Amazon
sneaks into cut-throat search field
Online retailer Amazon.com has quietly slipped into the hot
search engine field by not making a big to-do about the launch of its
service. Amazon’s A9.com Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based subsidiary, was
released in test mode on Wednesday. However, it is in a highly competitive
market that gets moreso every day,
and
it will be vying for users’ attention from Google, Yahoo and
eventually Microsoft Corp., when it releases its own search technology
later this year. Similar to its rivals, A9.com offers both a web site and
an Internet Explorer toolbar with which users can navigate the web by
plugging in search terms and block irritating pop-up ads. A9.com users can
also search only Amazon.com products, including the text of the e-tailer’s
inventory of books. A9.com’s service currently relies heavily on a
partnership with industry leader Google, which provides many of the search
results, and Amazon’s Alexa subsidiary.
Rotten
Apple? Critics decry iPod mini static.
Critics of the popular iPod mini are biting at Apple
Computer Inc. Complaints are being heaped upon its cute, compact music
player. Users have complained that it is prone to static and other sound
distortions during music playback. According to several reports posted at
iPodlounge.com and Apple’s own discussion forums, the players, which
have been shipping since February, occasionally generate the noise when
users touch areas around the headphone jack. An Apple spokeswoman said
that Apple is aware of the problems and is looking into it. She encouraged
users who experience such malfunctions to contact the company’s
technical support. The tiny gadgets come with a one-year warranty.
Yahoo
broadband offers movies on the cheap
Subscribers to the SBC Yahoo! broadband internet service
will be able to watch movies online for the low, low price of 98 cents
during a new promotion. The high-speed internet service announced on
Tuesday that it has paired with CinemaNow to provide a customized version
of its video-on-demand site for the next 30 days,
after which the
companies will evaluate the success of the partnership. The goal of the
deal is to broaden CinemaNow’s distribution while sweetening
subscriptions to the SBC Yahoo! DSL service. CinemaNow is
owned by Lions Gate Entertainment and allows users to watch a movie
streamed to a computer or downloaded for later viewing or purchase in some
instances. The promotion is much like the pairing earlier this year of
America Online and MovieLink, a video-on-demand service owned by five of
the major film studios.
Dirty-talkin'
spammers now need a warning label
Pictures in pornographic spam email are being prohibited.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday that starting May 19,
sexually explicit e-mail will have to sport a label reading “SEXUALLY
EXPLICIT:” and the actual messages will not be permitted to include
graphic material. Unsolicited pornography and other forms of junk email
caused an outraged Congress to pass the first nationwide anti-spam law
last year, which made it necessary for the FTC to develop labels for smut.
A study released by the commission last spring found that 17 percent of
pornographic offers contained images of nudity that appeared regardless of
the recipient’s desire to view them. This new rule plans to change that
by labeling the messages
and forbidding sexually explicit pictures to be contained in the body
text; however, hyperlinks or other methods to access their material are
still acceptable.
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