12 MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2007
quick start THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
IPHONE OPEN TO THIRD PARTIES
After much public outcry and
the threat of a class-action
lawsuit, Apple has finally
agreed to allow third-party
apps to run on its precious
iPhone. Steve Jobs made the
announcement on Apple’s
website and predicted that
an SDK would be in devel-
opers’ hands by February.
Could it be long before the
iPhone is open to alternative
cellular providers?BD+ EQUALS BAD
One of Blu-ray’s big selling points to studios
has been BD+, the extra layer of copy protec-
tion the optical spec offers over competing HD
DVD. But based on its debut, BD+ is nothing to
crow about—unless hurting honest consum-
ers is the desired effect. BD+ is found in the
recently released Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver
Surfer and The Day After Tomorrow, and own-
ers of various Blu-ray players are reporting
problems playing the discs. Some, but not all,
of the players are fixed with a firmware update.NOT TO PILE ON BLU-RAY, BUT...
Months after Blockbuster cited con-
sumer preference for Blu-ray over
HD DVD, Netflix is reporting the
exact opposite findings. The
popular online movie rental
website says that of the admit-
tedly miniscule number of
consumers who are interested in
a high-def format, more choose HD
DVD, by a factor of 2.4 to 1.U.S. CHEATING AT CARDS?
It’s hard to believe that U.S. policy is rubbing
foreign countries the wrong way, but the EU,
India, and others are accusing the U.S. of dis-
criminatory trade practic-
es. The alleged violation
stems from the U.S. ban
on overseas Internet gam-
bling sites, while similar
operations are permitted
to run domestically. If the
World Trade Organization
rules in favor of these
countries, the U.S. could
be ordered to pay $
billion in penalties, an
amount equal to the value
of its land-based and
online gambling market.FUNSIZENEWS
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If you can correctly identify this connector, you’ll be eligible to win a killer video-
card valued at $400.Yippee Ki Yay, Harry Potter
Movie studios make concessions to fair use—
sort ofW
hat do Harry Potter and John McClane have
in common? Seemingly nothing, but both
characters’ franchises are the fi rst to include PC-
friendly copies of their latest movies alongside the
DVDs. Here’s how it works: When you pick up the
special-edition DVD of Live Free or Die Hard , you’ll
get two discs. One DVD is the plain-ol’, just-like-
any-other-DVD movie, and the other is a hybrid of
special features and a digital copy of the fi lm suit-
able for playback on your PC or media player. Pop
the Die Hard disc in your computer, enter a special
serial number printed on the DVD’s box, and the
loading program will output a DRM-free version
of the movie to
your hard drive.
While Die Hard
will ship without
e n c u m b r a n c e ,
Harry Potter and
the Order of the
Phoenix will like-
ly contain copy
protection that
will work with
P l a y s F o r S u re -
enabled devices.
No doubt, these
fair-use editions
will come at a
higher price.Music Labels
Get the
Heave-Ho
Radiohead shocked the music
industry in October when it
announced that fans would
be able to set their own price
for the band’s latest album, In
Rainbows. Eschewing major-
label support, Radiohead offers
two options—a digital download
of the album’s songs at what-
ever price fans think fair or a
deluxe CD-and-vinyl box set
loaded with extras for £40.
Now other artists, including
Nine Inch Nails (whose front
man, Trent Reznor, notoriously
advised fans at a recent concert
to steal his music), Oasis, and
Madonna have all stepped off
the major-label bandwagon—
although Madonna has signed
with a concert promoter instead.
Granted, these acts have
devout fan bases, which makes
such rebellion a lot less risky
than it would be for artists of
lesser renown. But clearly, con-
sumers are not alone in their
disdain for the major labels’
dominance of the music market.Go to http://www.maximumpc.com/article/what_the_hell_is_it for complete
contest rules.