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Engadget HD

Privnote Lets You Send Messages That Self-Destruct

Privenote Lets You Send Messages that Self Destruct
Have you ever wanted to feel like a secret agent and send a message that self-destructs? Well, now you can: Privnote lets you send messages to friends, family, and colleagues that destroy themselves after they've been read. It's good for a joke, and great for information you want to share, but don't want to have archived and held against you later (we bet the White House was wishing it had this).

Sending a Privnote is simple. The site requires no registration, and doesn't collect any personal information of any kind. Simply enter your message and click 'Post It.' Privnote then gives you a link to the message for you to share with someone. Once the message is read, it is erased from Privnote's servers and rendered inaccessible. You can also elect to receive notification of when your message has been read so you know when your minions have received their orders. [Source: ReadWriteWeb]
Engadget HD

Most Folks Still Prefer Watching TV on TV Sets Over Computers


We've known that individuals were turning to the Internet to catch their favorite shows for some time now, but we aren't living in the future just yet. According to new research conducted by Nielsen and CTAM, most adults (94%) who "subscribe to cable or satellite television services prefer to watch television on traditional TV sets."

Still, over a third of those surveyed who had a broadband connection admitted to watching at least one television program originally shown on TV via the internet, and nearly 40% of online TV viewers also use the Web to "get the scoop on actors and upcoming episodes." For numbers galore on this very topic, head on down to the read link and have a look. [Source: EarthTimes]

[Image courtesy of BebeReviews]
Engadget HD

Firefox Gets Guinness World Record for Most Downloads



As we now well know, the Internet is serious business.

And to further clarify the point, the Guinness organization (World Records, not beer) has now given the title of "most downloads in a 24-hour period" to Mozilla, which hurled 8,002,530 copies of its Firefox 3 browser into cyberspace on June 17.

"As the arbiter and recorder of the world's amazing facts, Guinness World Records is pleased to add Mozilla's achievement to our archives," Gareth Deaves, Guinness' records manager, said in a statement.
While "Download Day," as Mozilla branded it, may have been a bit of a publicity stunt, it's still a pretty hefty achievement; this is the biggest launch to a piece of software, free or otherwise, in the history of the series of tubes that we have come to know as the Internet.

So how do things stand? Net Applications gave Firefox 3 2.31 percent market share for the entire month of June, compared with 4.28 percent for Safari 3.1, 16.13 percent for Firefox 2, 26.38 percent for Internet Explorer 6, and 46.45 percent for the Internet's 400 lb. gorilla, Internet Explorer 7.

And to the longtime users of IE, we have some advice: try Firefox for a week. Install some plug-ins. You may never go back. [Source: CNET]
Engadget HD

Rules on Web Addresses Relaxed


The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) voted to ease regulations regarding the creation of top level domains (TLD) such as .com, .edu, and .org. The new rules will allow for new TLD that could be anything from category names like .Music, to vanity domains like .Jones. The ICANN has to work out some final technical details but expects it could be reviewing applications for new TLD by next spring.

The new rules will allow companies to offer brand specific domains such as .AOL or .MAC. But don't expect to be able to buy your own personal top level domain unless you're very well off. Filing an application will cost a whopping $100,000. [Source: Reuters]
Engadget HD

Internet Addresses to Run Out in 2010



Everything that connects to the Internet is given a unique number called an IP address. Those numbers are handed out according to a system called IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4). Unfortunately, we're fast approaching the maximum number of possible addresses IPv4 can handle -- a limitation of the system created in the 1970s.

Running out of addresses could spell the end of the expansion of the Internet, which is why IPv4's successor, IPv6, is being pushed heavily for adoption. According to Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for the Information Society, IPv6 has more available addresses then there are grains of sand on the Earth, which should be more than enough to connect every electronic device and sensor to the Internet.

Need a number to help wrap your mind around how many addresses IPv6 can have? IPv6 provides 3.4 × 1038 addresses for each of the roughly 6.5 billion people in the world. That's a 34 followed by 37 zeros, enough for every cell in your body to get online... twice. [Source: News.com.au]
Engadget HD

U.S. Online Gambling Laws Under Investigation by EU

EU Investigating U.S. Online Gambling LawsThe European Union is launching an investigation into whether U.S. online gambling laws violate world-trade rules.

