Great Sony Reader news!

For those of us lowly early-adopters who have a Sony Reader and not the OMFGBBQ Kindle, here's some wonderful news via Engadget:

Sony will be shooting out an update on Thursday to allow the Reader to use purchased books in the protected EPUB format from whoever is peddling them, instead of being tied to the Sony's e-book store, or just DRM-free text and PDF documents.

The content will still be DRM'd but at least we can buy content from someone other than Sony. (Not that I've ever bought more than a dozen eBooks for my reader.)

CIL2007: Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets

Barbara Fullerton, 10-K Wizard, Sabrina Pacifici, LLRX.com, and Aaron Schmidt, North Plains Public Library

• Simplify! But is it going to happen?
• What's coming
  
  
• march of the treos
• improved blackberrys
• smartphones w/ 2 keyboards
• google cell phone
• text messaging
• gaming on all levels
• monitoring energy uses
• storing information in a totally new format
• 680, 700p, 700wx, 750, 755p
• palm & Windows versions
• colors
• shredder scissors
• five pairs in scissors in one
• retro gadget
• TI's projector phone
• DVD quality on the wall
• not available yet
• 5th Gen iPod
• iCharge for iPod
• charge w/ a 9-volt battery
• nano batteries
• flexible & see thru
• one minute to charge
• lasts 1000 cycles
• 200 nanometers thick
• iPhone
• Cube World digital stick people
• ID Pilot
• Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset
• collapsible chopsticks
• jott.com
• voice to text
• phone or email sms
• free
• golan i.tech virtual keyboard
• illuminated waterproof flexible keyboard
• rear view computer mirror
• Sony's DVP-X810 DVD Walkman
• plamsize micro copter
• CRT's are on the way out
• Plantronics CS55 wireless convertible headset
• Targus Wireless Multimedia Presenter
• IBM Optical Transceiver
• USB Missle Launcher
• USB vision & posture reminder
• QR Code
• Google's Dodgeball
• Next generation robotic vacuum
• Cordinator
• Trillian
• Belkin compact surge protector
• Smallest MP3 player ever
• 2gb storage
• weighs less than headphones
• Meebo
• Pelican 760 LED flashlight
• Sony HDR-UX7
• HD Camera for consumers
• USB Toaster (joke)
  
  
• International AC Travel Adapter
• Fireplace iPod dock
• Clocky the alarm clock
• Retro phone handset
• Picknik Photo Editor
• Chocolate gadgets

Merging new and old

Here's a product that I find pretty much a solution in search of a problem. The Amazon.com: Sony Floppy Disc Interface for Memory Stick allows you to use a memory stick in a floppy drive all for about $40. Folks, get a card reader/writer (which will allow you to use multiple types of cards) instead and plug it into a USB outlet. If you don't have a USB outlet, you've got larger problems than this product will solve.

Ghost Rider

The first two teaser trailers for Ghost Rider can now be found on the Apple site. Here's a few screengrabs for your enjoyment.

Sony to sell world's lightest notebook PC - CNN.com

Sony to sell world's lightest notebook PC - CNN.com
"Weighing 898 grams, Sony's 'type G' Vaio computer will be the lightest laptop PC, and comes with a 12.1-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, the electronics and entertainment conglomerate said."

Spider-Man 3 trailer

Can't wait ten months for the next Spider-Man movie? Well here's your fix.

Camera woes

I can't remember blogging about this before but my third digital camera has developed the same exact problem as the first two. Basically it's dirt on the sensor that leaves dark blotches on photos taken in bright light (i.e. outside.) It's out for repair and will probably not be back for a few weeks. (Replacement wasn't an option as it was last time since Sony is no longer making that model.) I'll be borrowing a camera for my trips in the mean time but nothing from my day-to-day activities such as vanity license plates for the foreseeable future. :-(

