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Google’s Lively vs IBM Metaverse and Second Life Virtual World

There is a new player in the Virtual World game and this time it comes from Google in the shape of something Lively, how will this new service from Google compare to IBM’s Metaverse and Second Life?

Second Life may not be the best designed Virtual World but it was at the right place at the right time, it became very popular fast and also received a lot of bad press.

The business and enterprise use of Second Life has been clear all along, although we have seen vandalism in Second Life just like you would in the real world.

IBM’s virtual world engine was designed with something different in mind and is aimed for corporate use, it can provide what Second Life cannot and that’s real secure conversation for businesses.

Where will Google Lively stand in all this and does it have any use for enterprise? Larry Dignan on ZDNet blogs aims to find out in his article about the big three key players in the Virtual World.

Google has taken the Virtual World to another level as it does with many products and services it launches, they will let you furnish your virtual room and dress up your avatar in expression with a new dimension.

Read Larry Dignan’s post on enterprise use for these Virtual worlds.

Is judge ordering Google to violate privacy law in Viacom case?

The outcome of the Viacom vs Google’s YouTube is still unclear but what’s even more confusing is how a judge could order Google to violate existing privacy law, according to some legal experts.

We reported a couple of days ago about the $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube and how users may worry where their personal information ends up.

Google is very willing to help in this matter but did state that it will ask Viacom to respect users’ privacy, but can we trust that this information will never be used in the future and how can we tell if it has?

YouTube just might have to turnover its viewing logs to Viacom, we understand why they want this information but the privacy aspects involved can be far reaching.

Viacom say they do not want any personally identifiable information but this is just what the court has ordered Google to hand over in the form of log files. If the judge is ordering Google to violate a privacy law the in Viacom case, how is this possible and what could the outcome be?

The truth will be that its near impossible to ever prove how someone has attained your personal information and if this involves the end user being accused of copyright infringement, proving these records weren’t used is near impossible.

Should YouTube give this information and if the logs are anonymized, will YouTube users be happy with that?

Viacom and the YouTube privacy problem

YouTube is an amazing site and one that has changed the way web users watch videos; people will now listen to music by playing different YouTube videos on their home computers and on the move via cell phones like the Apple iPhone.

Today we hear that a U.S. judge has ordered Google Inc to hand over YouTube user data to Viacom Inc, this has caused outcry from some web users because of privacy fears.

Viacom owns MTV Networks and Paramount and they are currently in the middle of a $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube.

What would worry some YouTube users is the fact that the Southern District of New York Judge wants information on users IP addresses, what videos they watched, usernames of YouTube viewers and more for evidence.

The difficult part is being able to ensure personally identifiable information is secure and to comply with the court order, some blogs are claiming that this order will violate the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act.

Viacom has said in a statement that they have no plans on identifying individual users and just want to show video piracy patterns in the court case against YouTube.

Source: Read

New drive laws show record sales for Bluetooth headsets

As we all know there are now new driving laws out, which means that if you are found to be talking on your cell phone while driving, there will be heavy penalties to pay.

This new law has seen an increase on Bluetooth headset sales, especially from Plantronics, as drivers are going made trying to snap up one of these Bluetooth headsets, just to comply with the new laws which came into effect in California and Washington State on July 1.

As sales have now increased, Verizon Wireless store in San Mateo, Calif. has had to add a whole new section just for these headsets. Aari Jethmal, Verizon Wireless store manager has said “The shelves have been cleared and restocked and cleared and restocked.”

The new law which stipulates if you drive while talking on your handheld cell phone, you will then face stiff penalties.

Plantronics along with other Bluetooth headset makers has welcomed this new law, this headsets used to be in low demand but it just shows how one law can change the fortunes of a gadget.

Source

Kroger ground beef recall could affect July 4 barbecues

As we all know it will be July 4 tomorrow, so many people will want to celebrate Independence Day by firing up their barbecues. Well some grills might look a little empty this year as a result of the Kroger ground beef recall, and news has just come in that the recall has now expanded to 20 states across the U.S.

The Kroger Co. has had to issue this voluntary recall of some of their ground beef products, as the meat may be contaminated with E. coli. The grocer, who is the largest in the U.S., has asked for all customers to check their ground beef in their refrigerators and freezers, just to see if it is covered by this recall.