The investigation stems from a 2006 ban on credit cards and banks transferring payments to online gambling sites based overseas. That law effectively locked out all foreign gambling outlets, but left room for home-grown sites to flourish.

Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, is "delighted" by the EU's investigation. "We cannot simply sit on the sidelines and watch while our members, who are already badly bruised by unlawful U.S. acts, suffer the double whammy of being prosecuted for activities whilst U.S. industry is not," he said.

In 2006 the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the U.S. could prevent online gambling to protect public order and morals, but that it was breaking trade law by not evenly targeting domestic companies who offer remote betting on horse and dog races.

From USA Today

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Engadget HD

PayPal to Customers - Don't Use Safari

PayPal to Customers - Don't Use Safari
As more people switch to Mac and pick up iPhones, the Apple-built web browser Safari is becoming more and more popular. Though it still only makes up 4.5 percent of the web browser market, that is still a significant number of people who should take heed of PayPal's warning: Use another browser.

The online payment company is strongly suggesting that users visit the site with a different browser, be it IE7, IE8, Firefox, or Opera, since Safari (and its Firefox-based Mac cousin Camino) lack anti-phishing features. PayPal is a popular target for phishers who want to steal your login information, and then of course your money and possibly identity.

Modern versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera all warn you when you visit a suspicious web site, and IE7 and 8 as well as the upcoming Firefox 3 all support Extended Validation for extra protection from fraudulent sites.

The best way to protect yourself from phishers is to pay attention to small details yourself. Double check that E-mail address. Does the URL look suspicious? are there any cosmetic differences between the page you meant to visit and the one you're on now? While only you can make sure you never fall victim to these scams, a little help can't hurt.

From Slashdot

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Engadget HD

Netscape Officially Closes Down On March 1

Netscape Throws in the Towel

A pioneer in the Internet revolution will fall silent on March 1. The venerable Netscape Browser (owned by our parent company AOL) -- once the leader in Web browsers -- is finally throwing in the towel. Netscape will still be available to download after the end of the month, but AOL will no longer update the product or offer any technical support.

After losing the browser wars of the '90s to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape struggled in obscurity and irrelevance. Eventually, Netscape opened its source code, allowing anyone to see it, use it, and alter it , which eventually gave birth to Mozilla and Firefox (now the second most popular browser after Explorer).

At this time, Netscape has a dismal 0.61 percent of the browser market, so it's highly unlikely you know anyone who is still using it. But if you do, then you should encourage them to follow the advice to be found on the Netscape site, which suggests you download Firefox.

If you really miss the all-in-one nature of Netscape, then also check out SeaMonkey, which is based on the same code as Firefox and is compatible with many of the same extensions.

From ArsTechnica

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Engadget HD

Amazon, NY Governor Battle Over Online Sales Tax

Amazone and NY Governor Battle it Out Over Online Sales Tax
New York State Governor Elliot Spitzer has launched an effort to collect state sales tax on goods purchased online. The governor has said that forcing online retailers, such as Amazon.com, to collect the taxes would send an influx of $47 million to Albany.

Amazon is fighting the proposal tooth and nail. New York consumers are sure to not support the idea, but local merchants and small business owners think it's about time that online giants like Amazon lose their tax-free advantage.

Spitzer's budget proposal, which includes the online sales tax, faces an uphill battle. As if opposition from online retailers and consumers wasn't enough, law and precedent may not be on his side either. In 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not force online retailers to collect sales taxes unless they had a physical retail outlet in the state.

New York currently collects sales taxes from online sales from companies with brick and mortar locations in the state.

From AOL Money & Finance

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Engadget HD

Fourth Undersea Cable Cut, Stoking Suspicions of Intent

United Arab Emirates

A fourth undersea cable that carries Internet connectivity to and from the Middle East has been cut, according to various reports. The previous three cuts caused major disruptions to Internet service in the region and in some cases led to complete Internet blackouts.

This latest cable is operated by Qatar Telecom, and the disruption affected mainly that part of the United Arab Emirates, the federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula. While this latest cut didn't cause a complete disruption of service to Qatar, the prior cable failures caused major Internet blackouts in several Arab states in the Persian Gulf region.

