Some of you P2P fans may want to know about a new coalition called Arts + Labs. It may sound like some kind of open-source hippie think tank, but it's actually a powerful alignment of film and music copyright owners (NBC Universal, Viacom and the Songwriters Guild of America) and tech firms and ISPs (Microsoft, Cisco Systems and AT&T). It's a group that could put together a pretty serious anti-piracy system without much trouble. Saul Hansell at the NY Times says the group claims that "network operators must have the flexibility to manage and expand their networks to defend against net pollution and illegal file trafficking which threatens to congest and delay the network for all consumers." Hansell interprets this as a call to filter packets, and put the kibosh on any dubious transfers.

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Linksys today announced EasyLink Advisor setup wizard for Mac OSX 10.4 and up, available for download in support of WRT310N, WRT160N, WRT110 and WRT54G2. New routers will ship with a disc containing both Mac and Windows setups. The other good news is that Linksys and parent company Cisco will now support Mac users when they call for tech support. As a fan of Linksys and Macs, all I can say is, "It's about freakin' time." [Linksys]

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Wherever this place is, Cisco, we never want to live here. Or visit. Or accidentally drive through on the way to work. [As seen on Crunch]

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The U.S. Military has spent millions of dollars on counterfeit computer components over the years, according to an FBI report. This not only screws over businesses, but it also makes it easier for cyber-terrorists to hack into our systems by putting trojans and viruses in fake circuitry. An anti-counterfeit initiative by the FBI, led to 15 criminal cases and over US$3.5 million worth of seized products.

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Remember that misprinted Linksys tech-support number that led callers to a phone-sex hotline? Well, Cisco-Linksys has flexed its muscles, scooping up the number and reprogramming it with good old-fashioned helpful info. No more sexy time for you, unless of course you listen to our previously recorded version of the message. Linksys customers who want to bypass all shenanigans can call the usual US tech-support line: 800-326-7114. [Linksys]

You may have heard about the new Media Center Extenders from Cisco's Linksys division. The DMA2200 shown above is a high-def MCE with 1080p-upscaling DVD player and Dual-Band Wireless-N, priced at $350. The smaller $300 DMA2100 MCE is geared for bedrooms and kitchens, places where you're going to want less clutter, though to be honest, the built-in DVD player is quite the clutter-reducer all by itself.

Both MCE devices require Vista-based Media Center PCs, which means nearly every PC running Vista. One of the best things about the new interface, which looks almost exactly like the Vista MC interface, is that you can actually browse through the DVR schedule and order up shows to watch. It means you can really leave your big ugly PC in the den, but use all of its Media Center functions when you're on your couch. This wasn't really possible before, and especially not in high-def.

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Contrary to what was reported last week on Uberpulse, Cisco is not fading out the Linksys brand. The Orange County Register reports (and we confirmed with Cisco) that the Linksys brand is staying put, and will not be phased out in favor of consumer-branded Cisco equipment. This is important because Linksys is such a trusted name in consumer networking, as opposed to Cisco, which is only recognized by people in the business. So for the "near term," the Linksys brand will stay. In the long term, they will "examine their branding strategy going forward." So no promises. [FreedomBlogging]

Those of you with any brand loyalty to Linksys will shed a tear at Cisco's announcement to kill off the Linksys name entirely. The only reason Cisco kept the name after they bought out the smaller company was for brand recognition in the US (Linksys was much better known among consumers).

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MTV and Cisco are doing a "Digital Incubators" program, a joint venture between mtvU and Cisco that offers $30,000 in seed money to college kids who come up with buzz-worthy convergence-stuffed project to connect with the kids. There's even an extra opportunity for another $100,000 in funding if they come up with something better than a cellphone game about bongs, which comprised about half the entries.

Check out this years top entries after the jump, and feel free to dissect them and come up with your own, better ideas in comments.

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Cisco is finally getting its Linksys and Scientific Atlanta armies in lockstep, and is devising a home-theater assault that could actually gain ground, according to BusinessWeek. At the vanguard is a mystery "souped-up" set-top box that combines DVR functionality and wireless networking for one-box, whole-house distributed video. The boxes would also likely include software from another acquisition, KiSS Technology, to retrieve media files from PCs and also the Internet. (Might even have a browser....a slight feeling of déjå vu is coming over me.)

Word is that there may be some editions distributed by cable companies, which makes sense. What's weirder is that Cisco may also sell one in stores under the Linksys brand. Would the Linksys boxes require Cable Cards? If so, wouldn't that put them at an unfair disadvantage (hobbled technology and presumably higher price) to their cable-co cousins?

One final question: Why should I believe in this initiative, when I myself have experienced not once but twice the way decent Scientific Atlanta technology gets adulterated by Big Cable? I like the sound of a Cisco Super-DVR, but when I close my eyes to think of it, all I can picture is the Cablevision Cripple-DVR sitting next to my TV. Good luck, Cisco—we'll be watching. – Wilson Rothman

Cisco Steps Up Consumer Push [BusinessWeek]