For the second time in a week, Apple has denied rumors that it has laid off workers.
On Friday, Valleywag reported that a tipster informed it of layoffs in the Mac Hardware and Pro Applications group, describing Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters as having "lots of security around" and saying "it seems like a lot" of employees were affected. Earlier in the week Valleywag published a similar report that 50 sales employees were laid off from Apple.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling denied both reports Friday. "It's not true," he said, referring to the rumors involving both rounds of supposed job cuts.
Apple's ability to ride out the worst economic period since Ronald Reagan's first term has been questioned over the last several weeks, with reports that Mac sales are on the decline and a substantial drop in its stock price Friday amid rising unemployment and falling consumer confidence. But the company has a cash position that most of its competitors can't match, and was not expected to have to resort to layoffs at this point.
Over 32,000 people now work for Apple. The company went on a hiring binge last year, adding workers mostly in its retail division. Part-time workers in that group have reportedly endured some cuts, but no full-time employees have stepped forward this week to confirm they've been laid off, as happened at IBM earlier this year.
2009年3月7日 星期六
Have any plans for the weekend? Yeah, I'm talking to you. If not, here's a suggestion: how's about some online Capture-the-Flag action (or Deathmatch
Less than a day after Boxee made adjustments to again access Hulu's content, the video portal responded Friday by again blocking Boxee.
Boxee is startup that streams Web video to television set-top boxes. Dave Mathews, who works as an evangelist and adviser to the company, expressed frustration at what has become a game of cat and mouse between the two companies. Mathews said that it's a game Hulu can't win.
"These guys are so shortsighted," Mathews said. "It's an RSS reader. What our open-source community will do is just make the Boxee browser look at the Firefox browser."
Mathews said Hulu is obviously blocking Boxee's browser. He described a situation where the two companies enjoy a good relationship and fighting is pointless.
A Hulu spokeswoman was not immediately could not be reached for comment.
"Boxee is one of the referring IDs," Mathews said. "We do that on purpose. By excluding our browser they are making a biased move. It would be just like them shutting off Chrome. We're trying to empower the customer.
"From Day 1, we played by their game plan," Mathews said. "We want a good relationship with them."
Boxee released a statement on it's blog Friday afternoon.
"To our users: if you choose to use Boxee as your media browser to view legal and publicly available content on the Internet, we will do everything we can to ensure that you can access it, no matter what the source...while some of the best things in life are free, sometimes you have to work hard to get them."
Last month, Hulu said in a blog post that it's content suppliers asked the video portal to cut off Boxee's access to Hulu content. ""We are respecting their wishes," Hulu said in the post.
Brad Stone at The New York Times was first to report this story.
Boxee CEO Avner Ronen told CNET News last month that he would try and convince Hulu executives that Boxee was good for the video site and content producers. On Friday, it became obvious those talks came to little and Boxee decided to take matters into its own hands.
"Like IE, Firefox, or Google Reader, the RSS reader supports Google Video, Yahoo, YouTube and feeds from many other websites," Avner wrote in a blog post. "While it's not as attractive or robust as our previous Hulu application, it will additionally support Hulu's public RSS feeds."
Boxee is startup that streams Web video to television set-top boxes. Dave Mathews, who works as an evangelist and adviser to the company, expressed frustration at what has become a game of cat and mouse between the two companies. Mathews said that it's a game Hulu can't win.
"These guys are so shortsighted," Mathews said. "It's an RSS reader. What our open-source community will do is just make the Boxee browser look at the Firefox browser."
Mathews said Hulu is obviously blocking Boxee's browser. He described a situation where the two companies enjoy a good relationship and fighting is pointless.
A Hulu spokeswoman was not immediately could not be reached for comment.
"Boxee is one of the referring IDs," Mathews said. "We do that on purpose. By excluding our browser they are making a biased move. It would be just like them shutting off Chrome. We're trying to empower the customer.
"From Day 1, we played by their game plan," Mathews said. "We want a good relationship with them."
Boxee released a statement on it's blog Friday afternoon.
"To our users: if you choose to use Boxee as your media browser to view legal and publicly available content on the Internet, we will do everything we can to ensure that you can access it, no matter what the source...while some of the best things in life are free, sometimes you have to work hard to get them."
Last month, Hulu said in a blog post that it's content suppliers asked the video portal to cut off Boxee's access to Hulu content. ""We are respecting their wishes," Hulu said in the post.
Brad Stone at The New York Times was first to report this story.
Boxee CEO Avner Ronen told CNET News last month that he would try and convince Hulu executives that Boxee was good for the video site and content producers. On Friday, it became obvious those talks came to little and Boxee decided to take matters into its own hands.
"Like IE, Firefox, or Google Reader, the RSS reader supports Google Video, Yahoo, YouTube and feeds from many other websites," Avner wrote in a blog post. "While it's not as attractive or robust as our previous Hulu application, it will additionally support Hulu's public RSS feeds."
Play Unreal Tournament III Black for free this weekend
Have any plans for the weekend? Yeah, I'm talking to you. If not, here's a suggestion: how's about some online Capture-the-Flag action (or Deathmatch action, whatever floats your boat) on Unreal Tournament III Black. Oh, and it's free. OK, so it's for the PC only and doesn't apply to the PlayStation 3, but it's still a pretty cool deal and it's something to do.
