Welp, that didn’t take too long. Around 1.5 years after it was first announced, Google has decided to “shut down its premium video service.” Nevertheless, the most intriguing aspect of the whole shebang is that customers who purchased DRM-laden files will reportedly no longer be able to view them once the Video Store closes up shop, and rather than refunding customers with, you know, real money, it sounds like Google plans to offer “fixed credit on the firm’s online payment system, Google Checkout, instead.” Interestingly, another report noted that the search giant would “provide refunds or online shopping vouchers for previously purchased videos that won’t be viewable,” so it looks like the final verdict remains to be seen.

While it’s far from the most spacious storage system we’ve seen, Netcom’s new eSATA-based NR5-4 system will accomodate four drives for up to to 3TB of storage in a RAID 5 configuration, something the company claims to be an industry first. If RAID 5 isn’t your thing, you can set things up in your choice of RAID 0 or 10 configurations as well, and you’ll be able to keep an eye on the goings on thanks to the unit’s backlit display. You’ll also, of course, get the requisite PCI host adapter, along with a one meter host cable, and a “comprehensive” one year warranty. Not surprisingly, the unit doesn’t exactly come cheap, with it boasting a near $2,000 price tag. If that’s not a deal-breaker, you can get your order in right now.

Snappy retinal scanners have been in the works for some time, and now Panasonic is apparently hoping to hasten those annoying ID checks by enabling security personnel to confirm the true identity of a person walking through in just “two seconds.” Additionally, this scanner does not require subjects to “focus on the equipment,” packs “multiple two-megapixel cameras,” and in case you couldn’t guess, is being marketed towards airports and high-security office buildings. No word just yet on when these may be rolled out for public use, but anything (well, almost) that speeds up our traveling is smiled upon by us.

[Via TechDigest]

Here we go again kids. After all those notorious fires related to the batteries used by the world’s largest handset manufacturer, Nokia has issued a product advisory related to the BL-5C, Nokia-branded battery. That’s right, Nokia branded, not just those third-party knockoffs everyone had been pointing the finger at previously. A staggering 46 million batteries in fact, all manufactured by Matsushita (aka, Panasonic) between December 2005 and November 2006, are said to be at risk of “dislodge.” According to the release, “in very rare cases” the Nokia-branded BL-5C batteries could short circuit leading to an explosive burn. Nokia goes on to say that the danger only exists while charging the battery and of the 100 or so reported incidents, “no serious injuries or property damage have been reported.” Oh really? So the loss of a leg no longer constitutes serious injury? The BL-5C is one of just 14 different batteries used in Nokia products so be sure to check the list below to see if your phone is one of the 52 Nokia handsets affected. If you’re unlucky (or lucky, depending upon your viewpoint) enough to be affected, then Nokia will provide a replacement battery free of charge.

Read — Product advisory for BL-5C battery
Read — List of affected Nokia phones and Battery IDs

The Yahoo! Search Marketing blog has just announced the launch of a brand new tool, the Traffic Quality Center. The goal of the Traffic Quality Center is to combat click-fraud, learn about traffic quality, and access tips and information regarding search marketing and click-fraud detection.

YahooPete has gone around to Search Engine Watch Forums, DigitalPoint Forums, and WebmasterWorld to share the news.

While many users appreciate this system and welcomed the news, others at WebmasterWorld felt that Yahoo needs to play a more active role in addressing issues for search marketing.

I think the traffic quality center is a great resource that can help advertisers understand the quality of traffic. But while making sites touting how you are making the search marketplace better is one thing, actually enforcing those principles is another.And it’s not just the types of traffic Yahoo! keeps blindly accepting, it’s the fact that advertisers still don’t have basic features to fight it. … But I have to wonder, if Yahoo! is so determined to stop click fraud, why are they not policing their partners and giving their advertisers tools to fight it?

Forum discussion at Search Engine Watch Forums, DigitalPoint Forums, and WebmasterWorld.