Latest Technology News

Microsoft applauded a federal court's decision Thursday to jail a man convicted of hawking faked certificates of authenticity for the company's software. Judge Orinda D. Evans of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia sentenced Justin Harrison to 46 months in prison for his participation in the crime ring. Harrison ran Sales International, which participated in the trafficking of the certificates.

"The sentence recognizes the value of intellectual property and the threat that software piracy presents to the global economy and consumers throughout the world," Microsoft said in a statement. The case, which was investigated by the FBI, found that Sales International was distributing Microsoft software with the faked certificates.

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Microsoft said Thursday that "Halo 3" has become the fastest selling pre-ordered game in history, with over 1 million copies already paid for by customers. Microsoft hopes to further that number by launching a number of Halo ad campaigns with Mountain Dew, 7-Eleven, Pontiac, Comcast and Burger King.

"Halo 3" officially goes on sale September 25, and retailers expect to be fully sold out by the time the game arrives at stores. Microsoft says this is the first time a game has created as much buzz as a blockbuster movie, and Mountain Dew is even creating a new drink -- called "Game Fuel" -- that is Halo-themed. The game will also be featured in television commercials from Pepsi and Pontiac.

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FairUse4WM, a program that strips the copyright protection from Windows Media audio and video files, continues to be a thorn in Microsoft's side. An individual has now posted detailed instructions on how to bypass the DRM in Netflix's movie streams, making it so customers can download and share the films.

With the latest update to FairUse4WM, which came in mid-July, it was only a matter of time before new targets were discovered. Last month, users of the application confirmed that it was possible to remove the latest copy protection from songs available on MTV's URGE and Yahoo! Music Unlimited.

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Apple on Wednesday released a new beta of its Boot Camp software, which enables Intel-based Macs to dual-boot Windows and Mac OS X. Version 1.4 Beta introduces a number of new features, including support for Apple's backlit keyboards, and the Apple Remote.

The company is further polishing the software before it arrives as a built-in option for Mac OS X "Leopard," due to be released in October. Other minor updates in Boot Camp 1.4 Beta include updated graphics drivers, a new driver installer, localization fixes, improved international keyboard support, and better help.

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Microsoft has quietly updated its mid-range Xbox 360 Premium model with an HDMI output, making the game console compatible with high-definition televisions and receivers. The HDMI port had been a major selling point of the high-end Xbox 360 Elite, which costs $100 more and features a larger hard drive.

Customers began noticing the HDMI port on the latest shipments of Xbox 360 units to retail stores, and Microsoft has confirmed it is phasing in the updated model. The Redmond company has not said whether the new Xbox 360 Premium features the rumored 65-nanometer chips that run cooler or quieter DVD drive, but it is likely. Xbox 360 Premium buyers can look for an HDMI logo on the box to ensure they receive the updated version.

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It was perhaps the biggest "Undo" ever done on Microsoft's behalf: Monday's dramatic reversal of a $1.53 billion judgment against it in a critical patent infringement case involving the use of MP3 technologies in Windows Media Player. There were hundreds of MP3 licensees on Fraunhofer Labs' list that Alcatel-Lucent might have pursued next, including Apple and Creative, had the largest such fine in US history been demonstrated to be collected by the French telecommunications firm.

The case isn't over, but the prospects for Alcatel-Lucent salvaging some fragment of its success, either through a lower court ruling or on appeal, appear dim. But after a precedent-setting ruling that may make it more difficult for companies everywhere to capitalize on their intellectual property portfolios, what happens to the rest of the technology industry? Is there still value in IP, or will investors begin shifting their focus toward companies that produce products rather than ideas? Has an "asset light" business structure suddenly become unattractive?

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Linspire on Wednesday released the second version of Freespire, the community-based operating system based on Canonical's Ubuntu Linux distribution, enhancing it with its own proprietary software, drivers, and codecs.