Whether or not you have the game, it's all good. The free weekend includes the game, the Titan Pack expansion, and the 2.0 patch. Now, all you have to do is sign up for a Steam account, which is also free, and you are good to go.
After the entire weekend hullabaloo dies down, Unreal Tournament III Black will be available on Steam at a 40 percent discount, costing around 12 bucks, and will remain so, right up until March 15.
In the meantime, go frag some people online tonight. Go ahead. Frag the hell outta them. (There are more than a few screenshots of the game below.)
Whether or not you have the game, it's all good. The free weekend includes the game, the Titan Pack expansion, and the 2.0 patch. Now, all you have to do is sign up for a Steam account, which is also free, and you are good to go.
After the entire weekend hullabaloo dies down, Unreal Tournament III Black will be available on Steam at a 40 percent discount, costing around 12 bucks, and will remain so, right up until March 15.
In the meantime, go frag some people online tonight. Go ahead. Frag the hell outta them. (There are more than a few screenshots of the game below.)
Lawmaker: Consumers need details in data breach warnings
BERKELEY, Calif.--Six years after California enacted the country's first data breach notification law, many state residents have received letters warning them that their data was exposed by a breach but usually they don't know how or how long, experts said at a privacy conference on Friday.
That would change with the passage of a measure proposed by California State Sen. Joe Simitian, who authored the country's first bill requiring companies to notify customers when a breach has occurred that exposes their data.
Senate Bill 20 would require that notification letters to consumers have a standard set of information such as information about the timing and circumstances of the breach.
It would also require that a state entity be notified at the same time so that law enforcement, lawmakers, and researchers "can spot larger trends and don't have to rely on what they read in the newspaper," Simitian said in a luncheon address at the Security Breach Notification Symposium in Berkeley.
Some privacy advocates have called for including breaches involving paper in notification laws. But because of the "sheer volume of information and the speed with which it can be moved" with electronic information, digital data remains the priority, Simitian said.
"Paper is a problem," he said. "The ability to move legislation on that subject through the California State Legislature today is questionable at best, but it is an issue I will continue" looking into, Simitian said.
Another area of concern to tackle is biometric and RFID-enabled data, particularly in connection with government-mandated use such as in identification documents like passports, according to Simitian. With government-required use of such technologies there is an obligation to raise the standards for protecting the data to a higher level by limiting the type of data used or requiring encryption, he said.
Simitian said he learned firsthand the dangers of RFID technology during a demonstration showing how easy it is to steal data from his RFID-enabled state Senate ID. A Berkeley student who looked like "central casting for hacker dude, twentysomething, long, scraggly blond hair...glasses, black T-shirt," walked into Simitian's office, he recounted. Simitian handed his Senate ID to the student and the student handed it right back and said he had "read" the data on the card and even cloned it, all in the split second it took to pass it back and forth.
"I can now come into the California State capitol anytime I want to, and even better, people will think I'm California State Sen. Joe Simitian," the student told him.
Joanne McNabb, chief of the California Office of Privacy Protection, said in an interview after she sat on a panel that her office was analyzing the proposed legislation and that she did not have a position on it yet.
Meanwhile, McNabb said something needs to be done to better protect consumers who are victimized by identity fraud involving criminal records, health care, and employment. With financial identity fraud, consumers can put a freeze on their credit, but there are no easy steps someone can take when a scammer gets a criminal record in their name or uses their Social Security number to get a job, she said.
"We don't know how to address this," McNabb said.
In another presentation at the symposium, researchers discussed effects of security breach notification laws around the country.
Surprisingly, identity theft due to data breaches dropped only 2 percent after adoption of the laws, said Alessandro Acquisti, an assistant professor at Carnegie Melon University. However, that rate is in the range of impacts with other types of disclosures, like stock price drops after a company discloses a toxic waste issue, he said.
Of consumers who have been notified that their data may have been exposed during a data breach, 20 percent claim they ended their relationship with the company breached but the actual churn rate is less than 7 percent, said Deirdre Mulligan, assistant professor at the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley.
The scope of the data breach problem was illustrated when a speaker asked the 90 or so attendees if they had received a data breach notification letter. At least two-thirds of the crowd raised their hand.
That would change with the passage of a measure proposed by California State Sen. Joe Simitian, who authored the country's first bill requiring companies to notify customers when a breach has occurred that exposes their data.
Senate Bill 20 would require that notification letters to consumers have a standard set of information such as information about the timing and circumstances of the breach.
It would also require that a state entity be notified at the same time so that law enforcement, lawmakers, and researchers "can spot larger trends and don't have to rely on what they read in the newspaper," Simitian said in a luncheon address at the Security Breach Notification Symposium in Berkeley.
Some privacy advocates have called for including breaches involving paper in notification laws. But because of the "sheer volume of information and the speed with which it can be moved" with electronic information, digital data remains the priority, Simitian said.
"Paper is a problem," he said. "The ability to move legislation on that subject through the California State Legislature today is questionable at best, but it is an issue I will continue" looking into, Simitian said.
Another area of concern to tackle is biometric and RFID-enabled data, particularly in connection with government-mandated use such as in identification documents like passports, according to Simitian. With government-required use of such technologies there is an obligation to raise the standards for protecting the data to a higher level by limiting the type of data used or requiring encryption, he said.
