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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2005 Google Talk Provides Voice, IM Services Sony PlayStation Portable Gets Internet Browser FCC Proposes USF Tax on Net Phone Users Federal Spending on IT Surges in Third Quarter Hitachi Claims First Terabyte Hard Drive/DVD Recorder GOOGLE TALK PROVIDES VOICE, IM SERVICES Google has announced a free service called Google Talk that lets e-mail account holders talk to each other using a PC, microphone, and speakers and provides instant messaging capability. Google reportedly plans to make the service compatible with other companies' services, basing it on an open standard, which would allow users to talk to people on competing systems. Users will not be able to make calls to landlines or mobile phones, however. The new service does not carry advertising, but Google hopes it will encourage people to sign up for the Gmail service, which does. BBC, 24 August 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4179322.stm SONY PLAYSTATION PORTABLE GETS INTERNET BROWSER Sony Computer Entertainment America announced plans to add Internet access to its PlayStation Portable gaming device in an attempt to boost the PSP's use as a handheld entertainment center. A software upgrade enables wireless Internet access through a Web browser. The software also boosts data security and enhances sharing of digital photos and playback of video, according to Sony. Yahoo, 24 August 2005 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050824/tc_nm/sony_psp_dc FCC PROPOSES USF TAX ON NET PHONE USERS A Federal Communications Commission proposal released to public notice by the FCC's federal-state joint board on universal service recommends requiring more companies to pay taxes into the Universal Service Fund (USF). The shift would mostly affect Internet telephone providers, which don't currently pay into the fund. Internet-based services such as chat and instant messaging that don't link to the public telephone network would continue to be exempt from USF taxes, according to the proposal. The USF subsidizes telephone services in rural and high-cost areas, and companies that currently pay into the fund pass the costs on to their customers. ZDNet, 23 August 2005 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5842237.html FEDERAL SPENDING ON IT SURGES IN THIRD QUARTER Market research firm Input reported a surge in U.S. federal spending on information technology in the fiscal third quarter, with the U.S. Navy as the main source of the spike. The Navy generated almost $57 billion of the $67 billion in government awards, a 190 percent increase over fiscal 2004 third quarter data. Federal Computer Week, 24 August 2005 http://www.fcw.com/article90331-08-24-05-Web HITACHI CLAIMS FIRST TERABYTE HARD DRIVE/DVD RECORDER Hitachi claims to have developed the first hard disk drive and DVD recorder that can store a terabyte of data or record about 128 hours of high-definition digital broadcasts. The company hopes the new line will make the money-losing DVD recorder part of its business into a profit center by next year. The new line also includes models that can store 160, 250, and 500 gigabytes of data. Hitachi claimed the new models are the first to have the capability of recording two high-definition programs simultaneously. They go on sale in Japan in September. Plans for overseas sales are not firm because of weak interest in high-end recorders in European and U.S. markets, explained a company spokesman. Washington Post, 24 August 2005 (registration req'd) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082400194.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2005, EDUCAUSE
