Google lets users overlay data on personalized maps
Google will introduce a new feature that lets users create personalized maps which plot the locations of everything from cheap gas locally to the latest earthquakes worldwide. MyMaps, as the new feature is known, allows consumers to select from more than one hundred mini-applications created by independent software developers. These allow users to overlay data on top of Google's popular online map service. Visitors to http://maps.google.com will find a new tab that contains links to dozens of the mini-applications, which Google calls Maplets. One map application allows users to watch YouTube videos based on the locations where they are uploaded. One could switch from the video confessions of a teenager in Ohio to tourist videos shot in the Andes mountains of South America. Among the applications created by software developers over the past month are programs that allow users to link famous photos taken in locations around the world to Google Maps. Alternately, photos that have location information on the Flickr photo sharing service can be found on a Flickr Maps application. Users can map local real estate prices, plot hotels or locate the cheapest gas station nearby.

AOL to pay $3M, reform cancel policies
Averting a looming court battle over how it has been handling the exodus from its Internet dial-up service, AOL has agreed to make it easier for its remaining customers to leave as part of a $3 million settlement with 48 states and the District of Columbia. The resolution announced Wednesday was driven by a deluge of complaints from AOL customers who said they tried to close their accounts, only to be thwarted in their attempts or discover they were still being billed for services that they thought had been canceled. The outcry triggered a multistate investigation that would have culminated in a lawsuit if AOL hadn't agreed to ante up and to change its ways. California was among the states that played a leading role in the settlement. New York and Florida were the only states that didn't participate in the inquiry. AOL, the Internet division of Time Warner Inc., didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement. The Dulles, Va.-based company said the investigation involved a tiny fraction of the cancellation requests that it has fielded through the years. As part of the settlement, AOL agreed to set up an online channel to process customer cancellations. Although it has long been one of the Internet's best-known companies, AOL had previously required customers to make their cancellation requests by fax, mail or telephone. Subscribers who phoned AOL to cancel their service sometimes were greeted by aggressive customer service representatives who were paid bonuses of up to $3,000 if they found a way to retain the business, according to the multistate settlement. Customers complained that AOL's incentive system created an obstructive culture that made service cancellations difficult. "Consumers who called were put on hold or transferred repeatedly until they hung up in disgust.

Microsoft and Google muscle into healthcare
Google and Microsoft are about to have a "significant impact" on the healthcare sector. Aware that many internet searches are health related, the two web giants are attempting to build a presence in the healthcare sector that will affect healthcare professionals and medical device manufacturers. Google's recent investment in genetic profiling company 23andMe, and Microsoft's purchase of intelligent medical search company Medstory, could lead to "highly disruptive" healthcare services. The first evidence of the internet's effect on healthcare has already become obvious to doctors who are now dealing with informed patients who have 'Googled' their symptoms. These web savvy patients could ultimately gain access to their genetic profile, and manage their health using an online patient record. Now there is emergence of a new health model that challenges some of the assumptions made by existing online healthcare providers and medical device manufacturers. This new model affects how diseases are diagnosed and the way healthcare is delivered and electronic health services are funded. While internet search firms derive most of their revenues from advertising, it is unlikely that they will be able to base online health on the same funding model. Advertising and healthcare do not mix well and this issue is already proving to be controversial.

Microsoft to Rent Disney Movies Via Xbox 360 Online Service
Microsoft said it struck a deal to make 35 Walt Disney movies, such as the animated hit "Aladdin" and the action title "Armageddon," available for download on its online videogame service. The high-definition movies will be available to U.S. subscribers of Microsoft's Xbox Live. The agreement with Disney-ABC Domestic Television will also allow Xbox 360 owners to rent films on demand as they become available from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films and Hollywood Pictures. Xbox Live already offers movies and television shows from more than two dozen other content providers, the company said. The service has more than seven million members, a figure that will hit 10 million by June. One title called "Scene it?" is a movie-trivia board game that Microsoft will sell with four simplified, large-buttoned wireless controllers. Microsoft's Xbox 360 was released in late 2005 and leads the current generation of console wars in the United States with 5.6 million units sold, according to the NPD Group, a market research company. World-wide, however, 11.6 million Xbox 360s have been sold, short of the company's target of 12 million units. Nintendo Co.'s Wii, which debuted in November, has sold 2.8 million units domestically, while the PlayStation 3 console from Sony Corp. was ranked third with 1.4 million consoles sold in the United States since its release late last year.

