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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 02 Issue 24
Volume 2, Issue 24 Atari Online News, Etc. June 16, 2000
Published and Copyright (c) 2000
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- CC: Classic Chips
With Contributions by:
Vince Valenti
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0224 06/16/00
~ People Are Talking! ~ New N64 & Pikachu Too! ~ New, Free MP3
~ 100 Million Game Boys! ~ Electronic Signatures ~ Woz in the Hall!
~ Lara Croft Does Mac! ~ New Windows For Palms! ~ WebTV Competition!
~ MS: No Supreme Court! ~ New Towers & Towers II ~ X-Box Goes Web!
-* Microsoft Files For Appeal *-
-* House Committee OKs Anti-spam Bill! *-
-* Gates' Arrogance Microsoft's Achilles Heel *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, they say we're supposed to see Summer make another appearance this
weekend; I certainly hope so! This cooler weather in June just doesn't cut
it for me. Officially, Summer starts in less than a week, but what happened
to Spring? This is the second year in a row that it seemed to pass us by
here!
I've seen a number of articles during the Microsoft antitrust case that made
reference to the points that Microsoft, and specifically Bill Gates, shot
themselves and their case in the proverbial foot by behaving in a manner
which many would call arrogance. Having followed the case fairly
extensively here in A-ONE, I'd have to agree with that perception. I've
included one of those commentary articles in this week's issue for your
perusal.
Otherwise, I don't have a lot to say this week. I guess even editors start
to slow down, like the news, during the summer months. I hope that this
doesn't remain a pattern.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@portone.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Another week has come and gone, and the
weather has thrown us another curveball here in the northeast. I'm
starting to wonder if this isn't some aspect of global warming or El
Nino or the depleted ozone layer or any of the other causes that people
like to throw around these days.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that any of these concerns are
unfounded or anything of the sort. It's just that we don't know enough
about what we've been doing to the world for the past hundred or so
years to have even a fair guess about what the consequences might be.
What gets me annoyed is this "save the planet" mentality that people
throw around. I'm not saying that we shouldn't conserve, or that we
shouldn't recycle. It's the "we are the planet" tone.
The plain and simple fact is that, even with the massive nuclear
arsenals around the world, there is nothing we can do to actually
destroy the planet. The planet will continue no matter what we do. It
just might not be able to support US anymore. Instead of "save the
planet" the thought should be "save the self-involved, short-sighted,
self-destructive meat sacks that need to rely on the planet".
I don't claim to be able to see the future, or to have any scientific
insight into what the future holds for us, but I DO know that the
planet Earth will continue no matter what we do. Kind of a humbling
thought, ain't it?
So what does this have to do with Atari computers? Nothing really, I
just find it amusing that the computer world is now in just about the
same position. Microsoft and Apple still worry about "saving" the
future of computing. Whether Microsoft stays as one company, splits
into two, or pulls up its roots and ends up selling barnacle glue in
downtown Northeast Southweston, computers and computing will go on.
Let's work on saving ourselves, shall we?
Okay, enough with the sermons. Let's get on with the news from the
UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Matthew Simpson-Morgan asks for info on SpeedoGDOS:
"I was wondering if SpeedoGDOS is something that is available on the net
for download? I've done some searching including ftp sites and have
found nothing. I'd appreciate any info anyone has."
Chris Simon tells Matthew:
"As far as I'm aware, SpeedoGDOS is a commercial program. It was when
I bought it anyway! But NVDI is a better product."
Martin Ziesch asks about using a Laserjet with his favorite word
processor:
"I just got a HP Laserjet 4P and want to have it work with 1St Word 3.2.
Does anyone have an appropriate printer driver HP.CFG or a Hex-File
HP.HEX?"
Peter West tells Martin:
"There were hp_djet.cfg and hp_laser.cfg files on the V3.20 maintenance
release. I can send these to you - they are quite small. I have also
made a more extended hp_dj520.cfg (and .hex) with some extra features,
which will probably work on your 4P - or at least serve as a template
to make your own adaptation."
Edward Baiz posts this about one of the newer document processors:
"I just received my copy (of Papyrus 8) in the mail and I must say
that I am impressed. All new features plus a more professional looks
makes this piece of software an excellent choice for word-processing. I
know there will be some that disagree with me, but that's life...."
Martin Holmes asks about ftp access:
"I'm having problems getting through to ftp.chapelie.rma.ac.be
Didn't have any bother before and other ftp addresses seem to work ok
Newsie just reports 'No Connection'. Does anyone know what's changed?"
Chris Crosskey tells Martin:
"It's been pretty slow recently, I haven't been able to get to it from
home recently, and trying from work on an empty 4Mb/s feed off the Oxford
University backbone gave me an average download speed of about 60cps....I
had to leave it running all day nearly just to get Falcamp..."
Ronald van der Kamp adds:
"I have found out that from Holland (nextdoor to Belgium) the
connection sometimes is OK with 3k/4.5k b/s download but sometimes
from the start of the connection I only get 300 cps and that stays.
When I try immediately the connection (tel) through another
provider also 300 cps.
But then I wait for half an hour and ... back to normal 4,5 kb/s
Seems that the server is very busy sometimes and allow you not more
bandwidth than 300 cps, something he does not seem to upgrade your
connection once the bout of activity has diminished. Or am
fantasizing now?"
John Garone adds:
"Just downloaded infomat.zip (about 82k in 20 seconds). It was a bit
erratic and the initial connection was a bit slow (around 10 seconds).
This was at 56k on a Falcon at around 6pm EST. Have you tried in the wee
hours of the morning?"
Jeff Charette asks for help with his Atari laser printer:
"I have a fair bit of Atari hardware/ software in my basement including a
laser printer which I don't use anymore. We run an atari Mega4 at work for
job tracking and invoicing and I would like to hook up the laser to it.
Unfortunately, I could never get Superbase to print out to the laser. Does
anyone know what software is required to accomplish this or is there a way
to hook up an Atari laser to a pc?"
Peter Schneider tells Jeff:
"No, there is no way to use the Atari laser printer on a PC."
Derryck Croker adds:
"......unless you link the PC to an Atari with a null modem cable, and use
magicslm from my web page on the Atari. Or print to disk on the PC and use
the utility to print from that disk.
If Superbase has a driver for Epson printers you might be able to use the
Laserbrain Epson emulator to drive your Atari laser. Drawback is that it's
only a 9 pin emulation IIRC. That emulator should be available from the usual
Atari ftp sites.
>to hook up an Atari laser to a pc? Failing both, I have a perfectly good
This is possible, you'll need to keep the Mega as a server for the laser
printer tho'. You'll find the program you need on my web site, follow the
"Translated apps" link (although it's actually still in German)."
