Lenovo in Talks to Acquire Packard Bell
Packard Bell may be on the selling block yet again. Lenovo said Tuesday that it is in talks to acquire all or a portion of the computer maker to give it a foothold in the European market.
Neither side has talked about how big of a stake in Packard Bell that Lenovo is looking to purchase, nor a possible price.
Judge: Qualcomm Guilty of 'Litigation Misconduct and Concealment'
In a blistering rebuke of Qualcomm during its pursuit of patent infringement claims against rival Broadcom - whose counterclaims led to an import ban on some Qualcomm chips, signed into law by President Bush yesterday - US District Judge Rudi Brewster yesterday issued a finding which contained this quote: "The Court finds by clear and convincing evidence that Qualcomm counsel participated in an organized program of litigation misconduct and concealment throughout discovery, trial, and post-trial [prior to] April 27, 2007."
As a result of this finding, Qualcomm is now prohibited from being able to enforce two of its patents for video compression techniques, the existence of which the company failed to disclose before a key meeting of the Joint Video Task Force (JVT).
AMD Boosts Dual-Core Opteron Past 3.0 GHz: Will It Be Enough?
Yesterday's launch by AMD of dual-core Opteron processors at the 3.0 GHz and 3.2 GHz clock speeds substantiates what company officials had been saying at an analyst day meeting the week before: Maybe clock speed no longer matters in the consumer desktop space, but it's still a factor in the IT department.
Last year at this time, AMD processors were taking a pounding from newly introduced Intel Core 2 Duos. Since then, there have been two successive upgrade generations to Intel's new Core Microarchitecture, and it's already well on its way to replacing it with a design that eliminates its dependence upon an external memory controller...like AMD's had for a few years already.
Apple Debuts New Aluminum and Glass iMacs
As expected, Apple on Tuesday unveiled its latest version of its iMac computer line, with new aluminum and glass enclosures at a cheaper price than their predecessors.
The 17-inch iMac has been discontinued in favor of two 20-inch models and a high-end 24-inch version. In all cases, both the keyboard and the computer itself are thinner than previous versions.
Apple Debuts iLife '08, New iWork
Further solidifying its move into the applications business, Apple on Tuesday debuted iLife '08 and iWork '08, which now includes a spreadsheet application like many had predicted.
The entire iWork '08 suite received updates, including better support for images as backgrounds and more themes to Keynote, its presentation program. Pages also got new templates. However the big news was Numbers.
FCC Pushing Sprint to End Interference
The FCC is stepping up pressure on Sprint Nextel to clear out from certain cellular frequencies to reduce interference to public safety transmissions.
Interference is being caused by Nextel's walkie-talkie feature, which sits on frequencies close to the one used by first responders. In some cases, it is cutting off communications completely between officers and dispatchers.
Sharp Sues Samsung Over LCD Technology
Sharp sued Samsung in Texas District Court on Monday, accusing it of infringing on patents related to liquid crystal display technologies.
Five different patents are included in the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Patent suits are frequently filed in this district as it is seen as a favorable court for patent holders. Sharp is asking for a jury trial.
$1.5 Billion MP3 Fine Against Microsoft Struck Down
In the clearest sign yet that the landscape for patent infringement cases was altered significantly by the US Supreme Court, Judge Rudi Brewster of District Court in San Diego late yesterday tossed out a $1.5 billion jury verdict against Microsoft, partially overturning that verdict on one infringement count and remanding the second to a lower court for retrial.
As a result, the tide could be turning in favor of Fraunhofer Labs, the European licensee of the MP3 format. In the US, AT&T was considered the rightful patent holder for the format, based on the theory that it was the first to file in this country.
Xbox 360 Price Cuts Arrive Wednesday
Confirming earlier speculation, Microsoft on Tuesday announced price cuts on the Xbox 360 that will take effect tomorrow..
As rumored in late July, pricing on the Xbox Premium will be lowered by $50, the Elite by $30, and the Core system by $20. The new pricing places the three consoles at a price of $349, $449, and $279 USD, respectively.
'300' Sets Hi-Def Disc Sales Records
Warner Home Video said Tuesday that sales of "300" have reached 250,000, making it the fastest and highest-selling high-definition disc ever. All told, the studio has six of the 10 highest selling discs, and the highest grossing title in the BBC's "Planet Earth" series. The company also talked up the benefits at this juncture of supporting both HD formats, as opposed to the single format strategy that many studios have settled on.
30 percent of HD discs sold are from Warner, more than any other studio. However, the studio seemed to push both Blu-ray and HD DVD to keep lowering prices if they wish to continue expanding the market. "This phenomenal response to '300' is the latest proof that our approach makes the most sense in today's market and has enabled Warner Home Video to continue to lead the market in high definition sales," Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders said.
Fortune: Gates No Longer Richest Man
An era has come to an end, says Fortune, as Bill Gates is no longer the world's richest man, according to the magazine's latest tally. Mexican telecom billionaire Carlos Slim has surpassed the Microsoft founder with an estimated worth of $59 billion compared to Gates' $58 billion.
Of course, the passing of the torch won't officially come until Forbes publishes its annual list next year. The change is largely the result of Slim's public holdings gaining more than $12 billion this year; Slim owns America Movil, the largest cell phone company in Latin America, along with a number of banks and restaurant chains. Gates has also been giving away more of his money to charitable causes, while Slim says he helps best by creating wealth and jobs through his own companies.
Nokia Shines Light on 'Prism' Phones
Nokia on Tuesday introduced two new style-oriented handsets that will only be available in Europe initially. The phones fall under what the company is calling its "Prism Collection," featuring triangle-shaped buttons and light-refracting colors.
The Nokia 7900 is the top-of-the-line Prism model, and includes an anodized aluminium backcover and an Organic LED display on the front. Users can choose from 49 different illumination colors that come from under the keys and around the display.
Google Joins OIN, Agrees Not to Sue Linux Developers
Google said Tuesday it has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), and in the process pledged not to assert its patents against other Linux developers in the organization. OIN essentially serves as a clearing house for cross-licensing patents, and counts IBM, Oracle and Sony as members.
Since its inception, Google has utilized Linux to build the largest search engine in the world. Now, the company says it feels "a strong responsibility to the Linux community, and we’re always looking for creative ways to put our resources in the hands of Linux developers." Hundreds of Google employees have submitted patches to the Linux operating system, and the company has open-sourced over a million lines of its own code.
YouTube Copyright Lawsuit Grows
Members of the National Music Publishers Association said Tuesday that they planned to join a lawsuit against YouTube over copyright infringement, signaling more legal trouble for Google's video site.
The original lawsuit was filed by British Soccer organization Premier League in May, and sought class-action status. Since then, music publisher Bourne has joined, and Robert Tur, owner of the Los Angeles News Service also plans to join the suit shortly.
Service Site for Xbox 360 Goes Live
Microsoft has opened a special Web site to help customers track their Xbox 360 repairs, which follows last month's 3-year warranty extension that was made due to high failure rates for the Redmond company's flagship game console.
From the site, customers can register their Xbox, schedule a repair, and track the status of the entire process. For now, the service appears only to be open for those in the United States, but Microsoft's warranty extension does apply worldwide. According to some reports, as many as 3 out of every 10 Xbox 360 units had some sort of problem.
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