The Richardson Media Report

Amazon's new, slimmed-down Kindle devices are notable for several things, not the least of which are the upgrades to their experimental WebKit browser. It's faster and easier to navigate, says Amazon, and its new "article mode" feature extracts the main text-based content from Web pages for easier reading. Free Web browsing with Kindle over 3G or WiFi is also part of the package, thanks to a new beta program.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 11:11 am

Apple is looking into reports that its iOS 4 does not run well on older devices such as the iPhone 3G and 3GS. To be sure, Apple has warned from the beginning that not all of the features -- in particular, the multitasking in iOS 4 -- could be supported on older devices. However, owners of those phones have found that upgrading resulted in problems more extreme than the lack of new features.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 7:00 am

Microsoft recently announced record revenues of $16.04 billion for its fourth fiscal quarter of the year, which ended June 30. This was 22 percent up year over year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were up 49 percent, 48 percent and 50 percent, respectively, year over year.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 7:00 am

Security researcher Barnaby Jack demonstrated remote hacks against two automated teller machines that made them spew out money at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday. A large number of ATMs are vulnerable to remote and physical attacks, said Jack, who works for IOActive. The manufacturers of the ATMs, Triton Systems and Tranax, have patched the vulnerabilities, Jack found.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 3:52 pm

With 3D movies now mainstream fare in theaters and 3D TVs adorning retail shelves, it was only a matter of time before 3D consumer camcorders would begin to hit the market. That time was this week as two camcorder makers, Panasonic and DXG USA announced 3D camcorder products. Panasonic's 3D offering, the HDC-SDT750, is a camcorder-lens combo expected to sell in the United states for around $1,400.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:00 pm

Amazon has announced two new Kindle models, one with 3G and WiFi connectivity, the other offering WiFi access only. The two six-inch-screen devices are smaller and lighter than Amazon's previous six-inch-screen Kindle, and they have more features. The Kindle WiFi is priced at $139, and the Kindle 3G + WiFi goes for $189. Both can be pre-ordered now and will ship Aug. 27, Amazon said.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 10:03 am

Microprocessor maker Intel has announced that it has developed a research prototype that it says is the world's first silicon-based optical data connection with integrated lasers. The link can move up to 50 gigabits of data per second -- about as much data as that contained in an entire HD movie.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 7:00 am

When I first heard the term "augmented reality," I expected nothing short of corneal implants and tiny, cloud-connected computer systems that run on body heat and live just under your skin. I imagined something that would add layers upon layers of information to the visual world we see every day.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 7:00 am

Adobe has joined Microsoft's MAPP program, which provides members with information about security vulnerabilities before Microsoft releases its monthly patches. This will let Adobe, which has been plagued by security flaws, notify MAPP members about vulnerabilities in its apps so they can fix those problems more quickly.

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 4:24 pm

Google's "Facebook killer" came a step closer to reality Wednesday, when it was revealed that the company has been talking with game makers for potential inclusion of their wares on a new social network. Originally brought to light by a tweet last month from Digg Founder Kevin Rose, the new "Google Me" offering could include games from Playdom, Electronic Arts' Playfish, and Zynga Game Network.

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 1:47 pm

The U.S. Copyright Group (USCG) has been all over the news in recent months. The lawyer group sued thousands of BitTorrent users who allegedly file-shared motion pictures belonging to their clients, including the Oscar-winning Hurt Locker. However, it turns out that USCG are not copyright purists either, as they have blatantly copied the website of a competitor without permission.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 7:17 am

After adding support for the iPhone last month, BitTorrent Inc. has now made the remote access 'Web' feature of its uTorrent Falcon client compatible with the iPad and Android devices. uTorrent users can now remotely control their downloads from wherever they are on their favorite mobile device.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 3:44 pm

For many years movies have been released onto the Internet, trickling down the so-called 'piracy pyramid' from elitist and private sites. Now a new breed of release groups are starting to make waves, bringing media directly to the masses. Today we take a closer look at this scene and speak to groups on the frontline to see what makes them tick.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 8:01 am

Following in the footsteps of the UK, Finland is preparing a new piece of legislation that will make it mandatory for Internet providers to warn customers who download music and movies without consent from copyright holders. The proposal is meant to cut down piracy in Finland but both pro and anti-piracy outfits have their doubts abouts its potential effectiveness.

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 3:29 pm

This week Wikileaks released more than 90,000 government documents related to the war in Afghanistan. When added to the perceived damage caused by its earlier leaking of the 'Collateral Murder' video, Wikileaks is now undoubtedly a serious target for U.S. authorities. After becoming The Pirate Bay's ISP, The Pirate Party now says that if needed, they will supply servers and hosting to Wikileaks.

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 4:24 am

uMap is a new App that allows uTorrent users to display all the peers they are connected to on Google Maps. While the App provides a good visualization of global BitTorrent swarms, it also demonstrates that anonymity is hard to find for the regular torrenter.