Chris Simon posts this about using Papyrus and his favorite
screen/graphics accelerators:
"I've recently taken delivery of Cortex's Eclipse card (with its driver
software fVDI) and Papyrus Office. However I've had a frustrating week
trying to get them to work with NVDI.
I'd like to know if anyone else is using the same combination and has
encountered the same problems, or maybe it's just me and my setup.
I've tried tweaking all the options in each piece of software but
there are millions of combinations and I haven't managed to find
anything that works. I'd be grateful for any comments before I send
this mail to the relevant parties.
-----------------------------------
If you want to run fVDI and NVDI together (because you want to use
vector fonts or the NVDI printer drivers), the NVDI screen drivers
named NVDI*.SYS have to be deleted or renamed. This probably causes
some of the following problems.
1) Both CAB and Papyrus Office display vector fonts much smaller
than they should be. With Papyrus in particular, printed output
is then all wrong, as presumably Papyrus formats lines according
to the display (as it's WYSIWYG). I suspect it's getting zero
from NVDI as the font width. When printed, the lines are infinite
in length and get truncated on the right. To fix this, the
Compatibility option for Display in Papyrus has to be changed from
"Default" or "Inquire from Screen Driver" to "93DPI fixed". Although
text is then readable on screen, I think this is still slightly
smaller than what they should be. Lines are still truncated on the right
when printed, although only by a few characters this time. An
existing document created in Papyrus Gold and NOT reformatted in
Office displays lines shorter than they should be on screen but they
print OK. When the document is reformatted in Office, the lines
fill the whole page width on screen but get truncated again when
printed. Also, a right-flushed section on a page (for example, an
address at the top of a letter) doesn't align properly and the
right margin is slightly ragged.
2) In colour planes greater than 8-bit (i.e. > 256 colours),
the desktop colours are wrong; the system appears "jerky"
sometimes; a repaint after a dialog box disappears sometimes
takes a long time; CAB displays some GIFs with the wrong
background, possibly those with a transparent colour other
than the background colour although I haven't been able to
prove or disprove that. Try my home page for an example! The
Welsh flag in the top left corner displays wrongly, so does the
Zetnet logo at the bottom of the page.
3) When fVDI is set to use colour planes greater than 16 (although
it's difficult to find the right combination - the card should
be able to handle 800x600x[32/24]@80 but it doesn't and
reduces the colours to 8-bit) the icons on the desktop disappear.
4) Closing dialog boxes and windows very often doesn't repaint the
background properly and leaves it unreadable.
5) The bottom 10 lines or so of a screen (I'm using 800x600) never
repaint properly. For example, maximising (sorry, Windoze
terminology) a window and then reducing it again leaves part of
the window at the bottom of the screen.
Further information - I've just tried disabling NVDI and installing
SpeedoGDOS instead. Papyrus Office then works fine. However:
1) I get Monaco fonts instead of the system fonts!
2) I cannot use Truetype fonts.
3) CAB doesn't seem happy with NVDI not being there - it doesn't
display any SpeedoGDOS fonts, although it lists them in the
dialog, and it positions some images *outside* the window not
on the web page.
4) There is no printer driver for my colour Canon BJC-4650."
Johan Klockars, the author of fVDI, tells Chris:
"As was mentioned in another message, [the small font size] is (most
likely) because fVDI currently sets a fixed size for the screen pixels.
I'll fix that shortly.
Hmm. I run in 16 bit mode almost all the time and the colours are
definitely right here. Try running RECOLOUR.PRG and see if that helps.
You could also try the 'nopalette' option and see if that changes
anything (it really shouldn't).
What do you mean by 'jerky'?
You should be glad that not all dialog repaints are slow. ;-)
The default settings for fVDI should normally be to cache blits that
seem to be background saves (such as for menu drop downs and dialogs)
in the RAM on the RageII itself. This is _much_ quicker than actually
doing the blit to the Falcon RAM (which is what all other VDIs have
always done).
The AES background buffer caching, which should always be safe to use,
is not effective for some programs, however, which do their own
buffering. In that case, 'screencache' will often do the job, but it
can cause redraw problems with some programs.
If the above does not seem to fit in your case, please let me know
of a program where I can duplicate what you're talking about.
Even without the caching, it should't really feel like it's taking a
'long' time (unless you're running without 'pcibios' and 'doblit' does
the redraw a pixel at a time...).
There is currently no 24 bit support whatsoever in fVDI/RageII.
The frequencies available in 800x600x32 are (currently):
56, 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120
If your selection doesn't fit any of the above, fVDI will select something
that is 'similar' but 'lower'. That is, it won't select the 85, which
could potentially be harmful to your monitor.
(There is no 80 Hz mode available at any colour depth.)
AFAICR, in this case 800x600x32@75 should have been selected, but there
might be something wrong with the 'fallback' algorithm (or I might have
constructed it to drop down in colour depth before frequency, although
that doesn't seem like all that good an idea).
I'll check it out.
Unfortunately, the original desktop can't deal with 32 bit icons (it
handles them with the same code as the 8 bit ones, rather than with the
16 bit code, which would have worked better).
You can get the icons displayed by activating 'onlysrc', which will make
all blits use the D=S method and thus disable the masking the desktop
tries to do. Of course, this will affect other programs to.
>4) Closing dialog boxes and windows very often doesn't repaint the
> background properly and leaves it unreadable.
Hmm. I've only seen that [not redrawing properly after closing a
dialog box] with the 'print/show/abort' dialog, which is difficult to
debug since the desktop code is in the ROM. If you've seen this happen
in some ordinary program, please let me know which one. I'd also be
interest in ways to expose the problem without using the above dialog.
Anyway, these kinds of problems should go away if you turn off the
AES background buffer caching (don't start the ACC), but that isn't
really recommended since it slows things down so much.
I've never seen that [the bottom lines not redrawing] (but then I'm
using 1024x768 or 1152x864 most of the time). I'll check it out.
I take it you mean this happens with all programs, including the
desktop?"
Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying
when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - 100 Million Game Boys Shipped!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" JV Games Expands Towers, Towers II!
Lara Croft Does Macintosh! New N64!
X-Box Goes Web! And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Nintendo to Launch "Pikachu" Version of Nintendo64
Nintendo Co Ltd , the world's second-largest maker of video game players,
said on Tuesday it will launch a new version of its Nintendo64 console
which will feature the popular Pokemon character ``Pikachu".
The move, aimed at reviving flagging sales of the console, comes after
rival Sony Corp said last week it will start selling a portable version of
its original 32-bit PlayStation from next month.
