Technologizer

Nokia Steps Back, Delays Music Service in U.S.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

With its “Comes With Music” music service getting a not-so-hot reception in the countries where it has already been launched, Nokia has decided to delay the launch of the product here in the US until at least 2010. Previously it had indicated it was on track for a launch sometime this year. While the service seems [...]

RealDepressing: RealDVD Loses a Round in Court

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

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The New York Times’ Brad Stone is reporting that U.S. Federal District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel has ruled against RealNetworks in the lawsuit filed by the movie studios against RealDVD, its software for copying DVDs to your hard drive. Judge Patel granted the studios a preliminary injunction against Real selling the software, which seems [...]

We’re From Microsoft, and We’re Here to Help You

Friday, July 31, 2009

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Microsoft’s Alex Kochis has blogged about this week’s compromising of a Lenovo key for Windows 7 activation, which allowed hackers to activate unauthorized copies of Windows 7. He says that Lenovo’s customers won’t be affected when they buy Windows 7 PCs, but that Microsoft will “seek to alert” people running copies of Windows 7 that [...]

Jeff Bezos: Amazon’s 1984 Actions Were “Stupid”

Thursday, July 23, 2009

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Amazon’s decision to remotely delete pirated copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm from customers’ Kindle e-readers and refund their money was stupid, thoughtless, and self-inflicted. That’s not an irate blogger talking–it’s Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, who indulged in some serious self-flagellation at the company’s forums, as reported by TechCrunch’s MG Siegler. Bezos’s mea culpa [...]

Kindle DRM Follies

Monday, June 22, 2009

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Gear Diary has an illuminating, alarming post about the DRM for Amazon’s Kindle e-books: “How do I find out how many times I can download any given book?” I asked. He replied, “I don’t think you can. That’s entirely up to the publisher and I don’t think we always know.” I pressed — “You mean when you [...]

Windows Genuine Advantage: A Lousy Microsoft Name No More!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

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Back, in March, I wrote an article for PC World on the worst Microsoft product names of all time. One of my nominees was Windows Genuine Advantage, the anti-piracy technology that’s suffered at least a couple of major breakdowns that caused woes for paying customers. I wondered what exactly was advantageous about it for anyone [...]

RealDVD on Trial

Friday, April 24, 2009

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RealDVD, the DVD-copying application from Real which I reviewed back in September during the brief period it was available before Hollywood stepped in and convinced a court to yank it, is fighting for its life in a San Francisco court. Wired has a good report on the proceedings so far. Maybe I’m just being pessimistic, [...]

Microsoft Plans to Profit from Piracy with Office Web Apps

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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After countless attempts at suffocating software piracy, Microsoft has accepted it as an inevitability–one that it can profit from. The company intends to deliver an ad-supported edition of Office 14 in an attempt to draw illicit users into its revenue steams, Silicon Alley Insider is reporting. That is not to say that Microsoft has abandoned the [...]

iTunes Goes DRM-Free, Gets More Expensive…and Gets Cheaper?

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

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It might or might be announced this morning at Macworld Expo, but it seems inevitable: CNET is reporting that Apple has hammered out a deal to sell DRM-free music from Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner, joining EMI’s iTunes Plus DRM-less music in the iTunes Store. The agreement would finally give Apple DRM-free music from all [...]

25 Arguments for the Elimination of Copy Protection

Monday, October 13, 2008

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Can I begin with a few disclaimers? I believe that people who create things deserve to be rewarded for their efforts. Which means that I think that stealing entertainment and software is wrong. Actually, come to think of it, if there was a form of copy protection that was never a hassle for paying customers [...]