Nokia wins one round in Qualcomm IP battle
Just when it appeared Qualcomm finally had a fight on its hands after winning one round last month against Nokia, a judge has invalidated a good chunk of Qualcomm's original injunction request against the handset maker.
In an initial determination handed down yesterday, a US International Trade Commission judge has denied Qualcomm's request for an injunction against the import of Nokia's GSM and EDGE handsets into the US, on the grounds that they infringed upon three of Qualcomm's patents. In so doing, Judge Paul J. Luckern declared one of the three patents in question invalid.
Most ReplayTV assets sold to DirecTV
The struggling DVR company has once again changed hands, this time to the nation's largest satellite provider.
"Although we valued this asset and the business was profitable, the sale of ReplayTV to DirecTV makes the most sense for this business, its employees and us," D&M Holdings CEO Eric Evans said in a statement.
Sprint customers get next-gen MySpace Mobile first
With its subscriber base declining, Sprint surely needs a lift in its heated competitive struggle with AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Could a newly unveiled deal with MySpace Mobile help do the job?
Sprint today announced that its wireless data customers will be able to link to MySpace and Fox Interactive Media (FIM) mobile Web sites free of charge, signifying the latest agreements in an ongoing duel of one-off deals between US wireless carriers and Web sites for Internet access from cell phones.
Apple iPhone and iPod Touch get their very own Picasa
Google brings its Picasa photo sharing application to Mobile OS X Safari, with an interface designed especially for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Google's photo sharing application Picasa has been redesigned to support Safari on OS X Mobile, allowing iPhone and iPod Touch users to see the albums they've uploaded to Picasa Web, watch slideshows, search for photos, and browse other users' albums through the tactile interface.
Bebo takes a page from Facebook with new API
By adopting its competitor's platform, the site will allow developers to port their applications to its network.
This newfound partnership probably will not be the last, either. Facebook is inviting others to join in and use its API, likely in a move to counter Google. It's OpenSocial platform is backed by MySpace, LinkedIn, and others.
Microsoft releases HD DVD emulator software
In an attempt to further spur development for its chosen next-generation DVD platform, Microsoft is making the tool available for $2,999.
The company says by offering an inexpensive way to test HD DVD videos for their playability before the movies are burned to disc, this should in turn reduce the number of problems with disc playback. All the testers need is a connection to Xbox Live and a console to use the emulator.
Another big beta: Microsoft releases Windows Server Virtualization test
After a major delay in the early spring which threw off the development cycle of Windows Server 2008, a public beta -- as opposed to a technology preview -- is being released by Microsoft this morning.
You might say the definition of "early" for Microsoft has changed to mean "on time." Last April, an embarrassed company announced a major delay in its roadmap for Windows Server Virtualization, code-named Viridian, one of the key built-in features of the Enterprise edition of its server operating system. Not long afterward, the Viridian team said it would have to cut key features from the product in order for it to make its dates.
Patent infringement decision against eBay upheld
MercExchange, a tiny Virginia-based company that has taken eBay to all levels of the US court system for patent infringement, has won at the District Court level in Virginia.
MercExchange holds patents for e-commerce solutions that involve internet auctions, what it calls "name a price" systems, dynamic pricing models, desktop messaging, as well as streaming and multicasting.
Linden Lab CTO leaves the real world of Second Life
In an apparent split at the top, one of Second Life's founding employees has left the company, and his former boss apparently bids him a heartfelt good riddance.
Linden Labs CTO Cory Ondrejka, the fourth employee to be hired by the producer of the Second Life virtual world, left the company this week -- apparently at the decision of his boss Philip Rosedale, who publicly signaled his desire for completion of a new user interface as well as his unhappiness over the site's frequent crashes as early as late November.
Out of options, Opera files EU antitrust claim against Microsoft
Just when Microsoft thought it had the EU out of its hair, Opera may have brought it back to the bargaining table.
UPDATED Opera has struggled against Microsoft's Internet Explorer, only managing a little over a half percent worldwide market share compared to IE's 77% in November, according to NetApplications.
AMD in trouble: Barcelona bug, ATI write-down cast bad shadows
At the opening of an analyst meeting this morning, the president of AMD lowered expectations for his company, saying it no longer needs to produce the best performing CPUs, and hinted at scaling back its R&D.
AMD's senior executives held a gathering in New York City this morning, where it would appear on the surface they had escaped the terrible winter weather that has clinched its home state of Texas and neighboring Oklahoma. But a very bad storm is on the horizon, as indicated by president and COO Dirk Meyer's opening remarks, which lowered the bar for what would normally be perceived as "cautiously optimistic."
'PlaysForSure' logo being replaced with 'Certified for Vista'
Without much explanation, Microsoft's PlaysForSure Web page, which had once been the meeting ground for its portable media tech partners, now bears a statement to users that the logo is being dropped.
"The PlaysForSure logo is getting a new look," the statement reads. "All the testing requirements for devices are the same, but instead of looking for the PlaysForSure logo to ensure compatibility, look for the Certified for Windows Vista logo."
Analyst: Consumerism to blend with social networks in 2008
Where traditional Web sites provide content to visitors, social networking sites tend to offer sets of tools that allow "the consumers to become the content," a lead Parks Associates analyst told BetaNews this afternoon.
In a sweeping new report, Parks Associates points to a number of key consumer technology trends to look for in 2008, including an ever widening influence of social networking sites on the World Wide Web. These newer "social media" are rather different from conventional Web sites, notes John Barrett, Parks Associates' director of research.
Study: The Internet's spam problem is getting worse
A study finds that only one out of every 20 e-mails is from a legitimate source, and business professionals now rate it the top form of junk advertising.
Barracuda Networks found that nearly 95 percent of all e-mail sent today is spam. This is up from just five percent of all e-mail in 2001, and 85 to 90 percent of e-mail in 2006.
AT&T to put RFID and GPS in schoolbuses
The San Antonio telco announced today the availability of "black box" type solutions for K-12 school busses, working toward a day when school vehicles can be tracked like aircraft.
The devices provide GPS-based mobile resource management (MRM) solutions, tracking school bus locations, monitoring their speed and providing on-board driving information to bus drivers.
Most Commented Stories
BetaNews, your source for breaking tech news, reviews, and in-depth reporting since 1998.
Regional iGaming Content
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.