Latest Technology News

Despite previous bad blood between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child program, which opted to include AMD processors in the low-cost computer for developing nations, the leading chip manufacturer will join the non-profit's board of directors and help fund the initiative.

After OLPC selected AMD, Intel began building its own low-cost laptop for schoolchildren, which it called Classmate PC. The competition has led to problems, as some countries have opted for the Classmate rather than OLPC's so-called "$100 laptop," which currently costs $175. Although OLPC will continue to use AMD chips for the near future, Intel will likely find its place in the $100 laptop further down the road.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves may have let something slip that American consumers weren't supposed to know: there really is no "price cut" for the PS3.

Instead, production on 60GB models in North America has apparently been halted in favor of the new 80GB version. When supplies run out, consumers would be left only with the new PS3 model, which retails for $599 USD, same as the old price of the 60GB model.

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Microsoft released the second version of its Windows Live Mobile Search application on Friday, including some new features for both the standalone and Web-based versions of the client.

Versions of the software are available for Windows Mobile, J2ME, and in beta for BlackBerry devices. Unsupported phones will be able to access the new Web-based version. The iPhone can use the Web-based app, but a bug prevents the search button from working properly.

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Apple may be close to developing a Wi-Fi enabled iPod as a new patent application submitted recently by the company indicates it is developing a way for devices to talk to each other through a wireless network.

First reported by Macsimum News on Thursday, the patent sounds quite similar to what Microsoft is already doing with the Zune. There has been much speculation about the release of a Wi-Fi enabled device, however none have surfaced as of yet.

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Trying to recoup its losses as a result of placing anti-piracy software on its music CDs, Sony BMG sued the company responsible for the technology, it said on Thursday.

Sony is asking for $12 million USD in damages from The Amergence Group, Inc., formally known as SunnComm International. The suit was filed in a New York State court on July 3, according to court documents.

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Adobe this week fixed critical vulnerabilities within its Flash Player that could allow an attacker to take control of an affected system. According to a company advisory, all current versions of Flash 9, 8 and 7 are affected by the problem, which relates to not validating certain input.

As a result, Adobe has released new versions of Flash for all platforms. 9.0.47.0 is the newest release for Windows and Mac, while 9.0.48.0 is available for Linux. 8.0.35.0 has also been released for Flash 8 users, in addition to a patch for users who cannot upgrade from Flash 7. More information and upgrade instructions are available from Adobe's Web site.

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The European arm of the HD DVD Promotion Group announced Thursday that it has 74 percent of the high-definition market for standalone players in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, outselling rival Blu-ray players by a 3-to-1 margin. But the figures do not include Sony PS3 sales.

Toshiba cut prices of its HD DVD players in both Europe and the United States last month, and the company says it has seen a boost in sales following the move. Standalone Blu-ray players remain more expensive, which is likely the primary reason behind the sales disparity. However, the sales numbers, which were commissioned from market research group GfK and haven't been made public, do not take into account Blu-ray's primary sales driver, the PlayStation 3.

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Microsoft's entertainment and devices chief Robbie Bach sold $6.2 million in stock in the two months preceding the company's admission that Xbox repairs had reached an "unacceptable" level.

The hardware problems were said to affect as many as 3 out of every 10 consoles according to some sources. Bach said the company had developed a fix for the issue and was already implementing it into consoles that Microsoft is manufacturing now.

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Warner Music Group said Thursday that it had dropped its lawsuit against video sharing site imeem, as the two sides agreed on a revenue sharing deal.

The label had sued imeemin mid-May , claiming the site was allowing its users to share content from the label without permission. It sought an injunction against the site as well as monetary damages.

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Nokia said Wednesday that it would add Skype capabilities to its N800 Internet Tablet. Users would be able to make phone calls from the device as long as they are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Although this signals an important first step in bringing the VoIP to more mobile devices, it still falls short of total mobility using the product.

"Our users are no longer just using Skype on their computer desktops," Skype mobile business development chief Eric Lagier said. "With the growth of mobile devices and Wi-Fi, consumers expect to be connected wherever they are, at the office, at home or on the move," Those interested in the product can download it from the Skype Web site.

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With the Nintendo DS now outselling the PSP, Sony said Wednesday that it will release a new model of the handheld console in September that is both thinner and lighter than its predecessor.

Sony Computer Entertainment president Kazuo Hirai said at an E3 presentation that the new PSP is about a third lighter and about 19 percent thinner. It is likely that the move is aimed at regaining the top spot in sales that it recently lost to Nintendo's DS.

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If you're still trying to find a Nintendo Wii, keep looking. The console is expected to remain in short supply in the near future, says its North American president.

Reggie Fils-Aimee made the comments on Wednesday as part of the E3 Media and Business Summit. He said that even though the console had been basically sold out for all of the 33 weeks it has been available, it should become the number 1 gaming platform very soon.

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Amid fresh criticism over his leadership, Mororola CEO Ed Zander may be about to step down according to rumors on the Street, one analyst says.

The latest calls for resignation come from investor Eric Jackson, who demanded that Zander leave as part of what he calls "Motorola Plan B." In addition, he calls on shareholders to replace four board members, create a long-term plan and name a permanent head of the mobile devices business.

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AOL has settled with 48 states and the District of Columbia over an investigation stemming from its previous cancellation policies in which some customers were unable to close their AOL accounts, or found themselves being billed for services after thinking they had canceled.

AOL will pay $3 million and has agreed to continue maintaining its online cancelation feature that went live last August; previously, customers had to call in to cancel, and AOL employees were encouraged to convince them otherwise. The company admitted no wrong-doing as part of the settlement.

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Microsoft has released a beta version of Windows Live OneCare 2.0, its anti-malware and maintenance software. The update adds support for monitoring the status of other PCs on a network, as well as a new firewall that adjusts its settings automatically depending on the security of the network.

OneCare 2.0 can also perform PC maintenance tasks, including clearing a jammed print job and listing what applications are causing a system to be slow to boot up. 64-bit compatibility is new in version 2.0 as well. Windows Live OneCare is offered as a subscription service for a yearly rate of $49.95 USD, which covers up to three PCs in a home.

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