[H] Consumer

Dell Backpedals On Preloading Linux

A lot of you got pretty excited last week when we posted news that Dell would be shipping laptops with Linux preinstalled. As it turns out, that is not the case…at least in the foreseeable future. Bummer.

Although Dell is dancing around the idea of reintroducing Linux desktops and notebooks, the computer maker said it won't make a move until one of the competing flavors of Linux emerges as a business favorite. Dell now maintains that it doesn't want to pick one Linux distribution and alienate users with a preference for another.

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ASUS Notebooks Coming To Best Buy

Beginning in late February, ASUS notebooks will be available for purchase at more than 150 Best Buy retail stores nationwide. The decision by the two companies marks the beginning of cooperation between one of the world’s largest notebook manufacturers and North America’s number one specialty retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software, and appliances. Best Buy will first introduce ASUS’ hot selling G1 series notebook to attract selective customers who seek innovative and stylish products that will enhance their lifestyles.

MS Addresses False Positives In Anti-Piracy Tool

Microsoft is tackling the problem of false positives in its anti-piracy tool by adding a new category to the tool “indeterminate” for times when it can’t tell whether or not the OS is legit.

The company has added a new category to the tool, "indeterminate," for instances where it can't be sure whether the OS running on a user's PC is legitimate or not, said Michala Alexander, Microsoft's head of antipiracy for the U.K. Previous versions of the software labeled an OS as either valid or invalid.

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No Extended Warranty, No Problem

I guess the old motto “membership has its privileges” is true for folks that have extended warranty programs through their credit cards. Knowing what benefits your credit card company offers is extremely helpful in these types of situations.

David was able to get the full cost of his computer refunded to him without paying for an extended warranty. He also had an excellent experience dealing with American Express, in clear contrast with his experience with both Best Buy's Geek Squad and Compaq.

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New Digital 'Fair Use' Bill Introduced

Two politicians have introduced a new bill called the Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship (FAIR USE) that has the backing of the Consumer Electronics Association. The legislation seeks to amend the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act which the lawmakers says “goes to far”.

"The Digital Millennium Copyright Act dramatically tilted the copyright balance toward complete copyright protection at the expense of the public's right to fair use," Boucher said in a statement. "Without a change in the law, individuals will be less willing to purchase digital media if their use of the media within the home is severely circumscribed and the manufacturers of equipment and software that enables circumvention for legitimate purposes will be reluctant to introduce the products into the market."

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New Storm Worm Targets Bloggers

News.com is saying that a new variant of the Storm Worm is targeting people who post blogs and notices to bulletin boards. Infected bloggers and forum users end up with links to a malicious web site inserted into each of their postings.

The twist comes when these people later post blogs or bulletin board notices. The software will insert into each of their postings a link to a malicious Web site, said Alperovitch, who rates the threat as "high."

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Windows Vista Ultimate Support Lasts Five Years?

Microsoft Watch is editorializing about support for Windows Vista Ultimate apparently only lasting five years while other Vista flavors get ten through extended lifecycle support. Is this an oversight by MS? Can its “ultimate” version of Vista have half the support that Business and Enterprise versions do? Doesn’t seem to make sense.

According to Microsoft's Support Lifecycle Web page, support for consumer products ends after five years. There is no Extended Support option. I had always assumed that Windows Vista Ultimate, which Microsoft pitches as having the most consumer and corporate features, would be supported for more than five years. Besides, Microsoft does offer Ultimate to businesses for volume-licensing purchase, with caveats such as single activation.

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The Changing Cell Phone Landscape

It seems as though cell phone providers have always had a gimmick. Companies have offered everything from free minutes to elaborate calling plans to win your business but what happens when the phones themselves are the biggest selling point? Head on over to [H] Consumer and read our thoughts on the issue.

Among the new developments, Cingular Wireless became “The New AT&T,” and Apple announced the iPhone (after changing its name from Apple Computer, Inc). With these major industry developments, some new devices have been released, and there are reports of some other exciting technologies that will be coming to us this year. Let’s see what’s in store for the consumer.

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Apple TV Delayed Until March

It looks as though Apple has delayed Apple TV until March but offered no explanation for the delay other than the standard “taking longer than initially projected” statement from Apple’s PR people.

"Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March," Apple spokeswoman Lynn Fox said Monday. She declined to comment further.

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Vista To Drive Up DRAM Prices

The president of Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation said that he believes that Windows Vista will drive up the price of DRAM in the second half of the year.

Hsieh said the low season may last until May or June, but demand will pick up in the second half. While DRAM prices have dropped sharply in February, edging close to PSC's production costs, there will be little room for further declines, Hsieh said.

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GadgetTrak Hunts Down Stolen Gadgets

I saw this article today at Engadget and had to pass it on to you guys. Apparently this software can be loaded on any USB device and will report back to the owner information on the thief once the item is used.

Essentially, users who fall victim to a gadget theft can flag the system to start tracking down any applicable IP information, location, usernames, and ISP deets that are found when the crook plugs your gizmo into their PC.

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Sony Announces Cheaper Blu-ray Player

If you were planning on buying a Blu-ray player you’d better wait a few months, Sony has announced a cheaper Blu-ray player that has all the feature (and more) of the current $999 model. If you just bought the $999 model, take it back.

The BDP-S300 will cost $599, yet will have the same capabilities as the $999 BDP-S1 Sony is currently selling, said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of the home products division of Sony Electronics.

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