Filter looks at the day's top technology news through snapshots and analysis of what the world's media outlets are covering. Washingtonpost.com's new Mon.-Fri. feature is penned by technology reporter Cynthia L. Webb. If a technology story breaks, a company falters or triumphs, or there's a new trend in technology, Filter wants you to know about it.
CIBC's Kamman was also quoted by The New York Times, which reported that the analyst "said one reason investors might be feeling unenthusiastic about Cisco, despite its solid quarter, was that they continued to long for the higher-flying days of the dot-com boom. If investors 'think we're going back to 2000 or 2001, they'll be sorely disappointed until reality sets in,' Mr. Kamman said. "Too many people are saying there's no growth here, but this is about a company consolidating its hold on a market.'"
• The New York Times: Cisco Profit For Quarter Slightly Beats Estimates (Registration required)
Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are already touting their latest-and-greatest gaming developments at the start of the E3 gaming expo. But this year's game industry gathering isn't matching up to past years, according to Washington Post reporter Mike Musgrove
In a piece today, Musgrove wrote: "Unlike in previous installments of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short), the industry's annual trade show here, none of these big-three firms made sweeping announcements about plans for new, high-powered game consoles. The one new category of hardware shown off at the show will not sit under a television set, but it will fit handily inside a backpack. Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo DS, a successor to its nearly ubiquitous GameBoy Advance handheld. And Sony showed off the PSP, a portable PlayStation that represents its first move into a market that has long been defined by Nintendo -- and has defeated many other would-be competitors. The two handhelds show different philosophies about what customers are supposed to want. Nintendo is a game company that sticks to the games; Sony, on the other hand, is a consumer electronics and entertainment juggernaut that can think of many ways to make money off a gaming device besides just games."
• The Washington Post: Game Firms Think Small (Registration required)
The San Francisco Chronicle said that "[w[hether these devices live up to that billing won't be known anytime soon -- the earliest consumers can get their hands on them is the end of this year or early 2005. However, the new portables could prove to be a much-needed tonic for an industry that will probably see slowing sales in the next couple of years as it prepares to move into the next generation of game consoles."
• The San Francisco Chronicle: Gaming On A Small Scale
Gamers, Cool Your Heels
Video game fans will have to wait awhile to get their hands on either the PSP or Nintendo's DS.
The "companies showed prototypes but gave no pricing information and few details about what games would be available at launch. Nintendo expects to debut the DS in the United States by the end of the year; Sony said its PSP will go on sale next spring," The Seattle Times reported. USA Today has a good photo of the DS, while the tech gadget site Gizmodo.com has a close-up of both the PSP and the DS.
• The Seattle Times: Gamers, Start Your Handhelds
Price Wars, Anyone?
Sony also unveiled a tried-and-true price-cutting strategy at E3. Sony is "cutting the price on its popular PlayStation 2 video-game console to $149. The markdown, from $179, matches a move by Microsoft last month to sell its Xbox console for $149. But Sony's main target Tuesday was Nintendo. The rivals used the video-game industry trade show, known as E3, to unveil new portable gaming devices. Sony said that nearly 100 game publishers and developers have begun creating games for Sony's PlayStation Portable, which will launch in Japan in the fall and in the U.S. and European markets next spring," The San Jose Mercury News reported.
• The San Jose Mercury News: Gaming Battle Heats Up At Expo (Registration required)
"Industry analysts had suggested that if Sony did not lower the price on its PS2 in order to spur sales, U.S. game software makers, many of whom track Sony's fiscal year, might find sales growth targets harder to reach," Reuters said. "Late in April, Sony forecast that PS2 sales in the business year ending March 2005 would fall by as much as 30%, a much sharper decline than analysts had expected."
• Reuters via USA Today: Sony Cuts PlayStation 2 Price To $149 • The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Video-Game Console Wars Getting Hotter
For more background on this year's E3 expo, see the Filters from Tuesday and last Friday.
Microsoft's Patchmaker
Microsoft alerted Windows users to a new security hole yesterday, a vulnerability that "could allow hackers to take control of a PC by luring users to a malicious Web site and coaxing them into clicking on a link, the company warned on Tuesday. The world's largest software maker issued the warning as part of its monthly security bulletin, along with a patch to fix the problem," Reuters reported. Microsoft's security Web site has info. on the patch to fix this vulnerability, plus lots of other important security tips.
• Reuters: Microsoft Warns of 'Important' Windows Flaw
Shoulda Gone to Law School...
Microsoft has been handed a $258 million bill from lawyers who worked on the price-fixing case that was settled in California, The Associated Press reported. "The bill comes as attorney fees are being examined critically by the American Bar Association and lawmakers across the country. It amounts to about $3,000 per hour for one lawyer, more than $2,000 an hour each for 34 other attorneys and $1,000 an hour for administrative work," the wire service reported.
• The Associated Press via washingtonpost.com: Lawyers Seek $258M for Suing Microsoft (Registration required)
Who Needs Oracle?
Microsoft is firming up its already close ties to German software firm SAP. The two companies "agreed to integrate their high-profile efforts in Web software. The deal, which is to be announced at an SAP conference in New Orleans, is another indication of the success corporate customers are having in forcing software companies to eliminate technology roadblocks that have often served to entrench particular providers. The agreement includes provisions to link SAP's software, which is typically used for managing business functions such as manufacturing, supplies and financial reporting, with Microsoft's Office suite of desktop applications. SAP and Microsoft created a joint marketing fund and a technology support center in Germany and cross-licensed their patent portfolios," The Wall Street Journal reported.
• The Wall Street Journal: Microsoft, SAP Form Alliance on Web Software (Subscription required)
CNET's News.com said the "deal, which calls for better links between Microsoft's .Net development software and SAP's NetWeaver integration server, could help big companies more easily tie their SAP business applications to Microsoft Office and other Windows-based software, Microsoft executives said."
• CNET's News.com: Microsoft, SAP Get Closer On Web Services
Filter is designed for hard-core techies, news junkies and technology professionals alike. Have suggestions, cool links or interesting tales to share? Send your tips and feedback to cindyDOTwebbATwashingtonpost.com.
