Firefox hits over 20 percent market share for browsers
According to new research data from Net Applications , Mozilla’s Firefox browser has finally surpassed the 20 percent market share milestone and seems to be taking market share from leader Internet Explorer at a growing pace.
Since the last time the research firm gathered data, Firefox moved up from 19.97 percent to 20.78 percent. Because it is taking away market share mainly from Internet Explorer, the unstable browser has now fallen to under 70 percent market share for the first since 1998. At its peak in 2003, Internet Explorer controlled 95 percent of the browser market.
Apple’s Safari browser jumped up a percent as well to 7.13 percent and Google’s new, but buggy, Chrome browser jumped to 0.83 percent.
Vista Service Pack 2 coming in April
According to a source over at TechARP, the much anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 2 should be arriving by April 2009, bringing with it a handful of features that were missing in the disappointing Service Pack 1.
A beta release should be available by February with final release scheduled for April, says the source. The launch will be staggered by user language, with English receiving first, European languages second, Japanese third and Spanish and Chinese versions hitting last.
The update will bring native Blu-ray burning, Bluetooth 2.1, Windows Search 4.0, and a much improved Wi-Fi configuration utility. The pack will also incorporate all security updates that have been released since Service Pack 1.
N97 unveiled - touchscreen and more
Nokia revealed a new N-series phone in its Nokia World event in Barcelona. The new N-series flagship model N97 features a 3,5-inch touchscreen at 360×640 resolution, full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and a hefty 32GB flash memory.
Nokia told that their first touch-screen QWERTY phone will enable easy access to social media and other web services. Adding to the already mentioned N97 will include A-GPS, standard 3,5 mm jack, FM transmitter, TV-out as well as HSDPA and WiFi connectivity.
“From the desktop to the laptop and now to your pocket, the Nokia N97 is the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence,” said Jonas Geust, Vice President, heading Nokia Nseries. “Together with the Ovi services announced today, the Nokia N97 mobile computer adjusts to the world around us, helping stay connected to the people and things that matter most. With the Nokia N97, Nseries leads the charge in helping to transform the Internet into your Internet”.
N97 measures at 117,2 x 55,3 x 15,9 mm and 150 g. It will hit the stores during the first half of 2009 and the price before taxes is expected to be around 550 euros (approx. $690)
Last chance to buy AnyDVD or CloneDVD with free updates
SlySoft sent us a note that they will be changing their upgrade policy soon. Currently, if you buy any of SlySoft’s products, you’ll get free updates for your lifetime. To be fair for its current and past customers, this policy wont change for existing customers, but soon new customers will get the updates only for one year, a familiar policy with many software products nowadays.
So if you plan to purchase AnyDVD, AnyDVD HD, or any other of their products, now is a pretty good time — and they’re offering 20% discount for all purchases made before December 31st, 2008.
Further details, prices, etc about SlySoft’s products can be found from SlySoft’s website. CloneDVD
Nintendo makes $6 profit on each Wii sold
According to Macquarie Securities analyst David Gibson, Nintendo makes $6 USD operating profit on each Wii unit sold, making it the only “next-gen” console to make a profit on the actual unit.
The analyst also noted that Sony makes a decent sized loss on each PlayStation 3 sold and that Microsoft has the potential to break even on each Xbox 360 console sold, but still may not.
Besides making profit on each console, the Wii sells the most software of the new consoles, selling an estimated 220 million units for 2008. The PS3 and Xbox 360 are estimated to sell under 130 million units each.
Nintendo also capitalizes on its position in the market by selling 60 percent of the Wii games itself compared to only 15 percent for Sony and 30 percent for Microsoft. The Wii’s top selling games are all developed by Nintendo.
Hiroshi Kamide, director of research at KBC Securities, Japan, added, “The key thing about Nintendo is they want their things to be at price points that anyone can respond to.”
RIAA sues hospitalized teen
In another move that shows the RIAA has little respect for anything besides money, Pittsburgh news channel WTAE.com is reporting that Nineteen-year-old Ciara Sauro has been sued by the anti-piracy group for illegally sharing 10 songs.
Making the situation so awful is the fact that Sauro is hospitalized every week due to her pancreatitis and her need of an islet cell transplant. Her current accumulation of medical bills totals over $100,000.
WTAE says that “because she didn’t defend herself against a copyright lawsuit, a federal judge in Pittsburgh ruled she’s a music pirate, and that could cost the Sauros almost $8,000 in fines.”
Sauro herself paints a sad story. “I already have severe depression. I mean, it’s so hard to sit there and think that I have to get in trouble for something that I didn’t do. It’s not fair.”
Lisa Sauro, Ciara’s mother adds: “You want to know the truth? I make $8.25 an hour. She can’t work. This child is very sick. I mean, what am I supposed to do?
“I just want them to know that I have to go through enough stress in my life with my sickness and my family, and I don’t think that they should go after people just because they want money for something that’s not even fair to us.”
RIAA, you have already sued dead women, 8-year old children, printers and 90-year grandmothers, but this is truly disgusting. This girl could possibly die as a teenager, yet you are suing her over $10 USD worth of tracks that she did not even download; just let it go.
Xbox 360 outsells PS3 3-to-1 on Black Friday
Microsoft has announced the official numbers for Xbox 360 sales during the recent Black Friday weekend and says the sales were so high they broke previous records.
The console also outsold its rival 3-to-1, most likely thanks to cheap 360 bundles offered by many retailers that included, in some cases, up to 4 free games.
“We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market,” noted Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.
“Record Black Friday sales in the US, coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox Live members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009.”
Digital music sales to increase heavily by 2013, says firm
According to a new report from Forrester Research, digital music sales currently account for just over 18 percent of the US music market but that figure should grow exponentially to about 41 percent by 2013.
The report, “U.S. Music Forecast, 2008 to 2013″ also expects that 55 percent of US online consumers will pay to download at least one track in 2013.
Forrester did say however that digital music growth will not compensate for the steep decline in CD sales and that the total market will shrink to under $10 billion USD in 5 years. At its peak, in 1999, the market totaled $14 billion.
Perhaps more notably, the report found that digital music consumers are moving as much as 60 percent of their music budgets to digital and away from CDs and other physical media.
Baidu gets sued again by record industry
Despite being found not guilty in a previous case, China’s most used Internet search site Baidu is in legal trouble again.
Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, and Warner Music Group have all sued the site again over illegal music downloads, deeming it a winnable cause after last month’s ruling against Yahoo China. The companies are being represented by the IFPI which noted that the record companies had also sued Sohu.com, China’s third largest Internet portal.
The IFPI has stated that China’s market of legally distributed music files is a minuscule $76 million USD, less than 1 percent of the global market.
“It’s a matter of great regret that, despite the clear precedent laid down by the Yahoo China judgment, those Internet companies are instead choosing blatant violation of copyright” and the litigation that accompanies it, said John Kennedy, CEO of the IFPI.
Apple doubles iPhone and iPod Touch capacities
Apple has announced that it has updated its iPhone and iPod Touch lineup by adding new models with double the memory capacity.
The new iPhone will feature 16GB of memory and will retail for $499 USD. The current 8GB version costs $399 USD and has been available since Q4 2007.
The new iPod Touch will have 32GB of memory and will retail for $499 USD. The current 8GB and 16GB models cost $299 and $399 USD respectively.
Apple said the new devices will be available in Apple’s retail stores and online through various e-tailers. The new capacity iPhone will also be available through AT&T’s online and retail stores. The new models will come with the latest firmware pre-installed meaning users will be able to rent movies from the iTunes movie rental service.