The Kroger Co. had to issue this voluntary recall following a federal investigation, where investigators had to try and pinpoint the source of a salmonella outbreak, which was separate case. That outbreak was linked to tomatoes where almost 900 people become ill; this has now raised more questions as to the safety of the food that we eat.

Investigators still maintain that the tomatoes are the leading suspect however; they are looking at other produce, but they have not yet commented as to which vegetables they are looking at.

Ok this beef recall could not have come at a worse time, the thing is people would have already had their beef products for their BBQ’s and now have to send it back to the store. Now you have to wonder if there will be enough beef left on shelves as people try to replace what they had.

Source

Microsoft looks at Powerset after Yahoo setback

Microsoft are not a company that spends to long licking its wounds, not long after the whole Yahoo saga, the software giant is now looking towards a new deal to buy semantic search engine Powerset. Microsoft are doing all they can to try and close the gap between themselves and Google. It looks as though Microsoft will stop at nothing to become the biggest search engine.

Microsoft has said that by purchasing Powerset, they will be able to deliver a smarter way of searching the web. Powerset is a totally different search engine to one that Microsoft use, they use “semantic Web” technology which brings up results that is based on an understanding of a words meaning, as well as the context of its use. This is a totally different concept to most other search engines like Google and Yahoo; they work by primarily matching words in queries to those on a web page.

Microsoft announced the news of this new deal on July 1 and has said that they share the same vision as Powerset. Early reports say that Microsoft has offered more than $100 million in order to acquire the company; however there is no official news on how much Microsoft will end up paying for Powerset.

If the deal does go through then this could be just what Microsoft need to try and close the gap on rivals Google, in some areas search engines like Powerset outperform the likes of Google. Microsoft is in a good position as Google will find it very hard to replicate the same results as Powerset. However; Microsoft has to make sure that they do not take any shortcuts; they will have to build everything from scratch.

Google has already hired some semantic search experts, in the hope of developing this technology for themselves, looks as though Microsoft is about to get the jump on them.

Do you think Sony PS3 is main reason for Blu-ray sales?

A new 2008 annual report by The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) has recently been released that shows the most trends in video gaming, TV and home video segments which reveals that video game publishers are indeed closing in on the huge revenue of stagnating home video sales.

When you look closely back at 2006 it looked like Blu-ray was the losing HD format, but this was all turned around thanks to the Sony PS3 in 2007 and now in 2008 things seem to be much stronger. Microsoft in fact sold around 316,000 and of course what many would say “Useless” HD DVD add-ons for its Xbox 360 gaming console, an average person would say spend around $310 on movie and game entertainment per year. This 2008 annual report of the EMA is quite confusing and long winded and definitely comprehensive to say the least, 32 pages long may be boring to some but to others quite interesting.

We as consumers spend so much money on home video and most of us prefer Blu-ray over any other format, personally Blu-ray is what I always buy because you get better sound quality and picture quality also. Of the $310 total an average person would be spending $116 goes to home videos, $56 goes to consumer Internet content, $52 spent on music, $37 to the box office, video games only $36 and $13 to mobile content. Blu-ray sales has increased to a staggering amount over the last year and we all remember not so long ago the format war was hot, the victor of course turned out to be Blu-ray, personally we say the high sales of Blu-ray has to be down to the Sony PS3.

What do you think; do you think that the PS3 has boosted Blu-ray sales?

Read the full report over at TG Daily here.

Adobe’s Google and Yahoo agreement: Search engines will see Adobe Flash-created content

This is breaking news and very good news at that, Adobe has new software that will make flash-created content more noticeable by search engines like Yahoo and Google. At the moment it seems that search engines like Google and Yahoo and other Web-search tools cannot easily recognize pages that have Flash-created images.

Many times we have searched the web to buy something and we end up seeing graphics built with Adobe Systems’ Flash software, have fun finding the exact product with a search engine, though. Because it seems Google and other Web-search tools can’t. Well Adobe has announced that they are taking steps to solve those problems, Adobe are providing Google and Yahoo with software that will makes these pages inside flash-powered sites show up much higher in search results, it will infuse those results with a much better result leading you to what you are really looking for much more easier and of course with more relevant details.