Posted on 27 July 2010 | 3:59 pm

Online movie piracy has largely enjoyed a fairly predictable structure during the last decade. New releases have generally hit the Internet on high-security 'topsites' first and then trickled down to become widely available on peer-to-peer networks. TorrentFreak now takes a look at a new wave of release groups who operate with a fresh and BitTorrent-powered philosophy.

Posted on 27 July 2010 | 7:10 am

Earlier this year The Pirate Bay's co-founders Gottfrid Svartholm and Fredrik Neij were banned from operating the site by a Swedish court. Today, The Pirate Bay's former spokesperson Peter Sunde was added to this list, and now faces a fine of nearly $70,000 if he does not comply with the decision.

Posted on 26 July 2010 | 4:30 pm

Following threats in recent months that it would begin targeting those who obtain or deliver their content without permission, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced they are targeting two popular streaming hangouts. UFC have subpoenaed Justin.tv and Ustream.tv to force them to reveal the identity of a single user who uploaded two UFC events earlier this year.

Posted on 26 July 2010 | 6:01 am

The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent, ‘The Ghost Writer' tops the chart for the second week in row, followed by 'Operation Endgame'. 'Inception' completes the top three.

Posted on 26 July 2010 | 4:48 am

Reuters - Romanian film director Florin Serban was overwhelmed after showing his debut film this week to 2,000 spectators at the Sarajevo film festival, where he had shopped around his script as an unknown three years before.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:27 pm

Reuters - Actor Mark Wahlberg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday as part of the promotion for "The Other Guys."

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:27 pm

AP - Chris Nolan's "Inception" has been the No. 1 film every day since it opened earlier this month. Yet it could face a formidable challenge from the debuting comedy "Dinner for Schmucks" for the top spot at this weekend's box office.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 12:41 pm

AP - Kenneth Branagh is directing "Thor" for Marvel Studios, and some think it's a stretch for him to take on a superhero movie. He's more Shakespearean, having adapted several of the Bard's films for the big screen.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 12:38 pm

AP - The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 12:14 pm

AP - The Walt Disney Co. said Friday that it agreed to sell its Miramax Films to an investor group for about $660 million, ending a 17-year association with the studio and a six-month bidding process.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 11:00 am

AP - The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 12:14 pm

AP - The mayor of the German city where 21 people were crushed to death at a music festival last weekend is facing growing pressure to resign amid nationwide outrage over the tragedy.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 7:11 am

AP - The Black Eyed Peas have more proof of the ubiquity of "I Gotta Feeling."

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 7:07 am

AP - Despite his success with the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum group OutKast, Big Boi felt artistically stifled when he tried to step out on his own as a solo rapper.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 5:11 am

AP - Former "Fly Girl" Jennifer Lopez is poised to return to television — this time as a judge on "American Idol."

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 5:04 am

AP - As the lead singer of Twisted Sister, the costumed makeup-wearing heavy metal band, Dee Snider has spent most of his 34 years as a rock star all fired up.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 4:44 am

Reuters - Every now and then a brave filmmaker can't resist the temptation to make a metaphysical movie that somehow will manage to portray everlasting love on the screen, that will somehow show a romantic idealism so great that it transcends even the boundaries between the living and dead.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 2:32 am

Reuters - The title of "Who Killed Nancy" -- a new documentary opening Friday about the death of Nancy Spungen -- is a little misleading.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:09 am

Reuters - One of the more memorable lines from "Chinatown" said something to the effect that, with enough time, old whores, politicians and ugly buildings become respectable.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:04 am

Reuters - Having set the bar high with "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," AMC introduces its third original series on Sunday.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:02 am

AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 12:18 am

AP - Zac Efron and the rest of the crew behind "Charlie St. Cloud" want their movie to be weepy, soulful, inspirational, cathartic, ethereal, life-affirming and who knows what else on the New Age emotional barometer.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:37 pm

AFP - Comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres has quit as a judge on "American Idol," the hit pop music talent show announced Friday, with reports suggesting singer Jennifer Lopez might take her place.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:29 pm

AP - Former President Bill Clinton made a long-anticipated appearance in the upstate New York village where his daughter is getting married tomorrow, drawing crowds of onlookers Friday afternoon as preparations continued largely out of sight for the grand and secretive occasion.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:27 pm

Reuters - Actor Mark Wahlberg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday as part of the promotion for "The Other Guys."

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:27 pm

AP - The judge in the trial of Anna Nicole Smith's doctors and lawyer-boyfriend says he will bar all evidence linking the defendants to Smith's fatal drug overdose.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 1:07 pm

AP - Kenneth Branagh is directing "Thor" for Marvel Studios, and some think it's a stretch for him to take on a superhero movie. He's more Shakespearean, having adapted several of the Bard's films for the big screen.

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 12:38 pm

AP - Don't call it "American Idol." Call it "Extreme Makeover: 'Idol' Edition."

Posted on 30 July 2010 | 11:10 am