'Halo 3' called on to combat Xbox 360 woes
Microsoft is counting on the biggest weapon in its video-game arsenal, Halo 3, to boost the Xbox 360's fortunes after the company's warranty problems. At the company's event Tuesday on the eve of the E3 video game industry convention, Bungie Studios showed the first live footage from the second sequel in the best-selling sci-fi combat series. Halo 3, which arrives in stores Sept. 25, will come in three flavors: a $60 standard edition; $70 for a limited edition with a bonus making-of disc and art book; and $130 for a limited "Legendary" edition that comes in a Spartan military helmet case. The first two games in the Xbox-exclusive series have sold a total of nearly 15 million copies. Microsoft also will bring to market a special green-and-gold-finished Halo 3 Xbox 360 system with matching wireless controller, headset and 20GB hard drive (available in September, no price set). Microsoft also previewed two new popular-franchise entries with release dates sandwiching Halo 3's: Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Aug. 14) and Grand Theft Auto IV (Take Two Interactive, Oct. 16). Microsoft has a deal for exclusive GTA IV content to become available on the Xbox Live online service next spring.

Windows Live OneCare 2.0 (beta) released
Seven months after releasing the final version of Windows Live OneCare 1.5, Microsoft is today offering a Windows Live OneCare 2.0 beta for public testing. The existing Windows Live OnceCare 1.5 release includes sections for Protection Plus (which handles threats and malware), Performance Plus, and Backup and Restore. The new release adds home networking tools to the mix. Realizing that most home networks have an average of 2.5 computers, a typical OneCare license allows installation on three separate PCs. OneCare 2.0 adds the ability to monitor the security of two additional PCs from one network hub. In addition, OneCare 2.0 helps set up printer sharing among the connected OneCare protected PCs. Also new is network layer protection in the Windows Firewall, sensing settings appropriate for the home environment and then changing those settings when you take your laptop out to a public network. OneCare 2.0 includes a network wizard to help you set up and maintain security on a wireless home network. If your router is one supported by OneCare, you can enable encryption on any of your connected PCs through OneCare. Enhancements to PC performance include the ability for OneCare to clear a jammed print job from the print queue, repair a compromised IE host file from outside changes, or enable System Restore if that feature has been disabled. There's also a Start Time Optimizer which looks at applications in your Start folder and determines which applications, based on usage, you can safely remove. Enhancements to OneCare's backup include centralized backup to one of the networked computers in your home.

Democrats criticize AT&T's exclusive iPhone deal
AT&T's exclusive right to sell on the Apple iPhone drew complaints on Wednesday from Democratic politicians, though it was unclear whether they were planning to do anything about it. "The problem with the iPhone is that the iPhone with AT&T is kind of like Hotel California service," Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey said during a hearing. "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." Even though the hearing before the House of Representatives subcommittee on the Internet was supposed to be about "wireless innovation and consumer protection," the iPhone popped up among Democrats as a subject of criticism--and, among Republicans, as an example of the free market and consumer choice in action. Neither Apple nor AT&T testified at the hearing. To be clear, there are no proposed laws, or even talk of proposed laws, that would forcibly divorce Apple from AT&T. The wireless carrier reportedly has an exclusive deal to sell the iPhone in the United States for the next five years. Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, the top Republican on the subcommittee, said of the iPhone: "Its early success is an indication that the wireless market is in fact working. That iPhone is the newest mousetrap and now other carriers will be working to top it." A more likely possibility is for federal regulators to require an open network standard (that would permit all sorts of mobile devices from all kinds of companies to operate) when some of the valuable slice of spectrum known as the 700 MHz band is auctioned off early next year.