Simitian said he learned firsthand the dangers of RFID technology during a demonstration showing how easy it is to steal data from his RFID-enabled state Senate ID. A Berkeley student who looked like "central casting for hacker dude, twentysomething, long, scraggly blond hair...glasses, black T-shirt," walked into Simitian's office, he recounted. Simitian handed his Senate ID to the student and the student handed it right back and said he had "read" the data on the card and even cloned it, all in the split second it took to pass it back and forth.
"I can now come into the California State capitol anytime I want to, and even better, people will think I'm California State Sen. Joe Simitian," the student told him.
Joanne McNabb, chief of the California Office of Privacy Protection, said in an interview after she sat on a panel that her office was analyzing the proposed legislation and that she did not have a position on it yet.
Meanwhile, McNabb said something needs to be done to better protect consumers who are victimized by identity fraud involving criminal records, health care, and employment. With financial identity fraud, consumers can put a freeze on their credit, but there are no easy steps someone can take when a scammer gets a criminal record in their name or uses their Social Security number to get a job, she said.
"We don't know how to address this," McNabb said.
In another presentation at the symposium, researchers discussed effects of security breach notification laws around the country.
Surprisingly, identity theft due to data breaches dropped only 2 percent after adoption of the laws, said Alessandro Acquisti, an assistant professor at Carnegie Melon University. However, that rate is in the range of impacts with other types of disclosures, like stock price drops after a company discloses a toxic waste issue, he said.
Of consumers who have been notified that their data may have been exposed during a data breach, 20 percent claim they ended their relationship with the company breached but the actual churn rate is less than 7 percent, said Deirdre Mulligan, assistant professor at the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley.
The scope of the data breach problem was illustrated when a speaker asked the 90 or so attendees if they had received a data breach notification letter. At least two-thirds of the crowd raised their hand.
vPost: Send multimedia bundles from BlackBerry
vPost, which launched this week for BlackBerrys running version 4.5 and 4.6*, is a free-to-try application that aggregates your multimedia into one interface and makes it easier to share and post online. (*A version for the Storm is due later this month.) You'll be able to attach up to five separate media files--up to 1.5 MB--including audio and video clips, photos, text notes, and files stored on your internal memory or SD card.
At a lifetime purchase of about $10, the application seems a bit steep for something that can be accomplished, albeit slower, using the regular BlackBerry functions. Still, for serious sharing and social networking junkies, the app offers more than a modicum of convenience. For instance, you can set up one "Favorite" e-mail address to turn into a one-click routing destination (including the CC and BCC lines, you can squeeze out three.) You'll also be able to e-mail your media and notes to any number of recipients, including the pals in your address book and the upload e-mail addresses for social networks such as Facebook, Picasa, Blogger, Utterli, Wordpress, and so on
If it seems a little ridiculous to pay for the privilege of e-mailing your own multimedia to your own social networks instead of uploading them through a convenient widget, you're not alone, but vPost's publisher Vayyoo tells us that customizable widgets are on the agenda for a future release. However, even without them, vPost isn't devoid of helpful tools. Its integration with the BlackBerry's calendar and e-mail make it possible to open a vPost to respond to a meeting or reply to an e-mail in your in-box using a voice note or images. In addition, if your BlackBerry has GPS capabilities, you'll be able to let others chart and map your location--potentially useful if you're posting from a party.
While the integration, hot keys, and convenience of being able to create and share multimedia clips in one place speak well of the new app, vPost's drawbacks make me hesitant to recommend it for all but the most hardcore media-sharers and bloggers. Still, this is one app we'll keep an eye on as it develops.
At a lifetime purchase of about $10, the application seems a bit steep for something that can be accomplished, albeit slower, using the regular BlackBerry functions. Still, for serious sharing and social networking junkies, the app offers more than a modicum of convenience. For instance, you can set up one "Favorite" e-mail address to turn into a one-click routing destination (including the CC and BCC lines, you can squeeze out three.) You'll also be able to e-mail your media and notes to any number of recipients, including the pals in your address book and the upload e-mail addresses for social networks such as Facebook, Picasa, Blogger, Utterli, Wordpress, and so on
If it seems a little ridiculous to pay for the privilege of e-mailing your own multimedia to your own social networks instead of uploading them through a convenient widget, you're not alone, but vPost's publisher Vayyoo tells us that customizable widgets are on the agenda for a future release. However, even without them, vPost isn't devoid of helpful tools. Its integration with the BlackBerry's calendar and e-mail make it possible to open a vPost to respond to a meeting or reply to an e-mail in your in-box using a voice note or images. In addition, if your BlackBerry has GPS capabilities, you'll be able to let others chart and map your location--potentially useful if you're posting from a party.
While the integration, hot keys, and convenience of being able to create and share multimedia clips in one place speak well of the new app, vPost's drawbacks make me hesitant to recommend it for all but the most hardcore media-sharers and bloggers. Still, this is one app we'll keep an eye on as it develops.
The case brought by Rapper Eminem's former production company against Universal Music Group could have handed music artists a larger share of digital
Pure Digital, maker of the popular Flip Video camera, is reportedly nearing a deal to be acquired by Cisco, according to a report in TechCrunch.
TechCrunch cites several anonymous sources saying that San Francisco-based Pure Digital is considering a sale. Another source says the Cisco sale "is a done deal," and puts the price tag at "north of $500 million."