CIL2006: Supporting the Digital World with Gadgets

Hope Tillman, Director of Libraries, Babson College
10:30-11:15am

• Definition of Gadgets
• small electronic or mechanical device which a practical used often thought of as a novelty
• Consumer electronics
• Gadgets are all arounds us
• productivty vs. distraction
• useful or time-consuming toys
• time shifting
• blurring of work and personal time
• overload vs. the more the better
• makes time to do more
• makes more to do
• Today's students
• Class of 2009
• voice mail always available
• may have slept w. game boys in their crib
• always digital cameras
• may not distinguished between news entertainment
• libraries have always been comp access centers
• Why single out gadgets
• what consumers are willing to buy
• refelect customization and personalization trends
• continue to change, show evolution and shift
• qustions to consider
• what features lend themselves to info magt knowlege sharing
• how to identify gadgets to adopt/support
• what do patrons use now
• who are you listening to?
• what makes your life easier
• what are other libraries doing
• what's the tipping point
• how do you look at the issue of interoperability and upgrades
• Tends
• convergence
• personalization and customixation
• miniaturization / portability
• ZDNet top 10 gadget must haves list
  
• changes every 2-3 weeks
• Creative Zen
• Sony PSP
• XBox 360
• Mobile DVR
• Slingbox
• Treo 700w
  
• Soundmatters MainstageHD
• A few of the gadgets
• PDAs
• tablets
• cell phones
• MP3 players
• video players
• digital cameras
• pocket scanners
• Morphing the name of the PDA
• Personal Digital Assistant
• Palm or PocketPC
• Handheld
• Portable Media Player
• Movile Media Companion
• PocketPC phone
• Ruggedized handhled
• Ultra personal computer
• PDA/Handhelds/Tablets
• Convergence
• thickness weight vs. functionality
• PDAs still part of the mix
• Smart watches
• Embedded GPS for kids
• wireless or synched
• limited by recption area
• content
• IM cell phone features
• Smart phones
• single device for all data and voice nees
• e-mail access
• SMS
• browser
• organizer
• phone
• MP3 players
• iPods
• Nomad Jukebox
• Walkman Bean
• iRiver
• Rio Carbon
• Creative Zen
• Flash/HD/FM
• Digital voice recordres
• smartphone/pds
• iPod addon
• olympus DM-20 w/ USB interface
• Video Players/recorders
• Creative Zen vision
• iPod w/ video
• Archos Gmini 402
• Smasung YEPP YH-999 PMC
• Digital still video cameras
• Standalones
• Embedded/addons to other devices
• one-time use
• webcams
• Pocket scanners (reader pen)
• scan, store send
• reads notes aloud
• beams data
• get immediate translations definitions
• reading aids
• Wizcom technologies
• Docupen RC800
• Digital Pen (drawing pen)
• Logitech io2 Digital Writing System
• TabletPC w/o the tablet
• Security everywhere
• fingerprint
• Keyboards
• jump drives
  
• biometrics
• RFID
• Pros cons
• inventory vs. privacy
• Special purpose chips
• USB drive
• flash memory
• fitkeys
• dexit
• sanDisk flashCP Cruzer
• DRM dongle
• IBM Soulpad
• Wireless devices
• mice
• keyboards
• presentation remotes
• Remote control
• Logitech Harmony
• MyNevo
• Game machines
• Sony PSP was the gadget of 2005
• "Video Games and the Future of Learning"
• "Everything Bad is Good for You"
• Games and Libraries
• Gaming in Libraries blog
• Game Primer
• Parallel Worlds: Online Games and Digital Information Services
• GPS
• Stand alones
• smart phone
• pc-based
• geocaching
• What toys do your toys have?
• memory chips
• keyboards
• speakers
• skins
• caps
• cases
• solar backpacks
• ringtones
• subscription content
• library applications
• marketing
• Geocaching
• podacsts
• blogging
• MySpace
  
• operations
• Inventory control / RFID
• remote control
• circulation of devices
• bibliographic file management
  
