12 MAXIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2007
quickstart THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
OCZ BUYS PC POWER AND
COOLING
PC makers aren’t the
only ones snapping
up the competition.
OCZ has purchased
PC Power and Cooling
for an estimated $13 million. OCZ said it bought
the famed power-supply maker “to utilize their
keen expertise in power management and take
the organization to the next level.”
PC Power and Cooling execs told
Maximum PC that it will maintain the same
quality and reliability but prices will be lowered
as a result of OCZ’s greater volume. Both OCZ
and PC Power and Cooling lines of PSUs will
continue to be offered.BLOCKBUSTER BACKS
BLU-RAY
Does it matter that Blockbuster
is taking a stand in the high-
def optical format wars?
That’s debatable given the
chain’s weakening hold on
the movie-rental market.
Nevertheless, Blockbuster
is putting its eggs in the
Blu-ray basket—at least at its 1,
brick-and-mortar stores (both formats will be
available for rental online). The decision was
made after the company observed store-rental
stats favoring Blu-ray over HD DVD.$10 DSL ON THE DL
You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of AT&T’s
$10-a-month broadband Internet service. That’s
because the company isn’t advertising it. AT&T
is required by the FCC to offer the supercheap
service as a condition of its $86 billion acquisi-
tion of BellSouth, but there’s no stipulation that
it make the plan public. The near-secret service
provides download speeds of up to 768Kb/s
and uploads speeds of up to 128Kb/s—just like
the company’s $19.95 plan. It’s available only
in the 22 states that have never had AT&T or
BellSouth broadband in the past.MAXIMUM PC
ONLINE
Want even more of the
in-depth reviews, technol-
ogy news, and insightful
commentary that you get
in this magazine? Head
on over to MaximumPC.com. Better yet, make
it your home page! It offers all the stuff you
love—updated daily—including the renowned
No BS podcast.FUNSIZENEWS
Y
ou may have perfectly valid reasons for not
wanting your screen saver to fl ip on. But is
a USB device that causes your mouse cursor to
“jiggle” nonstop like a squirrel on speed really the
answer? We think not. (To see how the Jiggler can
be used for evil, check out http://tinyurl.com/2f5j4t.)
$30, http://www.wiebetech.comGoogle and
Microsoft’s
Antitrust
Dance
Google and Microsoft used to
be content pitching dirt clods
at each other—a little search
function here, a PowerPoint
knock-off there. But the two
tech titans have since started
complaining to the teacher,
each asking the feds to inves-
tigate antitrust accusations
against the other.
Microsoft started the
fi re in April when it raised
legal criticisms over Google’s
acquisition of DoubleClick. But
Google soon fi red its own anti-
trust salvo at Redmond, WA.
In a 49-page document,
also sent in April, Google
asked the Justice Department
to investigate Microsoft’s
desktop search functions
that it bundles with Vista.
Specifi cally, Google alleged
that the “hardwired” search
boxes make it diffi cult to use a
non-Microsoft desktop search
application. Google argued
that Microsoft was violating
a 2002 antitrust settlement
that requires the company to
assist competitors in making
Windows-friendly software.
Microsoft capitulated to
Google in June. Vista Service
Pack 1 will allow users to
select a default program for
desktop search, although
Microsoft’s original Vista
search function will still
remain in the upper-right
corner of Explorer windows.
And Vista’s Instant Search
functionality will stay the way
it is, much to the chagrin of
Google’s lawyers.
The Mountain View, CA-
based search company didn’t
deem the changes suffi cient
though and subsequently
asked U.S. District Judge
Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to
extend the government’s over-
sight into Microsoft’s compli-
ance with the 2002 settlement.
She’s postponing her decision
until later this year.WiebeTech Mouse Jiggler
Online Ad Acquisitions
under Scrutiny
As the Internet’s giants attempt to grow,
the FTC investigatesB
efore Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo can move forward
with their plans for continued online domination, they’ll
have to answer to the Federal Trade Commission. As we
reported last month, all three companies recently made very
high-dollar, high-profi le purchases of large online advertising
outfi ts—now the FTC is concerned about antitrust issues. So
far, the FTC is conducting a standard review of Microsoft’s
purchase of aQuantive and Yahoo’s purchase of Right Media.
But Google faces a formal investigation over its purchase of
DoubleClick. The focus will be not only antitrust issues but
also privacy concerns, no doubt the result of an outcry by
consumer advocacy groups following the purchase.&DIS
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