Adobe’s moves include providing Flash software that is more attractive to Web site developers and of course to persuade more consumers to visit its customers’ sites, Adobe’s Google and Yahoo agreement will be very competitive and is surely a smack in the face for Microsoft, who indeed makes web software that competes with Adobe’s. Just so you know flash sites often contain ads, sell products, promotes movies and much more, so the most important thing that should happen for the creators is for sites to show up where consumers are clicking.

So with Adobe providing Google and Yahoo with this all new software code and a very special version of its flash player, one that can expose the what-used-to-be hidden flash-content now seems a thing of the past.

Read the uncloaking ‘invisible’ Flash Web content over at CNET

Rhapsody New DRM free MP3 store available on Verizon phones

The music companies have been doing their best to protect the music for their artists and the record labels profit, DRM copy protection on digital music was meant to help this but today we see Rhapsody have launched a DRM-free MP3 store. To promote this new service, Rhapsody is giving the first 100,000 people to sign-up a free album until July 4th.

The stores MP3s cost $9.99 per album and $.99 per track, they are encoded in 256kpbs CBR and this is near CD quality. As this music is DRM free you are able to copy it to CDs, PCs, iPods and other media as many times as you like. Does this show that DRM copy protection on digital music is on its way out?

If you are with the Verizon Wireless service, then you can download the music to your phone thanks to versions of the Rhapsody store being on them phones. With Rhapsody following in Amazon’s footsteps, could we be that much closer to a DRM copy protection free future?

You cannot doubt that iTunes is still massive, but how long can Apple keep copy protection up when other big names are not. This should send thousands of music lovers away from iTunes, but in the real world could that really happen to the amount that makes iTunes go DRM free.

If you are a Verizon Wireless phone owner, will you download music DMR free and will iTunes users want DRM free music? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Visit rhapsody.com/mp3 to see what the new store looks like and to get some DMR free action.

Microsoft Windows XP No Longer: Either love Vista or wait for Windows 7

Microsoft retires Windows XP; Microsoft has stopped making available Windows XP to large computer firms such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and even software retailers. There will be a few exceptions where Windows XP will in fact be unavailable to retail shoppers and computer makers; this is a big blow to some because it means forcing quite a few Microsoft PC users to migrate to Windows Vista OS, or if you hate Vista then having to wait to 2010 for Microsoft Windows 7.

This new move has been panned for months, they will continue to offer the operating system to system builders that is, small, independent PC makers, through July of next year. What we do like is the fact that Microsoft are still offering to make Windows XP available to builders of ultra-low-cost laptops and PCs, you know like Asus, they will do this until the end of 2010, Windows 7 will be out then. This has apparently been seen as an attempt to prevent the likes of Linux from being a more established beachhead in emerging markets. Also, some PC makers, including Dell (Dell), are giving customers continued access to XP for an indefinite period if they buy certain models of Vista-based computers. There is a loophole in Microsoft’s licensing terms that lets users of its most current operating system “downgrade” to a previous version at no additional cost. There are many hardcore users who love XP and they are not going to give up their beloved OS without a hard fight, there has been a petition to save XP which has been launched by a computer industry publication and has so far more than 210,000 online signatures.

Like I many users hate Windows Vista and love XP, XP is what I am using still and will continue to do so, the reason I hate Vista so much is because of its compatibility with older software. One thing is for sure and that is users will not sway away from XP anytime soon. Microsoft has said that they will extend support for the OS until 2014.

Apple Mac OS X 10.5.4 Leopard Software Update: Fixes many issues

Apple yesterday released the all new Mac OS X 10.5.4 which will fix a few issues with AirPort, Safari, iCal and Spaces & Exposé. AirPort has now been updated and now addresses the reliability issues with 5GHz networks and of course issues that would have possible resulted in slower performance in Logic Studio or MainStage.

What else will you expect to see with this update, well iCal has received updates for example fixing screen issues with the application that includes reliability for meeting requests, syncing with iPhone, cancellation notices and delegation, the update has also fixed an issue that will prevent deleting an iCal event without notifying the creator. iCal now includes a checkbox that addresses an issue in which events in all calendars affect availability, a checkbox now enables information-only calendars to be transparent from free/busy lookups, it will also resolve a UI issue preventing delegated calendars from showing up as a separate window, copying and pasting attendees from one event to another. iCal may not delete events after a specified time interval, even when set to do so in iCal preferences and will address an issue in which To Dos cannot be marked private.

