Judge bans Microsoft Word sales

A US federal court has ordered Microsoft to pay over $290m (£175m) for wilfully infringing on a patent by Canadian firm i4i. The patent relates to the use of XML, a mark-up language that allows formatting of text and makes files readable across different programs. XML is integral to Microsoft's flagship word processing software Word.

BBC Article


Pre Reports Back To Palm Where You Are

After taking a closer look at the Palm Pre's operating system, there's a handful of items that the device is reporting back to Palm on a daily basis. Some of them make sense, such as reporting when an app crashes or which apps you've installed, but the one that got people upset today was that the device is telling Palm your location.

Washington Post Article


Computer viruses slow African expansion

Hampered by pirated software and super-slow download times, computer users in Africa are finding PC viruses hard to eradicate.

Guardian Article


Man gets 3 years in prison for stealing IDs over LimeWire

A Washington state man who admitted using the LimeWire file-sharing program to steal tax returns and other sensitive documents has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison. Frederick Eugene Wood of Seattle was ordered to serve 39 months for a fraud scheme that prosecutors said was a "particularly pernicious and devious one." In it, Wood would search the hard drives of LimeWire users for files that contained words such as "statement," "account" and "tax.pdf." He would then download tax returns, bank statements, and other sensitive documents and use them to forge counterfeit checks and steal the identity of the individuals who filled out the documents.

The Register Article


Cellphones Largely Immune to Viruses, for Now

It has been great using smartphones as de facto computers. You don't have to buy antivirus software or worry about the devices going haywire every time some Ukrainian crime ring finds a new way to steal data from the cloud.

NY Times Article


Apple talks down (another) iPhone App Store critic

Again lifting its famous veil of silence, Apple has responded to a prominent blogger angry about its arbitrary iPhone App Store approval procedures. But Apple's new found, openness is not being expressed in official company pronouncements or press releases, but rather through personal emails sent by the company's SVP for worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller.

The Register Article


ET text home? Send SMSes to outer space

An Australian website is giving texting an intergalactic touch and allowing users to send short mobile phone-type messages into space. From Wednesday and until August 24, people hankering for an out-of-this-world experience can visit www.HelloFromEarth.net to post messages no longer than 160 characters that will be transmitted to Gliese 581d, the nearest Earth-like planet outside the solar system likely to support life.

Reuters Article