Episode 1180

Weren't the folks who ordered an Intel Core i7 surprised when they got a Styrofoam fake instead? well yes. But we still haven't heard from Newegg how this happened. However the fake was incredibly well done. So props to that. We also discuss Apple's first iPad ad and Ubisoft's incredible DRM failure.
==Stories Covered==
And the BitTorrent award goes to…
http://torrentfreak.com/and-bittorrents-oscar-goes-to-district-9-100307/
Apple Airs First iPad Commercial During Oscars, Steve Jobs at Event
http://www.macrumors.com/2010/03/07/apple-airs-first-ipad-commercial-during-oscars/
More details leak on Microsoft’s ‘Courier’
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10464530-56.html
Microsoft demos game across PC, mobile, and console platforms
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10465135-1.html
Ubisoft DRM authentication server is down, Assassin’s Creed 2 unplayable by the law-abiding, perfectly fine for pirates and hackers
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/ubisoft-drm-authentification-server-is-down-assassins-creed-2/
UK Carrier O2 Updates iPhone Plans And Reveals That iPhone 4G Will Do Video Chat
http://www.funkyspacemonkey.com/o2-uk-updates-iphone-plans-reveals-iphone-4g-video-chat
Some Newegg Customers Received Fake Intel Core i7s
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/03/06/2250252/Some-Newegg-Customers-Received-Fake-Intel-Core-i7s
Energizer USB recharger software infects PCs
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9166978/Energizer_Bunny_s_software_infects_PCs
Internet access is ‘a fundamental right’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm
Lip reading mobile promises end to noisy phone calls
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8549454.stm
==Voicemail==
Jon Strickland about methane release
==Emails==
Hi Buzz Crew,
Love hearing the old gang back together again!
With censorship being a hot topic in the news lately, I thought you might like to see this. I recently tried to place some Pay Per Click advertisements on Bing using the Microsoft Ad Center. Once the ads were created, I was told that they needed to be reviewed before they would be turned live on the search engine. This is something Google does as well with their AdWords program, most likely to prevent obvious fraud or hate messages.
Imagine my surprise when I received the attached message a few days later. All three of my ads were rejected. Why? Because they included the word “iPhone”.
We in the tech community are quick to admonish Apple for it’s censorship in the App Store — and rightfully so. It would seem that Microsoft is just as guilty. The iPhone may be a competitor to the Zune and Windows Mobile 7 Classic Pink Phone thingy, but shouldn’t their search engine be unbiased?
I see a dangerous trend developing here…
- Bryan in Albany
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Hey Buzz crew,
Recently you talked about an increase in android market share this year, and I thought I would share my experience:
We allow employees to use their personal smart to sync with our network for email, and calendar. Well last year I help set up pretty much all Iphones (with the exception of one Palm Pre), but this year the only phones I've helped users with are Android based phones, even more astonishing is that they are all different devices, no one is buying the same model android phone, I've set up Motorola Cliqs, Droids, HTC Droid Eris, HTC Hero, and the Samsung Moment.
No Nexus one yet, but I think a lot of that has to do with not being able to just walk in to a store and play with it.
Love the Show!
Graham L
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I checked my email this morning and found I can no longer be an Amazon Associate because I live in Colorado. Essentially, in Colorado if a company has a “controlled group” that makes money in Colorado, then they are considered to have a “presence in this state”. The bill would require Amazon to charge sales tax on all Colorado sales. Interestingly enough I never heard about this from Amazon or locally (and I’m a daily newspaper reader)! If I had a heads up I would have wrote my congress. Are there other companies that will suffer from this, or was it targeted directly at Amazon?
http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2010A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/B30F574193882B4B872576A80026BE0C?Open&file=1193_rev.pdf
Good thing I don’t depend on making money from the associate program, or I would be out of luck.
Thanks, and great show!
Alan (BaldDragon in the chat room)
==After The Credits==