The performance issues when trying to load secure web pages in Safari has now been resolved, the new update addresses a potential performance issue when loading secure web pages, resolves issues that may be encountered when accessing secure web pages and resolves with client certificates that reside on a smart card. Moving onto “Spaces and Exposé”, Spaces and Exposé has received a few updates also, an Exposé problem that may result in only a subset of windows being shown has been fixed, the Apple Mac OS X 10.5.4 Leopard update now addresses an issue in which switching from a space with a Finder window keeps the Finder as the active application instead of the application residing in the destination space, fixes an issue in which dragging an application from the list of application assignments in Spaces System Preferences does not assign the application to the desired space plus resolves an Exposé issue that may result in only a subset of windows being shown.

Improvements for L2TP VPN client reliability are also included within the update, you can learn more about the Mac OS X Software Update via Apple’s Website.

Rhapsody to launch assault on Apple iTunes: while embracing iPod

When it comes to digital downloads there is only one big boy in town for most people, and that is Apple iTunes. Will it looks like they are about to face an assault from the likes of Rhapsody, as this digital music reseller is about to launch a $50 million assault on Apple’s download service. Rhapsody will be offering songs available to download online via partners who include Yahoo Inc and Verizon Wireless.

According to Reuters, the songs which are available for download will be in MP3 format, so if you are using the Rhapsody service you will be able to play them on iPods. This is a new move from Rhapsody, as they only used to focus on a subscription service. This allowed people access to unlimited song streaming for $13 to $15 a month, unlike the download service which Apple does.

Rhapsody, which is jointly, owned by Real Networks Inc and Viacom Inc’s MTV Networks will have a tough time on their hands to take on the might that is iTunes. Rhapsody Vice President Neil Smith has said “The fact the service has not been compatible with Apple Inc’s top-selling iPod digital player has limited Rhapsody’s reach.” He also added “We’re no longer competing with the iPod, we’re embracing it.”

Rhapsody will have some great help along the way though, as it will be the music store back-end to MTV’s music Web sites as well as iLike, this is one of the most used applications that is used on the social networking site Facebook. Rhapsody will also be available on cell phones via the Verizon Wireless VCAST Music service; it looks as though Rhapsody is launching this assault on iTunes from every angle. If a buyer has purchased that song over-the-air on to their mobiles, they will then be able to transfer it on to their computer, which can then be transferred on to their MP3 player, or iPod.

Rhapsody is not the only player to try and launch an assault on Apple’s iTunes, who have a 70 percent-plus market share of U.S. digital music sales. Just last month Napstar launched an MP3 store, and last year Amazon.com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc both launched music download stores. However; as yet none of these has made a dent in the market share of iTunes, so will Rhapsody be any different.

Mozilla Firefox 3.1 alpha July, beta version August, final release 08 or early 09

We all know about the brand new Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and of course have downloaded it myself and must say it is great, well just weeks after the Firefox 3.0 the open-source developer has just put across new ship dates for the all new version, obviously if approved, they are hoping to produce an alpha release next month and the final no later than early 2009.

Mozilla are hoping to have the first Firefox 3.1 developer preview, or alpha, ready by July and then want to move to beta by august, A month ago, when Mozilla first started discussing Firefox 3.1 internally, the company’s vice president of engineering, Mike Schroepfer, said the upgrade’s target ship date was the end of 2008. Hopefully if Mozilla keeps with that plan Firefox 3.1 would be its first fast-track update of course with a development timeline much shorter than usual. The all new Firefox 3.1 will have so many new features that did not make it into the recent Firefox 3.0.

Some of the new improvements they hope to include into Firefox 3.1 are that of changes to the revamped book-marking that debuted in 3.0 plus some modifications to a brand new amped-up location bar. Some of the changes do in fact rely on improvements to the Gecko engine that underpins Firefox plus of course other applications, applications like Mozilla Messaging Thunderbird e-mail client, the devs are working on Gecko 1.9.1 at the same time as Mozilla Firefox 3.1.

Oh just a recap on Firefox 3.0 downloads, since the 17th of June launch more than 21.8 million copies of Firefox 3.0 were downloaded.

