Episode 1274

500 millionth, actually... but one of the press kits had an embarrassing typo in it. Also, everybody who makes slates is dropping Windows (except HP), we now have lasers shooting down airplanes, and a flashlight for the iPhone is actually a secret tethering app.
==Stories Covered==
FB hits 500M users
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=409753352130
Facebook Lawyer `Unsure’ Whether Founder Mark Zuckerberg Signed Contract
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-20/facebook-lawyer-unsure-whether-founder-mark-zuckerberg-signed-contract.html
Dell warns on spyware infected server motherboards
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/21/dell_server_warning/
PowerEdge R410 replacement motherboard contains malware
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/servers/f/956/t/19339458.aspx
Details of the first ever control system malware
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20011159-245.html
Meet Flipboard: Mike McCue Talks About Stealth "Social Magazine" Start-Up That Just Nabbed $10.5 Million in Funding
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20100720/meet-flipboard-mike-mccue-talks-about-stealth-social-magazine-start-up-that-just-nabbed-10-5-million/
Adobe shows off P2P video calls on Android, calls it FlashTime
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=25606
Lenovo promises LePad Android tablet for the end of the year
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/lenovo-promises-lepad-android-tablet-for-the-end-of-the-year/
Asus Drops Windows for Android in Eee Pad Tablet
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/07/asus-drops-windows-for-android-in-eee-pad-tablet/
HP Lists HP Slate 500, Requests PalmPad Trademark
http://www.pcworld.com/article/201512/
Droid X Screen Problems Get a Quick Fix
http://www.pcworld.com/article/201565/droid_x_screen_problems_get_a_quick_fix.html
Verizon confirms Droid X screen issues, but says they’re not widespread
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/verizon-confirms-droid-x-screen-issues-but-says-theyre-not-wid/
LightSquared, wholesale 4G-LTE + satellite network coming soon
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/07/20/lightsquared-wholesale-4g-lte-satellite-network-coming-soon/
Microsoft Research does away with password complexity while protecting against brute force attacks
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25826/
Handy Light: Tethering App Camouflaged as Flashlight
http://appshopper.com/blog/2010/07/20/handy-light-tethering-app-camouflaged-as-flashlight/
Raytheon’s killer laser takes aim
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20011143-52.html
==Emails==
BOL Crew:
Well Actually, you don’t need to have a zune to have and use Zune Pass. You only need the Zune Software and pay for the subscription. The downloaded files are MP3s and work on all devices. You do get 10 songs with your $14.99 subscription which effectively brings the subscription to $4.99 a month (assuming $0.99 per mp3 song)
Thought you should know.
Wayne Dixon
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Hey hey!!
I don’t know if you guys have missed it but Rhapsody is $9.99/month for an all you can listen to service. I signed up a few months ago when they enabled downloading to Ipod touch/iphones. Just yesterday the ios4 update came through for multitasking and now I can listen to millions of songs in the background… Love the service and love the show!!
Ryan from St Pete
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Buzz Crew,
I think there is customer dissatisfaction about Facebook because its almost become obligatory to join. I only have anecdotal evidence, but it seems that when someone says they aren’t on Facebook, there is significant social pressure to join. I know several people who have begrudgingly joined, but continue to complain how they hate the service and its invasive nature (most joined so they wouldn’t miss out on event invitations, one person joined to help promote a webcomic he was working on). Notice all the groups that have similar dissatisfaction from consumers, airlines, cable companies, and IRS e-filing, all are to some extent unavoidable, and thus people are forced to use a service they are predisposed not to like. Facebook needs to work on making itself from a social obligation to something people want to use. Just my two cents.
Love the show!
Rich in Lovely Cleveland
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Hey BOL,
Yesterday you guys were talking about Ultraviolet, and Molly made the argument that DRM never works. For the most part, I agree with her. However, (and it pains me to say this because I do hate most DRM) I can think of one example of DRM that works beautifully: Valve’s Steam network for PC (and now Mac) games. They’ve accomplished this by doing the following:
1. The games are easy to access, and there is an “”offline”" mode for people with intermittent internet connections.
2. There is little to no performance impact.
3. The prices are very good, and there are frequent sales.
4. I can access the content on any of my computers simply by logging in.
5. It has spawned a flourishing indie game industry.
6. The friends list and ability for users to communicate across games is great.
When Steam first debuted, I was skeptical; but today I believe Steam has saved the PC games industry. Valve deserves some recognition for taking the concept of DRM and figuring out how to take it from a negative to the user and make it a clear positive.
Love the show!
Mike the surfer in FL
==After The Credits==