Online video created for Mercedes-Benz
DaimlerChrysler the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, is set to launch Internet-based video channels with the latest on new products and details on the company's history. Debuting Thursday, Mercedes-Benz TV will feature a weekly 20-minute news magazine and five channels each running an hour's worth of material 24 hours a day with topics on lifestyles; cars; engines and sports; history; and automotive legends. It will also showcase Mercedes-Benz events at world auto shows and the premieres of new models live. Viewers can either join the programs in progress or bring them up on demand. Shows will be in English and German. Buyers of Mercedes-Benz cars tend to be a loyal bunch and the famous brand's German-American owner, DaimlerChrysler, has never been shy about providing information and accessories for those who shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars for the upscale luxury cars. "Mercedes-Benz TV opens up a new and very emotional communication channel for our customers and anyone interested in the brand," said Olaf Goettgens, the vice president of brand communications for Mercedes-Benz. The first broadcast of the weekly news magazine will be accompanied by a prime-time presentation of "Power Meets Fashion" — an event carried live from the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. The big draw of the show? Race car drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Klaus Ludwig, will take vintage and new Mercedes for a spin on a closed course between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column in the German capital.

Consumers switch on to internet-connected TV
Almost two-thirds of consumers want their televisions to link to the internet. Home networking will migrate beyond its PC-centric beginnings in line with these technology desires, and incorporate a variety of entertainment-oriented consumer electronics devices. These devices are expected to include DVD recorders, cable modems, digital televisions, multi-room digital video recorders, digital media adapters, set-top boxes and games consoles. Shipments of network-equipped devices, along with consumer PCs. A consumer-demand survey found that 61% of respondents 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that they wanted the ability to network the internet to their televisions. Male respondents showed the stronger interest, with 71% indicating that they agreed' or 'strongly agreed'. Wi-Fi is expected to become the most common network physical interface for such products by 2011, followed by Cat 5, powerline and coax.

Nokia Puts Skype on Handsets
Mobile-phone giant Nokia said that it would add Skype Internet telephony service to a new smart phone. The world's largest mobile handset maker by shipments will for the first time make a Skype installation link available on a phone. Users of the N800 Internet Tablet device will be able to make phone calls over wireless Internet connections, often called Wi-Fi, rather than traditional radio networks. Internet telephony services, such as Skype and Vonage Holdings Corp., now compete with the traditional fixed-line phone market, eating into revenues of companies such as France Telecom. With Internet telephony now becoming available on mobile phones, some analysts predict that mobile phone operators, such as Vodafone Group, could see a fall in call revenues. However, mobile operators at the same time are investigating ways to offer cheaper calls to customers, including Internet telephony.

5 Years In Jail For Stealing Customer Information
A business software consultant who stole identifying information on more than 110,000 people from the insurance company he was working for was sentenced to five years in federal prison this week. Binyamin Schwartz, 28, of Oak Park, Mich., was sentenced to 60 months on charges of identity theft, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, and wire fraud. According to a report from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Schwartz admitted to investigators that he stole Social Security numbers and related information from two databases within Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance Company while he was working as a consultant for them, developing business software. The government reported that Schwartz sold information on about 70 customers to one buyer before he was caught when attempting to sell the stolen information to an undercover Secret Service agent. Schwartz initially offered to sell the names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth for 36,000 people for $25,000 in cash to the agent on June 6, 2006. He negotiated the sale of the information over the Internet using an assumed identity. On June 22, 2006, Schwartz flew to Nashville, Tenn., from Detroit to exchange the information for the payment. Once in Nashville, he was arrested by Secret Service agents. At the time of his arrest, Schwartz had another database with him containing the same type of information for approximately 75,000 more people, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Most attacks are planned in advance. At the time of the incident, 59% were former employees or contractors, while 41% were still on the company clock, and 86% were employed in a technical position.

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