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Personal Tech

The buzz

By TIMES WIRES
Published September 25, 2006

CD protection program still a pain for some

The much-maligned copy-protection program that Sony BMG Music Entertain-ment put on CDs last year is still posing a threat to computer users running certain versions of AOL or PestPatrol antispyware software. The glitch may cause a computer's CD-ROM drive to be disabled, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office, which said that the problem was discovered by officials who have been testing the XCP copy-protection technology as part of the state's lawsuit against Sony BMG. CA, formerly Computer Associates, and AOL have made a software patch available to fix it.

Cell phone industry sees lots of potential

The cell phone as an entertainment center for TV, games and music has plenty of doubters. In a survey this year, financial company RBC Capital Markets found that 75 percent of respondents said they had no interest in watching television or movies on their cell phone. About 69 percent said they didn't want to use their phones to listen to music. What the cell phone industry sees is potential. In the United States, there are 219-million users of increasingly powerful cell phones who always have the devices with them.

RealNetworks, SanDisk team up on music player

RealNetworks Inc. is teaming up with SanDisk Corp. to release a portable music player that more closely links with RealNetworks' Rhapsody online music service, in the latest attempt to take on Apple's iPod and iTunes stronghold. Analysts see the deal as a way for SanDisk and RealNetworks to join forces against a new common foe: Microsoft Corp., which recently announced plans to release its Zune portable music player and service.

Supernapkin can detect bacteria with one swipe

Cornell University researchers are developing a napkin that will be able to detect bacteria, viruses and other dangerous substances with a mere swipe. The napkins, made with special nanofabrics, could have commercial use in food preparation or health care, said Margaret Frey, a professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell. The biodegradable absorbent wipe is similar to a common household napkin but has nanofibers containing antibodies to numerous biohazards and chemicals. Users would simply wipe the napkin across a surface, and those antibodies would signal the presence of bacteria or viruses by changing colors, for instance.

[Last modified September 25, 2006, 06:19:43]