The new Nintendo64 version, which does not feature any technical
advancement, is not expected to narrow the gap in sales between it and
Sony's video game players, the industry leader.
Nintendo's new product will hit Japanese stores on July 21 at 14,000 yen
($131.27), the same price as the existing model, and will be available in
the United States and Europe by the end of the year.
It will feature Pikachu -- one of the most popular of the company's Pokemon
game characters -- on the front of the 64-bit consoles. Pikachu's cheek
will light up when the machine is switched on.
Nintendo hopes the new version, released to coincide with school summer
holidays, will boost sales of Nintendo64, which first went on sale in June
1996. Some 29.57 million units had been sold globally by March.
That lags the 70 million PlayStation home video game players sold over the
past five years by industry leader Sony, which plans to start selling a
portable version of its 32-bit PlayStation player on July 7.
Sony also began selling the 128-bit PlayStation2 console in Japan in March,
shipping two million units in the first 82 days.
Nintendo has been forced to postpone the introduction of its own 128-bit
player capable of providing more life-life animation. Nintendo, which
originally intended to begin selling the next-generation game player
worldwide later this year, now is expected to not introduce the product
until next year -- and initially only in Japan.
The failure of one-time industry leader Nintendo to remain at the forefront
of technological evolution in the game player industry has caused the
Kyoto-based company's sales and profit to drop. In the past year to March
31, its net profit declined 35 percent to 56 billion yen, as sales dwindled
7.4 percent to 531 billion yen.
Nintendo's shares were not helped by the company's announcement on Tuesday.
Its shares closed down 140 yen or 0.8 percent at 17,830.
Industry First -- Nintendo Ships 100,000,000th Game Boy
Pokemon, Color Display Push Current Sales to All Time High
Going where no video game machine has ever gone before, shipments of
Nintendo's portable Game Boy surpassed 100,000,000 on June 16.
Since its launch in 1989, Game Boy worldwide has sold continuously at an
average rate of more than 1,000 systems per hour for 11 years to reach the
100 million number.
The world's favorite video game system not only demonstrates unprecedented
market stamina, but is also currently enjoying record popularity -- Game
Boy enjoys a 95 percent-plus share of the world portable video game market.
And thanks to the universal appeal of the Pokemon series of video games and
introduction of a full-color display with Game Boy Color, Nintendo reported
record sales of 17.5 million units in the fiscal year ending March 31.
``In a business sense, Game Boy has succeeded beyond anyone's expectations
by delivering a unique form of entertainment combining portability, a
simple design, over a thousand game choices, and wide appeal to players of
all ages and both genders, says Minoru Arakawa, president, Nintendo of
America Inc. ``But in a broader sense, Game Boy has succeeded socially by
inventing and defining its own small part of international culture.
Over its lifetime, the original Game Boy has shrunk in size, been retooled
in various color housings, and eventually moved to color display in 1998
with Game Boy Color. But the biggest improvement ever will occur with the
debut of Game Boy Advance at the end of the year in Japan, and early next
year in the United States. Game Boy Advance will replace the current 8-bit
processor with a 32-bit RISC CPU, offering players more than 500 colors on
screen simultaneously, incredible audio, and brand new forms of game play,
as well as the ability to play all existing Game Boy titles.
The black and white and color Game Boy games have also seen their share of
popularity. As a 'pack-in' game with most of the Game Boy hardware systems
sold until the mid '90s, Tetris is the most widely played video game of all
time, with tens of millions of users. As individually purchased software,
Game Boy games starring Nintendo icon Mario, the plumber, have sold nearly
36 million units, and the current Pokemon craze is even bigger, having
already generated sales of more than 48 million Game Boy games worldwide.
The Truth About Game Boy
*100 million Game Boys stacked end-to-end would cover both borders and the
entire shoreline of the continental United States;
*100 million Game Boys stacked on top of each other would stand as tall as
287 Mount Everests;
*If you played each one of those 100 million Game Boys for just 60 seconds
without stopping, it would take 190 years;
*A full 35 percent of all Game Boy players are women, and more than one in
four is over the age of 18;
*Game Boy devotees have spanned the political spectrum from President
George Bush to First Lady Hillary Clinton, from Olympic athletes awaiting
event competition to hundreds of entertainers, including the Backstreet
Boys.
GameSpy Industries to Launch New Website -
'PlanetXbox.com' - Devoted To Information About
Microsoft's Upcoming 'Xbox' Video Game Console
GameSpy Industries, Inc., a pioneer in interactive online entertainment
with a network of websites specifically catering to the gaming community,
as well as a leading software developer, has developed a new website called
``PlanetXbox.com," which will launch on June 13th. The new site has been
designed to supply information and updates to video-game console fans and
devotees who are interested in learning more about Microsoft's upcoming
(2001) video-game console release, ``Xbox." The announcement was made
Monday by Mark Surfas, CEO/Founder, GameSpy Industries.
PlanetXbox.com will become the third GameSpy website to specifically focus
on video-game consoles. The previously existing ``sister" sites to the new
site are PlanetDreamcast.com (info on Sega's ``Dreamcast" console,) and
PlanetPS2.com (info on Sony's ``PlayStation 2" console.) PlanetXbox.com
will provide a good deal of information on the new Xbox system itself, as
well as on the games that have been announced in conjunction with
Microsoft's upcoming pure console system.
Regarding the announcement, Mr. Surfas said, ``PlanetXbox.com is the latest
in a series of 'Planet' sites created and launched by GameSpy. These Planet
sites are extremely targeted, information-dense sites designed for fans of
specific games or of genres of games. For example, fans of the game 'Quake'
can find literally everything they would ever need to know at
PlanetQuake.com. Our Planet sites also serve as the cornerstone for large
communities of fans, who all wish to share their interests and common
experiences."
The Xbox has been described as an upcoming ``future generation" game
device from Microsoft, which will function in much the same way as Sony's
PlayStation 2 and Sega's Dreamcast systems. The Xbox will be a video-game
console that allows gamers to play games on their television sets. The Xbox
is slated to feature an 8-gigabyte hard drive, 64 MB of RAM, a 4x DVD
player, broadband capabilities, and HDTV support. The new device is
scheduled to be released in Fall 2001, and will be competitively priced
with other game consoles.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Released for the Macintosh
Aspyr Media Inc., in a continuing partnership with Eidos Interactive Inc.,
ships Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation for the Macintosh, with the
conversion performed by Westlake Interactive.
The Last Revelation is the latest in the award-winning Tomb Raider series
starring Lara Croft. It is the most compelling technically and graphically
advanced adventure, with a completely new interface and great new features.
The Last Revelation, for the Mac, will surely impress all new and old Lara
Croft fans.