• communication/collaborations
• IM
• blogs
• videoconferencing
• wikis
  
• learning/entertainment
• delivery of files data
• role of games in learning
• search engines
• ebooks/ejournals
• current awareness
• iPod use
• catalog pages
• pubmed for handhelds
• What's next?
• e-ink
• e-paper
• flexible displays
• soft-hardware
• ElekTex keyboard
  
• wearable computing
• itunes jacket
• movie glasses
• MP3 sunglasses
• Head-word display
  
• more games w/in libraries
• additional tool to help librarians provide realistic simulations
• reference librarian avatars
• "Active Worlds" site
• Convergence of information and connectivity
• "Ambient Findability" by Peter Morville
• Trends
• convergence
• personalization
• customization
• portability
• "Save the time of the reader"
• any time, any where, and way
• Where to go
• Engadget
• Gizmodo
• ZDNet must have list
  

Sony Root Kit settlement info

Got this in my e-mail today.

***IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE/SOFTWARE UPDATE NOTICE***PLEASE READ*** (Please do not respond to this email. Responses will not be read.) If You Bought, Received or Used a SONY BMG Music Entertainment CD Containing Either XCP or Media Max Content Protection Software, Your Rights May Be Affected By a Class Action Settlement, And You Should Download Updates For That Software. What is this about? A settlement has been proposed in a lawsuit brought against SONY BMG Music Entertainment, Inc., SunnComm International Inc., and First 4 Internet, Ltd. ("Defendants"). The lawsuit, In re SONY BMG CD Technologies Litigation, Case No. 1:05-cv-09575-NRB, is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and relates to XCP and MediaMax content protection software installed on certain SONY BMG music CDs. The Settlement resolves claims that the Defendants manufactured and sold CDs containing XCP and MediaMax software without adequately disclosing the limitations the software imposes on the use of the CDs and the security vulnerabilities it creates. The Defendants have denied that they did anything wrong. Who Is Included, And What Does The Settlement Provide? The settlement provides relief for persons who bought, received or used SONY BMG CDs with either XCP or MediaMax software. Under the settlement, any person in possession of an XCP CD can exchange it for a replacement CD, an MP3 download of the same album, and either (a) cash payment of $7.50 and one (1) free album download from a list of 200 albums, or (b) three (3) free album downloads from that list. Purchasers of CDs containing MediaMax 5.0 software will receive a free MP3 download of the same album and one (1) additional free album download. Purchasers of CDs containing MediaMax 3.0 software will receive a free MP3 download of the same album. The settlement also requires the Defendants to stop manufacturing SONY BMG CDs with XCP or MediaMax 3.0 and 5.0 software and, until 2008: (1) make available updates to fix all known security vulnerabilities caused by XCP and MediaMax software; (2) provide software programs to uninstall XCP and MediaMax software safely; (3) fix any future security vulnerabilities discovered in MediaMax and any other content protection software placed on SONY BMG CDs; (4) provide independent verification that personal information about users of SONY BMG CDs has not and will not be collected through XCP or MediaMax; (5) waive certain provisions of the end user license agreements for XCP and MediaMax software; and (6) ensure that any other content protection software will be clearly disclosed, independently tested and readily uninstalled. At 9:15a.m. on May 22, 2006, the Court will hold a hearing at the United States District Court, Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, Courtroom 21A, New York, New York 10007-1312, to decide whether to approve the settlement and the class attorneys' fees and costs. How Do I Participate In The Settlement? If you bought or received a SONY BMG Music CD containing XCP or MediaMax software and want to receive the relief you may be eligible for under the settlement, you must submit an online claim form at www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com, or mail a claim form to: SONY BMG CD Technologies Settlement P.O. Box 1804, Faribault, MN 55021-1804 All claim forms must be submitted by December 31, 2006. What Are My Other Options? If you bought, received or used a SONY BMG Music CD containing XCP or MediaMax software, and you do not want to be legally bound by the settlement or receive a replacement CD, cash, free downloads or other relief, you must exclude yourself by May 1, 2006. If you do not exclude yourself, certain of your claims against the Defendants that were or could have been asserted in the lawsuit will be released, meaning you may not be able to sue the Defendants for those claims. To view the detailed legal Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Settlement Fairness Hearing and to download the software updates, visit www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com. You may obtain further information by contacting the claims administrator at the address above or by calling toll free 1-800-242-7610.

