Original content and press releases

Some people perceive AME Info as doing press releases only which is not the case at all, however, I recently learned from a reader that it is very hard to distinguish which stories are original content and which are press releases - particularly for new users of the site.

We have as of today marked all press releases clearly on the site as indicated on the top right.

Trust that will also help our users notice how much original content we have on AME Info - not limited to audio and video.

Video Podcast and search based RSS

We are pleased to announce that you can now subscribe to the latest AME Info Video features on you video iPod (or via iTunes and similar applications) in mp4 format:
http://www.ameinfo.com/rss/ame_video_mp4.xml

We also have an flv based version available:
http://www.ameinfo.com/rss/ame_video.xml

You can now also subscribe to a search based RSS feed from AME Info:
http://www.ameinfo.com/cgi-bin/cms/search.cgi?query=property;rss_feed=1;

There is a link on all search result pages to the RSS feed so you can easily generate query based rss feeds with the topics of your choice.

Google Q2 Profit Jumps 110%

"Google reported revenues of $2.46 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2006, an increase of 77% compared to the second quarter of 2005 and an increase of 9% compared to the first quarter of 2006.

Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs, or TAC. In the second quarter of 2006, TAC totaled $785 million, or 32% of advertising revenues. "

- strange that their shares dropped though...

Official press release - and the Webcast version

Microsoft Makes Virtual PC Free

"Microsoft said this week that it will make its Virtual PC software free -- not just the older Virtual PC 2004 version, but its upcoming software for Vista, too. Users can download the Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1 software from the Microsoft web site.

The software allows users to run multiple instances of operating systems on a single computer, allowing users to test a new development environment or simply try out a new configuration without changing the underlying OS."

Source: PCMag.com

Microsoft Lifeline for Older PCs

"Microsoft on Wednesday revealed software that turns older PCs into more modern and secure systems, but in the process also makes them less than full-fledged computers.

The software, known as Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, is designed as a stopgap measure for companies with a significant number of older Windows PCs that they aren't ready to replace and that can't be easily upgraded to Windows XP. "

Source: ZDnet

FireFox 2.0 Beta 1 Released

There is a lot in Firefox 2 Beta 1 - get it from the link below:

Built in Anti-Phishing protection.
Search suggestions now appear with search history in the search box for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com
Changes to tabbed browsing behavior Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs
Better support for previewing and subscribing to web feeds
Inline spell checking in text boxes
Search plugin manager for removing and re-ordering search engines
New microsummaries feature for bookmarks
Automatic restoration of your browsing session if there is a crash
New combined and improved Add-Ons manager for extensions and themes
New Windows installer based on NullSoft Scriptable Install System
Support for JavaScript 1.7
Support for client-side session and persistent storage
Extended search plugin format
Updates to the extension system to provide enhanced security and to allow for easier localization of extensions
Support for SVG text using svg:textPath

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/bonecho/releases/2.0b1.html

Microsoft pulls support for Windows 98 and Windows Me

"Microsoft has ended its support for its older operating systems.

From today, the estimated 70 million users world-wide of Windows 98, 98 Se and Windows Me will not longer be provided with telephone help or security updates by the software giant. "

Source: www.pcw.co.uk

ebay bans Google Checkout

eBay is banning sellers from requesting payment through Google Checkout. The online auction giant updated its Safe Payments policy this week to add Google's new payment service, Google Checkout to its list of online payment methods not permitted on eBay.

eBay's Safe Payments policy states that a payment service must have a "substantial historical track record of providing safe and reliable financial and/or banking related services."

Google's spokesperson said yesterday, "Google Checkout is not a beta product. Google has a long history in billing and payments for AdWords and for premium services, such as Google Video."

Google Payments appears on eBay/PayPal's list for un-safe methods for payments since they determined it "does not have a substancial track record".

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html

YouTube Killer? (Media Portal w/ Revenue Sharing)

"eefoof.com is a user-submitted content site similar to YouTube/Google Video which allows users to submit Videos, Images, Flash and Audio while receiving a share of the site's ad revenue.
For example, if someone uploads a really popular video that accounts for a lot of traffic in a given month, the user will receive a good portion of the video ad revenue for the month.

Could this be the YouTube killer?"

Source: Slashdot