In The Last Revelation, Lara Croft heads to the ancient ruins in Egypt
where she unwittingly releases the evil god, Set. In a race against time,
Lara must use her wit and skill to reimprison Set and save the world from
Armageddon. Enemies, old and new, lurk at every turn as Lara must overcome
ingenious puzzles, the most infernal traps ever devised and evil from
beyond the grave. With a vastly improved AI, players will experience
heart-stopping action in their quest to guide Lara through her greatest
adventure yet.
``Game play is spectacular and the visuals are beautiful, The Last
Revelation is brilliant," says Ted Staloch, VP of Sales at Aspyr Media.
Players use amazing new moves, including the shoulder barge and the
hand-over-hand shimmey around corners to get through the dazzling Egyptian
terrain. The new single skin technology really brings Lara to life and it
wouldn't be a Tomb Raider adventure without all the great toys, including a
jeep and motorbike with sidecar.
``The Last Revelation, for the Mac, will surely impress any Tomb Raider
fan," says Chip Blundell, Senior Product Manager at Eidos Interactive.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, for Macintosh, will be available wherever
Mac games are sold, with a Suggested Retail Price of $39.95.
The Legend of Dragoon Brings the Ultimate Epic
Role-Playing Adventure To the PlayStation
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced Tuesday the nationwide
release of The Legend of Dragoon, exclusively for the PlayStation game
console. After three years in the making with a development team of more
than 100 members, this enormous new fantasy world unfolds as one of the
biggest, most unforgettable epic role-playing adventures ever.
Spanning four CDs, The Legend of Dragoon takes players on an unbelievable
adventure full of astounding animations and graphics, innovative game
design and a strong character-driven story that portrays a world of lush
beauty, intense magical combat and unknown destinies. Featuring more than
40 minutes of cinematic graphics, more than 650 beautifully pre-rendered
backgrounds utilizing the latest graphics technologies and providing more
than 80 hours of immersive gameplay, The Legend of Dragoon completely
maximizes and showcases the power of the PlayStation game console.
``The Legend of Dragoon is one of the most magnificent and extraordinary
role-playing adventure games to be released for the PlayStation game
console," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer
Entertainment America Inc. ``With its stunning cinematic graphics and
deeply, involving gameplay, The Legend of Dragoon will captivate both
hardcore and novice gamers alike."
The legend begins with all living things being born from the ``Divine
Tree," with Dragons, Humans and the Winged Ones (Winglies) being among
them. The Humans won their freedom from the Winglies when they learned to
harness the spiritual forces of the Dragons, transforming themselves into
Dragoons. For 10,000 years thereafter, there is tranquil co-existence among
all races ... until now. Beneath the tranquility, lurks a mysterious
prophecy -- the emergence of a new race. Worshipped, yet feared, no one
knows what its presence will bring. Eternal peace and happiness for all? Or
the darkest evil imaginable? And so the story begins.
The Legend of Dragoon follows the adventures of Dart, a young hero who sets
out on a journey to find the ``Black Demon" to avenge the death of his
parents. Along the way, he must rescue his childhood friend, Shana, and
interact and fight with different races, all while harnessing the powers of
the Dragoon.
Key features in The Legend of Dragoon include:
* Innovative and unique, real-time tactical combat system known as the
``Additionals" system, which allows players to strike consecutive
attacks together in one sequence
* Transform into Dragoons and experience a new level of depth and
complexity in gameplay
* Nine playable characters, each with their own specialty,
``Additionals" skills and Dragoon magic
* More than 40 minutes of incredible, stunning CG graphics to enhance
gameplay experience
* Intense storyline that unfolds through more than 80 hours of immersive
gameplay
* Dazzling magical powers and special effects
* More than 200 items to acquire and utilize
* More than 650 beautifully pre-rendered backgrounds maximizing the
latest graphic technologies
* Completely interactive adventure elements
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates The Legend
of Dragoon ``T" for ``Teen." For more information about the ESRB visit
www.esrb.org.
The Nightmare Has Landed - Konami's Highly
Anticipated 'Nightmare Creatures II' Screams
Onto Retail Shelves
Leading interactive entertainment giant, Konami, announced Tuesday that
Nightmare Creatures II for the Sega Dreamcast is now available at retail
outlets nationwide. With a SRP of $44.99, this sequel to the 1.5 million
unit selling Nightmare Creatures, developed by France-based Kalisto
Entertainment, will immerse players in a gothic world of intense horror
action set in 1934 Europe.
A full century after the conclusion of the original story, players of
Nightmare Creatures II assume the role of Herbert Wallace, and pursue the
evil and mystic Dr. Adam Crowley through the macabre underbelly of old
London on a mission of vengeance. Crowley has grown in power since his
defeat 100 years past and, unless defeated by Wallace, will extend his dark
dominion across the world. Richly detailed 3D graphics, improved gameplay
mechanics, cinematic cut-scenes and a sound track from rock star Rob Zombie
will completely immerse players in the horrific and gory adventure.
``Kalisto has done an excellent job of maintaining the elements of the
first game that made it so popular and groundbreaking, while improving
gameplay, combat mechanics and graphics in Nightmare Creatures II," said
Rick Naylor, Konami's Brand Manager for action/adventure titles. ``Fans of
intense horror action should brace themselves for a thrill-ride."
Rated ``M" for mature audiences, the horror action gameplay is fast paced
and intense, as players are opposed by Crowley's inhuman minions, including
zombies, hideous laboratory monsters and savage, oversize bats, at every
turn. As Wallace, players will combat opponents with a variety of new
fighting techniques, special moves, weapons and lethal magic spells. In
addition, players will have tremendous interaction with the game's
surroundings as they direct Wallace to fight, run, climb, cling, swim, pick
up objects and act on environmental items such as doors, crates and
furniture.
Players will have extensive freedom to explore the large, open levels of
Nightmare Creatures II. Thirty game sectors span across eight different
worlds, including the cities of London and Paris, subways, alleyways,
castles and underwater regions, among others. The lush environments are
brought to life with a smooth, hi-resolution 3D engine and colored Gouraud
shading on Wallace, monsters and objects. In addition, new and faster
camera angles create a smoother display and increased ability to focus on
critical details.
Nightmare Creatures II shipped for the Sony PlayStation game console in
May and is available on retail shelves for a SRP of $39.99.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Towers II for Jaguar Might Be a Collector's Item!
Vince Valenti <vince9@earthlink.net>
JV Games, Inc. - June 8th, 2000 - It has been several years since Towers &
Towers II made an appearance on the Atari ST / Atari Falcon030 / Jaguar.
