[H]ardNews 4th Edition

Intel Kills Wireless:

Intel has decided to stop selling branded wireless networking. The company will focus on its Centrino line instead. The article isn’t very long, but it did produce one of the best quotes of the day ( read last sentence ):

Wireless networking technology "Wi-Fi is in danger of being overhyped, and to some degree we may be guilty of that by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on our Centrino advertising campaign," he said. Otellini added that the popularity of Wi-Fi has led to tremendous pricing pressure for chips, but that's the nature of the business. "That's life," he said. "Welcome to the semiconductor business."

Xbox Wireless:

While Intel may be shutting down their wireless ambitions, Microsoft is just getting started. Microsoft just got FCC approval for their own line of wireless Xbox network adapters. Very cool.

According to its quick start guide, users will be able to play multi-player games with either Microsoft’s own Xbox Live online game subscription service if the device is connected to a broadband Internet connection or users can use the device to create a wireless connection for System Link (console-to-console) play (requires two Xbox video game systems and Xbox System Link play certified games).

Promised CD Settlement?

What ever happened to the CD price fixing settlement money everyone was supposed to get? Remember that? Looks like more legal maneuvering is holding up the flow of settlement cashola.

We first told you about a chance to get free money in a music price-fixing settlement. That was five months ago. Checks for as much as $20 a person were supposed to be in the mail in mid-July. Over time, a lot of us forgot about it, but not Jeff Lewandowsky.