TechnologyWorld

Reports have started trickling in that Microsoft has killed off the Windows 7 Family Pack in the United States. Although we expected this to happen eventually, it's a pity that it happened so soon: two months haven't even passed and the pack is no longer available on most retailer websites. "The Windows 7 Family Pack was introduced as a limited-time offer while supplies last in select geographies," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Response has been very positive and in some cases, the offer has sold out. Customers interested in upgrading their PCs should purchase Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate upgrade products." The company wouldn't reveal how many copies have sold so far, how many it had planned on selling, or whether there are plans to extend the offer.

Graphene and carbon nanotubes have a combination of excellent electrical properties and light weight that may eventually revolutionize electronics and energy storage technologies. But for now, most of their applications remain stuck in research labs, as producing them in bulk and then incorporating them into a device have both proven to be challenging. Now, some researchers at Stanford may have overcome the latter hurdle: they've managed to create a carbon nanotube ink that can easily be printed onto commercially available paper, which can then be directly incorporated into batteries and capacitors. This isn't the first time that batteries based on a paper-nanotube combination have been demonstrated. But the earlier work involved a complex production process that required layering the nanotubes on a solid substrate and then forming paper around them. The new work dispenses with most of that complexity.

Google announced a bunch of new features today. Let's dive in: Real-time integration See the latest tweets, blogs, news etc. You can click on "Latest results" in the search results or the "Latest" link in the Search Options panel in order to get more results for a given keyword/phrase. Hot Topics on Google Trends This feature is similar to "trending topics" on Twitter. This is not the same as "Hot Trends" launched in September. That included a Google graph at the bottom of search results if you happened to search one of the top 100 hottest trends in Google search on a given day. This new feature is viewable simply by visiting Google Trends. Oh yeah, and Google Trends is now out of Labs. Search by Voice in Japanese Searching by Voice is available on Google search apps for smartphones. So far, it has understood English and Mandarin. Now, Japanese is added to the mix. "What's Nearby?" on Google Maps Find local businesses near where you are. Available for Google Maps for Android on...

Last week, Bing unveiled Streetside imaging but you may have noticed it's not quite extensive. Hold your horses. These things take time. Bing is partnering with Navteq to get some more imaging done. Navteq is already traversing roads all over to get the best info for maps. So, Bing is simply attaching cameras to their vehicles to capture the imaging. Pretty clever. The vehicles will be outfitted with the Microsoft Vexcel UltraCam. Expect monthly releases of Streetside imagery as it becomes available.

Over 100,000 business have been selected as "Favorite Places in Google." Over 9,000 cities and towns in all 50 U.S. states are included. The businesses are being sent decals they can place in their storefront windows. The decals include a barcode, known as a QR code, that can be scanned by smartphones, including iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. When the QR code is scanned, it will take the user directly to the business's Place Page on Google Maps. There you can get coupons, read reviews and star it for future reference. To use it, you'll need an application on your phone that can scan QR codes. Image by Google

The iPod touch is often viewed as the de facto replacement for the iPod line, which, despite owning 70 percent or more of the mobile music player market since early this decade, has started to show signs of decline. However, the iPod touch is serving an even more strategic role in popularizing the iPhone OS platform with a younger generation obsessed with social networking and gaming. When the Facebook generation is ready to graduate to a smartphone, chances are good that they will choose the platform on which they're already hooked. According to the latest Smartphone Industry Pulse report from analytics firm Flurry, Apple's iPod touch is growing its share of the mobile device space faster than even iPhone itself, and the combined platform is leaving competitors in the dust. Apple reported that the company has sold about 58 million iPhone OS devices worldwide, and Flurry estimates from its analytics data that approximately 40 percent of those—24 million—are iPod touches.

Has it really been a year since last the 2008 Child's Play drive? To date, you have helped us raise over $22,000, making Ars a platinum sponsor of Child's Play. Child's Play is a charity run by Penny Arcade that brings video games, toys, and books to children who have the bad luck to be spending the holidays in the hospital. Being sick is no fun; being sick when you're a child and suffering from a serious illness can be downright scary. When hospitals have the equipment on hand to give a child a DS or a PSP with a game or two so they can pass the time, it can distract them from some of the hard reality of their surroundings. This is the unique power of video games, the ability to remove us from our daily life and bring us some place a little more fun.

