Stefania Spagnuolo

Intel has finally released the details of a new low-budget notebook designed especially for students in developing countries. The notebook, dubbed the Classmate PC, will be offered to emerging markets as part of the company's "Intel World Ahead ... Program" which was announced in May. Although a price has not yet been determined, Intel expects to charge about $250 US, with the price expected to drop to $200 US when the order volume increases. Intel has reported that orders have already been placed from governments in Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and India. Production is planned for the first quarter ... (view more)

Not long ago, "Google" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary as a verb -- a move that signalled Google's dominance in the search engine industry and recognized the fact that the word "Google" is sometimes synonomous with "search" or "find" when ... it comes to online activity. However, the company has recently come under attack for copyright related issues. On Tuesday, Google posted a blog entry entitled "Our Approach to Content" defending their practices. The blog, authored by David Eun, VP of Content Partnerships, notes Google's vision of organizing world-wide information and making it ... (view more)

Google made an unexpected u-turn this past Saturday when they published a copyright infringement ruling regarding their Google.be (Belgian) web site. (Source: reuters.com ) Earlier last week, Google was found guilty of copyright infringement. The ... Belgian court ruled that Google was required to stop publishing content from Belgian newspapers without prior consent or payment. The court also demanded that Google post the ruling on the Google.be site. (Source: cbc.ca ) On Friday, Google lost their appeal to overturn the court's ruling. Although Google initially agreed to stop publishing Belgian ... (view more)

After months of unhappy gamers reporting problems with their beloved Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft has finally acknowledged some defects and has taken a stride to remedy the situation. In a statement issued last Thursday, Microsoft is offering free ... repairs to anyone whose Xbox 360 was manufactured before January 1st, 2006 and will provide refunds to those who have already paid for repairs. Some reported problems include consoles that suddenly cease for no apparent reason, as well as systems that develop blank displays. (Source: mercurynews.com ) The following is an excerpt from Microsoft's ... (view more)

The coffee powerhouse Starbucks was recently slapped with a $114 million lawsuit after they pulled their e-mail-based free drink offer. Starbucks sent out an e-mail on August 23rd to select employees offering the coupon and requesting that they ... forward it to their families and friends. The coupon offered a free Grande drink, valid until September 30th. (Source: yahoo.com ) Not surprisingly, the forwarded coupons multiplied. Shortly after, Starbucks rescinded the offer when "it had been redistributed beyond its original intent." (Source: bbc.com ) The lawsuit was initiated after a customer in ... (view more)

Microsoft reported late Monday that yet another former McAfee virus expert will join the company. He will fill the position of senior security researcher. Jimmy Kuo will join fellow former McAfee alumnus Vincent Gullotto as part of Microsoft's ... Security Research and Response team. Gullotto was hired last month as the general manager of the team. (Source: ZDNet.com ) The Security Research and Response team operates under Microsoft's Security Technology Unit, responsible for securing Microsoft products, including the Windows operating system. (Source: news.com ) Kuo formerly worked in McAfee's ... (view more)

Searching for comedy on the Internet is not always easy. However, the task just got a lot easier thanks to Rooftop Comedy. Rather than having to scour the Internet -- or even general video websites like YouTube -- Rooftop Comedy provides a single ... place that houses over one hundred clips from various comedians. And unlike what you may find on television, clips on Rooftop Comedy are uncensored. (Source: rooftopcomedy.com ) Rooftop Comedy states that their website was founded by "one comic, some Internet geeks, and former broadcasters." It offers a free membership which users can join to receive ... (view more)

"Lost," "Desperate Housewives," and "Grey's Anatomy" fans rejoice: these are a few of the programs that ABC will soon be offering free of charge via their website. (Source: news.com ) Disney-owned ABC ran a two month test run last spring to ... determine the viability of an Internet broadcast. Clearly, the results were positive. The company announced this past Thursday that beginning May 2007, select ABC shows will be available on ABC.com the day after they air. Viewers will be able to pause and rewind the episodes. They cannot, however, fast forward through commercials, which Disney says will ... (view more)

Microsoft announced Thursday that its new portable media player, Zune, is expected to be released for the 2006 holiday season. The device, which rivals the market-dominant Apple iPod, is aiming to gain popularity by including features that the iPod ... lacks. Microsoft's vision for its new product is to provide "music service and a foundation for an online community that will enable music fans to discover new music." (Source: abcnews.com ) The 30GB media player will have the capability, through built-in WiFi (wireless network access), to share songs with other Zune users -- a key characteristic ... (view more)