Now Towers: Lord Baniff's Deceit, will show its face again June 13th, 2000
for the Game Boy Color. Towers II: Plight of the Stargazer, will appear
afterwards. Both games support one or two (with a link cable) players and
is in Step 3D graphics, like Towers was on the Atari ST.
Towers II: Plight of the Stargazer has been a difficult item to purchase
for the Jaguar. Telegames has very few copies, and not very many people
are willing to part with it. We have seen prices as high as $79.95 on the
net for a new Towers II Cart! If any of you are gripping Towers II for
the Jaguar, you might want to hold on to it. When these products get
released for the GBC, it will only increase the value and rarity of Towers
II for the Jaguar. :) We never had a collector's Item before!
www.jvgames.com
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Experts Cite Microsoft's Attitude
One of the most enduring images from Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust trial is
that of Chairman Bill Gates, in his videotaped depositions, stating he does
not know what a ``browser" is.
``He was very contentious, combative, very dismissive of the government,"
said Stephen Houck, the one-time head of the states' antitrust prosecution
who helped depose Gates in August 1998. ``I have deposed a number of
senior executives in American companies, and I never saw anything like
that."
Apparently, neither had U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who
said in a memorandum accompanying his order to break up the software giant
that ``Microsoft has proven untrustworthy in the past."
But was it Microsoft's aggressive defense - some have called it arrogance
- that led to the judge's ruling Wednesday? Those close to the case say it
has less to do with an attitude and more to do with fervent belief in the
company and its founder.
Jackson was making reference to a hearing in January 1998, when he angrily
called Microsoft on the carpet for its interpretation of a previous order.
Jackson had ordered Microsoft to remove its Internet Browser from the
Windows operating system. Microsoft complied, but did so in a way that
crippled the operating system entirely.
Microsoft said that was the only possible result of the judge's order, a
move criticized in the media as self-serving and overly stubborn.
``They live in their own world over there, where they are just morally
convinced of their own view of the market," said Rich Gray, an antitrust
expert with Outside General Counsel Silicon Valley. ``I hate using this
phrase, but they were drinking their own Kool-Aid."
Indeed, the company has not accepted any blame in the case, other than a
failure to communicate its side of the case well.
``Perhaps I should have taken the opportunity to go (to court) and talk
about this in person," Gates said hours after Wednesday's ruling.
That might have minimized the damage Gates' videotaped depositions created
when the Justice Department used them to great effect in the early days of
the trial. A slouched-over Gates, fidgeting and mumbling noncommittal
answers, was portrayed as evasive by the DOJ's special trial counsel David
Boies.
``Boies was great, but it struck me that Gates had to be the worst-prepared
witness for a deposition I'd ever seen," Gray said.
Rick Rule, former DOJ antitrust chief and now a Microsoft consultant, said
the company was simply sandbagged by the Justice Department. Microsoft
thought the depositions wouldn't be aired in court and didn't think that
Boies' dramatic ``soap-opera" tactic would have as much sway with the
judge as it did.
``What you saw in that deposition wasn't uncommon," Rule said. ``It's not
a question of credibility. It's a question of a witness trying to get
through some very vague, combative questions by a very skilled attorney."
At trial, Microsoft stumbled with witnesses who strained under government
cross-examination and a river of questionable e-mails paraded before the
judge. There was also the issue of a Microsoft videotape, which purported
to show the true startup sequence of the Windows operating system, but
which turned out to have been heavily edited.
``I don't think they were unusually combative, nor did they disrespect the
court," Houck said. ``The problem was that they were true believers. They
fought every little thing so hard that when it came time to fight the
major battles, their credibility was hurt. A lot of that came from the
very top."
Gates, a hands-on executive by any standard, was said to have taken an
active role in the case. The chairman, whose father is an attorney, said
he had spent hundreds of hours consulting with the legal team and in
settlement talks. And although the Washington, D.C., law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell was retained to help with the federal antitrust suit and previous
government cases, Microsoft's own corporate counsel, William Neukom,
headed the legal team in the case.
``There's this mindset that they just don't see the power that they wield
in the market, and nobody there pointed it out to them," Gray said.
``They don't have anyone there to stand up and say the emperor has no
clothes."
Rule, however, said the Microsoft legal team may have realized early on
that Jackson wasn't favoring them, and focused on getting as much
information into the court record to use as ammunition for the inevitable
appeal.
``It's really too early to rate Microsoft's performance in this case,"
Rule said. ``It's not over yet."
Microsoft Files Notice to Appeal Breakup Ruling
Software giant Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday filed formal notice to appeal a
federal judge's order that it be split in two for violating antitrust law,
voicing confidence that the appeals court would rule in its favor.
Microsoft also said it had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington,
D.C., to stay a raft of business restrictions ordered by Judge Thomas
Penfield Jackson as part of his ruling last week that ordered the breakup.
Later, the U.S. Department of Justice said it asked the Judge to send the
case directly to the Supreme Court, bypassing the lower appeals court that
has ruled in Microsoft's favor in the past.
Microsoft has said it opposes going to the Supreme Court and prefers the
normal appeals route.
``Microsoft is looking forward to the next phase of this case, and we are
optimistic that the appellate courts will reverse the recent ruling,"
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in a statement.
``We believe this judgement is both wrong and unfair. We believe the
appellate courts will recognize that Microsoft's product innovation is the
heart and soul of competition in the high-tech industry," Ballmer said.
Although Jackson said in his final judgement last week that a breakup
should be delayed until the end of the appeals process, he ordered the
conduct remedies to take effect 90 days after his ruling.
Those conduct restrictions include forcing Microsoft to reveal more of the
source code of its Windows operating system, allow computer makers to
customize the look of Windows on their machines, and set pricing guidelines
for Windows.
Laying out its arguments in a 39-page document, Microsoft branded the
measures as ``draconian" and said they went far beyond the scope of the
case, which dealt with the company's battle over Internet browser software.
``The effect of these provisions will be devastating, not only to
Microsoft, but also to its employees, shareholders, business partners and
customers, and could have a significant adverse impact on the nation's
economy," Microsoft said.
Shares in Microsoft rose more than 3, to 70-1/8 in after-hours trading
following the announcements. In regular trading, Microsoft rose 1 to
67-7/8.
Microsoft's filings came swiftly after Jackson on Tuesday sided with the
U.S. Justice Department and agreed to delay a decision on the company's
request for him to stay the restrictions, saying the company needed to
first give formal notice of appeal.
Justice, which says the company is trying to drag out the case, had hoped
that linking the two would force Microsoft's hand.
The appeals court said it had agreed to hear Microsoft's case.
In an unusual development, the court, citing the "exceptional importance"
of the case, agreed to hear it ``en banc," meaning the full court would
participate rather than the usual three-judge panel.
