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Technology Stocks : e.Digital Corporation(EDIG) - Embedded Digital Technology -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Raptech who wrote (7363)	8/19/1999 8:24:00 PM
From: chris431	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 18366

Cracked: MS' New Music Format by Jennifer Sullivan and John Gartner wired.com 1:45 p.m. 18.Aug.99.PDT Talk about an inauspicious debut. Just as Microsoft released its much-anticipated digital music technology, a cracker found a way to circumvent its security restrictions -- and put a nasty moniker on it. Read Wired News' ongoing MP3 coverage Browse Webmonkey's MP3 Guide Microsoft launched the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format as an alternative to the popular MP3 technology on Tuesday. WMA files can be encoded to restrict playback to a single PC, time period, or number of plays. Almost instantly, cracking software that removes all playback restrictions began making its way around newsgroups and IRC sessions. The file, pointedly named unfuck.exe, was first described on Dimension Music, a Web site dedicated to the competing MP3 music format. Wired News successfully stripped restrictions from an audio file purchased from Musicmaker.com using the utility. The cracking file intercepts the audio data stream as the file is being sent to an output device -- such as a speaker -- according to Kevin Unangst, lead product manager in the streaming media division at Microsoft. The utility functions similarly to cracking programs Audiojacker and Totalrecorder, intercepting the data and re-saving it without the restrictions. Being able to intercept the playback "is a reality of the music and PC industry," Unangst said. "It's like buying a pay-per-view movie and recording it on your VCR. People will still rent movies and buy CDs." "We don't see this as a flaw," said Allen Beckerdite, chief technology officer of Reciprocal, a provider of digital rights management services. "It is a concern, and we'd like to investigate how it happened." Microsoft's security technology lets content owners establish access rules that are enforced wherever that file travels. The file access rights include pricing and usage, as well as such functions as sampling and copying. The music industry is grappling with how to protect audio copyrights as it transitions to online commerce. Microsoft and Reciprocal are members of the Secure Digital Music Initiative, a group of technology companies and record labels creating an open specification to secure digital downloads. In the past, cracks have been developed for secure formats such as Liquid Audio and AT&T's a2b music. "It will take a while, if ever, to have anything secure," said Angelo Sotira, who runs Dimension Music. "Some guy will create an easy-to-use [cracking] application and send it out to the world because they get a kick out of it." Editor's note: This article has been modified to correct an error. Wired News originally reported that Microsoft's security technology was licensed from Reciprocal. We reget this inaccuracy.

To: Raptech who wrote (7363)	8/19/1999 9:56:00 PM
From: JBocca9801	Respond to of 18366

Raptech-- Your question has already been addressed by JimC1997, when of the most reputable shareholders and posters. Review post #7096...enjoy! "J"

To: Raptech who wrote (7363)	8/20/1999 12:23:00 AM
From: SunSpot	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 18366

Raptech, Maybe we should be calling you a doubting Thomas?<vbg> This is what the company has written about themselves in Microsoft MSN investor: Hey, what's the big idea? For e.Digital (formerly Norris Communications), it's flash memory -- chips that enable cellular phones and other products to retain data when power is turned off. The company provides product development services and technology based on its MicroOS software for flash memory file management. Its customers include electronics companies Lanier Worldwide (58% of sales) and Sanyo (32%) and chip giant Intel, which use MicroOS to link portable products to PCs. e.Digital developed MicroOS AUDIO to manage large music files and is helping Lucent work up a handheld unit for downloading music from the Internet. I think think that EDIG is much too modest. They didn't include SUNW, IBM, getting drunk, pick-up trucks, jail, mother, old dogs and children and watermelon wine! Lighten up people; Life is short and we are only talking about money, and trying to decide if EDIG is worth a damm and there is a lot of name dropping going on.