withdrawals from sponsors and competitors alike. Game boys shrug and go back to playing with their Wiis.
- Novell urges people to skip Vista and use Linux. In a similar announcement Royal Crown tells users to skip Coke and drink RC.
- Motorola announces 3,500 jobs will be cut.
- Bill Gates says Sony “didn’t know what they were doing” when it came to the PS3. Given that I can still find piles of the $599 “supercomputers” and not a Wii in sight I’d say he’s right.
- We’ve clearly stated the reason that the Microsoft Zune comes in brown (for the Cliff Notes devotees, it’s because its crap). Despite its many foibles a largely touted feature was that users would be able to ’squirt’ songs to other users. It turns out that only works slightly better than half the time. From the great Om:
There are now reports that nearly 40% of the songs purchased or acquired through the ZunePass cannot be shared.
Most of the songs that that fall in the cannot be shared category are from a company that thinks all its customers are thieves - Universal Music Group. UMG had cut a special deal with Microsoft, and is getting at least a $1 a Zune. (Insert: marry to the mob joke here!) Sony Music is the other label with some sharing restrictions.
Welcome to the social, indeed. With all the restrictions its like being back in high school.
