Google Sued Over Child Porn Links
A New York politician sued Google Thursday in the state's Supreme Court over allegations that it was profiting from links to child pornography. Jeffrey Toback of the Nassau County Legislature said the search engine's paid advertisements include links to minors engaged in lewd acts.
Google has denied such activity and said it takes steps to ensure access to child porn is difficult. The company has a policy of removing references to the subject, a spokesperson said. Additionally, the content is reported to law enforcement.
OpenDoc in Microsoft Office a Reality
The OpenDocument Foundation has developed a plug-in for Microsoft Office that would provide transparent compatibility with ODF, allowing users to open and save like any other office document.
The group has apparently been working on the plug-in for quite some time, however only publicly acknowledged it after the state of Massachusetts put out a request on Wednesday.
CBS Debuts Web Television Network
CBS on Thursday debuted Innertube, a Web-only television channel that will feature original programming and eventually reruns of the network's hit shows. Content will be free and ad-supported, with most being targeted towards a younger audience, the network says.
Like a similar service from ABC, Innertube utilizes Flash and RealPlayer, meaning the content would be viewable by both Mac and PC users. Original programming includes shows such as the college-centric "Greek to Chic" and shows that are based off the hit series "Survivor" and "Amazing Race."
Sun Lends a Hand to Open Source
Sun said Thursday that it would alter its licensing terms in order to make Java easier to bundle with open source operating systems. The announcement is expected to come at the JavaOne conference later this month.
The changes specifically target the Java Runtime Environment, which is needed to run Java programs on the computer. Sun will allow developers of operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD and OpenSolaris to include the JRE as part of the OS, without licensing restrictions.
AOL to Launch VOIP, Profile Services
AOL has plans to offer a new service for users of its instant messaging client that would allow them to receive incoming telephone calls. Called Phoneline, the feature provides a telephone number to subscribers free of charge. A pay version would also be offered, which would allow unlimited calls to U.S. and 30 countries worldwide for $14.95 a month, AOL said Thursday.
Phoneline is intended to compete directly with VoIP provider Skype, which offers similar services through its desktop client. However, Skype users must pay an additional fee to receive a phone number for their account. AOL also plans to take on MySpace and MSN Spaces with the launch of AIM Pages, a social networking service that would alert the user's buddies through the AIM client when profiles are updated.
NetRatings Sues 2 Adware Companies
Nielsen//NetRatings said Thursday that it had filed suit against adware companies WhenU.com and 180solutions, saying they had infringed on patents related to the collection, analysis and reporting of computer usage and activity. The announcement came as part of the company's first quarter results. Details on exactly what patents the two companies are accused of infringing upon were not given.
NetRatings' patent enforcement process began early last year. Its efforts have resulted in licensing agreements with Visual Sciences LLC, SageMetrics Corp., and Omniture, and it has filed complaints against Coremetrics, Sane Solutions LLC, and WebSideStory. Neither 180solutions nor WhenU could be reached for comment.
Exchange, Windows Fixes on Tap
Microsoft will issue three patches as part of its monthly Patch Tuesday next week, of which at least two have been rated "critical," the company said. It is likely that these patches would fix various code execution flaws.
Two of the patches will be for Windows issues, and the third will be for a flaw in Microsoft's Exchange product. It is believed that one of the Windows fixes could be yet another cumulative security patch for Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.
ATI, Nokia Pen Multimedia Deal
Nokia and ATI said Thursday that they had formed a strategic relationship that aims to enhance the multimedia experience on Nokia cellular phones. The two would work together on music and video playback, as well as 3D gaming and mobile TV.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although ATI expected to see "opportunities" in late 2007. The company was confident that it would be "very, very significant financially," ATI executives said in a conference call.
Qualcomm, MS Team Up on Smartphones
Microsoft and Qualcomm said Thursday that they had reached a deal to port the Windows Mobile operating system to Qualcomm's chipsets. Both companies said the development would help shorten the development times of new smartphones.
Qualcomm says supporting Windows Mobile on its chips would also lead to smaller and lighter smartphones as well. Additionally, the integration would bring much better battery life.
MySQL Patches Security Flaws
Open source database company MySQL issued a security update to address flaws in its product that could open up users to attack. Rated a "moderate risk" vulnerability by FrSIRT, one of the flaws involves a buffer overflow that could allow for code execution, while the other two involve a validation error, and could expose information within system memory.
The issue affects MySQL versions 4.0.26, 4.1.18. 5.0.20 and 5.1.9, as well as prior versions of those major releases. The most recent version, MySQL 5.0, was released last fall and has seen quick adoption among users of the open source database software.
Microsoft's adCenter Goes Live in US
Microsoft said Thursday that it has rolled out its self-serve advertising program adCenter across all its U.S. search queries, a year after the program was first announced. The company hopes that the switch would help to increase advertising revenue, as well as compete more directly with Google in the race for advertising dollars.
The program is still being deployed internationally, with the service already serving ads in France and Singapore. Testing in the U.K. is slated to begin in June.
Sun Countersues Azul Systems
Sun shot back at Azul Systems Wednesday, filing a countersuit against the hardware maker in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif. In the suit, the computer maker alleged that Azul infringed on six patents and violated trade secrets.
Azul filed for declaratory relief in mid-March, crying foul over what it called "exorbitant" fees and royalties, as well as Sun demanding part ownership in the company. The company alleged that Sun was threatening Azul with legal action for non-compliance.
Philly Wi-Fi Nears Construction
EarthLink is close to receiving final approval from Philadelphia's City Council to mount its equipment from light poles, company representatives said on Wednesday. Some council members expressed concern over parts of the deal, delaying construction.
The joint committee for education and technology wanted EarthLink to ensure it would comply with city ordinances that require contractors to ensure diversity in their workforces. Additionally, council wanted more oversight of Wireless Philadelphia, the non-profit group that is overseeing the project.
Sony Delays First Blu-ray Movies
Supporters of HD DVD have another reason to be happy Thursday as Sony announced that it would delay the release of the first Blu-ray discs until June 20. However, according to company executives, the delay is not due to any issues with the discs.
The initial Blu-ray movies are still expected to be completed and ready to ship by the previous May 23 deadline. But retail and hardware partners asked for a one-month delay so that the releases would coincide with the first commercially available players.
Wal-Mart to Sell Build-To-Order PCs
Soon Wal-Mart customers will be able to build their own computers through the expansion of a pilot program in 1,200 of its 3,200 stores in the United States. 200 more would join the program by the end of the year, and possibly more during 2007, the company said.
The new program is a departure from Wal-Mart's current strategy of selling pre-packaged systems. Consumers would be able to choose various components to build their own PC, including processor, monitor and other computer specs.
Ed's Bio
Ed Oswald is a freelance journalist from the Reading, PA area. Although he has written across a variety of subjects, Ed’s passion and focus has been on technology and gadgets. His work regularly appears on tech news sites BetaNews, PCWorld, and Technologizer, and has been syndicated to eWeek, Time’s Techland blog, VentureBeat and the New York Times.
Ethics Statement© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.