The San Diego company's announcement comes a little over a year after the company first announced its plans to split its Linspire efforts into a commercial and free variant. The company hopes the free version will help spur use of Linux.

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Sun Microsystems' new UltraSPARC T2 processor, announced yesterday, promises to break new ground in CPU parallelism not only by offering eight cores per chip, but eight threads per core. But will this necessarily mean 64 times the processor power? The answer depends on how you define "thread."

For at least the past half-decade, Sun Microsystems has known that the key to performance improvement in the "post-megahertz" era of microprocessors is to discover how to implement parallelism without dedicating a whole processor core to each thread.

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The FCC has struck down a proposal brought forth by several technology companies that utilizes unused portions of TV spectrum for high-speed Internet.

Supported by companies such as Microsoft, Dell, and Google, the device uses what is called "white space" to deliver Internet, especially in rural areas. However, the FCC said the products shown did not reliably find unused spectrum, and would cause interference.

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In a move that will likely only further confuse the situation surrounding Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft has posted for public download two updates that were released to beta testers last month. The patches improve Vista performance and reliability, along with the operating system's compatibility with drivers and hardware.

Some of the changes include better file copy performance, faster boot times, improved compatibility with newer graphics cards, and better performance in games with advanced visuals. The fixes are expected to be included in SP1, which is slated for public release next year. However, Microsoft has seemingly made them available early in response to criticism from customers surrounding Vista performance and reliability problems. Download the Vista Performance Update and Reliability Update from FileForum.

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A controversial California state law banning the sale of so-called "violent video games" to citizens under the age of 18, was struck down Monday in US District Court as unconstitutional. Judge Ronald Whyte made this ruling two years after putting a stay on its enactment pending review. Now, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- who signed the bill into law -- is vowing to appeal the ruling.

The governor's appeal, with all its embedded ironies of a former action movie star speaking out forcefully against wanton depictions of violence, will no doubt launch a new wave of speeches and photo opportunities, followed by excerpts of the alleged violent acts depicted on television and Internet news, giving those games public exposure - including to children - that advertising couldn't possibly purchase.

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Virgin America took to the skies on Wednesday. While for some it may just be another discount airline, the technology-centric planes could be a geek's dream.

The first flights take off between San Francisco and New York along with a San Francisco to Los Angeles route Wednesday.

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Without much fanfare, Apple silently upgraded its Mac Mini line on Tuesday, adding faster processors and more memory and storage.

Apple enthusiast sites have begun debating the future of the Mac Mini, pointing to slow sales and the scant number of updates the device has had since its January debut. However, Apple still seems to have faith in its entry-level Mac.

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In a sign that its experiment with offering Linux as an installed operating system on certain notebook and desktop PCs may be working, Dell is expanding the option to the United Kingdom, France, Germany and China. The company includes Ubuntu Linux (Novell's SUSE in China) as opposed to Windows, saving customers some money.

For now, Dell says the majority of its Linux computer sales have come from open source enthusiasts, not general consumers. But because the manufacturer's systems are typically custom-tailored to a customer's preferences, it's not difficult to switch out the operating system. Dell likely won't see any additional revenue from the move, but it will score points with open source fans. And those individuals are frequently the ones making the buying decisions for companies' technology infrastructures - which could lead to additional enterprise sales for Dell.

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HTC said Tuesday that the Advantage, its newest laptop-like smart device, is now available in the US market. The Advantage runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and includes a five-inch VGA display and attachable keyboard. The device isn't exactly small: it weighs in at almost 13 ounces and measures 5.25 inches long by 3.86 inches wide, and a little over three-quarters of an inch wide when measured with the keyboard.

An impressive list of features follow the device, including an 8GB hard drive, built in GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, TV out, and a 3-megapixel camera. The Avantage has been available as the "Ameo" across T-Mobile's European markets; in the US, it is being sold at CompUSA and Amazon.com as an unlocked device for $899 USD.

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