Given how aggressively the recording industry likes to pursue file sharers, one would assume that the industry itself is in the clear when it comes to copyright infringement. But that assumption has been put to the test in Canada, where a massive infringement lawsuit is brewing against some major players. Members of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, including the Big Four (Warner Music Canada, Sony BMG Music Canada, EMI Music Canada, and Universal Music Canada), face the prospect of damages ranging from $50 million up to $60 billion due to their use of artists' music without permission. That's right: $60 billion. The lawsuit in question goes back to October 2008, but continues to be dragged up in the news because new plaintiffs keep joining the case. Most recently, jazz musician Chet Baker's estate has joined the growing list of musicians and artists who are getting on the music industry's case for their abuse of a certain aspect of Canadian copyright practices—something...

Last week, Polish website CentrumXP published what at first glance looked like leaked images of the retail boxes for the various editions of Microsoft Office 2010. Not all the editions are pictured, but four of them are: Office Home & Student 2010, Office Home & Business 2010, Office Professional Academic 2010, and Office Professional 2010. The only difference between the last two is who can purchase it (and therefore likely the price), but the included applications are the same. Without further ado, here are the purported leaks:

Late last week, Microsoft and Yahoo announced that they had put the finishing touches on the 10-year partnership they announced in July 2009 that would have Microsoft leading the duo's search efforts and Yahoo leading the advertising team. "The overall deal terms stay the same," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. The two companies released the following joint statement: "Microsoft and Yahoo! believe that this deal will create a sustainable and more compelling alternative in search that can provide consumers, advertisers and publishers real choice, better value, and more innovation. Yahoo! and Microsoft welcome the broad support the deal has received from key players in the advertising industry and remain hopeful that the closing of the transaction can occur in early 2010."

Federal judge Nancy Gertner today officially brought down the tent on the Joel Tenenbaum P2P Big Top World 'O Fun, all but admitting that she would have given Tenenbaum's arguments about "fair use" a truly sympathetic hearing were it not for the shoddy behavior of his legal team. What could have turned into a watershed case instead became another statutory crucifixion, with Gertner finally entering the jury's $675,000 verdict against the young file-swapper whose defense crashed down with an in-court admission that he had been lying all along. Gertner signed off the jury's damage amounts, which means that Sony BMG is entitled to $112,500, Warner Bros. gets $225,000, Arista Records gets $45,000, and Universal picks up $292,500.

The two games in the Dead Space franchise have been high-quality titles. Unsurprisingly, Electronic Arts has officially announced that it's working on a sequel after a tease over the weekend. EA hasn't announced much information about this sequel yet, but what little has been revealed sounds... interesting. "We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey," said the game's executive producer, Steve Papoutsis. "The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it. There are still loads of necromorphs that need killing!" Aside from this small amount of information, Papoutsis also explained that the game's story will be even more labyrinthine than that of the original title. "In Dead Space 2, not everything is exactly as it seems. Expect plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters that are sure to scare the daylights out of you." Electronic Arts...

Though Wales just shut down Wikia search last March, he still has an interest in social search. That's what's driving his decision to join Hunch's Board. On his blog, Wales wrote: Hunch.com's combination of community-sourced content and algorithmically-driven smarts is forging a promising path towards this potential future. And that's why I've decided to join Hunch as a Board Member and an active advisor for the company's ongoing development. As a result, I'll be spending some time in Hunch's NYC offices. Hunch, of course, is thrilled, as they should be. Per their blog: We have always considered Wikipedia to be the gold standard to emulate in terms of fostering community involvement and generating substantive content that benefits millions. Internally we even like to think of ourselves as aspiring to be something along the lines of "Wikipedia for decision making." So we couldn't be happier to have Jimmy join Hunch and share his talents, vision and depth of experience with us. What do...

