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-------- WHAT'S NEW NOW --------
Important Stories, Commentary & More from Ziff Davis
By Jim Louderback
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October 14, 2004
Vol. 3, No. 79
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This Week: AOL Targets Microsoft; iPod, Therefore iProfit;
Build an Affordable Gaming PC
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AOL Search Tools Target Windows
Is AOL an online service or a platform? OS or application?
The more I talk to the folks from Vienna, the more I realize
that they want nothing less than to own the entire desktop,
browser, operating system and all. The latest beachhead:
desktop search. We've got details on what the product does,
and how it pits AOL directly against Microsoft.
AOL Targets Windows:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13877-1
Build an Affordable Gaming PC
Itching to play the latest online games, but don't want to
spend a lot? Why not build your own? We just put together
parts, plans and instructions on how to build a killer
gaming rig for just $800. And it's not just for gaming--you
can use it for media processing, general computing and more.
It's a workhorse!
Build a gaming PC:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13880-1
Microsoft Software Plans Not So Costly After All
When software assurance was rolled out, the hue and cry
could be heard from sea to shining sea. Corporations
expected the "Microsoft tax" to balloon to two or more times
its current rate. But the reality, it seems, is quite
different. A recent study shows that Microsoft's volume
licensing plan should be playing the part of the femme
fatale, not the wicked witch. Our story details the good
news.
Software Assurance Works:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13883-1
iPod, Therefore iProfit
It's earnings season, where the big tech companies expose
their quarterly profits--or losses. Good news for tech
bellwethers this time: Apple's up, Phillips rocked, Intel
rolled, and Yahoo nearly quadrupled its profit. Good news
for techs!
Apple Up:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13886-1
Yahoo Up Big:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13889-1
Intel Up:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13892-1
Phillips Up:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13895-1
iPod Wipes Up Competition
Speaking of the iPod, I was amazed by Apple's market share
in the MP3 market. It's way bigger than you might think,
and an amazing testament to Apple's ability to develop and
market cool products. Bet you can't guess how big their
share really is! Our story has the answer--plus a look at
whether podcasting is a real trend, or just another place
for blowhard bloggers to let off steam.
Apple Crushes iPod Competition:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13898-1
Podcasting Real Or Not:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13970-1
MediaCenter Not Hardware-Only
Microsoft rolled out its new Media Center version of Windows
XP on Tuesday, and as in the past it was a hardware-only
affair. You can't get it without buying a specially
configured PC. Or can you? One vendor has exploited a
loophole in Microsoft's contracts and is now selling the
software only, letting users roll their own media centers.
Legal? Fair? Who cares! We've got details on who and how
they are doing it.
Media Center 2005 Software Only for Sale:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13901-1
Personal Firewalls Compared
Who's your daddy? That's what Yankee fans are asking Red
Sox Nation. We just asked a similar question of two top
firewall vendors, McAfee and Norton. We put the two
contenders to the brutal PC Magazine Labs test to find out
which really protects you better. The results are in our
head-to-head story. If you're lax on the firewall thing,
check out our story, before some fireball-throwing nastybot
strikes you out.
McAfee vs. Norton:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13904-1
Ban Cookies and Spyware
Dvorak applauds the government for going after nasty spyware
vendors, but it's not enough. He thinks that cookies should
be outlawed as well. Personally, I think he's gone too
far--cookies can be a force for good. But his argument is
persuasive. Check it out here, and decide for yourself.
Cookies and Spyware Must be Stopped:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13907-1
Adding Another Monitor Opens Up New Worlds
If you're like me, you've got an extra PC monitor or two
just lying around the house. But they don't have to be dust
catchers--instead you can expand your desktop with a second
monitor and really increase your productivity! Want to add
another monitor to your PC? It's easy with most modern
graphics systems, and we show you how! You won't believe
how cool it is, and once you do two, you'll never go back.
Dual Monitors Change Everything:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13910-1
$999 Challenge
How set up are you? Does your workbench rival Bob Vila's,
or is it a paltry setup that barely draws 5 amps? If the
latter, you have to enter our new contest. We're giving
away a thousand dollars' worth of cool tools that'll have
you building bird feeders and pump lamps with style and
panache. Need an upgrade? Enter our contest and win!
Win Our $999 Workbench!
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13913-1
Office Servers on Tap
Office is a desktop application, right? That's what I
always thought, but Microsoft has something new on tap for
2006. It looks like Visio and Excel may become server-based
as well. It's actually a pretty cool idea, if you think
about it. Why not share Excel data across an organization?
We've got details on what it means, and when it's due in
our special report from our Microsoft Watcher.
Excel and Visio Servers Due:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13916-1
Making Sense of Vendor Gobbledygook
You hear it all the time. Some IT vendor reels off a
vaguely positive sounding statement about something that you
just know is crashing and burning in the background. It's
called putting a positive spin on bad news, and it's rampant
in the technology industry. Well, now you can fight back
with our translation from doublespeak to real talk. We've
taken actual incomprehensible vendor quotes, from
PeopleSoft, Microsoft, EDS and more, and translated them
just for you. It's a hilarious, but ultimately sobering
look at how language can be skewered for corporate
miscommunication.
Cutting Through the Words:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13919-1
That's it for today's What's New Now. Remember, you can
always read the same stuff online at the
blog--www.whatsnewnow.com. Or subscribe to the RSS feed:
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd1/cts?d=75-327-1-1-1004620-13922-1
--Jim Louderback
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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