By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

A mashup is “a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool.” For example, you might combine data from one site that tells you the leg room on available flights with a travel site to determine which flights have the greatest leg room.

While this is a great way to extend and combine the power of different sites, there’s no way my mother-in-law or my wife could create their own mashups, much less find one that did what they wanted (short of perhaps searching for it via Google). Certainly everyone’s needs are different, and even if you found a mashup it might not do everything you wanted.

This is the set of problems Intel Mash Maker, an Intel Research project, wants to solve. First to allow non-programmers the ability to create such useful applets - and to share them, and second to make it easy to discover the available mashups for a site. As Intel told me, “it allows you to have the information you want, presented the way you want it.”
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By Martin Regtien
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Here’s a scoop on what will be unveiled at Computex in a couple of months by GlobalTop:
the 66 channel SpeedAdvisor GPS will be able to warn you of speed cameras directly in your path.
It’s pre-loaded with the most up-to-date speed camera locations which can be updated every day.
Depending on distance to the speed camera you will hear different beeps.
This might save you quite some money if you habitually try to treat the speed limit as a minimum
speed…
Here are some preliminary specs on DigitalReviews.net :

By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

As predicted, the 3rd service pack for Windows XP (SP3) was released to manufacturing (RTM) on Monday, April 21st. Also as predicted, Microsoft indicated it will be available for download on April 29th.

This was announced on the TechNet forum, in a post in which Chris Keroack, the service pack’s release manager said:

Today we are happy to announce that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) has released to manufacturing (RTM). Windows XP SP3 bits are now working their way through our manufacturing channels to be available to OEM and Enterprise customers.

We are also in the final stages of preparing for release to the web (i.e. you!) on April 29th, via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Online documentation for Windows XP SP3, such as Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and the Microsoft TechNet Windows XP TechCenter, will be updated then. For customers who use Windows XP at home, Windows XP SP3 Automatic Update distribution for users at home will begin in early summer.

Since Windows XP received a stay of execution, at least for ULCPCs, not too long ago, this SP has become even more important - and desired.

We Say: It’s interesting that it was announced on TechNet; not exactly the high profile launch Windows Vista SP1 was given, as most users don’t troll that forum. Microsoft would love to see XP go away, but users are still trying to keep it alive (witness this petition) to force increased adoption of Vista. For many, however, XP would still be just fine.

By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

As we continue to try to determine if Psystar is for real or not, they’ve updated their site to say that their store is up and running and orders are shipping.

It is our pleasure to inform you that our store is up and running thanks to our new high volume payment processor. To all, we challenge you, let’s see if we can max this one out. Regarding shipping, orders placed the week of April 7th are currently being shipped. We will be shipping units out of our new facility starting Monday, April 21st, including those orders placed the week of April 14th. Orders are being shipped in the order that they were received, don’t worry, you’ll get yours soon. Upon shipment an email notification including tracking information will be sent to you automatically.

Also, some pictures of the “latest” location of Psystar were scored by ZDNet. I say the “latest” location, since it seems like they’ve moved a few times since they opened just a few days ago. So things might just be looking up in terms of the validity of this company.

So, according to that blurb, orders should have already shipped. Have any readers a) been brave enough to order from this company, b) received a tracking number yet?

Of course, if you used a credit card, you really wouldn’t be risking much as you could always charge back the amount if the deal turned sour. Like I said, comment if you’ve gotten a tracking number, or better yet, an Open Computer.

By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

It’s been bandied around for some time: a subscription-based version of Microsoft Office, and on Friday, Microsoft launched just such a service, code-named Albany, in private beta form. Albany includes more than just Office, however.

Albany is a bundle of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (which contains Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote), Windows Live OneCare, and Windows Live Mail, Messenger and Photo Gallery, with a single installer.

Of course, why I would want Windows Live OneCare is beyond me, because although it’s improving, I still wouldn’t trust my PC to it. However, security software is one of the segments where a subscription model is common, so linking OneCare into the bundle makes sense.

In a press release, Microsoft Group Product Manager Bryson Gordon said:

We’re breaking new ground by delivering Microsoft Office in combination with security and communication tools, plus ensuring our customers are on the cutting edge with the very latest versions. We found from our research that when you bring these categories together and keep them automatically updated, a subscription model makes a lot of sense.

At the same time, we are definitely not straying from our traditional software sales model. There will always be a significant number of users for whom purchasing a perpetual license to the latest version of Office is still the best choice. “Albany” just gives customers more choice and addresses the needs of those customers who value having the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office.

OK, so they will still have a way to buy products in the normal manner. But a subscription model for Office has been proposed before, so this plan isn’t surprising. What’s unclear is pricing: Microsoft hasn’t announced that.