Pure Digital CEO Jonathan Kaplan wasn't available for comment.
Pure Digital had been in the business of making one-time-use cameras for about five years before it hit the jackpot with its Flip Video, a small, flash-based video camera that allows easy uploads of videos directly to YouTube and other online video sites.
The Flip Video went from basically nothing to grabbing an outsize chunk of the video camera market in two years, inspiring more established electronics brands like Kodak and Sony to follow suit with their own small video cameras.
Pure Digital has discussed possible sale at least once before. CNET News reported in January that Sony tried to buy Pure Digital--but balked at the price--before developing its own Webbie HD camera.
TechCrunch cites several anonymous sources saying that San Francisco-based Pure Digital is considering a sale. Another source says the Cisco sale "is a done deal," and puts the price tag at "north of $500 million."
Pure Digital CEO Jonathan Kaplan wasn't available for comment.
Pure Digital had been in the business of making one-time-use cameras for about five years before it hit the jackpot with its Flip Video, a small, flash-based video camera that allows easy uploads of videos directly to YouTube and other online video sites.
The Flip Video went from basically nothing to grabbing an outsize chunk of the video camera market in two years, inspiring more established electronics brands like Kodak and Sony to follow suit with their own small video cameras.
Pure Digital has discussed possible sale at least once before. CNET News reported in January that Sony tried to buy Pure Digital--but balked at the price--before developing its own Webbie HD camera.
Former Eminem producers lose royalty decision
The case brought by Rapper Eminem's former production company against Universal Music Group could have handed music artists a larger share of digital sales.
But a federal jury voted unanimously in favor of Universal Music and other defendants in the case, including rapper-producer Dr. Dre's record label, Aftermath Records, according to a story by The Associated Press.
Richard Busch, lawyer for F.B.T. Productions told the AP that his clients, brothers Mark and Jeff Bass, were disappointed and were considering an appeal.
At the core of the case was that F.B.T argued digital albums were different than physical sales. Artists are compensated on a royalty structure for traditional CD sales. When a CD is sold at a retail store, say at a Wal-Mart Stores outlet, the artist receives about 16 cents. The music publisher gets 9.1 cents.
Things like breakage are deducted from the artist's cut. As other acts, such as Cheap Trick and The Allman Brothers have argued, there isn't any breakage in digital music and such charges are unfair.
Some musicians want compensation for downloads to be structured like licensing fees they receive when their music is used for movies, TV shows, ringtones or commercials. In those cases, artists and labels split equally what's left after publishers takes their 9.1 cents.
Universal lawyers successfully argued that digital sales should be handled the same way as physical sales and the royalty rate was fair.
Peter Lofrumento told CNET News that Universal Music "was pleased with the jury's verdict."
But a federal jury voted unanimously in favor of Universal Music and other defendants in the case, including rapper-producer Dr. Dre's record label, Aftermath Records, according to a story by The Associated Press.
Richard Busch, lawyer for F.B.T. Productions told the AP that his clients, brothers Mark and Jeff Bass, were disappointed and were considering an appeal.
At the core of the case was that F.B.T argued digital albums were different than physical sales. Artists are compensated on a royalty structure for traditional CD sales. When a CD is sold at a retail store, say at a Wal-Mart Stores outlet, the artist receives about 16 cents. The music publisher gets 9.1 cents.
Things like breakage are deducted from the artist's cut. As other acts, such as Cheap Trick and The Allman Brothers have argued, there isn't any breakage in digital music and such charges are unfair.
Some musicians want compensation for downloads to be structured like licensing fees they receive when their music is used for movies, TV shows, ringtones or commercials. In those cases, artists and labels split equally what's left after publishers takes their 9.1 cents.
Universal lawyers successfully argued that digital sales should be handled the same way as physical sales and the royalty rate was fair.
Peter Lofrumento told CNET News that Universal Music "was pleased with the jury's verdict."
Amazon's new games trade-in program examined
Thursday's launch of a games trade-in program by Amazon.com has already begun to make waves in the games resale business. Shortly after the program was announced, competitor GameStop's stock took a dive, dropping nearly 14 percent by end of day Thursday.
As a follow-up to the announcement, GameStop's CEO Don Matteo went on the record telling Edge Online he had no faith in Amazon's model based on his company's earlier attempt at a similar program. Matteo was, of course referring to sister site TradeStop. Back in 2005 the site featured a similar offering, where users could get cash for games which the company would then turn around and re-sell on GameStop.com. The service also let people send in DVD movies and music CDs. GameStop discontinued the program at the end of 2005.
Strengths
Amazon is bringing something to the table that brick-and-mortar game resellers cannot easily match: Gamers who send in their used titles can spend their Amazon credit on things that aren't video games. For people who are selling games for a system they no longer have or use this is a clean break. It's also a chance for Amazon to make some extra cash when a user buys something that costs more than the credit they earned.
Another thing users may flock to is transparency. Amazon is showing users exactly what it will pay and has made this list able to be searched. Both GameStop and Game Crazy, two of the largest game resellers, offer no such feature on either of their sites. Instead you're limited to a list of hot games or promotional trade-in values, or you have to go into the store to find out the game values. Both companies will mail larger trade-in value lists, but the lack of an online system has led to users creating wikis to chronicle the ever-updating prices that can fluctuate by supply, demand, and retail price drops.