The Da Vinci Code trailer

The Da Vinci Code trailer
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

It's now available on the Apple trailers site.

The EULA's worse!

Sony deserves a serious spanking at this point. The EFF decodes the end user license agreement for all those CDs I've been posting about. It seems that Sony doesn't believe in fair use. (Unless you're using a Betamax to record your TV shows of course.)

Just when it couldn't get worse...

It seems that the XCP software on Sony CDs violates the rules of opensource software.

"We can confirm that at least 5 functions in the XCP software are identical to functions in LAME," said Thomas Dullien at security software firm Saber Security in Bochum, Germany, which specializes in the analysis of complex software.

Open source software, if used, needs to be identified as such, so that it can be freely shared with others. Developers on Slashdot.org and other Internet bulletin boards could not find an open source reference in the copy-protection software.

Real Story of the Rogue Rootkit

For those of you who read my blog and don't understand the more technical posts (mom & dad), specifically the ones about Sony CDs of late, here's a non-technical overview of the story including why everyone should care.

Sony DRM Update

Copyfight has a bunch of updates to the story. However, the important bit is do not use the Web-based uninstaller.

Sony DRM Updates

Here's a list of CDs affected by the Sony-BMG spyware and it seems that you can turn them in for non-XCP'd replacements.

Sony DRM: The "other" company responds

This my last post this today, I promise...

Here's further details on the Sony DRM from the point of view of First 4 Internet, the company that actually created the software. This one's technical.

Sony DRM Timeline & an Open Letter

Corry Doctorow offers up a timeline of the Sony DRM situation and an open letter from the EFF.

Another Sony Update

They're released another update (service pack 2a) which will allow you to remove the DRM completely along with a "we're not evil" statement. This version does not require ActiveX and therefore is easily downloadable by non-IE users.

More Sony DRM News

• The Ann Arbor District Library has stopped purchasing Sony/BMG CDs.
• The first class action lawsuit has been filed.

Sony's rootkit "solution"

I've not posted anything regarding the recent discovery of Sony using RootKit technology to hide its DRM on some music CDs since it's a little out of my usual scope. However, this article from BetaNews talks about how Sony has released an "update" to the DRM software that "unhides" but doesn't remove the DRM for your computer. I followed the link to the Sony site with the update to find some more information and when I clicked on the link to the update itself I got this:

Well, it seems that only IE users have the ability to get the "solution" to a piece of software that was installed on their computer without their permission. Way to go Sony.

DualDisc

I've actually wondered in the past why this hasn't been done aleady. (If it has I missed it.) G's favorite band, Good Charlotte, has put out The Young and The Hopeless as a "DualDisc", a CD on one side and a DVD on the other.

Later: It seems that this is more of a Sony thing than a Good Charlotte thing since Five For Fighting and John Mayer also have DualDiscs available.

A little less undecided

I'm still not sure on whom I'm supporting in the democratic camp but this bit on Dean's support for a national ID card suddenly rules him out in my mind. Here's a sample:

...he called for state drivers' licenses to be transformed into a kind of standardized national ID card for Americans. Embedding smart cards into uniform IDs was necessary to thwart "cyberterrorism" and identity theft, Dean claimed.
Dean also suggested that computer makers such as Apple Computer, Dell, Gateway and Sony should be required to include an ID card reader in PCs--and Americans would have to insert their uniform IDs into the reader before they could log on. "One state's smart-card driver's license must be identifiable by another state's card reader," Dean said. "It must also be easily commercialized by the private sector and included in all PCs over time--making the Internet safer and more secure."

Web-slingin' fun

The trailer for the next Spider-Man movie is now available.