Slashdot Mirror

theancient1 asks: "With malls already decorating for Christmas, it's time to start thinking about gifts. Since MP3 players are making their way onto more people's lists this year, I thought this would be an excellent time to get a round-up of the current state of SDMI with respect to current hardware. Are any players currently looking for a watermark within a standard MP3 file? What restrictions do current players have on what I do with my music? To what extent are the popular vendors caving to the demands of the recording industry? Numerous vendors are advertising their players as 'SDMI compliant to allow you to download music from major labels.' How can we get the message across that SDMI is not a feature without a price? I'm looking for some good Web resources for the average non-geek consumer."

Sean Fitzpatrick writes: "From this article on www.arizonarepublic.com: The future has been postponed, at least slightly. Bluetooth, the wireless technology to link computers, home entertainment appliances and other gadgets will not debut this summer as some manufacturers had hoped. Story at http://www.arizon arepublic.com/news/articles/0721bluetoothon.html (free registration required)." The registration isn't too onerous, but be warned: it's a short article. The upshot is that Bluetooth won't arrive to Jes' Folks until at least the (actual) turn of the century, according to Joyce Putscher, director of a an Arizona research firm called Cahners In-Stat Group, and "several [unnamed] manufacturers." A shame, but when was the last time cool technology arrived conspicously early? If wishes were horses, then we'd already have Bluetooth.

branvanman writes "Cahners In-Stat Group Expects Linux to Gain Popularity within the Telecom Industry" Apparently this is related to the fact Linux is more stable than NT.