There's no special membership program. Both GameStop and Game Crazy have special memberships that its customers can join to get special discounts or receive a higher trade-in value for their games. Amazon doesn't offer this, which some may find appealing. Amazon pays everyone the same price in return for them logging-in with their Amazon.com account credentials. There's no annual fee, and the cost of shipping your games in is free.
There are no up-sells or pushy salespeople. You never have to talk to a human being in the entire exchange, which can be seen as a step up. Games retailers typically push paid membership programs, game pre-orders, and certain titles based on sales deals or events. For someone trying to offload their games and buy something new Amazon is letting you skip this.
Early weaknesses
Beyond past evidence of similar Internet trade-in programs failing, an obvious weakness with Amazon's new service is that it's lacking the instant gratification gamers get by being able to come in with a stack of old games and leave with something new. Instead, Amazon's system requires users to first mail in what they have. Those games then have to be processed, which can take up to two days after they're received before users to get the credit. Also, any games that are not accepted can take up to two weeks to be sent back in which time the customer is left in limbo. In a retail store, the person behind the counter tells you this right away.
This whole mail-in process ends up with the customer purchasing another game, or something else on Amazon.com, then having to wait for it to be shipped. Compare that to a service where you may be getting slightly less for your old software, but can turn around and leave with a game in the same trip, and Amazon's new offering loses some of its luster.
Another sore spot is that Amazon has limited the range of titles it accepts for trade-ins. These are mostly titles from the last two years and on current generation hardware. Brick-and-mortar stores like GameStop and Game Crazy typically do not offer much for games that fall outside of that scope, but for someone offloading an attic or storage unit full of older games, this can be a faster process than searching and adding each game one by one on Amazon, or having to create listings in eBay, Craigslist, and other selling sites.
What the users are saying
What do Amazon's users think about the new program? So far the response has been mixed. One of the biggest gripes people are having is Amazon's low trade-in incentive. Right now it's a 10 percent discount on games and games accessories, but that's only running for two weeks, after which Amazon's trade-in prices may not seem quite as enticing.
Amazon says it will be changing up its promotions and trade-in values as the program matures, although compare that to the brick-and-mortar stores and it's a startling contrast. Most offer weekly specials and special trade-in deals that can net gamers a free copy of a new game, or heavy discounts in return for a certain number of trade-in games.
Those trying to get money for used games from Amazon have two options: either by trading them in, or selling them through Amazon's Marketplace program. Customers who sell through the program might get a few more dollars this way, unlike Amazon's trade-in service, there's no guaranteed buy. Instead they'll have to wait for a customer to buy through them, which could never happen.
Users who have been selling their used games through Amazon's Marketplace are also worried that Amazon will turn around and re-sell the used games it collects back to other Amazon customers. Given the company's scope it could offer things like free shipping, packaging, and a quality guarantee that Marketplace sellers cannot offer.
Looking forward
Will Amazon's new program take out entrenched competitors like GameStop, Game Crazy, and local mom-and pop-shops? Maybe the latter, but companies like GameStop and Game Crazy have retail presence that brings a following and has heavy purchasing and re-selling power of its own.
Amazon has already taken steps at becoming more aggressive with new video game and video game accessory sales by bundling in exclusive pack-ins and digital downloads. It's just going to have to step it up with used game purchases by providing special deals and discounts in other parts of its business, which is something none of its brick-and-mortar competitors are currently doing.
As a follow-up to the announcement, GameStop's CEO Don Matteo went on the record telling Edge Online he had no faith in Amazon's model based on his company's earlier attempt at a similar program. Matteo was, of course referring to sister site TradeStop. Back in 2005 the site featured a similar offering, where users could get cash for games which the company would then turn around and re-sell on GameStop.com. The service also let people send in DVD movies and music CDs. GameStop discontinued the program at the end of 2005.
Strengths
Amazon is bringing something to the table that brick-and-mortar game resellers cannot easily match: Gamers who send in their used titles can spend their Amazon credit on things that aren't video games. For people who are selling games for a system they no longer have or use this is a clean break. It's also a chance for Amazon to make some extra cash when a user buys something that costs more than the credit they earned.
Another thing users may flock to is transparency. Amazon is showing users exactly what it will pay and has made this list able to be searched. Both GameStop and Game Crazy, two of the largest game resellers, offer no such feature on either of their sites. Instead you're limited to a list of hot games or promotional trade-in values, or you have to go into the store to find out the game values. Both companies will mail larger trade-in value lists, but the lack of an online system has led to users creating wikis to chronicle the ever-updating prices that can fluctuate by supply, demand, and retail price drops.
There's no special membership program. Both GameStop and Game Crazy have special memberships that its customers can join to get special discounts or receive a higher trade-in value for their games. Amazon doesn't offer this, which some may find appealing. Amazon pays everyone the same price in return for them logging-in with their Amazon.com account credentials. There's no annual fee, and the cost of shipping your games in is free.
There are no up-sells or pushy salespeople. You never have to talk to a human being in the entire exchange, which can be seen as a step up. Games retailers typically push paid membership programs, game pre-orders, and certain titles based on sales deals or events. For someone trying to offload their games and buy something new Amazon is letting you skip this.
