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PC Advisor: Consumers may get the right to make several legal copies of HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc films they’ve purchased, if a licensing agreement in its final stages reaches completion.

This concession by the movie industry follows criticism that DRM (digital rights management) technologies are too restrictive.

The agreement, if supported by movie studios and film companies, could allow a consumer to make a backup copy in case their original disc is damaged and another copy for their home media server, said Michael Ayers, a representative of an industry group that licenses the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) copy-prevention system.

AACS is used on HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, the new high-definition DVD formats, to prevent unauthorised copying of the discs.

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InfoWorld: If you thought developers were running out of new applications to squeeze into mobile phones, think again. Nokia hopes someday to add a new feature to its phones that could warn users of imminent lighting strikes.

The lightning detector could attract all types of mobile phone users, including the elderly and outdoor enthusiasts, who seek useful safety devices.

The invention involves the use of radio frequency receivers in mobile phones, such as FM radio and GSM (global system for mobile communications), to detect radio waves emitted by lightning. Typical lightning bolts produce frequencies between 10Hz and 5GHz.

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TechDigest: Grundig has expanded its LCD TV range, whilst at the same time implementing a CarbonNeutral programme to offset CO² emissions associated with the usage of the LCDs sold in the UK.

The first products to launch are Grundig’s 26, 32 and 37-inch LCD TVs with a more extensive range of offset products rolling out later in the year.

The CarbonNeutral Company worked with Grundig to estimate the CO² produced for one year’s usage after purchase. For every 1kg of global warming gas emitted, Grundig is paying for 1kg to be saved through climate friendly projects.

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NaviGadget:  Apparently the next generation iPhone which will probably be announced in spring 2008 at Macworld will incorporate a SiRF Star III chip or something along those lines. Unnamed sources are quoted as saying: 
Apple is certain to use a chipset using Assisted GPS technology, which cuts down the time needed to determine a location using GPS. (A-GPS) is necessary in urban areas with tall buildings or locations with heavy tree cover.
But, steady on… it’s only a rumour.

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BBC: A British climber has set a world record by making a mobile phone call from the top of Mount Everest.

In the early hours of 21 May, Rod Baber made two calls from the mountain’s north ridge.

In the first call Mr Baber described the view, how cold it was and what he wanted to do
when back at base camp; he then rang his wife and children.

The calls were made possible when China set up a mobile base station with a line of sight to the north ridge. Mr Baber set off from the UK for the Himalayas on 30 March and since mid-April has been getting used to living at high altitude.

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Akihabaranews: The 42-inch 42PFL9832D, 47-inch 47PFL9732D, and 52-inch 52PFL7432D LED-backlit LCDs are looking like they might be the next big thing for Phillips.

Sharing the company’s Ambilight tag, the sets offer dynamically changing colored lights behind the display to match the mood in a movie that supports the technology.

Phillips has also thrown in a 120Hz refresh rate so we can get twice the responsiveness you would find scenes showing quite a bit of motion.

If you’re looking for some differences besides the obvious, look no further than the speakers. The 47-inch and 52-inch sets have standard two-channel embedded speakers, while the 42-inch model will offer full surround sound.

Look for these sets this summer for around €2,100 (47 inches), €2,200 (42 inches), and €2,600 (52 inches).

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Telegraph: Mobile phone users are to enjoy cheaper calls when travelling in the EU, following backing from members of the European Parliament.

According to the European Parliament, an “overwhelming majority” of MEPs voted yesterday to cap mobile phone roaming charges across the EU.The price caps will be in place from July, however they are expected to take three months or more to come into full effect.

Networks have one month to offer the price cap to customers, a month to apply the new rate once the customer responds, and one further month to automatically activate capped rates for customers who have still not responded.

The maximum charge, excluding VAT, for regulated roaming calls will be capped at 0.49 Euros per minute for calls made and 0.24 Euros per minute for calls received.

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Mobile Business Magazine : BT and Sony have signed a deal to transform the PSP gaming device by adding wireless broadband communications functions, including high quality handheld video calls, voice calls and messaging.

The two companies signed a four-year contract to develop a raft of extra features for the successful PSP, which has already shipped over 8 million in Europe and 24 million globally.

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Expatica: Royal Philips Electronics NV is in talks to sell its 33 percent stake in flat panel display maker LG.Philips LCD, Dow Jones Newswires reported Tuesday, a move that could bring it EUR 3.7 billion in proceeds.

Dow Jones cited CEO Gerard Kleisterlee, who was speaking at the Electrical Products Group Conference in Florida.

The Seoul, South Korea-based company has been plagued by oversupply in the market for liquid crystal displays, and is one target of an investigation into anticompetitive practices in the industry by U.S. and Asian regulators. But an industry group said last week that there are signs prices for the displays have stabilized or are rising.

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Guardian: Nobel Prize-winning scientist Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, who was dubbed the “Isaac Newton of our time” for his pioneering research on liquid crystals, has died. He was 74.

He died Friday in Orsay, a suburb of Paris, Le Monde reported Tuesday. A relative confirmed the death but provided no details.

De Gennes was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1991 for his breakthrough work on liquid crystals, a substance that has the properties of both a liquid and a solid and is now used in televisions and computer screens.

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Financial Times Germany: A number of European independent film studios and DVD production companies are opting for Toshiba’s format over the rival Sony technology, thanks to a strong support programme by the HD DVD camp and concerns over the price of Blu-ray technology.

Early indications from the US are that Sony’s Blu-ray discs are outselling HD DVDs by as much as two to one. However, in Europe, HD DVD still appears to have the upper hand.

About 35 European films are available on the HD DVD format, compared with less than 10 for Blu-ray. The larger European studios such as Studio Canal and Pathé in France, Filmax and DeAPlaneta in Spain, and Imagion and Nixbu in Germany have all announced plans to use the HD DVD technology.

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GameSpot: The latest update for the PlayStation 3, to be released tomorrow, adds the ability to upscale PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, as well as DVD movies, to 1080p resolution (when viewed on a compatible HDTV set).

Version 1.80 of the firmware also adds the ability to use the Remote Play function, which allows owners of a PlayStation Portable to use the handheld to access their PS3 over the Internet.

Other additions include the ability to print photos stored on the console’s hard drive or storage media to some models of Epson printers via a USB cable. Users on a home network should also get improved streaming of movies, music, and images to their PS3 from a PC.

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