IT-Code-News: IT News HeadLines (Digital Trends) 30/09/2009

Microsoft CEO's Compensation Down 6 Percent in '09

The value of the compensation package granted to Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer fell about 6 percent in fiscal 2009, a year in which weak computer sales cut into the software maker's profits. Ballmer received a pay package valued at $1.28 million for the year that ended in June, according to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory filing Tuesday. Ballmer's salary, which is set at the beginning of the year, increased by 4 percent to $665,833. The CEO's bonus was cut by 14 percent to $600,000 from $700,000 in 2008, according to the company's annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the fili

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Sony alpha DSLR-A850

Even in this era of rapidly plunging HDTV, Blu-ray disc player and game console prices, some devices remain very expensive. Case in point: full-frame DSLRs. These cameras use sensors that are the same size as a frame of 35mm film, so photo quality is outstanding, but you’ll pay for this performance. Until the introduction of the new A850, the most “affordable” full-frame models were the 21.1-megapixel Canon 5D Mark II and 24.6MP Sony alpha DSLR-A900, each $2,699 for the body alone. Yeow! This fall, Sony introduced the slightly modified 24.6MP A850 for $1,999, a hefty $700 savings. This is a good drop, but still it’s a rarified atmosphere. That said we couldn’t wait to find out if the new Sony was worth the new “low” price.

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GM's Trial Program Selling Cars on eBay Set to End

General Motors Co. said Tuesday that it is concluding its partnership with eBay Inc. in which the automaker used the auction site to sell new cars through California dealerships, as it shifts focus to broader, national marketing programs. GM and eBay said the program was slated to end Sept. 30, and was not canceled for lack of participation. GM spokesman John McDonald deemed the program a "success" because it helped the Detroit-based company improve strategies to reach car buyers who typically don't consider GM products. "We're taking what we learned from eBay and applying it to our digital and social marketing media marketing strategies,&q

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Warner Music Buries Hatchet, Bring Music Videos Back to YouTube

Late last year, Warner Music demanded all its music videos be removed from the video sharing service YouTube in a licensing spat: although Warner was one of the first big content providers to partner up with YouTube—dating back to before the site's acquisition by Internet titan Google, the company wasn't happy with the revenue arrangements. But now they're back: Warner Music Group is bringing its artists and video back to YouTube in a wo

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Hard Graft Headwear

The talented folks over at Hard Graft are expanding into headwear and to do this they've teamed up with Mühlbauer, a family-owned Austrian millinery that has been making hats since 1903. As with all their accessories the line is carefully constructed and uses premium materials like fur felt, merino wool loden, and merino wool knit.

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iLuv Shares Its i1166 9-inch Portable Media Player

It's been a long time coming but iLuv's 9-inch i1166 portable media player is reaching the market, offering a consolidated way for video fans to watch their favorite content anywhere they go on a screen slightly larger than a postage stamp. The i1166 features a 9-inch display for viewing video from a variety of sources including DVDs (Divx certified!), USB drives, and SD/MCC memory cards…oh, and did we mention it supports video and audio content from iPods? Just pop in any compatible iPod to watch video content

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Toshiba Satellite T100 Notebooks Slim Down with Windows 7

Computer and electronics maker Toshiba is looking to get a jump on the Windows 7 launch hoopla with its new Satellite T100 series of lightweight notebook computers. The systems port Intel's ultra low-voltage (ULV) processors to offer up to 9 hours of battery life, offer multitouch trackpads and LED-backlit displays, plus pack themselves into cases less than one inch thick and starting off at barely over 3.5 pounds. "Toshiba has a long history of engineering laptops in highly compact form factors with value-added elements that enhance the mobile computing experience," said Toshiba America Information Systems VP of product development Carl Pinto, in a stateme

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Zipcar App for iPhone

As if the Zipcar service wasn't convenient enough, they've just released an iPhone App that will find you a car, book it, and unlock it right from your phone. The app uses the iPhone's GPS to locate cars closest to you and when you reserve your vehicle, the app displays an onscreen key-fob that lets you lock/unlock the car and honk the horn just in case the car is in a packed lot. Its definitely the kind of thing your local Hertz isn't too thrilled about.

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Vodafone Joins UK iPhone Spree

O2 has been Apple's exclusive UK carrier for the iPhone since 2007, but yesterday Orange announced that it had managed to break that exclusive stranglehold and would begin selling the iPhone in the year future. Today, it's Vodafone's turn: today the carrier announced it too would be selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS in the UK and Ireland beginning in early 2010. As with Orange's announcement, Vodafone hasn't set a specific date that the iPhone will become available, nor has it announ

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Land Rover LRX

Its safe to say that the Land Rover lineup has been a little stale since the introduction of the Range Rover Sport. That should all change soon with the 2011 introduction of the tentatively-named LRX, a two-door Range Rover based on the much talked about LRX Concept.

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AT&T Answers the Call of the Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60

Garmin and AT&T have announced that the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 will be available in the U.S. beginning October 4, bringing not only voice and mobile Internet capabilities, but the full suite of navigation and guidance capabilities that Garmin packs into its high-end GPS navigation systems. The unit's embedded maps of North American mean users can get turn-by-turn directions wherever they got, and integrated Wi-Fi, full HTML Web browsing, and a 3 megapixel camera help the G60 keep up with the rest of the cool smartphones. "The nüvifo

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Dell Takes a Slice At Apple with Super-Thin Latitude Z

Computer maker Dell is looking to take a slice out of Apple in the notebook design wars with its new Latutide Z series. which features a super-thin, high-precision design with a collection of high-end features aimed to appeal to executives and computer fans looking for power and cool features in a small, lightweight package. And Dell isn't kidding about the Latitude Z's size and weight: it's a 16-inch notebook that's less than an inch thick and starts at weights of 4.5 pounds with battery. "Dell is introducing ground-breaking innovations that mark many ind

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Among the New Features in CNN iPhone App: A Price

There's been a lot of talk this year about finally charging readers for news, especially on mobile devices, where media executives see a chance to condition consumers to handing over a few dollars for a constant stream of updates to their pocket. CNN is among the first big news outlets to give it a shot. Its app costs $1.99 to download. The new app follows an announcement this month by News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch that the company will start charging a subscription for access to The Wall Street Journal's mobile applications. It will cost $2 a week starting Oct. 24, or $1 when bundled with either a print or a Web site subscription (Subscribers of both p

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Smartphone App Stores Compared

If a building is only as good as its foundation, then a smartphone is only as good as its app store. Even as manufacturers continue to stack their handsets with YouTube support, instant messaging, and other essentials right out of the box, the features just don’t add up to the amount of capability a phone can take on in the hands of the right developers: You name it, a good smartphone can do it. The app store you buy into will have a longstanding effect on the way you use your phone – perhaps more than any other feature. But it’s tough to get a feel for every smartphone app store when you don’t get to push a cart down the aisles until you have a carrier contract in your filing cabinet and there&rsqu

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

IT News HeadLines (Digital Trends) 30/09/2009

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