According to reports, the latest disruption was caused by a power failure and not by a ship's anchor slicing the physical cable, as has been suspected in the other three major disruptions. These same reports hint at the suspicion that the cuts have been intentional but, so far, there has been no confirmed report that these disruptions are the result of an organized effort.

From Engadget.

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Engadget HD

Hymn Books Move Online



If you need more evidence that everything is moving online, then look no further than 'Mission Praise,' the multi-million selling British hymn book. The entire collection of traditional hymns and newer songs of praise is available online at www.missionpraise.com for an annual subscription fee of £40, or about $79.

The collection of over 1,800 songs will be searchable and downloadable, and features lyrics, sheet music, and musical backing tracks. The new service will likely prove popular among some the smaller so-called "mega-churches" and evangelical congregations that often project lyrics on large screens for worshipers to follow.

From Reuters

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Engadget HD

Pizza Hut Offers Text Message and Mobile Web Ordering

Pizza Hut Offers Text Message and Mobile Web Ordering
Just cause you don't want to bother to call up the local national pizza chain doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to get it delivered to your doorstep. Or at least we don't think so, and it seems the big three pizza chains agree. Pizza Hut is the latest to offer mobile and web text messaging, while Domino's began offering ordering via a mobile website in September (to some locations).

Pizza Hut, starting today, will offer ordering for its 6,200 outlets via a mobile website on web-enabled phones or via text message for those without a data plan. Those in New York can get better pizza on just about every street corner, but it's hard to beat such a convenience.

From the Consumerist

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Engadget HD

Adobe Flash Update May Bring HD to YouTube

Adobe Flash Update May Bring HD to YouTubeAdobe Flash Player just got a bit of an upgrade the other day, one affectionately known as 'Moviestar.' The third update to Flash 9 adds a couple of features that may not immediately mean that much to the average user -- support for the H.264 codec, AAC audio support, and hardware graphics acceleration.

So what does that mean for you, the web-video-obsessed public? It means a much greater quality video experience is on the way. Supporting H.264 (the same codec used by Quicktime) means that HD video in your browser is just around the corner. Imagine watching that great video of the skateboarding dog in 1080 lines of resolution. The hardware acceleration in the update also means that better quality video rendering and scaling to full screen will finally make it possible to watch YouTube videos not only in high-def, but also in full-screen high def. These features are even available in the Linux version, which is the first time Adobe has kept the Linux version of Flash current with the Windows and Mac versions.

The only problem is the current version of Flash CS3, the application used for building Flash based applications, players and sites, doesn't support the new features, and no time table for an update has been set by Adobe.

From BetaNews

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Engadget HD

Teen Girl Blog Site Now Popular With Russian Intellectuals

Live Journal Sold to Russian Business Partner
Some Web sites has as many lives as cats. One of the Web sites that helped launch the blogging craze, Live Journal, has been sold by its American owners Six Apart to Russian business partner SUP. The one-time haven for teenage emo girls has declined in popularity over the last few years, and been replaced by MySpace, Google Blogger, and Yahoo 360, which are at the top of the list of most popular blogging hosts.

But even though its popularity here in the States has waned, Live Journal has gradually become the blogging outlet of choice for Russian intellectuals, who are increasingly looking for ways to break through their government's increased crackdowns on media and free speech. So, naturally, SUP was eager to step in and take this blogging pioneer to its next chapter.

Under its new owners, Live Journal will continue to operate as normal, and will be established as a separate company from SUP.

From Reuters

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Engadget HD

New Jack Black Film 'Destroys' the Internet

New Jack Black Film Destroys the Internet
The upcoming Michel Gondry-directed Jack Black vehicle 'Be Kind Rewind' is set to hit theaters on January 25th, which means it's promotion time. In the film, Mos Def and Jack Black are forced to re-film or 'swede' a pile of films after a magnetized Jack Black accidentally erases every video in the rental shop.

So in keeping with the film's premise, the web site for the motion picture erases the Internet. Then, in a rather cutesy fashion, the site presents you with several 'sweded' versions of popular web pages to use, including Google, Wikipedia, a social networking site called MyFace, and Flickr, among others.

Check out the site for some interesting web fun. Even if it all just amounts to an interactive advertisement, at least the movie looks cool.

From Valleywag

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