In what has to be seen as a big move in digital music, Napster has signed eight colleges up to its "Napster University Program". If you haven't heard about this, basically Napster subscription service is paid for by the universities and offered to the students for free. In some cases, part of the service is covered by the tuition. Napster says this is a big step in weaning college students off illegal Peer-to-Peer file sharing. Music downloads will still cost students the regular $0.99 per track, but streaming unlimited tracks is absolutely free.

The colleges that have signed up with the Napster University Program this far include Cornell University, George Washington University, Middlebury College in Vermont, University of Miami, University of Southern California, Wright State University, Penn State University, and University of Rochester.

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If you own a Sony gadget, you now have reason to rejoice! Sony just lowered the price on a number of Memory Stick PRO and Memory Stick PRO Duo flash media cards. Starting today, the 512MB full-size Memory Stick PRO media is priced around $180, down over $40. The 256MB Memory Stick PRO card will now go for $90. Of course, that still makes it overpriced compared to other types of non-proprietary memory.

Read More | Palm Info Center

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If you paid any attention during the late 1990's, then you remember the "dotcom crash" well. The tech stocks that were supposed to send us into the 21st century with a bang, instead went bust. Since then, many tech stocks have not been taken seriously - but that is all about to change.

Google, the world's most popular search engine, is soon to release their initial public offering on the NASDAQ, and people are chomping at the bit to get in on it. It has been said that Google will be using a Dutch-style auction, thus allowing anyone and everyone to have the opportunity to own a portion of Google stock. The IPO would probably instantly turn Google into a $15 Billion company. Could this be the return of the tech boom?

Read More | Silicon Valley

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I know we have all experienced it: You walk into a store to pick up the latest gadget, game, or other gear. You did your research, and because you read sites like Gear Live, you are in the know. As you approach the sales associate, you already know what it going to happen; but you walk up to them anyway and ask your questions about the product, the sale, the release date, etc. All you get is a blank stare, or an answer that you know is incorrect.

Now is your chance to get it off your chest, and let us know about it! We want to hear your tales of inept retail associates who led you astray, or just had no clue what they were talking about! Send us your best at submit@gearlive.com. We will post some of the greatest in a couple of weeks.

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The Archos GMini 220 is another contender in the portable digital audio game. With all the focus on the iPod right now, we decided to contact Archos to take a closer look at their hard-drive based MP3 Player. Without giving too much away up front, we felt it performed well enough to be taken seriously. Find out why in our Archos GMini 220 Review.

Click to continue reading Archos GMini 220 Review

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As a vice president at security software leader Symantec, Matthew Moynahan applauds Microsoft's effort to make its Windows operating system safer from attack. But Moynahan is not so excited about the flood of help-desk calls almost certain to come when Microsoft releases a comprehensive security overhaul of Windows XP next month. His company's Norton antivirus software runs on about 100 million desktop computers.

Read More | Wired News

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Well, the rumors have been running rampant, and it has now been confirmed - on Monday Apple will announce the new, updated iPod. Check it out on the cover of this Monday's Newsweek Magazine. As you can see, there are some changes - most notably the new "brushed metal" scroll wheel which eliminates the 4 navigation buttons iPod owners are used to. The scroll wheel is a carryover from the iPod mini, incorporating the navigation buttons and the old touch wheel into one interface.

Read More | MSNBC

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Okay, so the new 4th Generation iPod is going to be officially announced tomorrow. Either you are feeling excited about getting one of these upgraded models, or you are upset about paying for the current gen iPod very recently. Well, here is a rundown on some of the new features found on the 4th Generation iPod:

• Click Wheel - Taken from the iPod mini, the new iPod eliminates the four navigation buttons and puts the functionality what was once the scrollwheel.
  
• 50% more battery power. That's right, you now get 12 hours of use per charge.
  
• Simplified menu's allow you to get to your music with less clicking, as well as creating multiple On-The-Go playlists, and other play options.
  
• Price - The 20 GB iPod will be priced at $299, while the 40 GB version will be $399 as both enjoy a $100 price drop. Of course, the rumor is that a 60 GB model will be announced, retailing at $499. The 15 GB iPod is no more.

Read More | Newsweek

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In what has got to be seen as an amazing feat, the XBOX Live service has reached 1 Million subscribers. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dont like the service. What is amazing to me is how quickly Microsoft was able to garner 1,000,000 subscribers to its service. It usually takes a while to get 1 Million people to do ANYTHING, let alone play video games together. As Microsoft noted in the announcement, they reached this milestone faster than the AOL, HBO, and TiVo services did. It appears that the slogan must be true: "It's Good to Play Together".

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Gear Live contributing reporter Hector Martinez was able to spend some time testing the Samsing SCH-A670 mobile phone. While it appears stylish on the outside, you can never judge a book by its cover. Hector gives us the down low on how it performs.

Click to continue reading Samsung SCH-A670 Review

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