Sharp, Hitachi investigated for fixing price of Nintendo DS screens
Sharp and Hitachi said Thursday that their LCD display businesses were probed to look for evidence of price fixing in portable game console displays.
Under Japanese law, if a company is found guilty of the scheme, up to 10 percent of its profit gains obtained under those policies could be forfeited in fines. What is not yet known is how the investigation started.
EFF, ACLU say Wikileaks shutdown harms First Amendment rights
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed motions in a federal court in San Francisco to overturn a decision that disabled Wikileaks' primary domain name.
A permanent injunction was imposed which disabled wikileaks.org, and prevented its transfer to any other registrar. This followed a lawsuit by Swiss bank Julius Baer which accused the site of posting the personal transactions of its customers.
Apple looks set to introduce iPhone SDK next week
Invitations have been sent out for an event next week that superficially appears to be the launch of third-party application support for the iPhone.
The invitation shows a folded map with the text "iPhone Software Roadmap." On the map are three different road signs, the first with the text "Enterprise," the next saying "SDK," and the last "Software Update."
Windows CE Trojan out in the wild, say researchers
US-CERT is warning of a Trojan that puts the users of Microsoft's mobile operating system at risk for data disclosure.
Known as the WinCE/InfoJack Trojan, it will hijack the device serial number, disable the operating system's security functions, then install programs and upload user data to the attacker's Web site.
Qwest discussing wireless options with Verizon
Apparently dissatisfied with its as-of-yet unprofitable agreement with Sprint, Qwest is reportedly looking elsewhere.
Qwest signed an exclusivity agreement with Sprint, where it bought wholesale buckets of minutes and then resold them to customers. However, the terms also prevented it from offering the latest handsets, which in turn crippled its ability to attact new customers.
EU hands down record $1.35 billion fine against Microsoft
It looks like Microsoft's troubles in the EU are far from over, with a $1.35 billion ($899 million euros) penalty being rendered on Wednesday. The fine follows two new cases launched in the past month against the Redmond company.
The fine is in addition to a 497 million euro ($613 million) fine first leveled against Microsoft in March 2004 for bundling Media Player into the Windows operating system, and failing to supply interoperability information to competitors.
Microsoft scores win against man who claims he developed Office tech
A federal court that hears patent appeals ordered a lower court to reconsider damages to be paid to a Guatemalan developer over technologies in the Microsoft Office suite.
Carlos Amado originally sued Microsoft in 2003, saying that his technologies surrounding databases and spreadsheets were misappropriated in several versions of Office.
Network Solutions taken to court over domain 'front-running'
Domain registrar Network Solutions was sued over the practice of "front-running" by a Los Angeles law firm representing domain name trader Chris McElory.
ICANN had already been investigating Network Solutions due to its actions, where it was putting holds on domain names after a user searched for them but did not immediately register.
DivX pulls the plug on Stage6 video upload site
Explaining that the site was only an "experiment," DivX said Monday that it had shut off uploads to its Stage6 video site, and would be closing the site completely on February 28.
The official reason states that DivX simply ran out of money to keep the site going, and it was requiring an "enormous amount of attention and resources that we are not in a position to provide."
Sony's new Blu-ray players feature-packed, but still high priced
Sony pressed ahead with its Blu-ray plans Tuesday, announcing two new players coming this year, but still at prices above what most consumers are willing to pay.
The BDP-S350 will ship this summer for $400 USD, and the BDP-S550 in the fall before the holiday season for $500 USD. The S350 will ship with Blu-ray Profile 1.1, also known as BonusView, but will include an Ethernet port so it can be upgraded to Profile 2.0 -- or BD-Live -- when the new firmware is ready.
Apple adds new CPUs, Multi-Touch trackpad to MacBook Pro
Apple on Tuesday updated its entire laptop line with faster processors, more storage and memory, along with adding its Multi-Touch trackpad to the MacBook Pro.
All MacBook models now include the latest Intel Penyrn processors. The MacBook Pro is available in standard 2.4GHz and 2.5GHz options with a 2.6GHz upgrade, while the MacBook ships with 2.1GHz and 2.4GHz options.
Xbox 360 HD DVD drive gets the axe
Stopping short of saying it would produce a external Blu-ray drive, Microsoft has discontinued the accessory.
Those who had purchased the drive would still be eligible for warranty and product support. But as many suspected, the Redmond company gave a hat tip to streaming media as the way of the future.
Sony loses longtime software development exec
Phil Harrison will step down from his position at Sony at the end of the month in order to "tackle new challenges in the video game industry."
Although details of what exactly Harrison plans to do post-Sony are not confirmed, Sony said current game chief Kazuo Hirai will assume the management of SCE's software development group in addition to his current duties.
Electronic Arts presses on with Take-Two takeover
EA is pressing on with its efforts to acquire its rival, Take-Two, saying that its offer is likely the best one the smaller company will get.
EA has already sent two offers to the company, both of which have been turned down by the Take-Two's board. Its next step will be to release the details of the proposal to generate some grassroots shareholder support for its efforts.
Microsoft's Sync parts cost Ford about $30
While a complete teardown analysis has yet to be made available, iSuppli said Friday that the six major semiconductors within the Microsoft-developed system only cost the automaker about $27.80 per vehicle.
That price comes in far below any of Ford's competitors, whose estimated expenditures per vehicle are as high as $800 for similar systems. As an option, Sync is priced at $395 and available on most Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models.
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.
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