Source

No more headaches: Experimental Hand-held Magnetic Device Eases Migraines

Like myself I suffer from migraines and if you suffer the same you know that the pain is excruciating, leaving with you to put up with throbbing headaches, sickness and endless amounts of medication taking, the most practical thing to do nine times out of ten is to find a dark quite room and just wait it out till the pain goes. Migraine sufferers would love a drug-free solution to stop or ease the pain.

Well a new study claims that there may be at last a solution to the problem which may help some migraines, this solution is a brand new experimental hand-held transcranial magnetic stimulation device, apparently all you need to do is hold the device at the bottom of your head and it will ease symptoms, some volunteers have tested this device. The experimental treatment tool is found to alleviate symptoms of headache with aura, let me explain what a migraine is, migraines are basically cause by some abnormal brain activity which can be brought on by a number of things such as bad dieting, stress, these migraines are very painful indeed which leads to nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms.

The whole idea behind this brand new device is where patients will use it when they encounter the migraine’s aura phase, which is a visual disturbance that can occur before the headache begins. What is an Aura? Well in easy terms Auras include zigzag lines, flashing lights, experiencing temporary blind spots, visual hallucinations, blurred vision, and sensitivity to bright light or eye pain.

A little about the device itself: The new device is about the size of an average hairdryer and when put at the back of the head when you have migraine symptoms, the migraine sufferer will then push a button to administer the magnetic pulse, tests were carried out on volunteers and the study showed that the device eliminated the headache within two hours for 39 percent of volunteers, 22 percent in the placebo group said that they had no pain two hours later. The device was used by the participants twice per migraine episode within an hour of experiencing an aura.

Are you a migraine sufferer? If so please do tell us of your experiences.

Please read the full article here.

Internet Future: complete overhaul of the way people navigate

For years now the Internet has remained the same, but things could face a complete overall of how we navigate our way on the Internet after a crucial vote in Paris. The regulators of the Internet will vote to decide if the strict rules on top level domains can be relaxed, these include .com or .uk. If the vote is approved, then firms will be able to turn brands into web addresses, also individuals will be able to grab a unique domain which is based on their name.

Dr Paul Twomey, chief executive of Icann, has said to BBC News “We are making it open for anyone to apply in any character set, not just Roman characters.” This mean that under the new plan names written in Asian and Arabic languages would also be allowed. If this proposal was to go ahead then Twomey believes that this would be the biggest change in how the Internet works in decades.

Twomey went on to say “The impact of this will be different in different parts of the world. But it will allow groups, communities and business to express their identities online.” he also added Like the United States in the 19th Century, we are in the process of opening up new real estate, new land, and people will go out and claim parts of that land and use it for various reasons they have.”

Over the past few years Icann has been working hard to try and open up net addresses. Right now top level domains are only limited to individual countries, so if you live in the UK it will be an .uk, and if you live in Italy it will be an .it. Some companies do try and get around theses restriction, which means that they have to use the currant system to their own ends.

An example of this is from the Polynesia island nation Tuvalu; they have leased their .tv address to a number of television companies. So if these new plans do come of, then we could see a huge increase in the number of domains being registered. This means that any sting of letters could be registered as a domain under the new plans; however an independent arbitration process will be in place if people wish to object.

For a full video report on this just head over to BBC News

Search deal with Google over Microsoft: Yahoo’s Roy Bostock and Jerry Yang explain

Its been some time now since we had all the statements flying back and forth from Yahoo and Microsoft over the possible purchase of Yahoo, today we are hearing that Yahoo has issued a letter to its shareholders to explain why they have made recent decisions. In the letter Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and Chairman Roy Bostock explain in detail why they made a deal with Google over search and not with Microsoft.

The Washington Post have got the full letter that you can read by hitting the read link below this post, in a nutshell it seems that Google may have been the right deal and although Yahoo have steep fees now, they can decide to sell the Yahoo brand at a later date if thats convenient.

When we say Yahoo have done the right thing, we are taking into account they may be signing a search deal with Google to get Microsoft back to the table. Also the deal with Google could have been a way to make the stock market calm down a little and at least keep Yahoo share prices steady. Did this work?