``This clearly shows that the court of appeals is ready to move ahead with
this case and they certainly have the resources and interest to move ahead
in the most expeditious manner," Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said.
``All Microsoft is looking for is to move ahead," Cullinan said.
Microsoft to Object to Supreme Court Motion Monday
Software titan Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it would formally file
early next week its objections to the U.S. government's attempt to take its
appeal of the antitrust breakup order against it directly to the Supreme
Court.
Microsoft, which on Tuesday filed official notice to appeal a federal
judge's ruling to break the company in two, said it was entitled to 11
calendar days to respond to the Justice Department's motion that the case
detour a lower appeals court and go directly to the nation's top judges.
But in a sign that the world's biggest software company wants the issue of
where the appeal will be heard settled swiftly, Microsoft said it would
file its response on Monday, in line with a schedule proposed by Justice.
The government made a filing of its own Wednesday, objecting to Microsoft's
application Tuesday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for a stay of the entire
breakup order when the company already had a similar request before trial
judge Thomas Penfield Jackson.
The U.S. Justice Department and the states suing Microsoft asked the
appeals court to either summarily dismiss the firm's stay application as
premature or defer its stay opinion until Jackson rules and the issue of
which court will hear the appeal is resolved.
Microsoft said its filing would outline the company's objections to taking
the appeal directly to the Supreme Court, bypassing the lower court of
appeals in Washington, D.C., which has sided with Microsoft in the past.
``The government's petition is certainly questionable about the rationale
for expediting this case directly to the Supreme Court," company spokesman
Jim Cullinan said in an e-mail.
``Microsoft does not believe that the government should try to evade the
Court of Appeals," Cullinan said. ``Given the vast array of factual, legal
and procedural errors ... we believe the Court of Appeals is the proper
venue."
Shortly after Microsoft filed its notice to appeal, Justice said it had
asked Judge Jackson, who found Microsoft guilty of breaking antitrust law
and ordered it split up, to fast-track the appeal to the Supreme Court,
saying the significance of the case warranted special treatment.
In an unusual step, the appeals court, citing the "exceptional
importance" of the case, said all seven of its eligible judges would hear
the case rather than the usual three-judge panel followed by a full
hearing.
Microsoft said that showed the appeals court would move quickly to hear the
case.
Even if Jackson sends the case to the Supreme Court, the judges are not
obliged to accept it, and many observers have said the court may prefer to
see the case work its way through the legal system before hearing it.
U.S. House Approves Electronic Signature Measure
A bill that gives electronic signatures and documents the same force in law
as their paper counterparts won near unanimous approval in the U.S. House
of Representatives on Wednesday.
Under the proposed law, consumers and businesses will be able to sign
checks, complete loan applications and contract services all online in a
further broadening of e-commerce.
``Today a consumer can apply for a mortgage or get a quote on life
insurance policy (online) but when it comes time to close the deal, a
consumer must physically sign the contract," said Rep. Thomas Bliley, a
Virginia Republican.
``E-sign will allow the entire transaction to be done electronically and
the transaction will have the same legal effect and enforceability as a
paper contract," he said during floor debate.
The House voted 426-4 in favor of the measure which now goes to the Senate
for consideration. President Clinton has said he will sign the bill.
Consumers will still have the choice to use electronic signatures, so long
as they can reasonably demonstrate their ability to access the documents,
or they can stay with the more traditional handwritten signature for
signing legal documents.
``No consumer would be forced into using electronic signature if they
would feel more comfortable using a handwritten or normal signature,"
said Rep. Peter Sessions, a Texas Republican.
The bill would still require the cancellation of critical services like
power, water and gas to still come on paper to carry their full force.
That would also include court orders, eviction notices, cancellation of
health or life insurance, product recalls and paperwork to accompany
shipments of hazardous materials.
However, the average consumer won't likely be able to immediately go on
the Internet and complete entire transactions as the software and other
necessary technologies are not widely available yet, according to industry
experts.
``Operational implementation will take a while," said Mario Houthooft,
president and chief executive officer of VASCO Data Security International
Inc., a firm that offers authentication solutions.
``The first people that will use it will be the businesses, primarily the
financial industry," he said.
VASCO, serving more than 130 financial institutions in over 45 countries,
sells so-called Digipass authentication devices to about four million
users that can provide authentication as well as digital signatures.
Financial institutions will be able to seek certain exemptions from
federal regulators from some of the consumer consent requirements under
limited circumstances.
One consumer watchdog urged consumers to be wary when signing documents
electronically.
``You should always be careful and cautious before you sign your name on
the digital line," Frank Torres, legislative counsel for Consumers Union,
said in a statement.
Once final approval is reached and Clinton signs the measure, the
Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act would take
effect Oct. 1, apart from the electronic record-keeping provisions.
House Committee OKs Anti-spam Bill
Federal anti-spam legislation passed a key test today, as the House
Commerce Committee voted to approve a bill limiting junk email.
The Unsolicited Electronic Email Act would place restrictions on email
marketers. Those limits include requiring spam to include a valid reply
address and forcing people and companies to stop spamming upon request.
"This legislation weeds out fraudulent spam and eliminates the burden" of
deleting unwanted email, Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, said in a statement.
Green co-wrote the bill with Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M.
Despite numerous attempts, Congress has so far failed to enact anti-spam
legislation. While many states have passed laws limiting unsolicited bulk
email, early legal tests have gone against them. Courts have so far struck
down two anti-spam laws, citing constitutional limits on the states'
ability to regulate interstate commerce.
Spam watchers said the bill stands a good chance of success as it moves
toward a full vote in the House and a reconciliation with a companion bill
in the Senate. The committee approved the bill by a unanimous voice vote
today.
Ray Everett-Church, chief privacy officer at AllAdvantage.com, an Internet
company that pays consumers to surf the Web, said the bill has a broad
coalition of backers and has bipartisan backing in both the House and the
Senate.
"This legislation has a lot of support from industry, from Internet
service providers and from consumer groups," he said, adding that some
marketing companies oppose it.
The Direct Marketing Association did not immediately return phone calls
seeking comment.
Microsoft Launches New Windows for Smaller Devices
Microsoft Corp. on Thursday rolled out a new version of its operating
system for handheld computers and other devices, offering more features and
lower prices in an escalating assault on rival Palm Inc.
Windows CE 3.0, the third incarnation of the platform, boasts new
consumer-oriented features such as new software for surfing the Internet,
running graphics, and listening to digital music, Microsoft said.
Microsoft is also wooing developers with a new suite of tools to write
programs for Windows CE and by revealing parts of the source code -- an
unusual move by the software giant, which is fighting a federal judge's
order to open more of the code to its Windows software for personal
computers.
