YouTube Olympics channel brings games to multiple nations

Citizens of Ethiopia and Thailand (we originally said Taiwan here, which is not included) are among the international Web users who will be able to view online content from the Beijing Olympics via YouTube, according to an announcement made by the International Olympic Committee Monday.

While NBC holds the Olympics digital video-on-demand rights in the US, rights have not been sold on an exclusive basis in more than 70 countries. In those countries, people can access the specialized YouTube Olympics channel youtube.com/beijing2008, starting on August 6.

The IOC said the Olympic Broadcasting Services will produce the YouTube channel content and will include highlights, news clips, and daily videos of the international games. YouTube, and parent company Google, will also help pull videos that violate the IOC copyrights on Olympics content, The Wall Street Journal reported. YouTube said it would not disclose exact terms of the deal, but that the IOC is "is using our industry-leading VideoID technology to manage and protect its content on the site."

A YouTube spokesperson also said the site will only sell advertising on the channel to any of the IOC's 12 exclusive sponsors.

For countries like the US, where exclusive rights to content have been bought, YouTube will use geo-blocking, based on a user's IP address, to prevent access to the channel. However, NBC will also be broadcasting the Olympics on the Web, with more than 2,000 hours of live content available on its Olympics site. NBC paired with Microsoft in its effort to broadcast online videos into homes across the U.S, although some of the most popular sporting events will not be streamed live.
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Could 64-bit Windows finally be taking off?

If you build it, it appears they will come, eventually.

Such is the case with 64-bit computing. Advanced Micro Devices launched 64-bit chips for the desktop back in 2003, hoping the fact that it was there and didn't cost extra would convince consumers.

"Our industry, right now, is hungry for another round of innovation," AMD chief Hector Ruiz told the crowd at the San Francisco launch in September 2003. Not that hungry, apparently.

Of course, the hardware wasn't much use without a 64-bit operating system. After several fits and starts, Microsoft finally released a 64-bit version of Windows XP in the fall of 2005.

"64-bit versions of Windows will begin to find their way into high-end gaming notebooks, which increasingly are being used as high-end notebook workstations as opposed to strictly gaming systems."

--Richard Shim, analyst, IDC

Still, several factors have held up adoption of 64-bit computing, long after the operating system was available. First of all, there wasn't a lot of need for it. The primary advantage of 64-bit computing is the ability to use more than 4GB of RAM, and until very recently most PC buyers had little need for that much memory. Also, to connect to a computer running 64-bit Windows, printers, scanners, and other peripherals need to have a special 64-bit driver.

But it appears the benefits are starting to outweigh the drawbacks.

In a blog post this week, Microsoft's Chris Flores noted that 20 percent of new Windows Vista PCs in the U.S. that connected to Windows Update in June were running a 64-bit version of the OS, compared with 3 percent of new computers in March.
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Google Street View goes live in Australia, Japan

Street View, the driver's eye view on Google Maps, made its debut in the US, but it's now available in Australia and Japan, too.

The Street View service has raised privacy hackles in some quarters, but it's helped me navigate in areas I've never visited: What does the house I'm visiting look like? Or the street corner where I'm supposed to get off the bus? Or where exactly is that big-box retailer?

Google also is extending Street View to Europe, and in the process is gathering data that will let it create 3D models as well.

To alleviate privacy concerns, Google blurs faces in Street View.
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MacBook redesign leaked? Probably not

Are these really leaked pics of a redesigned MacBook, widely expected later this year? Probably not, as Apple has always done an excellent job of keeping its new designs under wraps. But the Interwebs are abuzz with this series of shots that generally fit in with the conventional wisdom--that the MacBook line is getting an aluminum makeover, to look more like the high-end MacBook Pro.

Mac accessories store AppleOwner.com and a Taiwanese site called apple.pro are both showing off the allegedly leaked shots, which don't offer much in the way of detail, besides an aluminum chassis with the MacBook name stamped into it. Check out the pics for yourself after the break and let us know if you think they're legit or fake.


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Lenovo Netbook: Fact or fiction?

According to a report by PC Magazine, Lenovo is the latest to join the Netbook rat race with the IdeaPad S10. Instead of playing in the 8.9-inch arena, the Chinese maker is gunning straight for the 10-inch form factor, currently populated by the ASUS Eee PC 1000 and MSI Wind.

Or so it may seem. Though the tech publication claims that the announcement was made today and put out the report at just past 12am New York time, our Lenovo contact claims that there has been no global announcement made at all, and that this is merely a rumor at this time. Which is strange, because PC Magazine not only provided configurations (listed below) but also had images of the unit. According to the featured article, the IdeaPad S10 has the following specifications:
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