Looking at the Yahoo share prices, this did not work and Yahoo has got to really make some tough decisions. Yahoo needs a Microsoft full buyout and Microsoft need Yahoo’s search business to have any real chance at taking some of Google’s market share.

This letter to shareholders confirms that Yahoo is sending a message to the market and Microsoft, as Washington Post put it, “If they want Yahoo’s search milk, they’re going to have to buy the cow”.

What have you made of Yahoo’s discussions with Microsoft regarding a potential transaction and where do you think this will be going?

Read the letter in full.

July: T-Mobile USA will offer to pay off your mortgage

As we know T-Mobile USA are now starting up a new home phone telephone service, and they are making a huge push to promote this. T-Mobile are doing all they can to sign people up to their new service, and you would not believe some of the promotions that they are offering. In July T-Mobile are offering to pay off your mortgage or take over your rent payments, not only that, they are also giving away two new homes.

The new service is called T-Mobile @Home and will be launched today June 25. What this service allows you to day is switch over their existing home phone numbers quickly, and then they will be able to start receiving calls over a broadband connection cheaper than before.

Many people will be thinking, “how come T-Mobile is late to the ball game on this”, Vonage (VG) pioneered this service back in 2001. When you look at this kind of service today, some of the big providers are already doing it like Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T). T-Mobile have a different goal for their new service, they do not wish to become a major force in a dwindling home phone services, T-Mobile what’s to deliver a blow to wireless competitors.

According to Business Week, the U.S. wireless market has been saturated, service providers in the business have to do what ever they can to steal customers from each other, and this is done by offering the best deals. Looking at T-Mobile’s deal, it seems as if they are offering the sweetest.

T-Mobile @Home at $10 per month is just half the price of Vonage’s lowest-priced plan, and when you think that an average telco phone-line user pays at least $65 per month, it seems that T-Mobile are certainly offering a sweet deal.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer Microsoft’s Unstoppable Team: until now

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer have been the driving force of Microsoft for the last 28 years and an unstoppable team, well that’s until now. Bill Gates turned to the job of chairman in January 2000 and let Steve Ballmer become CEO; now at the end of June we will see this partnership change again.

Gates day-to-day role at Microsoft will end but he has said he will spend 20% of his time working on Microsoft projects, with all successful businessmen, the work will become part of them. Some people have said Gates is retiring, I say to them “That will never happen”. He will take more of a back seat again, but will always have a foot in with the plans and direction of Microsoft, even at 20%.

With Steve Ballmer taking more control of Microsoft’s direction, is this the right choice?

When Gates ends the job as a full-time employee, we will see Ballmer run Microsoft for around another 10 years. Not only will he be 62 years old then but also he will be one of the longest running Fortune 500 CEOs. With the next 10 years being a true Web era and many of Microsoft’s products and services being build for this, does Ballmer have what it takes to keep Microsoft at the top?

The man has energy and loves competition; these are two very good traits for any Ceo, although some people who watch Microsoft closely think that Ballmer is not the right man and even say he has not made crucial decisions when they were needed. These include firing underperforming executives that were not hitting the goals Microsoft needs to hit.

The industry has changed a lot since 2000 and it does look like Microsoft has slipped a little when compared to Apple Inc and Google Inc, these two brands have made massive achievements compared to Microsoft of late.

Since Bill Gates disengaged himself from Microsoft, has it had an affect on their performance?

Source: Read

Crib Recall: Jardine Cribs recalled with fears of Strangulation and Entrapment Hazards

It is always scary for parents when they hear that there is a crib recall, no parent wants to hear that their crib that their baby is sleeping in are a potential danger. The latest crib recall is “Jardine Cribs”. Jardine Cribs are sold by Babies”R”Us and have been recalled due to Strangulation and Entrapment hazard, this is potential danger and this recall should be taken seriously.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission who are in cooperation with the firm named below announced yesterday that consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. There are apparently 320,000 units in circulation of the cribs; the manufacturers of these cribs are Jardine Enterprises, of Taipei, Taiwan. The main hazards of these cribs are the wooden crib slats and spindles which can break; when they break it will leave a gab which can be very dangerous indeed causing entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants.

