A hacker known for cracking the copy-protection technology in DVDs claims to have unlocked the playback restrictions of Apple’s iPod and iTunes music products and plans to license his code to others. The move by Jon Lech Johansen, also known as “DVD Jon,” could pit the 22-year-old against Apple’s lawyers, experts say, but if successful could free users from some restrictions Apple and its rivals place on digital music. Today, songs purchased from Apple’s online iTunes Music Store can’t be played on portable devices made by other companies. Songs purchased from many other online music stores also won’t work on iPods because they similarly use a form of copy-protection that Apple doesn’t support.

An experimental helmet from Toshiba gives its wearer the visual experience of being someplace else. Inside the headgear from the Japanese electronics maker, a 40-centimeter (16-inch) screen can show a vista that is synched with the wearer’s head movements, giving the illusion of actually being there. The 3 kilogram (6 pound) helmet–squared off in the back and rounded, bubble-like, in the front–has infrared sensors at the top that detect which way the wearer’s head is moving. The projector in the back of the helmet shows images corresponding to the head movements on the screen inside the helmet, giving the wearer an illusion of immediacy and realness.

Sony has provided greater detail about a battery-manufacturing problem that is expected to see the replacement of up to 9.6 million laptop computer battery packs. The problem was first acknowledged in August when Dell issued a recall for 4.1 million batteries and until now had been explained as metallic particles that got into the battery during the manufacturing progress. On Tuesday, Sony expanded on this and said the particles, believed to be nickel, likely got into the battery during two stages in production: when a groove was created in the battery case and when the electrolyte was poured into the cell.

Gateway is taking advantage of Sony’s battery-replacement program and will exchange approximately 35,000 of its consumers’ batteries, it said Tuesday. The exchange program covers batteries that began shipping in September 2005 with laptop PC models CX200, CX210, E100M, M250, M255, M280, M285, M465, M685, MP8708, NX260, NX510, NX560, NX860, NX100, MX1025, MX6918b and MX1020j, the company said in a statement. Most were sold through Gateway’s Internet shop.

Alienware–the leading manufacturer of high-performance desktop, notebook, media center and professional systems–is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. That’s 10 years of showing the world that PCs don’t have to be dull gray boxes without personality, style or edginess, 10 years of building the most powerful PCs for the world’s most demanding PC users–gamers, 10 years of design and performance innovations that have been recognized by countless business and technology publications, 10 years of work, planning and execution destined to make the next 10 years even more incredible and exciting. “When I think about what we’ve been able to do for our customers and the PC market over the last 10 years, I’m humbled–but not so humbled that I can’t look ahead and see that Alienware is going to keep on pushing the envelope,” said Alienware CEO Nelson Gonzalez.

ShaggyMac announced OptiMist Prime, a laptop spray cleaner. There are many public misconceptions concerning what should be used to clean a laptop screen. Some people use household cleaners and paper towels, while others use different types of alcohol sprays to get the job done. The aforementioned cleaners have the potential to permanently damage the sensitive surface of a laptop screen, and are not recommended by professionals. ShaggyMac OptiMist Prime is an advanced, molecular level cleaner, specifically engineered to clean the most sensitive optical surfaces. OptiMist Prime is compatible with any laptop screen, matte or glossy. It also safely cleans LCD screens, plasma TV’s, camera optics, iPods, and more. Originally used in the Aero-Space Industry, OptiMist Prime excels at safely purifying all optical surfaces. OptiMist Prime is a clear aqueous formula, which does not contain alcohol, detergents, vinegar, dyes, ammonias, acids, phosphates, polymers, chlorides or caustics.

Several new refurbishing techniques allow old computers to extend lifespan by several years. Every year the top computer companies like IBM, Dell, HP/Compaq and Gateway sell millions of laptop computers. Then the following year they put out something new and improved to ignite sales. Business owners and professionals just flock to get the “latest” technology simply because it is new. What happens to the old one? Refurbishing companies have better tools today that help to repair used computers and make them operate like new again. Highly skilled technicians use these tools to recondition notebook computers and the best part is the cost is low and the technology is high. The end result is a refurbished laptop that operates like a brand new one.

Research In Motion announced enhancements to the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader software that will allow the smart card reader to facilitate controlled access over a Bluetooth connection to a PC running Microsoft Windows XP. The BlackBerry Smart Card Reader features a lightweight, wearable design. It supports the ISO 7816 specification for smart cards, including support for Department of Defense Common Access Cards and the DataKey/Safenet 330 cards. The BlackBerry Smart Card Reader can utilize the embedded security credentials of a smart card to provide two-factor authenticated access via Bluetooth to both BlackBerry handsets and PCs.

Research In Motion announced the availability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server for MDS Applications. The new software incorporates the industry-leading security, unique push-based architecture, reliability and administrative features of the BlackBerry platform to provide organizations with an easy and flexible solution for extending mobile applications to users, without the requisite of wireless email. BlackBerry Mobile Data System is an integral component of the overall BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, enabling the secure and efficient flow of data between corporate data systems and BlackBerry handsets.

Five years, five major generations… it’s time to pay our respects to what is, if not the most innovative, the most influential piece of consumer electronics in recent memory: The Apple iPod. Today’s iPods bear only a passing resemblance to the original, both in the controls and under the hood: The state of the art 5G iPod holds 80GB of data, or about 16,000 songs. The click-wheel has been honed and refined year after year to the point where it’s hard to believe the 1G, 2G, and 3G iPods actually had buttons. Today’s iPods play video in full color and are smaller and slimmer than ever.