Cody Taylor

CWmike writes “Gregg Keizer reports that Microsoft acknowledged today it has ‘broadened the options’ for PC makers to continue offering Windows XP as a downgrade from Vista — and potentially even Windows 7. However, the company would not confirm specific reports that HP has been given the green light to sell new PCs with Windows XP Pro pre-installed through the end of April 2010. ‘Windows XP went into semi-retirement in June 2008, when Microsoft stopped selling it at retail and withdrew Windows XP Home from use on all but netbooks, though it allowed XP Professional to be installed as a Vista downgrade. Since then, Microsoft has extended the final date it will sell XP Professional install media to large computer makers and smaller systems builders to July 31, 2009, and May 30, 2009, respectively. Today, Microsoft denied that it had extended the life span of Windows XP, and intimated that those rights were built into the newer operating system — in this case, Vista — and did not expire at some arbitrary date.'”

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candiman writes “The Australian PM, Kevin Rudd, has just announced that none of the private sector submissions to build a National Broadband Network was up to the standard, so instead the government is going to form a private company to build a fiber to the premises network. The network will connect to 90% of premises delivering 100Mb/s. The remaining 10% will be reached with wireless and satellite delivering up to 12Mb/s. The network cost has been estimated at 43 billion AU dollars over 8 years of construction — and is expected to employ 47,000 people at peak. It will be wholesale only and completely open access. As an Australian who voted for the other guys, all I can say is, wow.”

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daveofdoom writes “The French-Canadian government of Quebec is saying ‘non’ to English-only video games if French versions are available. ‘It’s causing a lot of consternation among retailers and gamers alike, who fear the rules will lead to delays in video games arriving in the province, and may not accomplish what the law intends, which is to promote and protect the French language.’ This is a ridiculous rule, as game companies can simply stop creating French versions of games to bypass the restriction.”

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Al writes “A miniature telescope that fits inside the eye of someone with macular degeneration and helps them regain normal vision has been developed by a start-up company called VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies. Macular degeneration affects the center of the retina, making it difficult to read, watch television and recognize faces. The new device, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, works like a fixed telephoto lens within the eye, projecting a magnified image of whatever the wearer is looking at onto a large part of the peripheral retina. Magnifying the image on the eye allows the retinal cells outside the macula to participate, and enables a patient to recognize details using their peripheral vision. Clinical trials suggest that the device could improve vision by about three and a half lines on an eye chart. Last week, an advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended that the agency approve the implant.”

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Anonymusing writes “Not long ago, professional video gamer Emmanuel Rodriguez earned a base K salary plus prize winnings in the Championship Gaming Series. However, with the economy suffering, sponsors like DirecTV and News Corporation are backing out, leaving Rodriguez with a more typical job for a 23-year-old: store clerk. After the demise of the CPL and the Championship Gaming Series last year, the only major pro gamer league left is Major League Gaming, though it expects to turn a profit this year — some of its players earn more than six figures from the million in prizes given throughout the season, while others are putting off college to work on their gaming careers.” A recent story in the LA Times discusses how the games industry slow-down is hitting game developers hard as well. Conversely, the used game market is seeing significant growth — it’ll be interesting to see what publishers learn from this.

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Apple products might show up on TV all the time, but no show can top Futurama when it comes to a sprinkling of both well-known and obscure Apple references.

YouTube has been moving to bring in legitimate, licensed content from TV networks and movie studios for some time, inking deals with the likes of CBS and MGM. Professionally produced content is going to become the focal point of the site, as Google plans to launch a major redesign within the next month.

LateNiteTV sends in news of a “kill pill” from LM Ericsson AB that a wireless carrier could use to remotely disable a subsidized netbook if the customer doesn’t pay the monthly bill or cancels their credit card. “…the Swedish company that makes many of the modems that go into laptops announced Tuesday that its new modem will deal with [the nonpayment] issue by including a feature that’s virtually a wireless repo man. If the carrier has the stomach to do so, it can send a signal that completely disables the computer, making it impossible to turn on. … Laptop makers that use Ericsson modules include LG Electronics Inc., Dell Inc., Toshiba Corp., and Lenovo.” The feature could also be used to lock thieves out of the data on a stolen laptop.

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Ian Lamont writes “IBM has filed a patent application that covers offshoring employees. Application 20090083107, dated March 26, 2009, is a ‘method and system for strategic global resource sourcing.’ Figure 2 gives a pretty good idea of what’s involved — it shows boxes labelled ‘Engineer,’ ‘HR,’ and ‘Programmer’ with crossing arrows pointing to cylinders labelled ‘India,’ ‘China,’ and ‘Hungary.’ The article speculates that IBM may apply the methodology to its own staff — it reportedly plans to lay off thousands of employees and has even started a program to have IBM workers transfer to other countries at local wages.”

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