So far there have been 42 incidents which ahs been caused by the crib slats and spindles breaking, so far four children have become entrapped in the space which was created by the broken spindles, two of the children suffered abrasions and bruising, more than one child hurt in my eyes in too many. The description Jardine wooden cribs come in various styles and finishes, we have put a lit down the page a bit, this list shows what ones are being recalled, you can find the model number of each crib on the inside of the bottom rail of the headboard or footboard. The cribs are sold at KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys “R” Us, and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide, and at babiesrus.com, from January 2002 through May 2008 for between $150 and $300, with one model, 0309K00 Mahogany Positano Lifetime Crib, which sold for $450 all are manufactured in China and Vietnam.

All consumers MUST stop using these cribs immediately, you can contact Jardine to receive a full credit toward the purchase of a new crib, here are the contact details, contact Jardine at (800) 646-4106 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET Saturday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.jardinecribrecall.com

The Full Recall List:
Model - Description - First Sold
BC-23 Drop Side Blue Spindle Crib 8/2004
BC-36B Drop Side Light Blue Spindle Crib 8/2005
BC-36G Drop Side Sage Spindle Crib 7/2005
BC-36P Drop Side Pink Spindle Crib 7/2005
BC-007 Hilton Drop Side Cherry Single Crib 1/2002
BC-010 Windsor Drop Side Cherry Flat Panel Crib 1/2002
BC-010C Windsor Drop Side Cherry Flat Panel Crib 11/2003
BC-010HP Windsor Drop Side Oak/Honey Pine Crib 11/2003
BC-010W Hilton Drop Side White Full Panel Crib 7/2002
BC-017 Windsor Drop Side Dark Pine Single Crib 1/2002
BC-107C Hilton Drop Side Cherry Single Crib 3/2005
BC-107CR Windsor Cherry Single Sleigh Crib 4/2007
BC-110C Berkley Drop Side Cherry Flat Panel Single Crib 3/2005
BC-110HP Windsor Drop Side Honey Pine/Honey Single Crib 3/2005
BC-110W Berkley Drop Side White Flat Panel Single Crib 3/2005
DA617BC Wicker 3-in-1 White Crib 1/2002
DA620BC Haven 3-in-1 Oak/Dark Pine Crib 5/2002
DA770BC 4-in-1 White Convertible Crib 1/2004
DV730N Natural Lifetime Crib 9/2003
DV730W White Lifetime Crib 8/2003
DV830-N Natural Lifetime Crib 11/2004
DV830-W White Lifetime Crib 11/2004
0113B00 Drop Side Natural Spindle Crib 7/2006
0113K00 Drop Side Mahogany Spindle Crib 6/2006
0303B00 Berkley Natural Lifetime Crib 9/2005
0303C00 Berkley White Lifetime Crib 8/2005
0303G00 Berkley Cherry Lifetime Crib 5/2005
0309K00 Positano Mahogany Lifetime Crib 4/2006

Source

Sony Pictures Crackle: visitor numbers for The Jace Hall Show hit web series

Launched on June 5, the original short-form comedy/interview show hosted by film, television and videogame producer Jace Hall attracted 500,000 visitors in its first two days alone – and the numbers haven’t showed signs of slowing down. Since the show’s launch success, the first two episodes and their outtakes have gone on to attract over one million viewers.

“Never before has there been such a clear and overwhelming sign that viewers are looking for cutting edge content on the internet,” said Crackle GM, Jonathan Shambroom. “Crackle has been able to take Jace Hall’s edgy and funny show and deliver it to a highly enthusiastic gaming and entertainment audience – and the result has been simply astounding.”

Mixing Hollywood glitz with gamer geekdom, The Jace Hall Show is a 13-part original series with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the hottest game developers and features rare interviews in which actors, musicians and athletes discuss their lives in context of the entertainment convergence world.

Part of the viewing frenzy at launch time was fueled by rumors and speculation around Hall’s “special glimpse” of the long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever video game – which he delivered in episode one. Episode two featured singer/actress Christina Milian as she challenged Jace’s gaming skills.

“The Jace Hall show is bringing something new to both gaming and casual audiences with fun lifestyle entertainment, which gives them a personal inside glimpse into the growing video game cultural phenomenon,” said Jason “Jace” Hall, Executive Producer and Host. “The fact that Crackle has been able to deliver this show as one of the most successful web series launches to date is proof there has been a thirst for this type of show and we’re excited to unveil the new episodes every week.”