Early weaknesses
Beyond past evidence of similar Internet trade-in programs failing, an obvious weakness with Amazon's new service is that it's lacking the instant gratification gamers get by being able to come in with a stack of old games and leave with something new. Instead, Amazon's system requires users to first mail in what they have. Those games then have to be processed, which can take up to two days after they're received before users to get the credit. Also, any games that are not accepted can take up to two weeks to be sent back in which time the customer is left in limbo. In a retail store, the person behind the counter tells you this right away.
This whole mail-in process ends up with the customer purchasing another game, or something else on Amazon.com, then having to wait for it to be shipped. Compare that to a service where you may be getting slightly less for your old software, but can turn around and leave with a game in the same trip, and Amazon's new offering loses some of its luster.
Another sore spot is that Amazon has limited the range of titles it accepts for trade-ins. These are mostly titles from the last two years and on current generation hardware. Brick-and-mortar stores like GameStop and Game Crazy typically do not offer much for games that fall outside of that scope, but for someone offloading an attic or storage unit full of older games, this can be a faster process than searching and adding each game one by one on Amazon, or having to create listings in eBay, Craigslist, and other selling sites.
What the users are saying
What do Amazon's users think about the new program? So far the response has been mixed. One of the biggest gripes people are having is Amazon's low trade-in incentive. Right now it's a 10 percent discount on games and games accessories, but that's only running for two weeks, after which Amazon's trade-in prices may not seem quite as enticing.
Amazon says it will be changing up its promotions and trade-in values as the program matures, although compare that to the brick-and-mortar stores and it's a startling contrast. Most offer weekly specials and special trade-in deals that can net gamers a free copy of a new game, or heavy discounts in return for a certain number of trade-in games.
Those trying to get money for used games from Amazon have two options: either by trading them in, or selling them through Amazon's Marketplace program. Customers who sell through the program might get a few more dollars this way, unlike Amazon's trade-in service, there's no guaranteed buy. Instead they'll have to wait for a customer to buy through them, which could never happen.
Users who have been selling their used games through Amazon's Marketplace are also worried that Amazon will turn around and re-sell the used games it collects back to other Amazon customers. Given the company's scope it could offer things like free shipping, packaging, and a quality guarantee that Marketplace sellers cannot offer.
Looking forward
Will Amazon's new program take out entrenched competitors like GameStop, Game Crazy, and local mom-and pop-shops? Maybe the latter, but companies like GameStop and Game Crazy have retail presence that brings a following and has heavy purchasing and re-selling power of its own.
Amazon has already taken steps at becoming more aggressive with new video game and video game accessory sales by bundling in exclusive pack-ins and digital downloads. It's just going to have to step it up with used game purchases by providing special deals and discounts in other parts of its business, which is something none of its brick-and-mortar competitors are currently doing.
Beckström was picked for the job in March 2008 and reported to DHS secretaries Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano. His letter also took aim at DHS,
Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has responded to the lawsuit filed this week by the sheriff of Chicago's Cook County against the Web classified publication.
Buckmaster suggested that the suit is a waste of time. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called Craigslist one of the country's largest sources of prostitution in the suit he filed in federal court and asked the court to force Craigslist managers to remove their erotic services section.
Buckmaster said in a statement late Friday that Craigslist wrote to Dart in 2007 and explained that the law in this situation is pretty clear and favors Craigslist.
"As our counsel explained to Sheriff Dart's Department in 2007," Buckmaster wrote. "Craigslist cannot be held liable as a matter of clear federal law for content submitted to the site by our users...Frankly, Sheriff Dart's actions mystify me."
A spokesman for the sheriff's department could not be reached on Friday.
Dart isn't the first to ask Craigslist to do more to weed out ads for prostitution. In Buckmaster's statement, he pointed out that the site "reached an agreement with 40 state attorneys-general about creating a new enforcement plan for Craigslist."
Among those 40 state attorneys general was Lisa Madigan, the attorney general for Illinois.
"And yet, inexplicably, Sheriff Dart apparently bypassed the Illinois attorney general's office and filed this complaint through a private law firm," Buckmaster wrote. "We assist police forces all over the country, including members of Sheriff Dart's department. The vast majority seem to understand that Craigslist is part of the solution when it comes to combating terrible crimes like human trafficking and child exploitation."
Buckmaster suggested that the suit is a waste of time. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called Craigslist one of the country's largest sources of prostitution in the suit he filed in federal court and asked the court to force Craigslist managers to remove their erotic services section.
Buckmaster said in a statement late Friday that Craigslist wrote to Dart in 2007 and explained that the law in this situation is pretty clear and favors Craigslist.
"As our counsel explained to Sheriff Dart's Department in 2007," Buckmaster wrote. "Craigslist cannot be held liable as a matter of clear federal law for content submitted to the site by our users...Frankly, Sheriff Dart's actions mystify me."
A spokesman for the sheriff's department could not be reached on Friday.
Dart isn't the first to ask Craigslist to do more to weed out ads for prostitution. In Buckmaster's statement, he pointed out that the site "reached an agreement with 40 state attorneys-general about creating a new enforcement plan for Craigslist."
Among those 40 state attorneys general was Lisa Madigan, the attorney general for Illinois.
"And yet, inexplicably, Sheriff Dart apparently bypassed the Illinois attorney general's office and filed this complaint through a private law firm," Buckmaster wrote. "We assist police forces all over the country, including members of Sheriff Dart's department. The vast majority seem to understand that Craigslist is part of the solution when it comes to combating terrible crimes like human trafficking and child exploitation."
