Xdrive is back, with not only updated software (both for your PC and on the Xdrive site) but with a new pricing plan: Free. You can get 5GB of Xdrive space for nothing. 50GB will cost you $100 a year. Either way, you get a virtual hard drive on your PC (extremely handy), access to files on your account from any Web-connected computer, and a backup application. You can also flag files for sharing, which makes Xdrive a competitor to file transfer products like AllPeers and YouSendIt.

Source: News.com

Red Hat has pushed out the first public beta of Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 5, an upgrade to its operating system that includes virtualization technologies intended to help companies get more use from their hardware.

The final version of the product is due to ship by year’s end, although it was unclear this week if Red Hat will meet that target. RHEL 5 Beta 1, which was released Friday, was originally due to ship in July, with a second beta expected in September.

Source: Yahoo

An updated version of Google Earth is to be released on Tuesday night, adding a timescale to the basic version of the Web-based geospatial application.

The feature–in which a slider is used to scroll through time–was previously available only to users of the premium version, Google Earth Pro, and now features a simplified interface.

Google Earth received a major database update at the end of last week, introducing 15-centimeter resolution for the first time to areas such as the Netherlands and Japan.

Microsoft was also represented at the event by Vincent Tao, director of MSN Virtual Earth–the software giant’s rival application to Google Earth. Tao highlighted recent improvements made to Virtual Earth, in particular the ability to view certain areas from an oblique “birds-eye view”. This addition was made to certain U.K. areas this week, he added.

Source: News.com

Those with a few pints under their belts on a Friday night can now gauge how much liquor they’ve consumed by using their iPod.

David Steele Enterprises is selling the iBreath – an alcohol breathalyser, which also has a wireless transmitter to send your tunes on to any FM radio.

Source: Reg Hardware

Microsoft has released its September 2006 security bulletin, which includes only three updates: One is listed as critical, one as important, and one as moderate. The critical update this month is specific to Microsoft Office Publisher. Missing is a patch for the recently announced vulnerablity in Microsoft Office Word 2000.

Source: News.com

The new iTV device, which Jobs demonstrated onstage, has 802.11 wireless built in, wired networking, USB, an HDMI connector, and also component video, analog audio and optical audio. It will be controlled with an Apple remote and hooks directly to a TV or to set-top box or home theater system.

The point of iTV is to allow movies and TV shows downloaded to a computer to play on a TV in another room. The device is coming in the first quarter of 2007, Jobs said.

iTV will sell for $299 and works with PCs and Macs.

Source: News.com

A Moroccan court on Tuesday jailed two men for one and two years for unleashing computer worms that disrupted networks across the United States, court officials and lawyers said.

The court in Sale, twin city to the Moroccan capital Rabat, convicted 19-year old science student Farid Essebar and his friend Achraf Bahloul, 22, for their role in creating and spreading the Zotob worm last year.

Moroccan authorities said the two men had one accomplice in Turkey who was named earlier by the FBI as Atilla Ekici.

Zotob caused computer outages at more than 100 U.S. companies, including major media outlets like CNN and the New York Times. But it did not create widespread havoc like software programs such as SQL Slammer and MyDoom.

Source: Reuters

The firm behind popular online file-sharing software eDonkey has agreed to pay $30 million to avoid potential copyright infringement lawsuits from the recording industry, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

New York-based MetaMachine Inc. was one of seven technology companies to receive letters from the recording industry last fall warning them to shut down or prepare to face lawsuits.

Since then, the operators of BearShare, i2Hub, WinMX, and Grokster have reached similar agreements.

The eDonkey Web site on Tuesday featured a message from the company telling visitors that the eDonkey2000 Network was no longer available, and a warning that people who steal music or movies are breaking the law.

The message concluded with “Goodbye Everyone.”

Source: Yahoo

Apple Computer Inc. unveiled a number of new iPods, including one with the most capacity to date, and said new versions of the popular digital music players would sport video games such as Pac-Man and Tetris.

Speaking at an event in San Francisco where the company was expected to introduce a movie download service, Chief Executive
Steve Jobs said the new 80 gigabyte Ipod would cost $349. The company also introduced a new, thinner iPod Nano available in five colors with 24 hours battery life.

Source: Yahoo

Atari, Inc. announced that Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales for Windows has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Developed by Russian developer Akella, the creators of Sea Dogs, Age of Sail II, and Pirates of the Caribbean, Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales delivers deep and challenging gameplay, daring gamers to become the mightiest and most dreaded pirate of the sea. Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales is available in North America for a suggested retail price of $29.95 and is a T rated title.

Set in the 17th century, Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales players will live the life of a swashbuckling pirate in a visually stunning landscape, battle on land or sea, sword fight on the Caribbean shores, find treasures, trade goods, build fleets, conquer colonies and become the most feared and revered pirate of the seas.

Security applications maker McAfee on Sept. 11 introduced two new packages of tools designed to help ward off threats for enterprise users of mobile devices running Microsoft’s operating system software.

The Santa Clara, Calif., company launched VirusScan Mobile and McAfee VirusScan Mobile Enterprise Edition for the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS, promising protection for mobile users from a range of threats such as malware and wireless phishing campaigns.

Source: eWeek

Adobe is set to announce Wednesday that it is launching a photo-sharing Web site in about three weeks. Photoshop Showcase will work with the next versions of Adobe’s consumer-targeted photo and video editing software–Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Premiere Elements 5.0–which will both be released alongside Showcase.

Source: News.com