JERUSALEM, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's ( AAPL.O ) iPhone will make its official debut in Israel this week when the country's three main carriers will start selling the coveted smartphone 2-1/2 years after its initial launch. Cellcom ( CEL.N ) ( CEL.TA ), Israel's largest mobile phone ... iLounge | All Things iPod, iPhone, iTunes and ... found this 69 minutes ago on reuters.com Find more top technology news, videos, and blogs on TechBlips: iPhone

Late last week, Microsoft and Yahoo announced that they had put the finishing touches on the 10-year partnership they announced in July 2009 that would have Microsoft leading the duo's search efforts and Yahoo leading the advertising team. "The overall deal terms stay the same," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. The two companies released the following joint statement: "Microsoft and Yahoo! believe that this deal will create a sustainable and more compelling alternative in search that can provide consumers, advertisers and publishers real choice, better value, and more innovation. Yahoo! and Microsoft welcome the broad support the deal has received from key players in the advertising industry and remain hopeful that the closing of the transaction can occur in early 2010."

Piotr Duda, Anthony Dahlgren, SM Sohelozzaman and 2 more joined WiMAX360

Tarinth writes "Google just announced its new Google DNS platform. Many have viewed this as a move to increase ad revenue, or maybe capture more data. This article explores those questions, as well as the actual benchmarking results for Google DNS — showing that it is faster than many, but not nearly as fast as many others." We also recently discussed security implications of the Google Public DNS. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Federal judge Nancy Gertner today officially brought down the tent on the Joel Tenenbaum P2P Big Top World 'O Fun, all but admitting that she would have given Tenenbaum's arguments about "fair use" a truly sympathetic hearing were it not for the shoddy behavior of his legal team. What could have turned into a watershed case instead became another statutory crucifixion, with Gertner finally entering the jury's $675,000 verdict against the young file-swapper whose defense crashed down with an in-court admission that he had been lying all along. Gertner signed off the jury's damage amounts, which means that Sony BMG is entitled to $112,500, Warner Bros. gets $225,000, Arista Records gets $45,000, and Universal picks up $292,500.

As you take a 30-second tour of your local AT&T store this month, the iPAQ Glisten from HP isn't likely to catch your eye; it's just another QWERTY smartphone without much curb appeal, after all. If you take a step back, though, this unassuming piece of gadgetry is actually quite ... Android Phone Fans found this 6 minutes ago on engadget.com Find more top technology news, videos, and blogs on TechBlips: Mobile, Windows Mobile , HP iPAQ , QWERTY , Hewlett-Packard , iPAQ

In NY, AT&T's "Mark the Spot" iPhone app is going to run constantly. It lets you pinpoint precisely where AT&T's network sucked, and how—dropped call, bad data, crappy voice—and send it... jkOnTheRun found this 47 minutes ago on gizmodo.com Find more top technology news, videos, and blogs on TechBlips: iPhone

While everyone talks about the iPhone, the mobile device's non-telephone sibling the iPod touch continues to grow its market share at a clamorous rate, leading mobile analytics firm, Flurry, to call it Apple's "weapon of mass consumption". Flurry estimates that of 58 million iPhones and ... EverythingiCafe found this 56 minutes ago on 9to5mac.com Find more top technology news, videos, and blogs on TechBlips: iPhone

Right on cue, HTC's 2010 roadmap appears to have been leaked for 2010, showing off a slew of new Windows Mobile- and Android-powered phones. While there are five Google powered devices, the headline grabbing one appears to be the Legend, which looks to be the sequel to the Hero, albeit it with minimal upgrades - the main one being the trackball being dropped for a trackpad. It will also be encased in metal, rather than the Teflon-coated plastic number surrounding the Hero. The tipster of all these announcements, over on XDA Developers Forum, has stated that this will be arriving in March 2010. The other 'headline' device is the HTC Bravo, also running on the Android OS, but will have an HD2-matching spec list of a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 256MG Ram and the latest 2.1 version of Android. Dousing the rumours of Passion This has previously been dubbed the Passion / Dragon by internet rumours, and has apparently been seen in the 'flesh' recently. Other top handsets from the line up,...