Cybersecurity official quits, blasts NSA power grab
A top federal cybersecurity official resigned this week in a letter sharply critical of what he described as a power grab by the National Security Agency.
Rod Beckström, director of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Center, said in his letter that NSA "effectively controls DHS cyber efforts through detailees, technology insertions," and has proposed moving some functions to the agency's Fort Meade, Md., headquarters.
Beckström was picked for the job in March 2008 and reported to DHS secretaries Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano. His letter also took aim at DHS, saying the center "received only five weeks of funding" in the last year because of "roadblocks engineered within the department" and by the White House. (DHS has claimed that cybersecurity was one of Chertoff's "top four priorities for '08.")
The idea of the NSA taking over governmental cybersecurity efforts is not exactly new: it was discussed by a commission organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last fall, and the agency already has some related responsibilities. Last week, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair suggested (PDF) to a House of Representatives committee that the NSA would be an appropriate body to take over cybersecurity efforts, saying "there are some wizards out there at Fort Meade who can do stuff."
But Beckström warned that would be a mistake and could significantly threaten "our democratic processes...if all top level government network security and monitoring are handled by any one organization."
Before taking the job at DHS, Beckström co-founded CATS Software, a derivatives and risk management software company, and co-founded Twiki.net, a company that supports open-source wikis. A DHS undersecretary is responsible for the agency's overall cybersecurity efforts.
The National Cyber Security Center has remained partially shrouded in secrecy, with the Bush administration last summer refusing to release information about its budget, what contractors will run it, or how its mission relates to Internet surveillance--on the grounds (PDF) that disclosure could endanger "operations essential to the interests of our nation."
Initially, the White House went so far as to claim (PDF) that the mere existence of the NCSC was classified.
Beckström's resignation takes effect next Friday. Meanwhile, President Obama has assigned Melissa Hathaway, who worked for the director of national intelligence in the Bush administration and was director of an multi-agency "Cyber Task Force," to conduct a two-month review of related federal activities.
Rod Beckström, director of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Center, said in his letter that NSA "effectively controls DHS cyber efforts through detailees, technology insertions," and has proposed moving some functions to the agency's Fort Meade, Md., headquarters.
Beckström was picked for the job in March 2008 and reported to DHS secretaries Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano. His letter also took aim at DHS, saying the center "received only five weeks of funding" in the last year because of "roadblocks engineered within the department" and by the White House. (DHS has claimed that cybersecurity was one of Chertoff's "top four priorities for '08.")
The idea of the NSA taking over governmental cybersecurity efforts is not exactly new: it was discussed by a commission organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last fall, and the agency already has some related responsibilities. Last week, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair suggested (PDF) to a House of Representatives committee that the NSA would be an appropriate body to take over cybersecurity efforts, saying "there are some wizards out there at Fort Meade who can do stuff."
But Beckström warned that would be a mistake and could significantly threaten "our democratic processes...if all top level government network security and monitoring are handled by any one organization."
Before taking the job at DHS, Beckström co-founded CATS Software, a derivatives and risk management software company, and co-founded Twiki.net, a company that supports open-source wikis. A DHS undersecretary is responsible for the agency's overall cybersecurity efforts.
The National Cyber Security Center has remained partially shrouded in secrecy, with the Bush administration last summer refusing to release information about its budget, what contractors will run it, or how its mission relates to Internet surveillance--on the grounds (PDF) that disclosure could endanger "operations essential to the interests of our nation."
Initially, the White House went so far as to claim (PDF) that the mere existence of the NCSC was classified.
Beckström's resignation takes effect next Friday. Meanwhile, President Obama has assigned Melissa Hathaway, who worked for the director of national intelligence in the Bush administration and was director of an multi-agency "Cyber Task Force," to conduct a two-month review of related federal activities.
2008年12月20日 星期六
The mixtape wars keep on: MySpace bans Project Playlist
MySpace has officially blocked access to embedded widgets from Project Playlist, one of the myriad start-ups that lets members create music playlists and share them with friends.
This could come across negatively because MySpace runs MySpace Music, a service that competes with Project Playlist. And that's probably why the News Corp.-owned MySpace is making it very clear that it has blocked Project Playlist because of complaints from major music labels.
"MySpace is an open platform that welcomes all developers to build rich and legitimate applications for its global community," according to a statement from the company. "We take copyright issues very seriously and our goal is to help developers build a substantial business by creating an environment that respects rights holders and protects their content."
The statement continued: "MySpace has received notices of infringement about Project Playlist at different times from several of the major music companies currently suing Project Playlist. Per our policy of taking very seriously the requests of rights holders to block access to third party sites that are believed to be infringing, we have evaluated the requests of the major music companies and determined that it is in our best interest not to allow Project Playlist widgets on MySpace, and effective immediately, we will no longer be allowing these widgets within the MySpace platform."
Indeed, Warner Music, EMI, and Universal Music Group have ongoing lawsuits against Project Playlist, which recently hired former Facebook Chief Operating Officer Owen Van Natta as its CEO. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)--itself going through a major transition as it ends legal action against individual file-sharers and is rumored to be on the verge of budget cuts--also sued Project Playlist this past spring.
The fourth major label, Sony BMG, has been negotiating with the start-up.
