Techrap
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday January 10, 2006
LOUNGE ROOM DEAL
GOOGLE is breaking out of its search shell in a big way at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where it has revealed it is working with Intel to integrate the search giant's video service into Intel's new Viiv computer platform. But the online company's big switch from search to media giant also came as it said it would allow content owners to set their own prices on its new video store (video.google.com) in a bid to create a more flexible alternative to Apple Computer's pioneering iTunes store. Google has lined up deals with TV network CBS for new and vintage shows and professional basketball games. Microsoft was not sitting still at the show, with Bill Gates showing off the long-awaited next version of Windows, Vista, which will roll-in in Media Centre edition features and add powerful new search to the package.CONTENT EVERYWHERERIVAL Yahoo, which in Australia has partnered with the Seven Network, unveiled Yahoo Go (go.yahoo.com), which aims to make using Yahoo's web, media and personal services as easy to use on mobile phones and TVs as on computers. Yahoo Go Desktop will tie the phone and TV services to the personal computer, its current platform. But there were about 2 billion mobile phones worldwide, about double last year's web users, Yahoo said. The service will be embedded on millions of Nokia phones sold worldwide and available in the US in coming weeks. Services in Australia are expected to follow by March, a Yahoo spokeswoman says. Details should be available at yahoo7.com.au, the placeholder for the new website for the joint company between Yahoo and Seven.POSTCARDS GO DIGITALPOSTIES could soon be dropping off high-tech digital postcards with built-in flat screens that can play a slide show of photos taken by the sender, smh.com.au's Jano Gibson reports. They are the vision of Stuart Calvey, a 22-year-old industrial design student at the University of NSW.
© 2006 Newcastle Herald