``Our hope for where Windows CE will go is what is now most visible --
handhelds and Internet appliances, and also retail point-of-sales and
industrial automation, said Deanne Hoppe, product manager for Microsoft's
embedded and appliance platforms group.
``We're hoping it will continue to be adopted more broadly, Hoppe said in
an interview.
Microsoft has been trying to catch up to Santa Clara, Calif.-based Palm,
maker of the Palm Pilot line of personal digital assistants that claim
about 70 percent of the market.
The new version of Windows CE is already powering Microsoft's Pocket PCs --
handheld devices made by computing giants like Compaq Computer Corp.
and Hewlett-Packard Co. to challenge Palm's dominance.
The new Windows CE will also be more ``componentized -- jargon for making
programs more flexible by breaking their functions down into distinct parts
that developers can mix and match.
That will make it easier to stuff the software into devices like mobile
telephones, interactive cable television set-top boxes, car dashboards and
even unlikely places such as gasoline pumps and kitchen appliances.
Previous versions of CE were widely criticized for taking up too much space
to work well with or fit inside smaller devices that have severe limits on
memory and processing power.
Opening up parts of the source code will also help developers adapt the
software to a range of devices that have vastly different hardware innards
-- a fact that slowed earlier rollouts of CE, Hoppe said.
``That was something that a lot of customers and developers asked us to do.
By giving them this, we believe it will help get more devices to market in
quicker time, Hoppe said.
Palm's operating system is open source, meaning anyone can pick it apart
and write programs for it. One of the biggest selling points for the
company's devices is that thousands of third-party applications, from
scientific calculators to diet planners, can be found online for little or
no charge.
Microsoft is also hoping to compete on price, saying it will license CE at
discounts of up to 50 percent depending on the length and volume of a
contract.
``Given that CE has been less than enthusiastically accepted, those are the
kind of things you'd expect -- price discounts to get market share and
opening the source code, said David Smith, an analyst with Gartner Group,
a consulting firm.
Programmers Prepare New, Free MP3 Format
Worried about steadily rising royalty fees for online MP3 music companies,
a group of open-source developers has created a new music format they say
will be free and will equal or better MP3's quality.
Dubbed "Vorbis," the open-source project is being led by programmers at
CMGI's iCast. It is scheduled be unveiled in beta form at next week's
MP3.com summit in San Diego. It will be released to the Web without
intellectual property restrictions, which means software companies,
Internet radio firms and music sellers can use the format without paying
patent holders a dime.
That's different from MP3 itself, the most popular type of downloadable
music files on the Web. In the technology's early days, no royalty
payments were collected. But the German research institute that helped
created the format is beginning to collect its dues, charging companies
that create MP3 software and hardware or sell MP3 downloads. Next year it
will begin charging Webcasters, it says.
"People think MP3 is free, but it's not," said Jack Moffitt, the
22-year-old iCast vice president who is overseeing the open-format effort.
CMGI and iCast won't see any revenues directly from the sale and use of
the format. But the open-source effort is likely to pay for itself if
iCast can switch its Web radio service into the Vorbis format and avoid
paying MP3 royalty fees, Moffitt says.
Vorbis will hit a market where older music formats have already
established themselves, possibly making it difficult for even a free
version to gain traction. MP3 is the dominant format for Web surfers
seeking free downloads. But Microsoft's Windows Media format is beginning
to gain acceptance by record companies and other firms seeking a more
secure format. Liquid Audio's format is used for some secure music
downloads, and RealNetworks' technology is used for much of the streaming
audio on the Web.
The Vorbis project dates back several years to when lead programmer
Christopher Montgomery was still in graduate school.
Montgomery and several other open-source music developers have recently
been hired by iCast, which has agreed to fund the project.
"We're hiring as many of the superstars of the community as possible,"
Moffitt said.
Moffitt, who is overseeing the project, is himself the creator of the
open-source Icecast, a streaming MP3 technology similar to Nullsoft's
Shoutcast, now owned by America Online. He came to iCast last year when
the company acquired Net radio firm Green Witch.
iCast and other Webcasting companies are facing potentially steep hikes in
their operating costs next year, a looming fact that has helped drive the
Vorbis effort.
Much of the technology underlying the MP3 music format is patented by the
Fraunhofer institute in Germany, a sprawling research organization that
counts audio technology as just one of dozens of disparate interests. The
institute has licensed its rights to Thomson Multimedia, which is in
charge of collecting the patent royalties.
And those royalties can add up. MP3 download companies are required to pay
1 percent of the price charged to the listener per song, with a $15,000
minimum. MP3 hardware companies must pay 50 cents per unit shipped, also
with a $15,000 annual minimum.
The biggest effect has likely been on software companies trying to make
free MP3 encoders--a difficult task given that the company must pay
Thomson $5 per unit. That means companies such as MusicMatch that
distribute free MP3-based CD "rippers," which allow people to convert CDs
and translate them into digital file formats, are actually suffering
considerable financial drain with every download.
Some free rippers have developed in the open-source community, such as the
LAME (which originally stood for Lame Ain't an MP3 Encoder) program. This
is distributed as code that must be "compiled" into a working software
program, allowing it to exist in a legal gray area.
Thomson plans to start charging Webcasters on behalf of Fraunhofer
beginning next year. But it hasn't yet figured out how much or how it will
levy the fees, according to Henri Linde, vice president of new business.
Thomson's MP3 licensing Web site indicates the model is likely to be
similar to those for the other businesses.
"We do not charge royalties for MP3 streaming or MP3 broadcasting (e.g.,
Internet Radio) until the end of the year 2000," the site says. "Beyond
this date we anticipate to charge a small annual minimum and a percentage
of revenue."
The Vorbis project will need to win the support both of online music
companies and consumers--many of whom have already built extensive MP3
libraries--if it is to make a dent in the marketplace.
But that work is already under way, the programmers say. Plug-ins have
been written for many of the most popular MP3 players, such as Winamp,
Freeamp and Sonique. The companies hope to see the plug-ins find their way
into the most basic download of these players, helping the format
A representative for Lycos, which owns Sonique, said the company had seen
the Vorbis plug-in and called it "really well done."
iCast will certainly be among the first to adopt the technology, as it is
being developed in-house. But other online radio music-streaming companies
said they also were open to the idea.
"We're always looking for a low-cost alternative," said Keith Crosley,
marketing director for WiredPlanet.com, which streams MP3 songs. "I think
everyone in the online music space will be following the open-source
efforts very closely."
Can Microsoft's WebTV Handle the New Competition?
America Online's AOLTV may not have blockbuster sales out of the gate, but
analysts say it will provide an immediate shake-up to the interactive TV
market.