The labels' complaint against Project Playlist was industrywide, not restricted to MySpace. However, Facebook, hasn't blocked Project Playlist widgets. Whether that's due to Van Natta's Facebook connection (he's also an investor in Project Playlist), or to anything else, is unclear. Because litigation is involved, neither party is commenting.
In the digital music industry, 2008 really was the year of the playlist. Streaming music companies took off, and improved social-network sharing features made it easy to swap your favorite music lineups with your friends.
Despite its rampant and well-documented problems, the music industry's muscle has been what's steering the direction of the movement. For example, the two highest-profile "mixtape" start-ups, Mixwit and Muxtape, both shut down amid the threat of legal action that their young founders didn't want to handle. Meanwhile, bigger companies like Imeem and iLike, both of which have negotiated with the record labels and struck deals, have fared better--despite a number of rumors that Project Playlist wants to merge with Imeem.
As for MySpace, the labels have all invested in MySpace Music, so it's understandable that the social network would be quick to respond to its concerns.
This could come across negatively because MySpace runs MySpace Music, a service that competes with Project Playlist. And that's probably why the News Corp.-owned MySpace is making it very clear that it has blocked Project Playlist because of complaints from major music labels.
"MySpace is an open platform that welcomes all developers to build rich and legitimate applications for its global community," according to a statement from the company. "We take copyright issues very seriously and our goal is to help developers build a substantial business by creating an environment that respects rights holders and protects their content."
The statement continued: "MySpace has received notices of infringement about Project Playlist at different times from several of the major music companies currently suing Project Playlist. Per our policy of taking very seriously the requests of rights holders to block access to third party sites that are believed to be infringing, we have evaluated the requests of the major music companies and determined that it is in our best interest not to allow Project Playlist widgets on MySpace, and effective immediately, we will no longer be allowing these widgets within the MySpace platform."
Indeed, Warner Music, EMI, and Universal Music Group have ongoing lawsuits against Project Playlist, which recently hired former Facebook Chief Operating Officer Owen Van Natta as its CEO. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)--itself going through a major transition as it ends legal action against individual file-sharers and is rumored to be on the verge of budget cuts--also sued Project Playlist this past spring.
The fourth major label, Sony BMG, has been negotiating with the start-up.
The labels' complaint against Project Playlist was industrywide, not restricted to MySpace. However, Facebook, hasn't blocked Project Playlist widgets. Whether that's due to Van Natta's Facebook connection (he's also an investor in Project Playlist), or to anything else, is unclear. Because litigation is involved, neither party is commenting.
In the digital music industry, 2008 really was the year of the playlist. Streaming music companies took off, and improved social-network sharing features made it easy to swap your favorite music lineups with your friends.
Despite its rampant and well-documented problems, the music industry's muscle has been what's steering the direction of the movement. For example, the two highest-profile "mixtape" start-ups, Mixwit and Muxtape, both shut down amid the threat of legal action that their young founders didn't want to handle. Meanwhile, bigger companies like Imeem and iLike, both of which have negotiated with the record labels and struck deals, have fared better--despite a number of rumors that Project Playlist wants to merge with Imeem.
As for MySpace, the labels have all invested in MySpace Music, so it's understandable that the social network would be quick to respond to its concerns.
Doctors fear you'll be Wiik at the knees this Christmas
Laptop-related repetitive-strain digit injuries have nothing on this.
It appears that the latest technology that is maiming society is the wonderfully engaging Wii.
Yes, the medical profession is adopting the brace position in expectation of Wii-aggravated knees, elbows, backs, fingers, and thumbs this holiday season. All fueled by humanity's obsessive need to gift and conquer.
Deep-thinking medicos at Leeds Teaching Hospital in the U.K. have already identified a condition they call "Wii knees."
And doctors from all over the Kingdom have claimed they are recognizing injuries that they themselves have sustained in an effort to keep up with their children, their illicit lovers, or their vast, eternal Wiigos.
It seems to me that before considering whether there might be a possibility of sustaining a wee touch of Wii knee, players this holiday season should first consider whether, before beginning to play their 12-year-olds, they are not already legless.
I am more inclined to believe that an excess of fizzy liquid might be the cause of most supposedly Wii-related sprains, rather than actual excessive physical exertion.
So remember, don't drink and drive. Don't drink and serve. And, most definitely, do not even contemplate drinking and volleying.
You know I'm only saying this because I care.
It appears that the latest technology that is maiming society is the wonderfully engaging Wii.
Yes, the medical profession is adopting the brace position in expectation of Wii-aggravated knees, elbows, backs, fingers, and thumbs this holiday season. All fueled by humanity's obsessive need to gift and conquer.
Deep-thinking medicos at Leeds Teaching Hospital in the U.K. have already identified a condition they call "Wii knees."
And doctors from all over the Kingdom have claimed they are recognizing injuries that they themselves have sustained in an effort to keep up with their children, their illicit lovers, or their vast, eternal Wiigos.
It seems to me that before considering whether there might be a possibility of sustaining a wee touch of Wii knee, players this holiday season should first consider whether, before beginning to play their 12-year-olds, they are not already legless.
I am more inclined to believe that an excess of fizzy liquid might be the cause of most supposedly Wii-related sprains, rather than actual excessive physical exertion.
So remember, don't drink and drive. Don't drink and serve. And, most definitely, do not even contemplate drinking and volleying.
You know I'm only saying this because I care.
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