Real adds in Google, Firefox to install options

RealNetworks has signed a multi-year agreement with Google and Mozilla under which it will distribute the Firefox Web browser and Google Toolbar with the two million downloads per day of Real Player. When users install RealPlayer, they will be given the option also to install Firefox or the Google Toolbar - a Windows-only addition Web browser that provides search and security tools as well as autofilling of forms and a spelling checker. Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO of Real said that the company shares a passion for innovation with Google. ...more

EC to investigate copyright cartel

The European Commission is set to take on what it believes is a music copyright cartel. It says that it will open formal proceedings against CISAC - the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) and the national collecting societies over the way they collect royalties through new media. The EC has particularly taken issue with monopolistic practices that force both music authors and licensees to work solely through the national collecting agencies. ...more

Extra disk space for PowerBooks

PowerBook users can add up to 30Gb of disk space with the redesigned Xcar?t Pro 99 expansion bay hard drives from MCE PowerBook Products. Available in 10, 20 and 30Gb configurations, these drives are designed for the current generation of FireWire PowerBooks but are also available for earlier models. They feature a shock-mounted internal mechanism and an LED to monitor drive power and disk activity. ...more

BBC has designs on MP3 player radio

The BBC is eyeing the iPod and other MP3 players, it seems. The corporation is planning a clip-on digital radio for portable players, it has revealed. Many such players, of course, already have built-in radios, with even the iPod - a long term non-believer in FM functionality - recently getting a Radio Remote. ...more

Are you gadget crazy?

A new study by Analyst Verdict paints a picture of consumers hungry for the next 'must-have' appliance and that our appetite for new technology will grow even further in the next five years. The report predicted that the next big thing in the world of gizmos and gadgets would be the TiVo - a TV recording system that automatically responds to the viewers' requirements and edits out advertisements. The report also pointed out that the next big impact on the electrical and software sales sector will be electronic sales via the Internet or interactive TV. ...more