Although not clearly superior to existing interactive TV offerings,
analysts say AOLTV is poised to have a significant effect on the market
because of its track record with its online service for PC users and its
relationship with cable provider Time Warner, as well as because no
existing service has a lock on the market.
"Right now, the market is pretty wide open," said Ken Smiley, an analyst
with Giga Information Group. "I think there's plenty of room for a lot of
devices from a lot of manufacturers, providing a lot of different
services."
But the online service company is not assured of instant or widespread
success in the market, which has thus far been marked by a complex network
of relationships, delayed product launches, and products that customers
and analysts say have failed to live up to the hype.
Many companies are targeting the television as one of the future access
points for home Internet use, along with wireless handheld devices, Web
tablets and other Net appliances. This market is expected to grow from 11
million units shipped in 1999 to 89 million units in 2004. The market will
grow from revenues of $2.4 billion last year to $17.8 billion in 2004.
Like Microsoft's WebTV, AOLTV will come in the form of a set-top box
manufactured by Philips Electronics and will be available at retail stores
such as Circuit City. It will be capable of offering dial-up Internet
access, online content, some enhanced TV features such as e-commerce, and
some digital video recording through its partnership with TiVo.
"They seem to be rolling out a product similar to what WebTV was doing a
couple of years ago," said Jim Penhune, an analyst with The Yankee Group.
"A standalone box with a dial-up modem built by Philips."
Eventually, both WebTV and AOLTV are expected to offer broadband, or
high-speed, Internet access, in addition to more sophisticated e-commerce
and interactive content features. They will face competition from upcoming
and existing game consoles and from digital cable set-top boxes.
"All this discussion of AOLTV is starting to reinvigorate the category,"
said Rob Schoeben, director of marketing for WebTV, who added that he has
not yet seen AOL's service. "There is more interest in interactive
television, and as the leading product we benefit from that."
WebTV is widely seen as the market leader, but analysts say the service
has made numerous missteps in the past few years and has failed to turn
hype into notable subscriber growth. Its customers have complained for
years about slow upgrades to support standard Web technologies such as
Java and RealNetworks' newer media players. Microsoft's service also has
dealt with an aborted attempt to include banner advertisements on email
pages.
WebTV has about 1 million customers, more than any other interactive TV
service, but it is clearly not living up to the hype of its initial
launch--or its 1997 acquisition by Microsoft, Giga's Smiley said.
"WebTV has the largest market share at this point, but not so large it
couldn't be overtaken by someone else," he said. "Even if WebTV has
dominance in the type of set-top box they have today, there's no
indication that they're going to dominate the market."
The Microsoft-owned service has made several attempts to reposition itself
as a provider of "enhanced television" rather than as a low-cost Internet
service provider, most recently with the launch of Ultimate TV, a high-end
digital video recorder and satellite TV receiver offered in partnership
with DirecTV, also an AOL
ally.
Initially marketed as a low-end way to access limited Web content, WebTV's
early strategy was blown out of the water by dramatic price drops in
computers and the resulting increase in PC purchases, Yankee's Penhune
said.
"Microsoft bought WebTV when the idea of a standalone terminal seemed to
be interesting," Penhune said. "But that TV-based Internet appliance model
has failed to materialize because PC prices fell to comparable levels, and
it wasn't clear that being able to offer Internet over TV was a compelling
service."
The software maker hasn't placed all its bets with WebTV. It has deals
with cable providers such as AT&T to put its Windows CE-based interactive
TV software on upcoming digital cable set-top boxes. It also has agreements
with satellite providers, including DirecTV and Echostar.
"Microsoft's whole position in this market is hard to interpret, because it
crosses over a lot of services and devices," said Penhune.
The battle is not simply a contest between Microsoft and AOL. Numerous
companies are vying for solid footing in the interactive TV market.
Chipmaker National Semiconductor, for example, has prototype designs of
all-in-one DVD and digital video recorders in the works. And Sony has said
it sees its upcoming PlayStation 2 as a digital hub for its home
entertainment and content products.
All of the players will need to offer more than just broadband Internet
access through television, which Microsoft and AOL will be able to do
through their relationships with AT&T and Time Warner, respectively. As AOL
has proven in the PC market, access must be married with compelling content
to draw paying subscribers.
Sony, which has a movie studio and record label, will be in an enviable
position to offer such a marriage, Giga's Smiley said, when it adds
broadband Internet access to the PlayStation 2.
"Access alone isn't going to cut it--you need content, too," he said. "What
more is Sony going to start offering down that pipe in the future? It won't
just look like a game console."
Richard Doherty, president of the Envisioneering Group consultancy, also
said Sony has eyes for the market but that the company has a ways to go.
"Sony has been painting amazing pictures of a rich interactive world, but
that's going to take awhile to do," he said.
But according to WebTV's Schoeben, software, not content, will make the
difference in attracting people. He notes that AOLTV uses proprietary
technology, which means content developers and broadcasters must develop
specific versions of their services for AOLTV.
Other game console makers, including Microsoft, Sega and Nintendo, have
said they will offer online access through TV game consoles, which will
also compete with AOLTV, according to Doherty. He agrees that AOL will have
the edge because of existing relationships with broadcasters and content
providers.
"Microsoft is very good with distribution, but they don't have a fraction
of the content that AOL has," he said.
Wozniak Named to Inventors Hall of Fame
Steve Wozniak, who founded Apple in 1976 with Steve Jobs, has been named
to the Inventors Hall of Fame for his contributions to a broad range of
technologies, a selection committee announced Thursday. According to an
AP story, the Apple II "brought together all the elements of the modern
personal computer."
After founding Apple, Wozniak, often known simply as Woz, served as
vice-president of research and development from 1976-1985. In 1985, he
was awarded the National Medal of Technology. At the Tech Museum in San
Jose, Woz recently celebrated the release of his updated biography
written by Martha Kendall. It's entitled "Steve Wozniak, Inventor of the
Apple Computer." You can learn more about the book -- and the man himself
at http://www.woz.org/.
Others named to the Inventors Hall of Fame were Walt Disney, who patented,
in 1940, a special camera for filming animation; Alfred and Helen Free, who
produced an easy self-test for use by diabetics in the late 1950s; Reginald
Fessenden for his 1902 inventions related to wireless radio; William Kroll,
who developed a method for manufacturing titanium and zirconium in 1940;
and J. Franklin Hyde for his 1942 invention of an ultra-pure, high-quality
glass used in fiber optics and spacecraft windows. Helen Free and Wozniak
are the only two living honorees, according to the AP story.
The hall of fame was created in 1973 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Attorneys.
=~=~=~=
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