Ed Oswald

Microsoft released the second version of its Windows Live Mobile Search application on Friday, including some new features for both the standalone and Web-based versions of the client.

Versions of the software are available for Windows Mobile, J2ME, and in beta for BlackBerry devices. Unsupported phones will be able to access the new Web-based version. The iPhone can use the Web-based app, but a bug prevents the search button from working properly.

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Apple may be close to developing a Wi-Fi enabled iPod as a new patent application submitted recently by the company indicates it is developing a way for devices to talk to each other through a wireless network.

First reported by Macsimum News on Thursday, the patent sounds quite similar to what Microsoft is already doing with the Zune. There has been much speculation about the release of a Wi-Fi enabled device, however none have surfaced as of yet.

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Trying to recoup its losses as a result of placing anti-piracy software on its music CDs, Sony BMG sued the company responsible for the technology, it said on Thursday.

Sony is asking for $12 million USD in damages from The Amergence Group, Inc., formally known as SunnComm International. The suit was filed in a New York State court on July 3, according to court documents.

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Microsoft's entertainment and devices chief Robbie Bach sold $6.2 million in stock in the two months preceding the company's admission that Xbox repairs had reached an "unacceptable" level.

The hardware problems were said to affect as many as 3 out of every 10 consoles according to some sources. Bach said the company had developed a fix for the issue and was already implementing it into consoles that Microsoft is manufacturing now.

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Warner Music Group said Thursday that it had dropped its lawsuit against video sharing site imeem, as the two sides agreed on a revenue sharing deal.

The label had sued imeemin mid-May , claiming the site was allowing its users to share content from the label without permission. It sought an injunction against the site as well as monetary damages.

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With the Nintendo DS now outselling the PSP, Sony said Wednesday that it will release a new model of the handheld console in September that is both thinner and lighter than its predecessor.

Sony Computer Entertainment president Kazuo Hirai said at an E3 presentation that the new PSP is about a third lighter and about 19 percent thinner. It is likely that the move is aimed at regaining the top spot in sales that it recently lost to Nintendo's DS.

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If you're still trying to find a Nintendo Wii, keep looking. The console is expected to remain in short supply in the near future, says its North American president.

Reggie Fils-Aimee made the comments on Wednesday as part of the E3 Media and Business Summit. He said that even though the console had been basically sold out for all of the 33 weeks it has been available, it should become the number 1 gaming platform very soon.

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Amid fresh criticism over his leadership, Mororola CEO Ed Zander may be about to step down according to rumors on the Street, one analyst says.

The latest calls for resignation come from investor Eric Jackson, who demanded that Zander leave as part of what he calls "Motorola Plan B." In addition, he calls on shareholders to replace four board members, create a long-term plan and name a permanent head of the mobile devices business.

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Nielsen/NetRatings plans to drop its old methods of counting pageviews to gauge Web site popularity, instead opting for a system where it would measure how long a user stays on a site.

With the changing scope of Web content, the old methods are quickly becoming less relevant. More important to advertisers and investors may be how long a user spends on a site, Nielsen seems to believe.

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Microsoft said Monday that it had released a improved version of its Robotics Studio platform, adding support for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 and Windows Mobile, as well as programming improvements.

The Redmond company introduced its robotics platform in December of last year, while also announcing that it would support RoboCup 2007, a project that aims to build a team of humanoid robots that would be able to defeat the world champion soccer team by 2050.

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Sprint's move to cancel problem accounts is wider than initially thought, and apparently also aimed at those who may roam too frequently. However, some are crying foul over these latest moves.

The struggling carrier was exposed last week for attempting to get rid of accounts that it claimed were calling its customer service lines too frequently. An undisclosed number of customers were told their service will be cancelled on July 30.

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RealNetworks has found another manufacturing partner to distribute devices that are compatible with its Rhapsody service, announcing Monday that iRiver would produce a new clix Rhapsody model.

The second-generation of the innovative device would support Rhapsody DNA, Real's own digital rights management solution. iRiver's previous clix model was a Windows Media-based device.

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Google has agreed to acquire e-mail security firm Postini in a $625 million deal, the two companies said Monday. The agreement would further Google's push into the enterprise market.

Postini has about 35,000 clients and about 10 million users worldwide. Among the services offered to enterprise clients are anti-spam, archiving, encryption and policy enforcement to protect digital communications.

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Despite comments to the contrary from the company president just a week ago, Sony on Monday cut the price of the 60GB PlayStation 3 by $100, while also introducing the 80GB version to North American consumers.

The announcement comes days before the annual E3 gaming event in Los Angeles, where competitor Microsoft may announce its own price cuts in response to Sony's moves. Nintendo, meanwhile, is widely expected to leave its own pricing untouched.

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A new auction site is making a business out of selling security exploits, saying the current methods of rewarding researchers for their work is broken.

Called WSLabi, the company behind it hopes that it will end the practice of researchers being forced to give away their work for free or sell it to cyber-criminals. They also hope that it will increase the number of publicly disclosed vulnerabilities.

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