NEC device is said to translate Japanese on the fly
New allies argue for DOJ to lay off Microsoft
Microsoft has found allies willing to argue against further antitrust oversight, though these new allies have attracted their own share of scrutiny.
Financial transaction processing giant Visa and paper products producer Weyerhaeuser filed amicus briefs on behalf of Microsoft earlier this month, asking a federal court to allow the US Justice Dept.'s oversight period over Microsoft's business activities to lapse.
Zander cedes top spot at Motorola
Amid criticism over the company's shortcomings and a much weaker position in the mobile phone market, Motorola CEO Ed Zander will step down at the end of the year.
The change would take effect on January 1, according to a statement from the company. Zander would be replaced by current president and chief operating officer Greg Brown, who joined the company in 2003. He would stay as chairman until the shareholder meeting in March of next year, and serve in an advisory role through January 2009.
FEMA considers new software to fill 'gaps' in disaster plans
As it reorganizes, adds new regional planners, and tries to become more nimble, the DHS's FEMA agency is also using a new emergency response methodology in meetings with state and local governments.
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - Still in the throes of a major reorganization, the US Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now starting to use a methodology called the "Gap Analysis Tool" as an aid to emergency response planning, and there is some possibility that the tool will eventually be turned into a software application.
PS3 outsells Wii in Japan during November
For the four weeks ending November 25, the PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo's Wii by around 15 percent in Japan, but it still has quite a bit more catching up to do.
November marks the first month the PS3 has had higher sales than the Wii, largely due to a price cut that was announced November 2. The cheaper $399 40GB model has brought the struggling console back to life in a battle with Nintendo and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Even sales in the United States are up, with PS3 purchases tripling over Thanksgiving week.
University of Oregon takes a stand against RIAA
Microsoft previews parallel processing for .NET Framework
With the multicore era already well upon us, the opportunities for multithreading are only now being recognized. Yesterday, Microsoft offered developers a taste of true parallelism with an experimental library for .NET.
Already, perhaps the most game-changing addition Microsoft has made to its .NET Framework is the addition of Language Integrated Query (LINQ), a long-sought provision that enables records or tables of data to be addressed within a single variable, all-at-once. If you're not a developer already, it's difficult to see how much of a breakthrough this really is.
Facebook caves to pressure, MoveOn over Beacon
Despite criticism, Facebook will not end its Beacon service, but will rather make some changes to appease vocal critics such as the liberal activist group MoveOn.org.
MoveOn had led the criticism against the project, where e-commerce partners send certain aspects of customers activities on its sites to their Facebook profiles, calling it an invasion of privacy.
CEO Schmidt confirms Google will bid in FCC 700 MHz auction
A rapid change in climate precipitated perhaps by Verizon Wireless' unprecedented move on Monday, brings the perennial fence-sitter back in the ballgame for wireless spectrum.
"We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," stated Google CEO Eric Schmidt this morning, confirming reports that the company is prepared to not only meet the $4.6 billion minimum bid price it helped set for the so-called "C-block" -- the jewel in the US Federal Communications Commission's 700 MHz auction next January -- but will apparently make this bid from its own pockets alone.
US Patent Office sides with TiVo in DVR dispute
The DVR maker was handed a major victory Thursday after the USPTO upheld its patents to time-shifting technology that has become a staple of the TiVo service.
While not completely ending its court battle with EchoStar, it essentially would prevent the satellite company from using claims of patent invalidity in its ongoing appeal.
UN conference shines light on technology 'haves' and 'have nots'
A two-day environmental conference at the UN this week pointed up the differences between developed and less developed nations. But did it also help to bring these two sides closer together?
UNITED NATIONS (BetaNews) - This week at the United Nations -- indisputably one of the world's most visible opinion forums -- BetaNews was present for a conference that shone the spotlight on an intriguing and important dictotomy in the global environment. The two-day event in New York City juxtaposed first-hand accounts of environmental damage to less advantaged nations, raised by UN officials, against the efforts of major computer makers from the industrialized nations to do a better job of preventing ecological harm.
Verizon Wireless to move toward LTE as its 4G platform
Proving it still had some fireworks left over from Monday, Verizon Wireless announced this afternoon its corporate parents will be steering its communications platform evolution away from the path it was already on.
Vodafone and Verizon will be jointly investing their efforts in LTE, the brainchild of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Although they are both members of the project, as are US competitors AT&T and Sprint, the Long Term Evolution platform competes with the technology portfolio of 3GPP member Qualcomm. So membership has never necessarily been an indication of platform preference.
'Free' electronics claims cost advertiser $650,000
The FTC is cracking down on claims of "free" electronics, such as an Xbox 360 or an iPod, fining a major advertising company $650,000 for its deceptive marketing tactics.
You've seen them before: e-mails and online banners promising a free iPod simply by clicking an ad. But those who do take the bait quickly discover they must first wade through a series of third party promotions, and then are forced to sign up for offers before being eligible for the gift.
Silverlight 1.1 beta to become 2.0 beta
The edition of Silverlight that Microsoft touted from the beginning as having the C# and .NET functionality that its 1.0 edition lacked, is evolving from what it had described as an upgrade into a major overhaul.
Since its inception, Microsoft has continually been developing two versions of its programmable Web graphics platform Silverlight. In fact, on the very day of its public premiere, the company introduced developers to what was being called the "1.0 beta" and the "1.1 alpha."
US Coast Guard and Rutgers apply new software to disaster planning
The more complicated the environment, the tougher it is to do effective disaster planning. For cities in some major port areas, government officials are turning to computer-based simulations from Rutgers University.
Hurricane Katrina and the September 11th attack have alerted the US to the devastation that can ensue from natural disasters and terrorist activities. Now officials in other parts of the globe, ranging from the Istanbul Strait to the Delaware Bay, are working with researchers from Rutgers University on computer-based methods of comprehensive disaster planning.
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